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He is-The Character of God: He is Mighty God · The Father's Business Podcast

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: The Father's Business was founded by Sylvia Gunter to encourage people to a deeper relationship with God.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Elizabeth Gunter Powell.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I am Kimberly Roddy.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Father's Business Podcast.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: We are so glad that you've joined us.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: Well, welcome everyone to our podcast today.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: We're glad you are here with us.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: We hope that your December and Christmas season is moving along well.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: We are continuing to talk about the characteristics of God.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: And as we are in December, we are walking through the scripture in Isaiah 9, verse 6.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: It says, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government or the dominion will be upon his shoulders, and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: Last week we talked about the characteristic that the name that he has called here of wonderful counselor.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: Today we are going to talk about the fact that he is our mighty God.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's a that's a phrase that I've heard a lot, you know, through my life.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm kind of like, okay, what does mighty God mean?
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: I can think of several songs from the good old 80s and 90s where we've sung about what a mighty God we serve and all this kind of thing.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: But like, what does that mean to think about who he is and how we live that out and let him abide in us?
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so, Elizabeth, break down for us those the words mighty God and let's talk about, let's just start talking about what that really means, the essence of who he is as a mighty God.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: That word mighty in the Hebrew is Gibor, and it means strong, valiant, like warrior hero type of connotation.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: And the word God, I mean, is his his divine name, his strength, his authority, his otherness than us.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: But when you put the words for God, El, and Gabor together, I love the way, the meaning, the way it's typically phrased is the God who is our champion.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Think about the story that happens with David and Goliath.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Goliath is coming out as a is the mean, mean, mean giant who wants to, you know, destroy all the people.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: And they're looking for a champion.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: They're looking for someone who will go up against him in battle.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: And David steps in to be that champion in that moment.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: For us, God is the ultimate champion.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: He is the God who is not just a champion, but he's our champion.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: So for whatever Goliath you may be facing, he is the one who prevails in battle, who fights for you, who delivers you, and will deliver all of us through whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: We can see his might and his mightiness throughout scripture.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: In Jeremiah 32, 17, it says, Ah, sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing is too hard for you.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: You show love to thousands, but bring punishment for the parents' sins into the laps of their children after them.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's a complex passage there, but what we see is that his might was seen in the creation, and his mightiness was also seen in his compassion.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: And yet there's complexity here.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's the, I don't know, craziness is not the right word, but like the bigness and the complexity of God.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: We cannot understand him with our finite minds.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: And and part of that is here in this verse where he it seems that he has compassion and love to thousands, but brings punishment for the parents' sins into the laughs of the children after them.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to go back and listen to our first couple of episodes uh in this series, we cover a passage in Exodus where we see the same idea and we talk about the complexity of who the character of God is.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: And in Psalm 24, 8, uh it says, Who is this king of glory?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And Elizabeth, I love where you are putting those, the Hebrew words together to remind us that he is the God who is our champion.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so the psalmist is declaring, who is this king of glory?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like we he is a king of glory, he is strong and mighty, mighty in battle.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think there's some powerful imagery there.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: And we we see his might throughout scripture.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that reminds me also of one of my favorite verses in Isaiah 40, 25, and 26.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: To whom will you compare me?
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Or who is my equal, says the Holy One.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Who created all these?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name, because of his great power and mighty strength, not a one of them is missing.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I love the blend there, Kimberly, of the who can who can you compare me to?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: There is no one that is my equal, bigness of God, and then the such attention to detail that he knows every star and calls them each out by name.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: That intimacy, that desire to know each one of us personally.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: That that's why this is one of my favorite verses, is because he's big enough to handle it.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like he is so other than that no one can be compared to him.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And yet he is so intricately involved in all the details of all of our lives that he can show up for me in his power.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not that he is this, you know, kind of great holy God off to the side that is untouchable.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: He's also so very intimate and personal.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we think of Christmas, Kimberly, we see that some and even how Jesus came to earth, right?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was just thinking about as you were talking, I was thinking this is the time of year where we see the nativity set in a lot of places, and we see Jesus uh as represented as a baby in a manger.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's an interesting thing to think about that that he was, you know, that he was born as a baby, uh, came into this earth like we all do.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um and and yet he's a mighty God.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: He is the one who is a he is a warrior for us, he is a champion for us.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: And you see that power, like that is this infinite mighty power that is wrapped in the humbleness of a baby, the childlike innocence of a baby.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a stark contrast, and yet that is the the bigness of God is that he he came in a in a humble form to be human among us, but he is also separate and other.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: He is holy, he is other than us and set apart from us because he is divine.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: And that is the part that makes him a mighty God.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: We we do not have the capacity to be a mighty God.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: We like to be, we like to, you know, be warriors, we like to take up causes and fight for people, and he's created us in his image to to carry that out, and yet we cannot be a holy one, we cannot be God.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think it's to see this time of year, to see all those pictures of the infant baby Jesus, um, and to think about the fact that he was so much more than a mere baby, and yet God wanted to send him as a baby to show us that he could live among us and be one of us.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think we see that continue on to the cross, where the cross is a symbol of great power, but it was also a time of physical weakness.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Jesus gasping for last breaths and then finally dying.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: So there's this beautiful merging of a mighty God choosing to humble himself.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, imagine the creator.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: If I created something and then I become what I created and get inside the womb of someone else I created, and I'm in there for nine months, and then I come out.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And in my humanness, I don't have speech, I don't have full control over my limbs, my mind has to learn how to do all the things that a baby has to learn.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: The God of the universe humbled himself down into that, and then grew into a man and quite powerful and able to do many things, and then willingly chose to again put himself in a place of such physical weakness.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: And even to the point spiritually, where he said, Into my hands I commit your spirit.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: It was the ultimate act of surrender and letting go of power to do something that he told his father, if there's any other way, I don't want to do this, but not my will, but your we will be done.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: So there is this beautiful weaving together of might and power with humility and mercy and grace that is found not only at this time where we're celebrating his birth, but then as we look forward to the cross.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the hope that we can have is in Zephaniah 3:17, it says, The Lord your God is with you, the mighty warrior who saves, he will take great delight in you.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: In his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: And so that is a verse that often brings comfort.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I think for many of us, the Advent season is a time of waiting, it's a time of looking, it's a time of wondering.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes we wonder, does God take delight in me?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Will he fight for me?
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Will he champion me?
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: Will he rejoice over me?
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: Does he see me?
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we we don't always believe that.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: We don't believe his word, and we um can see our shame and our sin in light of our own selves, rather in light of the cross and the work that he's done and the fact that he did humble himself and come as a baby to save us from our sins and to live a sinless life.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so Zephaniah reminds us of that.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: He he is with you.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: So take heart in this season that he takes great delight in you.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: He is your mighty warrior who saves you.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: Again, if you're not feeling and seeing the mighty warrior fighting for you right now or standing in your behalf, uh sounds trite, but hold on.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think that again, that's what Advent is about.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like you have to remember between the Old Testament and the New Testament, there was silence for a long period of time.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: And and we are not the only ones today who experience that silence um at times.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so we have to trust in the character of who God is.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: His his holiness and his mightiness is not trying to push you away.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's not trying to berate you, it's not trying to intimidate you.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: It it's inviting you to sit with him, to let him hold you and redeem you and remind you of his love.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: And so it uh we never pretend that there are easy answers when you don't see that.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: And this time of year, like any other time of year, but this time of year can sometimes heighten our sense of aloneness, our sense of uh despair and lack of hope at times.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: And we just want to remind you that it's okay to sit in that grief.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's okay to sit in that longing for more, it's okay to sit in that fear.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but take heart in the midst of that and turn to the Psalms if you need to, to be reminded that he is the Lord who is strong and mighty and he will save you, he will rescue his people.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: And it may not look like you think it'll look.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: You might, it might not look like you want it to look.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: We we are all unfortunately have stories like that at times, but he he wants to be your father and your friend and your hope.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so I encourage you just to to just hang on and in the silence, remember that he is not silent forever.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and reach out to us if you need encouragement, reach out to friends if you need encouragement, and just know that he is the Lord, your mighty God, who does desire to give, to be your wonderful counselor and your hope, especially in the darkness.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, in the midst of a very busy December that we all are experiencing, we want to give you the gift of just slowing down for a minute and receiving these words of blessing to you.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I just invite you to really allow your spirit, soul, and body to feel the fullness of your mighty God who fights for you.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, beloved one, be blessed in the name of Jesus, your mighty God, the one who is your strength, your defender, and your victorious king.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: Be blessed to know that the Lord your God is the Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing is too hard for him.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: He spoke the heavens and the earth into being by his great power and outstretched arm.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed to rest in the truth that the Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: When you feel surrounded, remember that he fights for you.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: He is your warrior, your shield, and your deliverer.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed to know that the Lord your God is with you, the mighty one who saves.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: He takes great delight in you, quiets you with his love, and rejoices over you with singing.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: Be blessed to know that his might is not only displayed in power, but in compassion.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: When you feel small, remember that his strength is made perfect in weakness.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: Be blessed to exchange your weakness for his strength, to mount up with wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed to behold your holy God, the one who is set apart in majesty and purity.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: He is the God of gods and Lord of Lords, the great, the mighty, and awesome God.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed with holy awe before him, for there is none like the Lord your God in heaven above or on the earth below.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: Be blessed to draw near with confidence, for the holy one who dwells in unapproachable light has drawn near to you in love through Jesus Christ.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: He who was holy and set apart became flesh and walked among us, full of grace and truth.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: His holiness does not condemn you, it transforms you.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: Be holy for he is holy, and be blessed to know that his spirit in you is renewing you day by day.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed to trust the mighty God who rules over every circumstance.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: The Almighty reigns, he holds your life in his strong hands.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: When you cannot see the way forward, be blessed to remember that the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: Be blessed to live in the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: May His holiness refine your heart and his power uphold you in every trial.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: May you see his might not as distant majesty, but as present mercy working in your life.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed to stand firm in the power of his might.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed to know that the mighty God who created the universe is also the tender Father who calls you his own.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Be blessed to live every day in awe of his holiness, trusting in his strength, and resting in his unfailing love.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: For the Lord your God is mighty to save, holy in all his ways, and glorious in all his deeds.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: I want to thank you for listening to the Father's Business Podcast.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast is made possible through donations by people like you.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: To donate, go to www.thefathersbusiness.com.
• 16:13
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