Mighty God
Isaiah 9.1-7
The names Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be called spoke about His work among His people. They also were solutions to problems of the day. In Isaiah’s time the nation was in trouble. Israel was in decline. It was a stormy period when the Assyrian Empire was expanding. The nation was under the threat of foreign powers. Threats were being issued that frightened the populace. While Isaiah told of judgement to come he is also prophesied about a new day, the Day of the LORD, when the Messiah would come and ransom captive Israel.
We are given a view of what the nation had been through in the first few verses of this ninth chapter. Zebulun, Naphtali, Galilee were the first to be hit by invasions of the north. These people lived in terror. The troops would march over the high mountains near Mount Hermon and come into Israel. The invading armies would be fresh and strong and these folks in the north always took the heaviest blows. I’ve been there and even today there are stories and evidences of battles.
In Isaiah’s time these people lived in gloom and distress. It was a time of real darkness for the people who lived in this northern part. Things grow there well- invading armies would come in and just trample down the crops and all their hard work would be crushed under foot.
The darkness they walked in was deep. The shadows cast on the soul were like those when death comes. Death shadows are different than any other. We can go through difficulties. We can experience pain, say of loved ones moving far away from us. But we still know where they are and can see how they are getting along. But when death comes it is different. Part of grieving is when reality comes in and you begin to understand that this person is gone. Now the memory of the righteous will be a blessing and I have heard many people say that a person lives in your memory. That is true to some degree but the day by day reality of doing things and talking with this person in the present can bring a great deal of pain to the soul.
The people living in the northern part of Israel knew the horror losing loved ones in wartime. The hillsides were marked with graves which stood as silent reminders that this land was unstable, that death had come and they reminded the people of their personal loss. So great was the loss of life that they called this area, “The Land of the Shadow of Death.”
The promises associated with the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ, were and are no more war
There are a number of levels of this promise. For those in Isaiah’s time there was an immediate fulfillment. God was going to stop the Assyrian Army. They ended up suffering a humiliating defeat.
Then there is the first coming of Jesus where the hopes of final peace were in the hearts of the people. But Jesus didn’t come to raise an army, He came to save souls- to bring peace to people in their hearts and for them to have peace with God.
Jesus spoke of His return when true lasting peace would come to the world and there would be heaven on earth. We long for that day when the Mighty God will come and put an end to all war and pain and sorrow and suffering. The day will soon be here.
So what does this name Mighty God mean for us as we wait for that day? How is does God show Himself mighty in our lives today?
1. He prevails.
He is everywhere.
He is with us always as we spoke about last week. He will never leave us. He will be with us right up to the end of our life or the end of the age whatever comes first
No matter what the enemy brings, or what happens in life nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8.38-39) 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s love is with us because He is with us He is with us in the valley of the shadow of death. He is with us on our sickbed. He is with us when we are facing life’s big decisions and He is with us when we feel we are all alone. He is everywhere Psalm 139.7-9
He is superior in power and influence and everything else.
What a mighty God we serve All power and authority are His. Satan’s power is limited and the LORD will soon crush him under our feet.
Satan would like us to think he has great influence but God’s Spirit is at work all over the earth this morning. Those shoe boxes are going in to troubled areas with the love of Jesus. Our prayers are going there too In fact our prayers can go everywhere.
He always wins.
He never has nor will He ever suffer defeat.
If you go to the Book of Revelation you will see that in the end He will reign over evil to the point it will be done away with. Our God reigns Victory is His
2. He strengthens His People.
He has unlimited strength. Psalm 93.1
All power is His. He never sleeps or slumbers.
He is strong and be powerful Joshua 4.24
He can do anything. Nothing is too difficult for Him.
He is great I Chronicles 16.25
Above all gods (with a small “g”), the LORD God Almighty reigns from heaven. History is His Story. Creation, the Middle East, the rise and fall of nations, Today.
He makes us strong. Habbakuk 3.19
Strength for each day- He has promised that- as your days so shall your strength be (Deuteronomy 33.25)
He also give us supernatural strength when we need it.
He renews our strength. Isaiah 40.31
Wait for the LORD. Be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Habakkuk told us the LORD would make our feet like that of a deer. Isaiah told us that He would enable to mount up with wings like eagles. Both the deer and the eagle are tremendous animals. The deer leaps gracefully. It clear things effortlessly. I remember when I used to run down at Robert Moses in the morning seeing a beautiful buck on top of one of those dunes.
The eagle soars on the thermal jet streams. It can ascend very quickly and the warm air is doing all the work. Do you hear what the LORD is saying here? If we are stressing and wiping ourselves out then we better check to see if we are in His will.
This is not say that there aren’t times of stress in the life of the follower of Jesus. But we are to rest in Him and not be living under continual stress. When we are under stress we know where to go.
3. He keeps His Promises
The LORD confirms His covenant - what we did this morning. We participated in the same thing that Jesus did with the twelve when He initiated the New Covenant. This morning we remembered His sufferings for us and we renewed our faith in it. It was confirmed again to our hearts that it is real and we believe in Jesus.
What He does in saving souls from sin. It is confirmed every time someone believes. Every time a pardon from Jesus is received the covenant is confirmed- it is true It is valid
I hope and pray we will see more of that around here- people who do not know Him coming to believe on Him as their Savior. He came at Christmas to die on a cross and rise again from the dead.
He is faithful to all His promises I try not make promises because as much as I intend to keep them circumstances may change and make it virtually impossible for me to do what I said. Don’t tell people you are going to do something- just do it
God is Mighty. He is perfectly able to keep all His Promises. He does not change like the shifting shadows (James 1.17)
4. He shows Himself Strong II Chronicles 16.9
By strengthening those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
Asa was a good king. He brought about many spiritual reforms. But when he should have trusted in the LORD’s strength he began to go around making alliances with other nations to assure victory.
The LORD had given him victory on a number of occasions before but now after all of that he failed to trust in the LORD. He failed to trust the LORD later in his life.
5. He forgives sins Luke 5.21
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone? That’s right fellows- only God can forgive sins Whatever guilt you are carrying this morning- He forgives What ever you have been carrying in your heart against someone else- He forgives. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Keep your heart fully committed to the LORD God Almighty. Jesus is the Mighty God. He is looking for those who trust in Him fully so He can work through them. Be one of those people
Trust in Him always and until the end. Don’t follow the example of Asa who after the LORD had brought him great victories he trusted in man rather than God.
Everyday look to Him to be the strength of your life.
Lean upon His Promises He is faithful to all of them
Then sweeping up to glory you will see His precious face.
That is the way to live and the Mighty God makes it possible as we allow His Spirit to control our lives.
Let’s live that way
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The LORD’s Day
December 2, 2007
We Worship In Singing
We Worship In Receiving the LORD’s Supper
We Worship In Hearing the Word of God
Mighty God
Isaiah 9.1-7
*Tithes and Offerings can be placed in the box at the rear of the sanctuary*
Please join us for bagels and coffee downstairs if you are visiting today.
This Week
Bible Reading Proverbs 10
Monday Men’s Prayer Meeting 6:30am in the church basement
Wednesday Bible Study- 7:30pm at the Parsonage 1312 Pine Acres
Thursday Bible Study- 10:30am at the church
Next Lord’s Day
Morning Prayer- 10am in the church basement
Morning Worship- 10:30am(Sunday School for Children)
Spanish Service- 4pm
In Your Prayers For All of God’s People
Remember the men serving in the armed forces: Bradley, Julia Bujold’s grandson with Special Forces in Afghanistan, home on leave right now, Ken Brown, Pastor’s friend’s son finished his third tour of Iraq- His parents thank us for praying for him. Billy Knapp, Jr. in Iraq with the Marines (neighbor of the church and Pastor- Billy’s sister graduated from Good Shepherd). Stateside now being redeployed in April... Matthew Klaus, brother of Good Shepherd parent in Iraq as a firefighter for Haliburton. Pastor’s nephews’ and niece’s cousin Kim’s husband, Jay, in Iraq. Pray for them and the others away from their families. Praise God for keeping David Louis, Jake Morgan, Ken Brown and Tom Hindelang, Billy Knapp Jr. safe during their times in Iraq. Pray for peace. Katharina’s Family in the loss of her daughter... Remember Robert, her son-in-law and her grandsons, Norman, Raymond &Jonathan anf their families. Kathy, Ziggy and Margot’s daughter-in-law, under the doctor’s care for fibromyalgia. Thank God for answers to prayer for her as well as Lucy, their daughter... God is she is recovering. Pray for Eloise Brooks’ Family in their loss and sorrow... Remember Jean Louis on dialysis. Grace Martin, Edie Raevis’ daughter, recovering from surgery on her back and uindergoing Physical Therapy. Edie’s daughter’s mother-in-law, Millie Espisito remains in serious condition. Reginald Mooney, friend of Terri and John Garry, with a tumor in his kidney. Please remember Pastor’s friend Kim Richardson’s daughter, Kelly recovering from a mastectomy. Please remember this whole family in prayer..she has completed chemo therapy for now and has begun radiation. She is under the care of an oncologist. Leah May’s cousin, Joan, respiratory problems now home... Lucy Mancini under Orthopedic Specialist’s care and physical therapy for pain and injuries resulting from the accident. Pastor’s Dad, Larry Mancini, Sr. In an intermediary care facility, undergoing physical, occupational and speech therapy. There is a blog for him: www.papa2all.blogspot.com . His doctor is calling it a miracle. Stephen Huges, brother of a Good Shepherd Nursery School Mom, their parents home in Hewlett was destroyed in a fire.. Please remember Dr. And Mrs. Mucci in your prayers as well as Judy’s daughter Tatum. Alice Gordon’s family in the loss of her brother, Everette, Please remember his wife Monica and the whole family... Anka’s family in the loss of her dad. Joey Reda (Charlie and Diane Davison’s Grandson) experiencing some heart arrhythmia. Prudy’s Mom, Rose Ragusa, undergoing treatment- doing well. Pastor’s friend, Rudy Migliore, received a very good report from the doctors .Romans 12.15 Jack Simon, a friend of Pastor’s, undergoing treatment for a lung problem...Pray for those children who will receive Christmas shoe boxes this December. Remember those who lost family and friends in the cyclone in Bangladesh... Leah May home from Southside Hospital. Please pray for healing.. Bart Moleta, Helen and Bob Pawson’s son-in-law, undergoing tests for a number of problems.
Notes on Our Time in God’s Word This Morning...
Mighty God
Pastor’s messages are now available online:
http://thesundaymorningmessage.blogspot.com/
Church e-mail: bayshorenaz@rock.com
Church Phone: 631-969-1730
1314 Pine Acres Boulevard, Bay Shore, Long Island, NY 11706-5436
Everyday look to Him to be the strength of your life.
Lean upon His Promises He is faithful to all of them
Then sweeping up to glory you will see His precious face.
That is the way to live and the Mighty God makes it possible as we allow His Spirit to control our lives.
Let’s live that way
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The LORD’s Day
December 2, 2007
We Worship In Singing
We Worship In Receiving the LORD’s Supper
We Worship In Hearing the Word of God
Mighty God
Isaiah 9.1-7
*Tithes and Offerings can be placed in the box at the rear of the sanctuary*
Please join us for bagels and coffee downstairs if you are visiting today.
This Week
Bible Reading Proverbs 10
Monday Men’s Prayer Meeting 6:30am in the church basement
Wednesday Bible Study- 7:30pm at the Parsonage 1312 Pine Acres
Thursday Bible Study- 10:30am at the church
Next Lord’s Day
Morning Prayer- 10am in the church basement
Morning Worship- 10:30am(Sunday School for Children)
Spanish Service- 4pm
In Your Prayers For All of God’s People
Remember the men serving in the armed forces: Bradley, Julia Bujold’s grandson with Special Forces in Afghanistan, home on leave right now, Ken Brown, Pastor’s friend’s son finished his third tour of Iraq- His parents thank us for praying for him. Billy Knapp, Jr. in Iraq with the Marines (neighbor of the church and Pastor- Billy’s sister graduated from Good Shepherd). Stateside now being redeployed in April... Matthew Klaus, brother of Good Shepherd parent in Iraq as a firefighter for Haliburton. Pastor’s nephews’ and niece’s cousin Kim’s husband, Jay, in Iraq. Pray for them and the others away from their families. Praise God for keeping David Louis, Jake Morgan, Ken Brown and Tom Hindelang, Billy Knapp Jr. safe during their times in Iraq. Pray for peace. Katharina’s Family in the loss of her daughter... Remember Robert, her son-in-law and her grandsons, Norman, Raymond &Jonathan anf their families. Kathy, Ziggy and Margot’s daughter-in-law, under the doctor’s care for fibromyalgia. Thank God for answers to prayer for her as well as Lucy, their daughter... God is she is recovering. Pray for Eloise Brooks’ Family in their loss and sorrow... Remember Jean Louis on dialysis. Grace Martin, Edie Raevis’ daughter, recovering from surgery on her back and uindergoing Physical Therapy. Edie’s daughter’s mother-in-law, Millie Espisito remains in serious condition. Reginald Mooney, friend of Terri and John Garry, with a tumor in his kidney. Please remember Pastor’s friend Kim Richardson’s daughter, Kelly recovering from a mastectomy. Please remember this whole family in prayer..she has completed chemo therapy for now and has begun radiation. She is under the care of an oncologist. Leah May’s cousin, Joan, respiratory problems now home... Lucy Mancini under Orthopedic Specialist’s care and physical therapy for pain and injuries resulting from the accident. Pastor’s Dad, Larry Mancini, Sr. In an intermediary care facility, undergoing physical, occupational and speech therapy. There is a blog for him: www.papa2all.blogspot.com . His doctor is calling it a miracle. Stephen Huges, brother of a Good Shepherd Nursery School Mom, their parents home in Hewlett was destroyed in a fire.. Please remember Dr. And Mrs. Mucci in your prayers as well as Judy’s daughter Tatum. Alice Gordon’s family in the loss of her brother, Everette, Please remember his wife Monica and the whole family... Anka’s family in the loss of her dad. Joey Reda (Charlie and Diane Davison’s Grandson) experiencing some heart arrhythmia. Prudy’s Mom, Rose Ragusa, undergoing treatment- doing well. Pastor’s friend, Rudy Migliore, received a very good report from the doctors .Romans 12.15 Jack Simon, a friend of Pastor’s, undergoing treatment for a lung problem...Pray for those children who will receive Christmas shoe boxes this December. Remember those who lost family and friends in the cyclone in Bangladesh... Leah May home from Southside Hospital. Please pray for healing.. Bart Moleta, Helen and Bob Pawson’s son-in-law, undergoing tests for a number of problems.
Notes on Our Time in God’s Word This Morning...
Mighty God
Isaiah 9.1-7
Pastor’s messages are now available online:
http://thesundaymorningmessage.blogspot.com/
Church e-mail: bayshorenaz@rock.com
Church Phone: 631-969-1730
1314 Pine Acres Boulevard, Bay Shore, Long Island, NY 11706-5436
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