Jesus: Mighty God

In this message from Isaiah 9:6, David Platt urges us to fix our hope on Jesus, the Mighty God, who has been given to us. 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Christmas In Chaos: Setting The Stage
• 3:00 Two Choices In A Fallen World
• 6:15 Isaiah’s Darkness And Our Reality
• 10:55 Prophetic Certainty And Present Hope
• 14:10 A Child Called Mighty God
• 17:35 Evidence That Jesus Is God
• 20:05 For Us: Personal Hope In Chaos
• 23:25 Living By Faith, Not By Sight
• 27:15 Peace, Prayer, And Perfect Trust
• 30:05 Future Glory And End Of Darkness
• 33:55 Practical Steps To Lift Your Eyes
• 37:15 Invitation To Trust Jesus

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:51

You are listening to David Platt Messages, a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from pastor, author, and teacher David Platt.

SPEAKER_02: 2:00

If you have a Bible, and I hope you or somebody around you does you can look on with, let me invite you to open with me to Isaiah chapter 9. Can we just all acknowledge from the start today that this world is hard? And obviously not all of our stories are the same, but part of why we titled this whole series, Christmas in Chaos, is because we live in a world that, as the Christmas Carol puts it, is wearying in many ways. And all of us know to some extent what it's like to hurt and to grieve or to be anxious or worried or afraid or confused or frustrated or discouraged or disillusioned. And I I don't mean to be depressing, but I do mean to be true. And I want to acknowledge this because I think there's sometimes a sense that a pastor or preacher doesn't really get it. That people like me just kind of live above the clouds where everything is smooth and going right, and you just trust God and it's easy. And I'd just like to dispel that myth. I'll just say that I'm familiar with all these things with anxiety and worry and fear and discouragement and disillusionment and frustration and confusion and hurt. Like we really are all in this together. And we have so many different circumstances we're walking through in our lives, our families, friends, and work, school, and government. I mean, we live together surrounding the capital of the United States. I don't think anybody is thinking, yes, our political environment is so full of peace, joy, and kindness, no chaos whatsoever. We're surrounded by chaos in ways that are near to us and far from us. And obviously, I don't know all that's going on in your life or what comes to your mind when you think about the chaos of this fallen world, but God does, and God has a word for you today. He has a word for all of us today. So I want to go ahead and give you the big picture up front, if you're taking notes, that I want to show you all of this coming straight from God's mouth to your heart. So here's the big picture. When you come face to face with the chaos of this fallen world, you have two choices. One, you can fix your eyes on what you see in this world. Or two, you can lift your eyes to what you know from God's word. And the decision you make will determine the direction of your life. That's it. That's the whole sermon today. So let me repeat it again, and I want to show it to you in God's Word. So when you, I really want to make this personal to each of us, because I needed this word this week, and you need this word from God today. Even if everything is going great in your life right now, the reality is in this fallen world, chaos is coming around the corner at some point. So in the moments, which may be a reality right now or maybe in the future, when you come face to face with the chaos of this fallen world, when life hits you unexpectedly like it did Tiwa. When life doesn't work out like you envisioned or hoped or planned, when you're anxious or worried or weary or confused or discouraged or hurting or heavy hearted, when that happens, you have two choices. One, you can fix your eyes on what you see in this world, on the chaos, and all the circumstances that are causing all that unrest in your heart and mind. Or two, you can lift your eyes to what you know from God's Word. And what you do, the decision you make about where you look will determine the direction of your life, how you experience life in this world today and tomorrow, and the next day, the day after that, through forever. So let me show you these two choices. So in these four weeks leading up to Christmas, we're meditating on soaking in one of the most famous verses in all the Bible, written about 700 years before he even came in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. This verse that gives us four names for Jesus. We're gonna look at the second name today, which I'll go ahead and show you is Mighty God. That's what we're gonna camp out on. But I want to spend a good bit of time on the context that comes before that, so that you feel the wonder of this name as it pops on the page. So Mike hit on some of this context, context last week. If you weren't here, he talked about how God's people were face to face with the chaos of this fallen world as a foreign army, so the superpower nation of Assyria was oppressing them and threatening to destroy them. Which then leads to the last verse of chapter 8. So look with me at the end of Isaiah chapter 8, verse 22. It says, They will look to the earth, but behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and they will be thrust into thick darkness. So follow this. When God's people fix their eyes on what's happening in the world, they will see distress and darkness. They'll feel the gloom of anguish. That word describes like pressure that strains you, and they will be thrust into thick darkness. This phrase right here, it's different from the first darkness that's mentioned. This word, the second part, is what's used in Exodus chapter 10 to describe the pitch black darkness of the plague in Egypt. Or you look at Deuteronomy chapter 28, verse 29, it says, You shall grope at noonday as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways, and you shall only be oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you. See this description of darkness here. It's helplessness, hopelessness. You're only oppressed. That's all. Just oppression. You're robbed nonstop. It's like you're groping around in darkness in the middle of the day, like you're totally blind. So that's the picture here at the end of Isaiah chapter 8. And in that same language, the same words appear in chapter 9, where now look at verse 1. We see this reference again to gloom, we see anguish again, then we get to verse 2. We see two more different words for darkness. They're translated the same in the English, but this is now the third and fourth different Hebrew word for darkness. It's like Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is just coming up with all the levels of vocabulary to describe darkness. This first time he mentions it there is the same word that's used in Genesis chapter 1, when there was total darkness over everything, and God for the first time said, Let there be light. And then the deep darkness that's described here is a whole nother word that can actually be translated death shadow. It's used in other places in the Old Testament to describe the torment of mourning and the terror of death. And then verse 4 goes on to talk about unbearable burdens and relentless rods of oppression. And then verse 5 talks about tramping warriors coming at you in battle tumult. Now, here's the deal. We're obviously not God's people in the Old Testament facing an invading Assyrian army right now, but we live in the same fallen world that they did. Let me just ask you. How many of you know what it's like to feel the distress, like sorrow, hurt in this world? Do you see any darkness anywhere in this world? Close to you, far from you? Do you ever feel anguish, this pressure and tension that strains you? Do you ever feel weighed down by burdens in this world? Do you ever see or have you experienced or are you experiencing oppression in this world? We're so woke-sensitive today that even to use this word feels polarizing, in part because of how the world misuses this word. But oppression is a reality in this fallen world. This word is used over a hundred times in the Bible to describe unjust treatment. The New Dictionary of Bible themes says, quote, of individuals and groups in ways that prevent them from having the same opportunities, freedom, and rights as others. And that kind of oppression is rampant in this fallen world. And you you may not have tramping warriors and battle tumult coming at you, but do you ever feel like this world just throws one blow after another after another at you? And the battle just doesn't seem to stop. So we may not be in the exact shoes of God's people in Isaiah 9, but I think we can all identify at some level with them because we live in the same fallen world that surrounded them. And I should mention that for many in that day, this chaos was self-inflicted. Meaning they were experiencing distress and darkness in this world because they had sought satisfaction and security in this world. Chapter 8 and other chapters before this make clear that many among God's people had turned from God to this world, and it was their sin that led them to all these things. At the same time, I think about little children among God's people, as well as a small but faithful remnant that the Bible tells us existed of people like Isaiah who were seeking God and yet they were still experiencing this suffering. And the reality is both are true for us. We will experience suffering in this world when we turn from God's ways to our own ways. When we seek this world for what is good that only comes from God. At the same time, we will experience suffering much like Job did, not directly because of sin in our lives, but simply because this is life in a fallen world. And that's the point. God is showing us that regardless of how or why you get there, when you come face to face with the chaos of this fallen world, one option you have is to look to the earth, to fix your eyes on what you see in this world. And just like it didn't bring the Israelites comfort back then to fix their eyes on how powerful and oppressive the Assyrians were, that led to distress and darkness in every way. Similarly, it will not bring us comfort to fix our eyes on the chaos of the fallen of this world, whether that's close to us or far from us. When it comes to things far from us, just think about chaos in the world. I don't think any of us are looking at wars in Russia and Ukraine and the Middle East and Thailand and Cambodia, the situation between China and Taiwan or North and South Korea or drug trafficking in Latin America or sex or child trafficking around the world, we're not fixing our eyes on leaders in our country and other countries thinking they're gonna solve this. If our hope is in the leaders of our country or other countries, we are setting ourselves up for distress and anguish. In the words of the New Living Translation of Psalm 146, verse 3, do not put your confidence in powerful people. There is no help for you there. And the same thing is true for circumstances close to us. I think about the circumstances of my own life that are heavy on my own heart. The more I fix my eyes on what I can see in this world, the more distressed and confused and disheartened and anguished I get. And the more I try to control and manage those circumstances, the more exhausted and defeated I often feel. And quite frankly, the more helpless and hopeless things start to seem. So one option we have in the chaos of this world is to fix our eyes on what we can see. And as long as we take that option, we are signing up for continual distress and dark discouragement, anguish and anxiety. It's like thick darkness. Now, to be clear, the Bible doesn't tell us just to close our eyes and pretend like those circumstances aren't real, like there's no chaos. God actually calls us to step into the chaos of this fallen world, but there is another way to do so. There's another place to position our eyes. Look at the first word in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 1. But there's another way for the people of God to see what's happening around them. There's another perspective, there's another place to look amidst the chaos of this fallen world. And this way leads to no gloom for her who is in anguish. And this is where the language in chapter 9 gets absolutely amazing. It's stunning. So I want to start reading in verse 2, and I want you to notice the tense of the verbs here. So this is so good. Hang with me, do a little English class for a minute. So you have past tense, present tense, and future tense, right? So past tense, this has been done. Present tense, this is being done. Future tense, this will be done. So look with me at what tense these verbs are. Verse 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy. They rejoice before you as with joy of the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken, as on the day of Midian. Did you see that? All the verbs here are either past tense or present tense. None of them are future tense. Which might lead you to say, thank you, professor. What's the big deal? Why does that matter? Here's why that matters. Because Isaiah is talking about, he's prophesying something that's going to happen in the future. It has not happened yet. And get this, it won't happen for 700 more years. But Isaiah's talking about it like it's already happened. Isaiah's not saying, he could have said, You will see a great light. God will multiply you, God will increase your joy. Your burden will be broken. But instead, Isaiah's using what's called prophetic past tense that follow this is intentionally written to make clear that what Isaiah is promising will happen in the future is just as certain as if it's already happened in the past. So, as an illustration, the word here for joy, it's like a Super Bowl celebration, like extravagant elation. So just picture that. Picture playing in the Super Bowl when it's guaranteed you're going to win. Which doesn't mean you just sit back on the sidelines and do nothing. No, you play hard with the confidence that it's absolutely sure you're popping champagne at the end of this game. And that's what God is saying to his people. And this is infinitely more important than winning a football game. God is speaking through Isaiah to his people who are suffering and hurting in pitch black darkness. And God is saying, live today with confidence, as if the lights have already been turned on. As if this deep darkness has already been defeated. As if this oppressive burden has already been broken. Because God says, all of that is absolutely guaranteed for all those who trust in me. God's saying there's a different way to live in the chaos of this fallen world. Instead of looking at only what you can see in this world, what you can perceive in this world, which is so limited. You realize that, right? It's that John Piper quote, God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them. And that's just your life. Not to mention the millions upon millions of things he's doing in the world that you and I can't see. So lift your eyes to live by faith in what you know from the God you can't see. Which now, okay, so now, with this context, with this stage set, let's come to the shock of Isaiah 9 6. So we love this verse. It's well known, it seems Normal to us, but it was shocking for God's people to read then. Just step into their shoes. God's people are wondering how is God going to get rid of all the gloom and darkness, gloom and anguish that Isaiah 9:1 talked about? How is God going to break the burden that's going to deliver us? What great light is going to conquer this deep darkness? What conquering king is going to deliver us from the tramping warriors coming at us in battle tumult? Who's going to do all that? And Isaiah writes, For to us a child is born. What? The one who's going to do all this is a little baby. To us, a son is given. A little baby boy is going to save us all from darkness and distress and the rod of oppression. Really? Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 23:08

Really? Because this baby boy is the mighty God. Boom. That's stunning. Just think about this. The mighty God?

SPEAKER_02: 23:25

The God whose might is unmatched in this world? The God whose might reigns over all this world? This same God who spoke into the darkness in the beginning and said, Let there be light. This baby is that God? That is crazy. Yes, and that is Christmas. That is what I was sharing last night at a banquet we hosted in our church family for a room filled with Muslim neighbors and friends and family members. This is what Christmas is all about. Jesus is not just a prophet. Jesus is mighty God. Amidst sleigh bells and stockings, don't miss the shock of what we're celebrating that sets Jesus apart from every other prophet, every other person, every other religious leader, everyone in all of history. The ancient of days has become the infant of days. Throughout history, babies have become kings. Only one time in history has a king become a baby. Who is this baby? His name is Jesus, and he is the mighty God in the flesh. I've shared this before. This is the most stunning truth, the most staggering claim in all of Christianity. The claim that Jesus, this baby, is the mighty. God, think about it. Once you grant that Jesus is the mighty God in the flesh, every other story about Jesus makes total sense. Is Jesus walking on water that surprising when you realize he's the God who made the water? It's Jesus feeding over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. Really that remarkable if you realize he's the one who made the bread and the fish and the stomachs of every person eating that meal. It's Jesus healing people of disease or casting out demons, even rising from the dead. If Jesus is God in the flesh, what's astounding is not that he rose from the grave. What's astounding is that he even died in the first place. And that's the point. The Bible doesn't just say that Jesus is the mighty God. Big deal. This is C. S. Lewis' classic argument. Jesus could be a lunatic, completely deluded and deceived, walking around claiming to be God. But here's how we know he's not a lunatic because he showed he is God. He did all the things I just mentioned. He healed diseases with a touch. He cast out demons with a word. He calmed storms with a stretch. He conquered death on his own. No one else has ever done that, never to die again. The Bible doesn't just say he's the mighty God. The Bible and history show he is the mighty God. And that is not just intended to blow our minds. It's intended to revolutionize our lives. So now, do you see where you are in this verse? This mighty God is here, I'm gonna erase this of colored so much on it. This mighty God is born to us. Given to us. And what kind of language is that? Like babies are born to parents. A child was born to this mom or dad. A child was born or even given to this family. That's not what God's saying here though. God's saying this child has been born to us. This son has been given to us. To you and me, to all of us who live in the chaos of this fallen world, the mighty God has come to us. For us. For you. For me. And that changes everything. For people living in the chaos of this fallen world, hear this good news. What you see in this world is not all there is to see.

SPEAKER_01: 28:02

What you see in this world is just a little bit of the picture. And it's definitely not the end of the story.

SPEAKER_02: 28:12

Because well, so instead of fixing your eyes on what you see in this world, lift your eyes to what you know from God's Word.

SPEAKER_01: 28:24

And what do you know?

SPEAKER_02: 28:25

You know the mighty God, the omnipotent creator, the sovereign sustainer, the all-powerful provider, the supreme warrior king has not left you alone in the chaos of this fallen world. You know that. This mighty God is with you, is for you. This mighty God you can know will walk with you through the chaos of this fallen world and give you full confidence, as if it has already happened, that he will turn your gloom into joy. He will turn your distress into delight. Guaranteed. He will turn your oppression into freedom. He will turn darkness into light. He will turn death's shadow into life's hope. All of those things are absolutely guaranteed for all who trust in Jesus as the mighty God. So, man or woman, teenager, student, of any age, stage in life, anyone who has never placed your faith in Jesus as the mighty God, make this the day you believe this. That you lift your eyes to what God is saying to you in his word. The trust that God has made a way for you to be saved from darkness in this world and beyond this world. See that God loves you so much that even though you have sinned against him, and even though you deserve eternal judgment from him, God has come to this world to live the life you could not live, a life with all power over sin. And then, even though Jesus had no sin for which to die, he chose to die on a cross to pay the price for your sin. And then, three days later, he rose from the grave with power over sin and death, so that you and anyone from anywhere in any nation, no matter who you are or what you have done, if you will turn from yourself and trust in Jesus as the mighty God who will save you from your sin, he will forgive you of all your sin and restore you to eternal life with him forever in a way that transcends all the chaos of this fallen world. That invitation is for you to simply believe today. You don't have to earn your way to God to trust in his love for you today.

SPEAKER_01: 31:23

Make this the day where you believe in Jesus as the mighty God, who saves you from your sin and leads you to eternal life.

SPEAKER_02: 31:32

And when you do, and for all who have, as you walk through the chaos of this fallen world, don't just look at what you can see in this world. Daily lift your eyes to what you know from God's Word. Bruce Larson was has done biblical counseling in New York City. Periodically, he would walk a counselee down to the Rocker Feller building on Fifth Avenue where there was a giant statue of Atlas at the entrance. This mythical man holding the world on his shoulders. Larson would say, that's that's one way to live. Then you can see St. Patrick's Cathedral right across the street in this picture. He would take them across the street, where in that cathedral, there's a tiny picture of Jesus as a child holding the world in one hand. And Larson would say, That's the other way to live. You can try to carry the burdens of this world on your shoulders, or you can trust the mighty God who holds this world in his hand. You can look at what you see here, or you can lift your eyes to the one who's sovereign over it all, to the mighty God who says, Trust me, I'm in control. I'm working all this together for your good. You can trust in the mighty God who promises to give you everything you need at every moment you need it. You can daily lift your eyes to the mighty God, who straight up says in Philippians chapter 4, don't be anxious about anything. You don't have to be anxious about anything. But lift all your burdens to me in prayer about everything. And my peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind. It's Isaiah 26, verse 3. You keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, whose eyes are fixed on you because he trusts in you, fixed on what you know. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. He's the mighty God. He's worthy of your trust. You can daily lift your eyes to the mighty God who looks you in the eye and says, This chaos and these trials and these hurts and these questions, this pain, this discouragement, this depression, this disease, even death itself, is not all there is. Because I, the mighty God, am with you. I'm working in ways you don't see, and I will see you through, because I am coming for you. So see it. Lift your eyes to what you know from God's word. Look at this, Hebrews chapter 9. We read this in our church's Bible reading not long ago. Just as it appointed for man to die once, after that comes judgment. So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Ah, lift your eyes to the mighty God who came once and promises he's coming again. And what's gonna happen when he does? Here's how Revelation 21 describes heaven. Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, they will be his people. God himself will be with them as their God. You see that language? God with us three different times. It's Emmanuel. And at this time, when he comes to be with us, he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more. Mark it down. You see all the tense there, it's all future. He will wipe away. Death will be no more, neither mourning, crying, nor pain. For now, watch this: the former things have passed away. Mark it down like it's already happened. The chaos of this fallen world is as good as gone. No more evil, no more suffering, no more crying, no more pain, no more death, no more darkness. Revelation 22, verse 4. They will see his face, his name will be on their foreheads, night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever with him. Reign with the mighty God who is your light. So lift your eyes today and tomorrow and every day in the future, amidst all the chaos of this fallen world, and live with the confidence that this is your future, like it's already happened in the past. To us, to you and me, a child is born, to us, a son is given, and the reign of all things rests on his shoulder, and his name shall be called Mighty God, which means Jesus is infinitely worthy of more than sleigh bells and stockings. Complacent religion and casual lip service when it's convenient for you.

SPEAKER_01: 37:02

No, he is infinitely worthy of all your worship, and he is absolutely worthy of all your trust.

SPEAKER_02: 37:10

So I want to give you a moment alone with the mighty God just to be with him, and I want to give you a moment to consider what comes to your mind today when you think about the chaos of this fallen world. Maybe something close to you, maybe far from you, or maybe both. Just bring that to mind. And then I want to invite you to lift your eyes to the mighty God to see him over and above those things. And then I want to invite you to lay down anything that's heavy on your heart before the mighty God, to ask him for the help you need. And to trust in the promises of his word to you. What you can know. And then as you do that, I just want to encourage you to consider what practical steps can you take this week on a daily basis to keep your eyes lifted to what you know from God's Word. Okay, instead of only looking to what you see in this world. Okay, it will change your life to be intentional about not just looking at your circumstances or news headlines or everything in between. Look at it all through the lens of what you know from God's Word, not just what you see in this world. It will change your life. So, how can you make sure to do that? And then finally, for some of you, I just want to invite you to make today the day. You trust in Jesus as the mighty God who alone is able to save you from sin and death. So I want to give you just a few moments alone, just you and the mighty God with these questions, these thoughts, and then I or someone at your location will lead you from there.

SPEAKER_00: 39:05

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