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Writer's picturePastor Nathan Nass

Advent Devotion: “Mighty God”

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV)

“Mighty.” When you hear that word, who comes to mind? It’s actually a pretty special word in the Bible used just for the mightiest of people. Like the Nephilim. Heard of them? They are mentioned early in the Bible as a group of people of great size and strength. Mighty! Like Goliath. Remember him? Over nine feet tall. The tip of his spear weighed fifteen pounds. Mighty! Like King David’s “mighty men.” David had thirty mighty soldiers who did courageous things—like the original special forces. Mighty! Like Alexander the Great. Did you know he’s mentioned in the Bible? Daniel prophesied that a great king would conquer the world. Mighty!

To that elite list of mighty men, we need to add one more name: A Child. Does that sound out of place? If you want to talk about mighty people, on that list with the huge Nephilim and the giant Goliath and the bravest soldiers of King David and Alexander the greatest conqueror of all time, we need to add one more: A Child. Actually, that Child needs to go at the top of the list, because there’s a word used for that Child that isn’t used for any of the others. The Child isn’t just mighty. He is Mighty God! Who’s it talking about? What Child? Jesus. Jesus is Mighty God!

Do you realize how controversial that is? Calling Jesus “Mighty God”? Those two words are some of the most fought-over words in the whole Bible. Think of what Isaiah is saying: “A Child is going to be born to us. He’s the Savior of the world.” Okay, we get that. “What is that Savior going to be like? A Wonderful Counselor.” That sounds nice. We all need a good lawyer. “And he’s the Mighty God.” Wait a minute. This human baby is going to be God? God himself? Most theologians today say, “No way! There’s no way Isaiah meant to call that Child ‘Mighty God’!”

I found all sorts of ways people try to get around that. Some translators take the word “God” and move it to the beginning of the sentence: “God will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty,…” What do you think? That’s wrong! You can’t just take somebody else’s writing, switch all the words around, and make it say something else. Other people say this must be hyperbole. Flattery. “The child was going to be pretty great, like a god, but not really God himself.” It’s amazing what people are willing to believe as long as it’s not what the Bible actually says!

How can we know what the Bible really means? It’s not that complicated. Every time Isaiah uses the word “God,” do you know whom he’s talking about? God. So when Isaiah calls the Child, the Messiah, “Mighty God,” what do you think he meant to call him? “Mighty God.” In fact, in the very next chapter, Isaiah uses this same phrase “Mighty God” again. Can you guess whom he was talking about? God. I hope you realize how united the Bible is. The Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is taught throughout the Bible. This Child—Jesus—is Mighty God to save us.

Do you know why that’s such a controversial thought? Because I don’t want it to be true. You don’t either. “What?” you say. “Of course I want Jesus to be God!” No you don’t. At least, your sinful nature doesn’t. If Jesus is God, do you know what that means? You must respect and obey him. Is that what you want? I don’t think so. I want to obey me. I want what I want. For what I want to be okay, Jesus can’t be God. No, he should be like some jolly old man who just shows up once a year and gives me presents. That’s who Jesus should be. Not God! See what I mean?

People say a huge shift took place in Christianity in the 1960s and 70s. Those were the years of the sexual revolution. Society—including lots of Christians—abandoned what the Bible says about sex and marriage. So here’s what people said: “We need to find a way to make it okay. We need to find a way to not feel guilty about our sin.” So they made Jesus seem small. “Jesus doesn’t really care how you live. Jesus doesn’t really mean what the Bible says. You be you. Mighty God? No way!” They made Jesus small to feel good about themselves and their sin.

You do that. I do that. Think of how many times you’ve said this about Jesus, “Well, if I have time…” Jesus isn’t Mighty God. He’s like a little child asking to play. “If I have time…” Or, “It’s okay. God will forgive me anyway.” Jesus isn’t Mighty God. He’s our servant who does what we want him to. Watch out! The Bible says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked” (Galatians 6:7). Behind every command of the Bible. Behind every word is Jesus—Mighty God. Bigger than Goliath. Stronger than Alexander the Great. You must respect and obey him!

Do you believe that Jesus is Mighty God? I hope so. Because he’s exactly whom we need. You see, if our biggest problem is getting rid of our sins… If our biggest need is to find a way to stop feeling guilty… We need more than a mighty man. How many Nephilim do you see around today? All dead. How great is Alexander the Great’s kingdom now? All gone. We don’t need another mighty man. Making Jesus seem small doesn’t solve anything. We need a Mighty God!

That’s who Jesus is! Mighty God! How could Jesus truly take away all our sins? He’s Mighty God! His death on the cross paid the price for every sin. When you sin, don’t make Jesus small. See how big and gracious he is! How could Jesus really give us life after death? He’s Mighty God! He rose from the dead to prove it. How could Jesus really be with us always, everywhere? He’s Mighty God! How could Jesus really protect us from all the evil of this world? He’s Mighty God! How could Jesus really be in control of our entire life? He’s Mighty God! Jesus is exactly whom we need: A Savior who is the Mighty God. Mighty enough for everything you face today.

Later in the book of Isaiah, we hear about a terrifying situation for God’s people. The Assyrians attacked the city of Jerusalem. They surrounded it and called out to the people: “The LORD himself told us to fight you. We’ve defeated all the other gods of every other country. Don’t think the LORD can save you!” The people were terrified. So King Hezekiah prayed to God: “Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God” (Isaiah 37:20). And do you what our Mighty God did? He delivered them! That night, he put to death 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and the rest fled.

This is what God’s people do. They call out to Jesus as Mighty God: “Deliver us!” And Jesus says, “I have.” He is powerful enough for every sin. He is powerful enough for every fear. He is powerful enough for every worry and anxiety. He is powerful enough for every evil and wickedness. When you see the sin in your life and in the world, the solution isn’t to make Jesus small. It’s to realize the Mighty God that he truly is. For you. For me. Every day. Mighty God!

I have a friend who draws pictures of superheroes. The Hulk. Spiderman. The Avengers. If you wanted to draw superheroes, make sure you draw the mightiest one of them all: A Child in a manger. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and he will be called, ‘Mighty God.’


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