Almighty God. Read Isaiah 9:6. I. Jesus Christ is Almighty God.

Transcription

1 The following sermon was preached at Redemption Baptist Church on Sunday, 16 December We encourage you to look up the Scriptures that are referenced. May the Lord speak to your heart as you study His Word. Almighty God In the past few weeks, I have been preaching a series of Christmas messages. In this series, we are focusing on a particular word that the angels proclaimed on the night when Christ was born. They said, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Peace is a promise from God to men. It is not just a theory: it is real, and abiding. However, peace is possible through only one Person God s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus is called The Prince of Peace. When Christ returns to earth at the end of the Tribulation period, He will destroy all His enemies; He will cast the Antichrist and all his followers, as well as Satan and his demons, into the bottomless pit; and He will set up a kingdom of peace for 1,000 years. He will sit on His throne in Jerusalem; and all people of earth will come to worship Him. There will be no war or injustice, because Jesus Christ will be on the throne; and He will judge mankind righteously. Even the animal kingdom will be at peace. The wolf will lie down with the lamb. It will be a time of perfect peace and tranquillity. However, outward peace between nations is not the only kind of peace that Christ will give. Far more important is the inner peace that Christ gives in a person s heart. This kind of peace can be had only by repenting of your sin and placing your faith in Christ alone, and in the sacrifice that He made for our sins on the cross. In Colossians 1:20 Paul wrote that Jesus Christ has made peace through the blood of his cross. Jesus Christ removes the penalty of sin and brings peace with God to all who trust in Him. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. However, as we saw last week, Jesus Christ is also called The Everlasting Father. This name literally means Father of Eternity. This means that Christ is the one who owns time and eternity. Because Christ is the Owner of time and eternity, we who have placed our faith in Him can have peace and assurance in our hearts in a very real and practical way. The One who owns time and eternity is in charge of everything that happens in time and eternity. This means that He has everything in our lives under His perfect control. He is working all things in our lives (even heartaches, trials, and persecution) together for our good. Romans 8:28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now, this morning, we are going to look at yet another name for Christ in our PEACE acronym. That name is Almighty God. The title of this message is Almighty God. Read Isaiah 9:6. I. Jesus Christ is Almighty God. In this verse, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called El Gibbor ( The Mighty God ). This verse, like so many other verses, declares that Jesus is God. Now, if you think about it, Jesus name, Mighty God, is vitally linked to the other names in this verse. All these qualities of Jesus Christ are interconnected. For example, Isaiah said that Jesus is The Everlasting Father. This means that He is the Owner of time and eternity. It means that He is in control of everything that happens in time and eternity. Now, if he be in control of everything that happens in time and eternity, then what must He have? He must

2 have all power. In order to be in complete, sovereign control of time and eternity, He must be The Mighty God. Then, there is the name Wonderful. The name Wonderful is linked to the name Mighty God, as well. How so? Well, the word wonderful is translated from the Hebrew word peleh, which means miracle, or miraculous. This name Wonderful speaks of Jesus power to do things that are outside the laws of nature (in other words, miracles ). Jesus conception in a virgin s womb was a miracle. His earthly ministry was filled with miracles, as He stilled raging storms, walked on water, healed the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the dumb, and even raised the dead. Christ can change the course of nature whenever He pleases, because He is the Mighty God who created nature. He is the one who spoke the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, and everything in it, into existence! John 1:3 says of Jesus, All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. Though Jesus Christ is 100% Man, He is also 100% God. He is The Mighty God. Now, there are many false religions that refuse to believe that Jesus is God. One of these false religions is the cult that calls itself the Jehovah s Witnesses. The Jehovah s Witnesses say that Jesus was created by Jehovah God, and that He is not God. They say that He is merely a god the mightiest of all created beings. (They say that He is actually the same person as Michael the Archangel.) How, then, do they explain the fact that Isaiah calls Jesus The Mighty God? Well, here s how they explain it. They say, Ah, yes, Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus The mighty God ; but it does not call him Almighty God. Jehovah s Witnesses claim that Jehovah is Almighty God, but that Jesus is merely a mighty god (with a little g ). Now, to people who do not know the Scriptures very well, this may sound like a reasonable explanation. On the surface, it may sound as though there is a difference between The mighty God and Almighty God. However, as we soon shall see, there is no difference at all. There is a verse in Jeremiah which totally destroys this argument. Let s look at it. Read Jeremiah 32: In this prayer, Jeremiah directly addresses God; and as he does so, he praises God for His power in creation, and for His deliverance of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. He is speaking to God, and of God. With this in mind, look again at verse 18. (Read verse 18.) Did you notice what Jeremiah called God at the end of the verse? He called Him the LORD of hosts : and the name LORD is in all capital letters. Whenever the name LORD in all capital letters, that is the Hebrew name Jehovah! Now, let s look at this verse one more time, and see what Jeremiah called God just before He called Him The LORD of hosts. (Read verse 18 again.) Let these words sink in, folks. Jeremiah called God The Great, the Mighty God and the LORD of hosts in the same breath. According to Jeremiah, The LORD of hosts and The Mighty God are the same! Now, where did we see this name The Mighty God before? We saw it in Isaiah 9:6, where Isaiah called Jesus The Mighty God! This means that Jesus Christ, who is The mighty God, is also The LORD of hosts. He is Jehovah. He is not merely a god. (If Jesus were a god, and not Jehovah, it would mean that Jehovah was lying to us when He said that there is no other god besides Himself!) Jesus is the eternal,

3 Almighty God the Creator of all things. He has all might and all power. It makes no difference whether you call Jesus The Mighty God or Almighty God, because both names belong to God. Jesus is God; and He has all might and power. That s why Jesus said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). Now, before we move to the heart of this message, let s look at one more Scripture. In this Scripture, Jesus is actually called the Almighty. Read Revelation 1:8-18. There is no question that it was Jesus who appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos. In verse 13, John referred to the One who appeared to him as the Son of Man. Christ Himself identified Himself as the One who liveth, and was dead, and is now alive for evermore. (So far, Jesus is the only man who ever lived and died, but who is now alive forevermore!) So, if Jesus was the one who appeared to John and spoke to him, then let s do some simple reasoning. In verse 8, the Lord called Himself the Almighty. Clearly, this is God speaking, because He calls Himself the Almighty. In Greek, this name is Pantakrator; but if you look up this verse in a Hebrew translation, the name that you will see is El Shaday. This name, El Shaday ( Almighty God ), is the same name that you see in the in Genesis 17:1, where we are told that Jehovah appeared to Abram and said unto Him, I am the Almighty God. Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly called Himself El Shaday Almighty God. It is plain to see that Almighty God is the Speaker in verse 8. With this in mind, let s read this verse again. (Read verse 8 again.) What else did the Almighty call Himself in this verse? He called Himself the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. Now, this is important, because it so happens that this is exactly what Jesus Christ called Himself only a few verses later. In verse 11 the Lord Jesus calls Himself Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Let s look at it. (Read verse 11 again.) If Almighty God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, and if Jesus is also the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, then there can be only one conclusion Jesus is Almighty God! By the way, this title, The first and the last, is a title that Jehovah uses for Himself in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 41:4 Jehovah said, I am the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. Isaiah 44:6 says, Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. In Isaiah 48:12 the LORD said, Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, and I also am the last. Jesus Christ is El Gibbor "The Mighty God. He is rishōn w achrōn The First and the Last. He is El Shaday "Almighty God. Now, can we draw any practical application from the name Almighty God? Yes, we can! Every one of God s names tells us something about His character. Every name of God tells us something about how God relates to us and of how we should, therefore, live our lives. This brings me to the heart of our message. II. Because Jesus Christ is Almighty, we can rest in Him.

4 Seven hundred years before Jesus birth, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called The Mighty God; and, as we have seen, Jesus is also called The Almighty God. This is what we call doctrine. This is teaching. It is the teaching that God has given us concerning His Son. We must always remember, though, that doctrine is not just a study. Doctrine is not merely something that we learn and store in our heads. When the doctrines of Christ are truly believed in the heart, obeyed, and put to practice, they have a transformational power in our lives. The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 19, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The law of the LORD and the testimony of the LORD are names for Scripture. And what did David say that the Scripture does? He says that it converts the soul, and makes simple people wise. The doctrines in God s Word have the power to transform our hearts, minds, and behaviour...if we believe them, submit to them, and apply them to our hearts. The teaching that Jesus is Almighty God can transform your heart. It can have an enormous impact on your daily life...if, that is, you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ, and you have a personal relationship with Him. If you have not repented of your sin and trusted Christ, then this truth will not affect your life in the least, because you have never surrendered control of your heart to Him. If you have not been saved, then you are living your life the way you ve always lived it of yourself, by yourself, and for yourself. You live your life according to your own flawed wisdom, and not according to Christ s wisdom. You trust in yourself, and not in the Lord. You have not allowed Christ to be Ruler of your life; therefore, He is not present in your life, and His power is not upon your life. On the other hand, if you have placed your trust in Christ for salvation, then you have the ability, through the Holy Spirit, to trust God with your life; and as you trust Him, He gives you power to live your life for Him. Jesus Christ is Almighty God. The name says it all: He has all might and power. There is nothing He can t do (except, of course, to lie or to be unjust). This morning, I would like to show you several ways in which Jesus Christ is The Mighty God; and as I show you these things, you will see how His might and power are able to bring peace to your heart. First of all, Jesus Christ is mighty to save! In Isaiah 63:1, Isaiah made this prophecy of Jesus Christ: Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Now, these verses are written in the context of Christ s second coming to earth. The salvation that Isaiah is talking about is the salvation (or deliverance) that Christ will give to the Jewish believers at the end of the Tribulation period. When Antichrist s armies are surrounding the land of Israel, and just when they are about to annihilate the Jewish people once and for all, Christ will descend from heaven with his army of saints and angels, and will utterly destroy the armies of the Antichrist. He will deliver His people with a mighty hand. Jesus Christ is mighty to save. He will save His people, Israel, from destruction. However, Jesus is not only mighty to save Israel from physical destruction; He is also mighty to save all of us from our sin. The Bible says in John 1:12, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. The Bible says in Hebrews 7:25 that Jesus is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. Jesus Christ doesn t save sinners only part of the way: He saves them all the way. He doesn t do some of the saving, and leave the rest up to us, to pay for through our own

5 good works. He paid the entire price for our sin, one time forever! Hebrews 10:12 and 14 says, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Jesus saves sinners completely; and He saves them forever. In fact, if we could lose our salvation, Christ would not truly be mighty to save! In order to be our Saviour, Christ must save us and keep us. That is exactly what He does! Read 1 Peter 1:3-5. Peter says that Christians are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation! Christ doesn t merely save sinners who place their faith in Him; He also keeps them safe and secure from God s wrath. By the way, when Peter refers to God there in verse 5, he is referring to the entire Godhead. Every member of the Godhead is involved in the keeping of our souls. The Bible says that the Father gives us to the Son for safekeeping; and the Father Himself holds us in His hand. We are told that the Holy Spirit lives in believer s hearts, and seals them until the resurrection day. We are also told that Christ has the special role of keeping the souls whom the Father gives Him. Jesus said, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37). Jesus also promised that no man is able to pluck His sheep from out of His hand (John 10:27-28). This truth alone is reason for Christians to have peace in their hearts. I wake up every day with the peace of knowing that my Lord Jesus is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him (in other words, my soul) until the Resurrection Day! Do you have this peace? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by faith? Are you saved? Now, not only is Jesus mighty to save sinners from the penalty of their sin, but He is also mighty to deliver Christians from the power of sin. He is able to deliver us from temptation. Christian, you don t need a psychologist to dig up suppressed memories, and to soothe your guilt away, and to tell you that it isn t really your fault that it s your mom s fault, or your dad s fault, or the fault of someone else who has wronged you. You simply need forgiveness and cleansing from sin through your Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9.) Jesus Christ is mighty to lift up Christians who have already stumbled. However, He is also mighty to deliver us from sinning in the first place! Read Jude Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. Do you believe this, Christian? Is this just a doctrine to you? Or are you really trusting Christ day by day to keep you from temptation? By the way, if you really trust that Christ is the mighty God who is able to keep you from temptation, then you will also love Him. The Bible makes it clear that love for Christ is the end product of true faith (or trust) in Christ. You cannot separate trust in Christ from love for Him. In fact, love for Christ, coupled with faith, is the greatest motivator to overcome temptation. When you really love Christ as you should, how can you sin against Him, and grieve him? John Owen, an English pastor who lived back in the 1600 s, put it this way in his book, Of Temptation:

6 [K]eep the heart full of a sense of the love of God in Christ. This is the greatest preservative against the power of temptation in the world.... 'The love of Christ constraineth us,' saith the apostle, 'to live to him' (2 Corinthians 5:14); and so, consequently, to withstand temptation. A man...ought to lay in provisions of the law also-- fear of...punishment, with the terror of the Lord...But...[fear of the law] will never stand alone against a vigorous assault...hearts stored with [fear] will struggle for a while, but quickly give over. But, store the heart with a sense of the love of God in Christ...get a relish of the privileges we have thereby (our adoption, justification, acceptation with God); fill the heart with thoughts of the beauty of his death; and thou wilt...have great peace and security as to the disturbance of temptations. There is great peace in knowing and really trusting that Jesus Christ, the Almighty God, is mighty to deliver you from temptation. Are you trusting in His deliverance? Do you have a true faith, which is mixed with love for Him? Is that love motivating you to stay clear of sin, so that you will not grieve the Lord? Jesus Christ is the mighty God. He is mighty to save sinners from their sin. He is mighty to deliver the saved from temptations. Thirdly, He is mighty to protect and provide for the saved. God is a Shield, a Refuge, and a high Tower to His people. Now, can our enemies harm us physically and materially? Yes. The enemy can even kill us. However, they can do so only if God, in His wisdom, and for His purpose, allows it. The Lord Jesus is like a high, impregnable wall around us, shielding us from harm. He allows that wall to be removed only to the extent that He wills. Furthermore, He provides your needs. He gives you food, clothing, shelter, and protection, every day. Underneath you are His everlasting arms. This truth applied to Israel in the Old Testament; but applies to us New Testament Christians, as well. Read Deuteronomy 33:27. Jesus Christ is mighty to save sinners from their sin. He is mighty to deliver the saved from temptations. He is mighty to protect and provide for His people. And lastly, He is mighty to give strength to His people. Let s face it: we are anything but mighty. We are mere men. We are weak and frail. However, Jesus Christ, the Almighty God, has promised to give us the might and power that we need. In Isaiah 11:2, Isaiah prophesied that the spirit of counsel and might would rest upon the Messiah. The Lord Jesus is able to give us the measure of might that we need. That s why the Apostle Paul said, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13). Let s see what Daniel said about the might that the Lord imparts. Read Daniel 11: In this passage, the LORD was giving Daniel a prophecy of what would happen to the Jewish people about 350 years after Daniel s time. The Lord told Daniel that a wicked Greek ruler would arise, who would severely oppress the Jewish people, and pollute the Temple with an abominable idol. We know, from history, that this man s name was Antiochus Epiphanes. He

7 was the fulfilment of this prophecy. Antiochus Epiphanes came to power in 175 B.C.; and shortly afterward, he decreed it to be illegal, on pain of death, for the Jews to worship Jehovah, or to read or copy the Scriptures. He even decreed that the Jews could no longer even call themselves Jews! Sadly, a large number of the Jewish people went along with him, and stopped worshipping Jehovah, and stopped acknowledging themselves as Jews, and worshipped the Greek gods instead. What s more, most of these traitor Jews began to help Antiochus to track down and kill the Jews who refused to stop worshipping Jehovah! Very soon, believers in the true God were literally almost at the point of extinction! However, God promised Daniel that when this awful time would come, He would give power to the Jewish people who truly knew their God. He promised that He would help them with a little help that He would give them just enough strength to overcome the enemy. He promised that He would enable them to do exploits. (An exploit is a task that is so overwhelming, that is seems impossible. It is a feat of incredible daring and bravery.) And that is exactly what God did. In 167 B.C., God enabled a Jewish man named Judas Maccabees to raise up an army of unskilled, untrained Jewish men to fight the armies of Antiochus (which were far more numerous, well-trained, and armed). With this tiny army, Judas was able to drive the foreign troops out of the land, and to take back the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple! We New Testament saints are not the nation of Israel; but we can find great application of this truth in our lives. The Lord Jesus Christ still enables His people to do exploits to do seemingly impossible tasks! He gives power to those who are faint. Isaiah wrote, Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:30-31). This is what the Lord wants to see! He wants to see Christians who are trusting in His promises, and resting on His mighty arm! In Isaiah 40:11 Isaiah made this prophecy of Christ: He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Conclusion: Have you placed your faith in the Jesus who is the Almighty God? Has there come a point in your life when you stopped trusting in yourself, and instead put your confidence in the Christ who is mighty to save? Are you a sheep of His pasture? Have you owned Him as your Shepherd, and allowed you to carry you in His arms? The Bible says that it is not by works of our own righteousness that we are saved. If you have not believed on Christ alone to save you, you are under God s condemnation. Won t you repent and believe on Him today? I would also ask this: Christian, are you trusting Christ to deliver you from temptation; to protect and provide for you; and to give you strength to live your life for Christ? If you will submit fully to His control, you will have great peace in your heart.