How to Spend Your Busy Days with Jesus

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Wayne Davies

Do you ever have days when life gets so busy, you forget to give Jesus your undivided attention?

For many reasons, we all have those “crazy busy” days. We are consumed with what we think is most urgent and neglect what is most important – spending time with our Creator in His Word and prayer.

Here’s a way to overcome the dilemma of being “too busy” to listen to the Ultimate Communicator – a 10-day Bible Study entitled Colossians: The Supremacy of Christ (Bible Studies for Busy Days).

Written by Heather Erdmann, each lesson is a short Bible study for time-crunched days. From the author’s introduction, each lesson will show you that . . .

“No matter what this world brings our way, Jesus is enough. In just 5-7 minutes a day for ten days, we will discover who Jesus is and why He is sufficient for all of our needs, both in this life and the next.

“Each day’s Scripture reading and the accompanying questions should only take you about 5-7 minutes to complete. . . They allow you to have the nourishment of God’s Word and your “daily bread” no matter how time-crunched you may be.

“They are not meant to replace your regular deeper study of the Bible but instead are small “snacks” to use as a supplement on days when you might otherwise go without opening His Word at all. Plus, you can access them on your phone or mobile device anywhere and anytime you find a few spare moments.

“PLEASE NOTE that my intention for writing Bible Studies for Busy Days is not to encourage you to spend LESS time in God’s Word. We cannot live on snacks alone or we would grow weak and malnourished. My hope is that these would encourage you to spend MORE time with Him on those days when you may have had very little or none.”

Here’s the link:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1857055812/10-day-colossians-bible-study-5-7-minute

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A Short Bible Study on Life

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Wayne Davies

Psalm 119 never ceases to amaze me. What a fountain of truth for the thirsty soul.

Some day I hope to meet the man who wrote it. Charles Spurgeon makes a compelling case for King David as the author. I’m inclined to agree that “This is David’s spoil” (The Treasury of David).

There are many wonderful prayers in the Bible’s longest chapter. I especially like the short ones – literally two or three words.

Here’s one of my favorites:

“Give me life.”

Note how often the psalmist prays this prayer – at least seven times:

My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
Psalm 119:25

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
Psalm 119:37

Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!
Psalm 119:40

In your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.
Psalm 119:88

I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
Psalm 119:107

Plead my cause and redeem me;
give me life according to your promise!
Psalm 119:154

Great is your mercy, O Lord;
give me life according to your rules.
Psalm 119:156

Here are a few questions for your reflection:

  1. The psalmist made this request repeatedly. What kind(s) of life do you think he was praying for? Spiritual, eternal, physical, temporal? Note how the rest of each verse can shed light on this question.
  2. In light of the phrase “according to,” how did the author view the relationship between God’s life and God’s Word? (See verses 25, 107, 154, 156.)
  3. The psalmist also tells us that God answered this prayer: “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life” (v. 93). “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life” (v. 50). Why, then, does he keep praying this prayer?
  4. Do you ever need to pray this 3-word prayer? Why or why not?
  5. What other questions or insights do you have about these verses?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these questions, so go ahead and leave a comment below.

For more short Bible studies, click HERE.

Posted in A Short Bible Study, Bible study, Free Books & Other Resources, Prayer, Psalm 119, Thoughts on the Psalms | Leave a comment

How to “Pray the Bible”

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Wayne Davies

Several biblical practices are indispensable to a mature, joy-filled Christian life, such as:

Bible intake, prayer, worship, fellowship with believers, evangelism, and doing good works.

You can probably think of others.

I’ve been following Christ for about 20 years, and I can tell you that of those practices, Bible intake is my favorite. It’s what I enjoy most and what I spend most of my time doing, compared to the rest.

And prayer is what I’ve found to be the hardest, and what I’ve spent the least time doing.

I read a short book recently that has had a profound impact on my desire to pray. And by following the simple teachings of this book, I have seen an increase in how much time I pray and how much joy I have while praying.

The book is entitled Praying the Bible, by Donald Whitney.

You can get a copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Bible-Donald-S-Whitney-ebook/dp/B00XWDR2JO

I could tell you a lot about how Don Whitney has helped my prayer life. I would call it a spiritual breakthrough. Many others have had the same experience.

“This little book is explosive and powerful. Read it ready to experience a great step forward in your walk with Christ and in your commitment to prayer.”
R. Albert Mohler

“It’s so simple it will shock you and, at the same time, invigorate a renewed prayer life with your God.”
Bryan Chappell

“If you are looking for a book to teach you not only to pray but also to invigorate your intimacy with God through prayer, this is the one.”
Miguel Núñez

“This is a particularly helpful tool for those of us who often struggle to know what and how to pray or whose minds tend to wander during private prayer.”
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

What these four people have written above is precisely what has happened to me.  When I read these reviews on Amazon today, I thought, “Ditto. Yep, me too. I could have written that.”

Take that last one, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. My biggest obstacle to prayer is my own wandering mind. Here I am, talking to the Creator of the universe, who wants me to pour out my heart to Him, anytime, anywhere, day or night. And the next thing I know, I’m thinking about some trivial thing on my to-do list.

What’s up with that?

Why do I have the attention span of a gnat?

Because of what I learned in this book, when I follow the simple teachings presented here, that problem disappears. And God gets the credit for providing yet another gifted Bible teacher to shower me with His grace.

And yes, I have been “shocked” by this change. I just assumed for years that, well, “I guess that’s just the way I am; oh well . . .” Now I realize that it doesn’t have to be that way – and I am overwhelmed by God’s grace.

Obviously, I’m giving this book two thumbs up. All 85 pages.

Here’s a series of short YouTube videos in which Don Whitney explains the main points of Praying the Bible (see THIS WEEK’S FREEBIES below for details):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx9rWL0agBR0fIt8PfcPCcH6RaBUowZKg

After you’ve read the book (and/or watched the videos) and put this method into practice (or if you already have), let me know how it helped you by leaving a comment below.

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How to Find Jesus in Genesis 1:1

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Wayne Davies

Jesus made some incredible statements about Himself.

For example, in John 8:58, He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.”

Christ was identifying Himself as Yahweh, the eternally self-existent God of the Old Testament.

The Jews understand exactly what he was saying, and therefore “they picked up stones to throw at him” (John 8:59).

 

Furthermore, Jesus said that the Old Testament was about Him. He told the Jewish religious leaders, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39).

This is why, on resurrection Sunday, when Jesus encountered two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, He explained why it was necessary “that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (Luke 24:26).

How did He do that? Luke tells us plainly: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

So, when reading the Old Testament, starting with the books written by Moses (the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), we should not be surprised to find passages about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And there are many of them, starting with the very first verse of the Bible.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

We usually think of God the Father as the subject of this sentence. And that is certainly true; many passages teach that, such as Revelation 4:11:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

And we know that God the Spirit was also present at creation: “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).

But the New Testament also includes God the Son in Genesis 1:1 –

“He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him (Jesus), and without him (Jesus) was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:2-3).

“For by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16-17).

These are breathtaking statements: Jesus created everything!

All things were made by Him and through Him and for Him.

This is one more wonderful reason to worship Jesus. Amen?

Take a look outside today. Jesus made it all. Then take a look at your hands and feet. Spend time thinking about the mind-boggling complexity of your own human body. Jesus made you and He made me. He is our Creator and therefore we are accountable to Him and owe our entire existence to Him.

Then give thanks to Jesus our Maker for the gift of life, “for in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). He is worthy of our praise!

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The Most Amazing Chapter in the Bible?

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Wayne Davies


I just finished reading the book of Genesis.

I’d like to read the Old Testament in 2025 and the New Testament in 2026. (For details on my 2-Year Bible Reading Plan, check out this blog post:
https://godwrotethebook.com/2-year-bible-reading-plan/

I’m actually a little ahead of schedule. To accomplish the goal of reading the entire OT this year, I need to read about three chapters a day, six days a week. But when I got to Genesis 37 and the story of Joseph, I picked up the pace, simply because the account of Joseph and his brothers is so captivating, I couldn’t put it down. So I ended up reading chapters 37-50 in three days.

As compelling as the final chapters of Genesis are, I’m even more overwhelmed by Genesis 1. In my opinion, this is one of most amazing chapters in the Bible.

I love to read the Bible because I want to learn about God. Lately, my desire to know God has increased significantly. I have a desire to know God better and more intimately than ever before.

And Genesis 1 is a great place to meet God in all his glory, for here he is revealed as the all-powerful, all-wise Creator of the universe.

I believe that God created everything from nothing, and he did it in six 24-hour days. In my opinion, that is the plain meaning of this text.

Six times we read the same words:
“And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”
“And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”
“And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.”
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.”
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.”
“And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

He could have made the universe in a second or a minute. But he wasn’t in a hurry, so he took his time and spent six days making everything.

And he did it by simply speaking it all into existence. All those galaxies and stars and planets – he merely spoke, “and it was so.” Whoa! This is incredible. Who does that? Only God does that.

The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible:

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
Psalm 33:6-9

God’s breathtaking power is on display here. This is reason to be filled with awe!

“Since He has at His command all the power in the universe, the Lord God omnipotent can do anything as easily as anything else. All His acts are done without effort. He expends no energy that must be replenished. His self-sufficiency makes it unnecessary for Him to look outside of Himself for a renewal of strength. All the power required to do all that He wills to do lies in undiminished fullness in His own infinite being.” (A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy)

To create everything required work, yet paradoxically, God made the universe effortlessly. “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Genesis 2:2).

After six days of creating, did God need to rest because he was tired? Of course not. “He does not faint or grow weary” (Isaiah 40:28). To quote Tozer again, “He expends no energy that must be replenished.” I love that about God.

And I love knowing that the Creator of everything lives inside me and provides the strength I need to love him, serve him, and worship him every day.

I love knowing that the God who made everything from nothing in the physical realm is the One who is conforming me “to the image of his Son” in the spiritual realm (Romans 8:29).

I love knowing that the One who will one day make all things new is the One who is transforming me, “from one degree of glory to another . . .  into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Who does all that? Only God.

And if you know him, he is doing this powerful, life-changing work of creation in you, too!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

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What Is A Man? What Is A Woman?

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Wayne Davies

I’ve been reading the book of Genesis this month.

You don’t have to read very far until you come to this verse:

“So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27

 

 

To me, this is a straightforward statement, without ambiguity. You are either a man or a woman, a male or a female. Today, however, many would disagree with me.

I have been looking for a resource that can give me a better understanding of the ongoing debate about sexual identity — from a biblical perspective. Recently I came across an article that benefitted me greatly, and I’m writing to tell you about it. It’s entitled “What Is a Man? What Is a Woman?”

Here’s an excerpt:

“Though pockets of our culture are confused about fundamental human nature, there’s no excuse for Christians to be confused. Our Maker confirms through special revelation—Scripture—what we already know from observational common sense: God made humans male and female. Full stop.

“Here is the biblical record of God’s sexual design for humanity: ‘God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them’ (Gen. 1:27).

“When God fashioned the human race, he created two sexes and only two sexes. Jesus confirms this design when, in Matthew 19:4, he cites God’s created order described in Genesis: ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female?’ According to both Jesus and Genesis, our Maker made only males and females. Scripture never hints at the possibility of any other variation. That’s why God’s people have spoken with one voice on this for thousands of years.”

Then the author explains why “Scientific research also verifies the fact that human sexuality is binary, either male or female.” He delves into topics such as genetics and chromosomes, and he does it well. Even I could understand it, and I’m no scientist.

It’s written by Alan Shlemon of “Stand to Reason” (str.org). You can read the entire article for free here:

https://www.str.org/w/what-is-a-man-what-is-a-woman

Let me know what you think about this article by leaving a comment below.

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Does God Expect You to Read the Whole Bible?

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Wayne Davies

It’s already January 8, and I’m wondering if you’ve set a goal for reading the Bible this year?

I have.

Lord willing and by His grace, I plan to read the Old Testament in 2025 and the New Testament in 2026. I’ve done this before and it’s my favorite way to read the whole Bible – over two years.

Many Christians prefer to read the Bible in one year – and to that, I say, “Amen.” There are plenty of good 1-year Bible reading plans available for free online.  Here’s a list of 20 different plans, with links to downloadable free PDFs of each plan:
https://www.ligonier.org/posts/bible-reading-plans

If you’d like to learn more about my 2-year plan, check out this article:
https://godwrotethebook.com/2-year-bible-reading-plan/

Included in the above article are links to free downloadable PDFs. I first did this plan in 2016, so the specific dates correspond to that year. You can easily adjust the dates for 2025, should you want to follow my plan this year.

Let’s get back to my original question: Does God expect you and me to read the whole Bible?

Short answer: Absolutely.

A longer answer: Of course He does. He gave us a book. Why would He do that, and not expect us to read all of it?

An even longer answer: The benefits of reading the whole Bible are many. If you’re looking for motivation to read God’s Word, please check out Top 10 Reasons for Reading the Bible Today — it’s free in Kindle format here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010VU9APE

Another longer answer, with Biblical support: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV). I emphasize the word “all” for obvious reasons. Every verse is for our benefit. Every word of sacred Scripture was ultimately written by God because He loves us and desires the best for us. He wants to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us to live a righteous life – and He has chosen to do that through a written document we call the Bible.

May you grow in the knowledge of God this year through quality time in the Word of God.

Posted in Bible reading, Bible study, Free Books & Other Resources | Leave a comment

The Precious Peace of Jesus

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Wayne Davies


As 2024 comes to a close, let’s meditate on the fourth name of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

I have benefitted greatly from Dr. Joel Beeke’s sermons on this passage. (See below for free access to the entire sermon, “Jesus, Our Prince of Peace.”)

He begins by answering two questions:

Question 1: What is a prince?

“My dictionary defines ‘prince’ as a ruler of a state. In Bible times, this word had the meaning of a leader or even a king. It’s not the prince here waiting to be a king, but this Messiah is a king. He came to be a king in his human nature but he’s now the great Prince of Peace who is at the right hand of the Father, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. It’s him of whom Isaiah speaks. His name is the Prince of Peace.”

Question 2: What is peace?

“And my dictionary defines ‘peace’ this way: a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from disturbance and disquieting thoughts or emotions. It is harmony in personal relations – be it with God or with others. Peace is what Christ alone can bring. You can’t give harmony with God to yourself. It depends on him, by his Spirit.”

Would you like to live a life of peace? I sure do. But I find peace elusive, and at times, out of reach. I get anxious and feel stymied in my pursuit of peace by my own tendency to worry. And I find myself fretting about little things.

You may know what I mean – I worry about “the small stuff” of life. In retrospect, 99.9999% of what I worry about never happens. What’s up with that?

And then I read this statement and realize, once again, that there is hope for our troubled hearts:

“Peace is what Christ alone can bring.”

If we want peace, we must go to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to get it. He has peace, and plenty of it. Furthermore, he wants to give it to us!

Jesus said so himself:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

The world has a peace. It’s a false peace, a counterfeit peace, a deceptively empty peace. It’s the devil’s peace. And it’s light years away from the true peace that only Christ can give.

I want Christ’s peace. Don’t you?

How do we get this peace? Jesus told us how.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We can find the peace of Christ in the words of Christ.

“I have said these things to you . . .”

The words of Christ can bring the peace of Christ. When we spend time in his presence, listening to him by reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture — literally hanging on his every word — he gives us his peace, calming our fears and easing our troubled hearts. By focusing on what says, he replaces our anxiety with his tranquility.

The Apostle Paul said something similar:

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:15-16

Note the relationship between the peace of Christ and the word of Christ:

Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly.

Christ’s peace can rule in our hearts when Christ’s word dwells in us richly.

May we experience the supernatural peace of God by spending quality time in the Word of God.

A 5-Sermon Series on Isaiah 9:6, by Dr. Joel Beeke, is available for free in audio, video, and written (PDF) formats. NOTE: The sermon quoted above is sermon #5, “Jesus, Our Prince of Peace.”
https://www.sermonaudio.com/series/142382

Posted in Attributes of God, Christmas, Jesus Christ, Sermons | Leave a comment

Why Jesus Is Called the “Everlasting Father”

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Wayne Davies

As we continue to celebrate the birth of King Jesus, I want to wish you and your family a Christmas filled with the joy of knowing who Jesus is and what he came to do for us 2,000 years ago.

Isaiah 9:6 enables us to do that, so this week we’re focusing on the third title given to the Lord Jesus Christ in this verse:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

I have always found this name to be confusing. How about you?

Why is Jesus called “Father”?

Scripture repeatedly teaches that Jesus is God the Son. So why is he called “Everlasting Father”?

Dr. Joel Beeke’s sermon, “Jesus, Our Everlasting Father,” provides an insightful answer to this question. (See below for a link to access the sermon. It’s sermon #4 in the 5-sermon series.)

He explains that the phrase “everlasting Father” can be translated four different ways:

Everlasting Father
Father of eternity
Father forever
Father of the ages to come

“All four of those translations are accurate . . . true to the original” – i.e. true to the Hebrew text.

These four renderings have a common thread: they each emphasize that Jesus is eternal. He has always existed and he will always exist, because he is, and always has been, eternally self-existent. Because he is God, he has no beginning and no end.

Because we are finite creatures with pea-sized brains, the eternality of God is a hard concept to grasp. It is mind-blowing, breathtaking, and incredible! As you read these words and meditate on this truth, go ahead and let your mind be blown away; let your breath be taken away; let your head spin and make you dizzy with delight – this is who Jesus is – the one and only forever God. Along with God the Father and God the Spirit, God the Son was, is, and always will be Life.

In light of these truths, let’s bow down and worship this Jesus! Because he is the One who said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), he is worthy of our praise, adoration, and exaltation – today, tomorrow, and forever.

And to further amaze us, this eternal Jesus came down from heaven to give us what we don’t have: spiritual life.

It’s easy to overlook and even forget this profound truth: we are born physically alive but spiritually dead. We are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2:13).

After a good night’s sleep and a hot cup of coffee, we may look fine and feel great, ready to tackle our to-do list and start a productive day. Yet all the while, we are dead, and within a matter of decades, our bodies will follow suit and take us to the grave.

Because we are spiritually dead, we will end up physically dead, and there is nothing we can do to stop death from conquering us.

Dr. Beeke paints the picture accurately and realistically:

“Every one of us, if the Lord tarries, will face death. Death is no respecter of time or place. It strikes every minute of the day, every minute of the night.

“It claims its victims on land and on the sea; in the air, in the hospital bed, in the office; on the open road, on the sports field, even in the study.

“And every cutting edge of science is unable to deny it. Wonder drugs, intensive care, heroic measures, and organ transplants, must all give way to the demands of death. Our last appointment in life is one that we have not made and yet we cannot avoid, but God knows the date, God knows the time, and God knows the way.

“We can exercise regularly, we can eat nothing but health food, we can swallow vitamin pills and other food supplements daily, we can have regular medical check-ups, we can follow the best possible advice in micromanaging our lifestyle, yet the best we can do is maybe postpone a little while the inevitable.

“But the truth of the matter is, every 24 hours we live, we’re 24 hours closer to our appointment on God’s calendar book.”

He speaks the truth, does he not?

You and I have an appointment with death.

What are we going to do to prepare for that day? What is the solution to the inevitability and unavoidability of both spiritual and physical death?

Jesus is the only solution to our #1 problem: our sin and its devastating consequences of death and the judgment that is sure to follow.

Jesus can solve our death problem because he is the everlasting Father, the Father of eternity, the Father forever, and the Father of the ages to come.

He is the everlasting Father because, from eternity past, “In him was life” (John 1:4).

He is the Father of eternity because, as he said, “I am the life” (John 14:6).

He is the Father forever and the Father of the ages to come because “He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Jesus can solve the problem of death because he is “the Author of life” (Acts 3:15).

Do you “know” this Jesus and his life-saving, life-giving power? If you “know” him as Savior and Lord, Redeemer and Treasure, you have eternal life, because “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

Do you “have” this Jesus? I pray that you do, for if you have Jesus, you have life and an eternally bright future, because “Whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12a). Should this be your situation, may the truth of having Jesus bring you much joy today and every day!

And if you don’t “have” Jesus, you don’t have life. You are still dead in your sins, and only God’s wrath and the eternal darkness of hell await you, for “Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12b). Should this be your situation, may the truth of not having Jesus bring you to your senses, to your knees, and to the throne of God’s grace.

NOTE: A 5-Sermon Series on Isaiah 9:6, by Dr. Joel Beeke, is available for free in audio, video, and written (PDF) formats. NOTE: The sermon quoted above is sermon #4, “Jesus, Our Everlasting Father.”
https://www.sermonaudio.com/series/142382

Posted in Attributes of God, Christmas, Jesus Christ, Sermons | Leave a comment

The Mighty Power of Jesus

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Wayne Davies


We are taking a close look at Isaiah 9:6 this month, which is all about who Jesus is.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

According to this verse, the Son of God is “Mighty God.” The deity of Jesus is the clear teaching of Scripture – that the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, who was born in Bethlehem of the virgin Mary, is Almighty God in a human body.

The Apostle John teaches this truth in his Gospel:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14 ESV).

Because Jesus, the Word, is God, He is therefore the omnipotent, all-powerful, “Mighty God.”

When you think of the power of Jesus, what comes to mind?

For me, it’s His work as Creator and Sustainer of the universe that I often ponder, because “all things were made through him” (John 1:3) and “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

In his sermon series on Isaiah 9:6, Dr. Joel Beeke explains the meaning of the name “Mighty God” by focusing more on Christ’s power in the spiritual realm rather than the physical — specifically, his power to save us from sin by his death on the cross. This is a truth I have overlooked – when Jesus was being crucified, he was not a victim; rather, he was in total control as he demonstrated his strength as our mighty Savior.

To unpack this truth further, here’s an excerpt from Dr. Beeke’s sermon, “Jesus, Our Mighty God” (see below for a link to access it).

When it comes to our salvation . . .

“There’s no hope in us” because, as Paul says, “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). We are powerless to save ourselves.

“Our great need always is that Jesus alone would be our Savior to wipe away not just our sin but also all the guilt of that sin. We need an act of propitiation. We need a Savior to come to suffer and die in our place so that God can impute our sins to Jesus and Jesus can impute his righteousness to us.

“Therefore the gospel is not that Christ died for the godly — that’s Roman Catholic theology, you sanctify yourself and then God will justify you. Biblical theology is something far different. He comes to save people who can’t save themselves. He comes to save people who can’t take one step to God.

“You see, God is an amazing, mighty God.

“He says, ‘This is my gospel, this is a faithful saying that is worthy to be accepted: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.’ Have you ever become a chief sinner before God? You see, this gospel is designed for sinners, not for the righteous.

“Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

“And that’s why this mighty God didn’t come down from the cross, this mighty God-man. That’s why he ended up on the cross. That’s why those nails were hammered through his wrists and his feet. That’s why all the taunts were thrown into his face, “If you’re the Christ, come down from the cross and save yourself and us.”

“He could have called for legions of angels to come and wreak vengeance upon that nation that put him to death. He could have turned those nails into thunderbolts and sent them crashing into the sneering crowd that crucified him.

“But what does he do?

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

“Pure amazing love from the mighty God!

“You see, we believe in Christ as the mighty God not because he came down from the cross as they challenged him, but because he didn’t come down from the cross. He’s so mighty, he can save us because he’s our substitute, because he’s mighty and almighty and all-powerful.

“It wasn’t the nails that kept him on the cross, it was love that kept him on the cross, pure love for his Father’s will, pure love for the salvation of sinners, pure love for you, dear believer. He stayed on the cross between a holy God and a sinful people until he drank the bitter dregs of his Father’s cup of wrath and could say, “It is finished,” so that you could be saved and don’t have to add one stitch to his perfect white-robed righteousness with which you can appear before God in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(End of sermon excerpt)

Yes, Jesus is Mighty God because he is “mighty to save” (Isaiah 63:1). God became a man because he is “a mighty one who will save” (Zephaniah 3:17). That is why he was born: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

How have you experienced the mighty power of Jesus to save? Let me know what’s on your heart today by leaving a comment below.

Here are two verses to stimulate your praise and thanks:

“This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the one who would turn aside God’s wrath, taking away our sins . . . The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:10, 14).

NOTE: A 5-Sermon Series on Isaiah 9:6, by Dr. Joel Beeke, is available for free in audio, video, and written (PDF) formats. The sermon quoted above is sermon #3, “Jesus, Our Mighty God.”
https://www.sermonaudio.com/series/142382

 

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