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"His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God..." (Isaiah 9:6)
Dear Friend,
The purpose of this course is that you might know more about Jesus Christ—who He is and what He has done.
In this lesson, we are going to see that Jesus is "The Mighty God," and that His name is truly wonderful.
Jesus Defeated Satan
At the very beginning of His public ministry, the Lord Jesus faced our great enemy, Satan, and defeated him.
The Bible says that the Lord Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. He was without food for forty days and nights. At the end of this time, when Jesus was tired and hungry, Satan came to tempt Him.
Satan first tempted Jesus by trying to get Him to perform a miracle to satisfy His own needs. Satan knew that Jesus was very hungry, and he said, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."
Jesus could have done this, but it was not the will of His Father for Him to use His power in this way at this time. Therefore, Jesus answered Satan,
"It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4
Three times Satan tempted Jesus, and three times Jesus answered him with the Word of God.
What was Satan trying to get Jesus to do? Satan was trying to get the Lord Jesus to disobey His Father. But Satan utterly failed. He could not get the Lord Jesus to sin. Jesus would not disobey His Father's will. Satan was defeated.
How did Jesus defeat Satan? He defeated Satan:
(1) by obeying His Father's will,
(2) by using the Word of God,
(3) by depending on the Holy Spirit.
We, too, can have victory over Satan if we obey God's will, use the Word of God, and depend on the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus defeated Satan again at the Cross of Calvary. We are going to learn more about this in another lesson.
Jesus Did Mighty Works
Jesus said that He was the Son of God. He showed that He was the Son of God by His mighty works. He had power (1) over the wind and sea; (2)over evil spirits; (3) over sickness and disease; and (4) over deathitself.
Jesus calmed the wind and sea.
In Matthew, chapter 8, we read that Jesus was in a ship with His disciples. He fell asleep in the ship. As He slept a great storm arose. The disciples were afraid that the ship would sink. They woke Jesus up saying, "Lord, save us: we perish."
Jesus spoke to the wind and the sea saying, "Peace, be still." The wind and waves became calm. The disciples marvelled and said,
"What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!" (Matthew 8:27)
Jesus commanded evil spirits.
Evil spirits are the servants of Satan. Oftentimes, they enter into people and cause them to do many terrible things. The evil spirits recognized Jesus as the Son of God. When He commanded, they obeyed Him. When the people saw this they marvelled and said,
"What a word is this! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." (Luke 4:36)
Jesus healed the sick.
Jesus had power to heal all sicknesses. He caused the lame to walk again; He restored sight to the blind; and He healed diseases. The Bible says that many sick people came to Him, and "He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them." (Luke 4:40)
Jesus raised the dead.
Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary, were friends of Jesus. Jesus loved these friends and spent much time visiting in their home.
One day, when Jesus was away, Lazarus became very sick. Martha and Mary sent for Jesus, but by the time Jesus reached their home, Lazarus had been dead four days.
Martha and Mary were very sad. They felt that if Jesus had only been there, Lazarus would not have died. But Jesus told them not to be sorrowful because God was going to use this occasion to show His power and glory. Jesus said,
"I am the resurrection, and the life: he who believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:25
When Jesus reached the tomb where Lazarus was buried, He told the people to take away the stone that lay against the opening of the cave. Then Jesus spoke to Lazarus and said, "Lazarus, come forth." Lazarus, who had been dead four days, came forth still bound in his grave clothes. Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go."They loosed him. Lazarus was alive and well again!
Jesus had the Power to Forgive Sins.
The Lord Jesus not only had the power to heal people and to raise people from the dead, but He could do something that was far more important: He could forgive their sins.
One day four men brought a friend of theirs to Jesus. This man was sick of the palsy, and they brought him to Jesus so He could heal him. There were so many people around the Lord Jesus that they could not get near Him. They climbed up on the house, made a hole in the roof, and lowered the sick man down where Jesus was.
Jesus knew that this man needed to be healed, but He saw a greater need in his life—he needed to be forgiven of his sins. Jesus said to him, "Thy sins be forgiven thee."
The scribes and Pharisees who were present did not like this. They were thinking, "How can this man forgive sins? Only God can do this!"
Jesus knew their thoughts. He said,
"That you may know that the Son of Man has power upon earth to forgive sins, (He said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house." Luke 5:24
Immediately the man rose up, took up his bed, and went to his house, glorifying God.
Jesus Showed His Glory
One day Jesus showed His glory to three of His disciples, His glory as the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus took Peter, James and John up on the mountain. There He knelt down to pray. The disciples prayed also.
Then something strange happened. Jesus' face began to shine, bright as the sun. His clothes began to shine also. He was so bright that the disciples could hardly look at Him.
Then, all at once, two men were with Jesus. They were shining bright also. These two men were Moses and Elijah, and they were talking with Jesus. Then God the Father spoke from Heaven and said, "This is My beloved Son, hear Him."
The disciples never forgot that scene. Many years later, Peter wrote,
"We…were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory…when we were with Him in the holy mount." 2 Peter 1:16-18
Is Jesus Christ GOD?
Some people think of Jesus Christ as a great man and a marvellous teacher. Others speak of Him as a great leader who founded a new religion, but Jesus Himself declared that He was God. He said,
"I and My Father are one." (John 10:30)
When the Jews heard Jesus say that He was one with the Father, they took up stones to kill Him. Jesus said to them, "Many good works have I showed you from My Father; for which of those works do you stone Me?"
The Jews answered, "For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."
If Jesus were not really God, it would have been a terrible thing for Him to have claimed to be God. He would have been a liar and a deceiver and could not even be called a good man.
Does the Bible Teach that Jesus is GOD?
Yes, it does. There are many Scriptures which make it clear that Jesus is truly God.
The Bible says,
"In the beginning was the Word (the Lord Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us…" (John 1:1, 14a)
In Hebrews 1:8, the Bible says,
"But unto the Son He says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever…"
Colossians 2:9 says,
"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the God head bodily."
Jesus Himself declared that He was God. He said,
"He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)
Jesus permitted His disciples to worship Him as God. When He appeared to Thomas after His resurrection, Thomas worshipped Him, saying,
"My Lord and my God." (John 20:28)
In Isaiah 44:6, God said,
"I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God."
In Revelation 22:13 the Lord Jesus said that He is "the first and the last"; therefore, He is God. Jesus said,
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
In John 5:22-23, the Bible says,
"For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which has sent Him."
Yes, Jesus is God. He has always been God. He will always be God. But He did become a man.
The Lord Jesus is sometimes called "the God-Man." This is a very good name for Him because He is truly God and He is truly man.
Because He lived on this earth as a man, the Lord Jesus understands us perfectly. He knows what it is to be tempted, to be misunderstood, to be hated, to be poor, to be hungry, and to suffer persecution. Because He is a man, He knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted. Because He is God, He is wonderfully able to help us when we call on Him.
There is POWER in the Name of Jesus
Because of who Jesus is and what He has done, there is great power in His name. The name of Jesus is powerful:
(1) in the salvation of men,
(2) in our prayers, and
(3) in the warfare against Satan.
Let us consider each of these.
The name of Jesus is powerful in the salvation of men.
The Bible says,
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
If you are not saved take the Lord at His Word and call upon His name. Open your heart to Him and say, "O Lord Jesus! O Lord Jesus!" Confess your sins to Him. Thank Him for loving you and for dying for your sins. Ask Him to come into your heart and be your Saviour. He will hear you and save you. He said,
"him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)
The name of Jesus is powerful in our prayers.
We should always pray to the Father in Jesus' name. His name has great power.
The Bible tells us about a lame man who lay at the gate of the temple begging. Each day someone had to carry him to the temple. When the Apostle Peter saw him, he said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."
The man leaped up and walked and went into the temple with them, praising God.
When people wondered how the man had been healed, Peter told them that it was by the power of Jesus' name.
Peter said,
"His name through faith in His name has made this man strong …" Acts 3:16
How wonderful is the name of Jesus! Begin now to pray to the Father in Jesus' name. Pray for your unsaved friends and loved ones. Pray about everything that concerns you. The Lord Jesus said,
"Until now you have asked nothing in My name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24
The name of Jesus is powerful in the warfare against Satan.
Our enemy, Satan, hates us and wants to destroy us. The Bible says that he walks about "as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
But, if Jesus is our Saviour, we don't have to fear Satan or his evil spirits. The Bible says,
"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7b)
How do we "resist the devil"? We resist him in Jesus' name. The Lord Jesus has defeated Satan, and He has given us the right to use His name.
In the book of Acts, we read about a girl who was possessed of an evil spirit. She followed the Apostle Paul for many days. Paul was grieved in his spirit concerning this poor girl. He turned and said to the evil spirit that possessed her, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." Immediately the evil spirit came out of her.
Call Upon JESUS
Begin now to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. Whatever your need is, you can call upon Him. He is the mighty Son of God and He loves you. He wants you to call upon Him. The Lord says,
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me." Psalm 50:15
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