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
- Why Jesus Is Called the “Everlasting Father” - December 20, 2024
- The Mighty Power of Jesus - December 17, 2024
- The Wonderful Wonder of Jesus - December 9, 2024
