He Will Be Called: Mighty God (Part 1)

___________________________________________________________
"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
         Wonderful Counselor
                    Mighty God,
                             Everlasting Father,
                                    Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9.6 (NLT)
___________________________________________________________

As we started last week with Wonderful Counselor, we continue today with Mighty God. Now first, where do you hear the word, "might" (and not as in "I 'might' go to the movies" but as in strength or power)? If you're anything like me the answer comes from two places: church and when talking about the military! We hear things about "military might" and sing about how our God is "mighty to save" but what does it really mean? We don't actually know! When asked, most students stare at me and then someone will say something about strong, at which point I have to fill in the blanks with song (complete with the motions!): "My God is so BIG, so STRONG, and so MIGHTY there's nothing my God cannot do. CLAP CLAP." But what does all that mean? We'll start with the definition and go from there. Webster's dictionary says that might is:
1. The power, force, or influence held by a person or group.
2. Physical strength.
3. Strength or ability to do something
So, when we talk about Jesus being our "mighty God" it means he has power, force, influence, strength, and the ability to do something. What then does that all mean? God being there means its a no brainer that He's powerful, I mean He's God. But what does God's might look like?

Let's take a quick look: in Genesis God's might is shown in His "speaking" everything into being. In the movie Dogma (note: this doesn't mean you need to watch the sacrilege for yourself, only that since all truth is God's truth this can apply!) when explaining that God cannot speak to her or she;d explode, the joke the angel tells the heroine is, "You wouldn't believe how many Adam's we went through before we figured that out." But, in truth, God's voice must have some serious mojo to make everything from nothing! From there, you could look at what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah, or tons of other shows of power but I want to look at one that shows God's might to its greatest degree for me.

Job 38.1-38 (NLT)
Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’ “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness? As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors. The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence. Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths? Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know! Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced! Have you visited the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of hail? (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.) Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind? Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up? Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes. Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth? Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct? Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven when the parched ground is dry and the soil has hardened into clods?

This closing portion of the book of Job has caught my attention several times, in part because it so sounds like what I would do if I were God! Show up 700' tall in a tornado surrounded by lightning and shout down at the little ant-like people: "I'm the God you said doesn't exist stupid!" But, fortunately for all of us, I'm not God! However, here He shows up in power (notice the bolded text in verse 1: "from the whirlwind") and asks Job some pointed questions (even telling him to "suck it up and listen/answer like a man"). The questions God asks reveal His creative might and the power He has that sustains the world as we know it! I mean, in seriousness, can we (mankind) answer any of these questions? We like to think we can, but unfortunately we are lacking in the "might" department...

With that as the backdrop, here's my final section talking about "might." King David (known as the shepherd, psalm writer, man after God's own heart, and extraordinary warrior depending on the time and situation) who was no slouch himself (remember Goliath?), surrounded himself with a crew unlike any other. In fact they came in two hardcore groups: the three and the thirty. These were known as "David's mighty men." Read this:

These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory. During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. “Far be it from me, LORD, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
2 Samuel 23.8-17 (NIV)

These are some of the guys who followed David! Talk about some serious might behind you: guys who could decimate an army by themselves and were so loyal they would do absolutely anything (the water from behind enemy lines story). They were called his mighty men because of their amazing acts of strength and valor. If these are some of the biblical applications of the word "might" what will it mean when paired with God? The Hebrew could read simply, "the strong one" or "strong God" but is paired with something that takes it to a whole other level. Just as saying David's men were "brave" is an understatement, pairing "strong God" with mighty takes something that is already a powerful allusion to God's strength and instead throws it into a whole other category. The big word we use to describe this is: omnipotence. That simply means that the Mighty God is capable of doing anything He wants to! I've rambled on a bit much this morning, so we'll pick this back up tomorrow...



Thanks to Craig Groeschel from Life Church for preaching the original sermon series from whom I am deeply indebted (and have only stolen much of the thoughts and texts!)!