Embracing the Mighty God: The Joy of Giving

"For those that don't know me, my name is Pastor Tim, and it's my great opportunity and privilege to welcome you here at Village Bible Church. And what you've been a part of is a part of this all-in story that we've been telling all throughout the month of December. And you have seen lives changed by those who took steps of faith and stepped out and served in short-term missions trips all over the world. And I hope that you saw within that narrative, within that video, the real blessing it is to serve. The Bible says that it's better to give than to receive. Let's remember that this Christmas. And these individuals experienced that, of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ and giving their time and abilities to others. It was far greater and far better to give that away than to receive it. And the lives that have been changed as a result." [00:00:00]

"Father God, we come. Before you and we thank you for what it means to be all in. First of all, we reflect on the knowledge that you were all in for us. You came and you put on flesh and you made your dwelling among us and you did it to redeem your people, to save them from their sins. And we are so thankful for that, Lord. We're thankful that you did that work, and it's a completed work, but you invite us in the process of seeing that work come to its full fruition. I thank you for the hands and feet that said yes to going and serving in a place that maybe they didn't know, to people they had never met, to reach the lost who needed the gospel of Jesus Christ." [00:03:39] (42 seconds)


"These names, again, were aspirations of the people of God. They were looking for someone to come and to remedy their issues and their struggles. They longed for what the prophet said, the one who would come would reconcile them from their sins. And they were looking forward to that. But in their waiting and in their toiling, they'd become discouraged. In Isaiah chapter nine, the Assyrian army is on their northern border and they're filled with fear and dismay. And they're wondering, is the one who was promised, is he ever gonna show up? Is the one who promised ever going to prove himself faithful?" [00:06:56] (40 seconds)


"And the great difficulty of our day today is that as we wait, we are tempted to start looking and relying on other things to remedy our problems. We look to other things for our salvation. We look to other things to sustain us in life. And one by one, each of those things fail us. So we go and we look for the new thing, the better thing, the greater improved thing, only to find out one after another that the things of this world are unable to accomplish what concerns us today." [00:09:52] (39 seconds)


"He's more powerful than even the powers of the universe that he created. Colossians 1 .16 says that for by Jesus, our El Gibor, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, rulers, or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. What that means is, is the one that we are turning our attention to this morning, first of all, is mighty in strength. He's mighty in strength, and what that means is he has the power, he has the strength to do everything and anything that concerns us today." [00:16:05] (45 seconds)


"The God who has counted out the stars and named every one of them, who makes sure they stay in their place, not only our little space that we call earth, but now the entire cosmos, that which the world and its scientists say is out of control, chaotic at best, Jesus Christ holds it together and put it together, and that God who did all of that, is able to deal with your chaotic mess. You see, we serve a mighty God, who is strong. This mighty God is able to do all things, but he doesn't just keep his strength for himself." [00:17:30] (46 seconds)


"On the cross, Jesus conquered our greatest enemy of sin and death and the grave. The baby that was born in a manger came to rescue us and redeem us from the devil and our separation from God. But how did he do it? How did he display his strength to us, his children? The writer of Hebrews puts it this way. Consequently, he says, Jesus, our El Gabor, is able to save to the uttermost. To the uttermost. That's a powerful word. Because what that means is Jesus' salvation, for us, isn't something that might save or could save or should save, but it, in fact, does save." [00:20:25] (53 seconds)


"Paul tells us that there is nothing that's an important Greek word because nothing in the Greek means nothing in the English. There is nothing in all of heaven, or on earth, or under the earth. There is nothing in the past, nothing in the present, nothing in the future, height nor depth, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Why? Because he's the powerful one, and he is the one, the one who has placed us, you, the child of God, into the hands of God the Father, and the powerful one says nothing, and no one can snatch you out of where I've put you." [00:24:47] (49 seconds)


"Jesus doesn't just save us and leave us on our own, but the mighty one comes and sustains us. He gives us daily, giving us the strength to endure the trials and tribulations and give us the power to remain faithful. He wants you to have that strength. He's giving it to you today. Later on in Isaiah's prophecy, he says this in Isaiah 41, fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. And I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." [00:28:25] (43 seconds)


"Because Jesus is our mighty God, believing it means we'll do three things. Number one, we'll rely on him. We'll rely on him. Write that down. We'll rely on him. That means that we recognize if Jesus is the mighty one, where does that leave me? I'm the weak one. I'm the broken one. I'm the finite one. I am the one who struggles. I am the one who is lame. I am the one who is blind. I am the one who is broken. I am the one who is broken. And I don't have a remedy to the problems and the struggles that I'm facing." [00:31:59] (43 seconds)


"So at Christmas, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus, our mighty God. He is strong enough, friends, to carry your burdens. He's mighty enough to save you from your sins, and he is faithful enough to sustain you through every trial, trouble, and tribulation. So therefore, in light of that truth, rely on him, rest in him, and remain in him. He's the mighty God who is more than anything that we will ever face. So stop trying to handle this life, your life, with the things of this world, with the things of your own making. Instead, the prophet Isaiah says, trust in Jesus, your El Gabor, your mighty God, because he is the ultimate savior." [00:35:07] (60 seconds)