Isaiah 9: 6/Colossians 1: 13-18

1. On June 1, 1938, the first issue of the comic book “Superman” appeared in newsstands. High school classmates Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster originally created the super hero as a villain that had been granted super-powers by a mad scientist. But, later they turned him into a hero. They set out to recreate Superman as a comic strip. Siegel came up with almost all of the Superman legend, as we know it, wrote the comic strips, and Shuster did the drawing.

2. Together they chose the primary colors for his costume because, as Shuster recounted, they were the “brightest colors we could think of.” After being rejected by several publishers over a period of three years, DC Comics found “Superman” just what they wanted for their new Action Comics. In order to meet the first issue’s deadline, Shuster cut, pasted, and redrew Superman’s daily strips into 13 comic book size pages. The super-human being that could “leap tall buildings in a single bound” was officially born.

3. As believers, we have more than a superhuman comic book character. We have a God who is great and glorious. He is more than super-human, He is supernatural. And, there is nothing he cannot do.

4. I think of a little Sunday school class who was studying, for several weeks, the awesome power of God. After a few Sunday sessions, the teacher decided to quiz the class on what they had learned of God’s power. She asked, “Class, can anyone tell if there is something that God cannot do?” Silence filled the room, then suddenly little Johnny, in the back of the class, raised his hand. Needless to say, the faithful Sunday school teacher was shocked. She had spent countless hours studying, preparing, and teaching the class of the awesome power of God. She said, “Johnny, is there something God cannot do?” Johnny looked her square in the eye, and said, “Yes ma’am, He can’t please everybody!”

5. I would have to agree with Johnny. It is obvious that God can’t please everybody. In fact, there are several people that I have pastored that I am convinced not even God could please.

6. The prophet Isaiah calls our attention to the awesome nature of God, by referring to Him as “the mighty God.” The literal rendering of the name is ‘El Gibor.’ It is the strongest of the titles used in Isaiah 9: 6.

7. The word ‘El’ is always used to denote “God.” The word ‘Gibor’ literally means “hero.” Thus, the name literally refers to One who is indeed God Himself. He is our hero. Again, he is not super-human, He is supernatural.

8. During the lifetime of Isaiah, Israel and the adjacent nations believed in many types of man-made gods. Idolatry was a menace, and, many were susceptible to false religions. No man seemed to care that these ‘gods’ were motionless and useless. The idols could move neither hand nor foot; they neither spoke nor heard.

8. Thus, you can imagine that the prophet sighed with satisfaction when he spoke of the coming Messiah. For, unlike the powerless “gods” of the nations, the coming One would be “The Mighty God.” He would be God our Hero. And, this lovely name would give us courage.

9. No greater illustration of this name of God is found anywhere but in Colossians 1. The apostle Paul speaks of the God who would be our hero, the mighty God, and defines 3 characteristics of His might. First of all, we are reminded, by His name, that:

1. He Is A God Mighty In Creation!

1. In verse 16, Paul explains the creative power of God. One is left to no other conclusion other than God, and God alone, is the Creator. In fact, we are reminded of:

A. The Basis of His Creative Work!

1. Notice verse 16. Paul explains the origination of all things, by saying,

^{16””For
by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers:}

2. Then, he continues the thought in verse 17,

^{17”And he is before all things, and by him
all things consist.”}

3. Behind the existence of all things, there must be a mastermind: a Creator. He is the mastermind. He is the Creator. And, the One who created all things, is the One who controls all things. The basis of creation rests with Him, and in Him.

4. I think of Augustine and his search for God. He asked the earth, and the earth replied, “I am not He.” He asked the sea, and the sea replied, “We are not thy God, seek higher.” He looked to the air, and the air answered, “I am not thy God.” He asked the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars, they answered, “We are not the God whom thou seekest.” Finally, he said to all of these, “You have told me that ye are not He; tell me something about Him.” And, with a loud voice, they all exclaimed, “HE MADE US!”

5. I like how R. G. Lee explained it:

“God is the Creator behind all creation. God is the Designer behind all design. God is the Lawmaker behind all law. God is the supreme fact of history. God is the supreme fact of science. God is the supreme fact of philosophy. God is the supreme fact of personal life. God is the supreme fact of life, death and eternity. God is the great need of the human heart. God is the great need of all true philosophy. God is the great need of the vast creation which He created, and in which we live!”

6. The skepticism of the evolutionists, the criticism of the humanists, and the pessimism of the scientists have not one effect on the fact that He is the Creator behind all creation. He is the mighty God. And, He is the basis of His own creative work. However, we also see:

B. The Beauty of His Creative Work!

1. Paul explains the most beautiful aspect of creation, and His creative work, in the last part of verse 16. Knowing that He created all things, there is an underlying reason.

all things were created BY HIM, and FOR HIM!

2. When one thinks of creation, immediately their mind is drawn to the wonder, splendor, and the beauty of everything that exists.

3. Jeremiah described the beauty of His creative work{C. p. Jer. 32:17}:

^{17Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the
heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm,
and there is nothing too hard for thee.}

4. Isaiah spoke of it’s splendor{C. p. Isaiah 40: 12}:

^{12Who hath measured the waters in
the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span,
and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and
weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?}

5. I think of the Sun, some 93 million miles away. If our sun were hollow, it would be large enough to hold 1,400,000 worlds like our own. The sun is a ball of fire. Its flames flash out 3000 miles. It is estimated that the sun is so hot that if the earth were thrown into the sun it would burn up completely in 1 minute. Yet, our sun is one of the smallest balls of fire in the universe. The nearest sun to ours is Alpha Centuri. It is 25 trillion, 300 billion miles away, or 275,000 times as far away as is our sun is from us.

6. I think of the Earth. It is estimated that if the earth were as large as the Sun and everything on it were as large in proportion, an object weighing 100 pounds would weigh 2,760 pounds. A man 6 feet tall would be 1/8 of a mile high; his arms from shoulder to finger tips would be 160 feet long and his legs would be over 250 long. His eyes would be 9 feet in diameter, and his nose would be 14 feet long. The ears would like a wagon sheet half-mast and the hair would look like a haystack. A common pin would be a column of brass, and a lead pencil would be as large as an oak. The Mississippi River would be 140,000 miles longs, and 109 miles wide at Memphis, Tennessee.

7. I would concur with President John Quincy Adams, when he said,

“A study of creation seems to lead a man blindfolded up to the council chambers of Omnipotence and there, stripping the bandage from their eyes, bid him look undazzled at the throne of God!”

8. Sir Isaac Newton said of the creative work of God,

“In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence!”

9. When I think of creation, and the creative work of God, I am overwhelmed, overtaken, and overjoyed. I conclude with the Psalmist {C. p. Psalm 8: 1}:

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

10. He is the God who created all things, the God who controls all things, and the God who conducts all things. And, He can do anything for this world, through this world, with this world, to this world, or in this world that He chooses to do. He is a God mighty in Creation. However, the text also implies that:

1. HE IS A GOD MIGHTY IN CREATION!

2. He Is A God Mighty In Salvation!

1. The creative work and power of God would be enough to rejoice from here to eternity. However, His power as the Mighty God continues, not only in creation, but in salvation. In fact, considering this work:

A. We See The Guilt of Man!

1. Notice verse 13. Paul describes the universal guilt of man by reminding us that we were held by:

“the power of darkness.”

2. I think of the late, great Hank Williams Sr., and the song that he was so famous, “I Saw the Light.” The life of Hank Sr. was one far from a storybook success. Hank fell into drugs, alcohol, and even great bouts of depression. I think of a time when he was performing in a large West Coast city. And, that day was one of Hank Williams Sr’s worst days. He was extremely depressed, and in a very bad way. His band and traveling crew had tried everything to cheer his spirits. And, finally, one of the band members said, “Well, let’s just sing.” So, they began to sing the song that he was so famous for, “I Saw The Light.” They said that they had sang just a couple of stanzas, and bars, when Hank Williams Sr. buried his face in his hands, and began to cry, “But, there ain’t not light. There ain’t no light!”

3. However, like Hank Williams Sr., I well remember the days when there was darkness and no light at all. In our natural state, we are born in defilement, depravity, deadness and darkness.

4. We are reminded, in Romans 3: 10,

There is none righteous, no, not one:

5. In Romans 3: 23, we again see our natural condition,

^{23For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God.}

6. An old mountain preacher once put it well,

“We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners!”

7. The fact of the matter is that our hands have sinned, our feet have sinned, our ears have sinned, our eyes have sinned, our hearts have sinned, our tongues have sinned, our shoulders have sinned, our knees have sinned, and our arms have sinned. By word, by thought, by deed, by imagination, by commission, by omission, by secret sin, or by open sin, we have

“Crucified the Son of God afresh, and have put him to an open shame“. {C. p. Hebrews 6: 6}

8. I think of again of R. G. Lee, and his summation of our guilt,

“We are lumps of corruption, masses of unworthiness, and heaps of sin. We measure inches oft; when God demands yards and miles. We weigh ounces oft; when God desires pounds and tons. We are shining like wee candles struggling against contrary winds when God wants bright shining!”

9. It is not popular preaching, and it is not politically correct; but, the fact still remains that a sinful man is separated from a Holy God. We stand before Him with the guilt of the ages on our shoulders. Thank God, we do not have to stop there; for, we not only see the guilt of man, but:

B. We See The Grace of God!

1. While we were held in the “power of darkness,” Paul says that He came by one day, and,

^{13Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son:}

2. The word “delivered” literally means “to snatch out.” It carries the idea of rescuing someone from great danger. They are snatched out before it is too late.

3. That is exactly what Jesus did one day. You and I stood before Him guilty, and condemned. We were without hope in this world. We could not help ourselves. We could not change our condition. We were in defilement, deadness and darkness.

4. But, thank God, one day, He came by and “snatched us out.” He delivered us. He rescued us. He saved us just in time. He took us from defilement to cleansing, from deadness to life, and from darkness to light. He snatched us out by His grace.

5. In verse 13, He gives us Freedom. In verse 14, He gives us Forgiveness.

^{14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the
forgiveness of sins:
And, in verse
21, He gives us Fellowship.

21And you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he
reconciled.}

6. Bless His name, we are fixed up. And, that’s enough to make the deadest Baptist have a spell. Hallelujah!

7. It is said that the great British preacher, Rowland Hill, the last time that he preached, remained in the church at the close of the service, until all had gone. The caretaker, however, stood watching the preacher as he walked up and down the aisle of the empty church, and slowly repeating to himself:

“This I shall find,

For such is his mind,

He won’t be in glory,

And, leave me behind.”

8. The caretaker could not understand how Rowland Hill knew that. How could he be so sure that his sins were forgiven, and he would go to heaven. It was because Rowland Hill had learned another verse of that hymn:

“He bore on the tree,

The burden for me,

And both sinner,

And, surety are free!”

8. Rowland Hill saw the atonement of Jesus opening a door wide enough to let a guilty world go out into the sunshine of satisfied justice, and into the light of the reconciled countenance of God.

9. The guilt of man was removed by the grace of God. He snatched us out of darkness, and brought us into the light of His reconciled countenance. Oh yes, our Mighty God is a God mighty in Creation, Salvation, and:

1. HE IS A GOD MIGHTY IN CREATION!

2. HE IS A GOD MIGHTY IN SALVATION!

3. He Is A God Mighty In Glorification!

1. The Mighty God, Isaiah spoke of, is the God who created us, and the God who converted us. And, the Creating One, and the Converting One, will one day be the Crowned One. In fact, Paul says that as the Mighty God:

A. He Has A Glorified Person!

1. Notice verse 15.

^{15Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature:}

2. When you have seen the Lord Jesus, you have seen it all. When you have said Jesus, you have said it all. For, after you said Jesus there is nothing left to say, nothing else to say, and nothing more to say, because there is nothing better to say.

3. If you traced history, you could match all of the great names of the world with one or more that is equally as great. For example, Homer of the Greeks, was great, reaching from pole to pole with the wings of his poetic fancy. But, you can match him with Virgil who wielded a pen that ploughed it’s way as far as Homer’s wings could fly.

4. Dante, whose ears heard Hell’s infernal drums beating time to the ceaseless groans of the lost runs not one step ahead of Milton, whose ears were tuned to the Hallelujah choruses of Heaven.

5. Shakespeare, from whose pen words dropped like golden pollen from the stems of shaken lilies, has his place equaled by Bacon, one of the greatest intellects of the century. Tennyson, with his “Crossing the Bar,” has a high pedestal; but, along beside him is Longfellow, with his “Psalms of Life.”

6. Among preachers, one thinks of Wesley, Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards. But, there was also Spurgeon, Parker, and Talmadge.

7. But, ladies and gentlemen, when you mention JESUS, there is not one to stand beside Him. He stands alone, supreme, and unique. He is unchallenged, unmatched, and unequaled. However, He not only has a glorified person; but:

B. He Holds A Glorified Position!

1. Paul describes His glorified position in verse 18.

^{18And he is the head of the body, the
church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence.}

2. It all originates with Him. It all consummates with Him. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the head of Creation. He is the head of the Christian. And, He is the head of the Church.

3. This building we are gathered in tonight is nothing more than brick and mortar. It is a man-made construction. However, what it is built for, it’s purpose, is to house a public place where we gather upon the appointed times to worship together.

4. But, friend, if there were no building, there would still be a church. If there were no construction, there would still be a church. And, He would be the head of it. This is not your house, nor my house, this is HIS HOUSE! He is the head of it. I believe you would agree, if anybody ought to be welcome in his or her own house, it ought to be Him! He holds a glorified position.

5. I think of a general, who had been mortally wounded in one of the battles of the Civil War. He had been taken to be treated at one of the local hospitals, and was not given much hope of living. He had lain lifeless for several hours, with no sign of consciousness. However, suddenly, he sat up in his bed, and began to cry aloud, “Bring, Bring, Bring!” Immediately, the nurses ran into the room, and said, “What do you want us to bring?” They thought that perhaps he wanted them to bring some personal items, so they brought them into his room.

6. Within the next few minutes, he sat up again, in his bed, and began to shout, “Bring, Bring, Bring!” They rushed to him, and again asked him what they should bring, but received no answer. Thinking for him, they brought him a pad, paper, and a Bible. Again, within minutes, he sat up and cried, “Bring, Bring, Bring.” They again rushed in, and this time brought his family to him. Finally, the dying soldier sat up and shouted, “Bring, Bring, Bring!” The nurses were somewhat disturbed. They asked him, “What is it that you want us to bring? We have brought everything we have thought of? What do you want us to bring?” And, about that time, the dying soldier sat straight up in his bed, and with his last breath, began to sing:

“Bring forth the royal diadem,

And, crown Him Lord of all!”

7. He is a God mighty in creation. He is a God mighty in salvation. He is a God mighty in glorification. This is He of whom Isaiah foresaw, and foretold. He is ‘The Mighty God,’ and His lovely name gives us courage.