In one of the most dramatic scenes on the big screen, we find a young naive boy being hotly pursued by a demonic monster. The young boy has only one chance to make an impossible shot that would destroy a weapon of mass destruction that is being directed at his friends. Just as the demonic monster has the young boy in his sights and is about to finish him off, his friend, Han Solo swoops down to save the day. He shoots at Dart Vader, disabling his ship, and this allows young Luke Skywalker to make that shot in a billion, destroying the Death Star and saving the rebel alliance.
Luke and Han return to the rebel base and are hailed as HEROES!
We love Heroes. Movies, books, video games, sports, are all about Heroes. 
We love Champions. We love Winners! We all have images, scenes burned into our minds of those heroic moments-Chariots of Fire (slow running), Braveheart (blue paint), Rocky vs Drago, even Elle Woods before a joint session of congress saving the animals.
Centuries ago we have a scene recorded in 1st Samuel. A warring nation of Philistines has the Israelites cowering before them. All because they have a Champion named Goliath. He’s big, really big, and the little Israelites are afraid to fight him.
Up steps a young boy, barely a man and fights their champion armed only with a sling and five smooth stones. With one shot he kills Goliath and as 1 Samuel 17:51 says “Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion (Gibbor) was dead, they fled.”
The word for champion is Gibbor. Gibbor means hero, champion, conqueror. It also means mighty as in warrior. It is a manly name, not a sissy name. David hero himself, attracted 600 similar “heroes” to his side while he was being pursued by Saul. When David became King, these 600 men became his elite military corps. He called them his Gibborim – “Mighty Men”.
In the context of battle, the word is better understood to refer to the category of warriors. The gibbôr is the proven warrior;
Now look with me at Mary & Joseph. Imagine seeing Mary holding a little baby. Joseph is by her side. The baby has just been born and is sleeping. Mary holds in her arms El Gibbor, God the Mighty Champion, God the Proven Warrior, our Divine Hero, God our Conqueror.
This was the second name ascribed to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6. Jesus is Mighty God!
In Isa 9:6, The child that is born, the son who is given, is called Wonderful Counselor, and then EL GIBBOR, translated in most of your Bibles as Mighty God. Modern translators have also said Powerful God, Strong God.
We first see God called El Gibbor in Deuteronomy 10:17. Moses in Deuteronomy 9 & 10 is preparing His people for their crossing into the promised land. He is reminding them of all God has done over the past 40 years. The way He miraculously delivered them from Egypt and how he sustained them in the desert wilderness. He recounts how God gave him the 10 commandments, not once, but twice. He reminds them of His covenant with them and how they must submit and not be stiff-necked. For God is God of Gods and Lord of Lords, MIGHTY (Gibbor).
Deuteronomy 10: 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
God is Mighty in His ability to Keep His Covenant with His People. Only God Jehovah is Mighty and Strong enough to keep His Covenants with His children.
Psalms 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
God Gave Jesus to mankind as our Mighty God, Our Hero, Our Champion
I. Jesus is Our Mighty Hero
He fought and defeated the enemies we could not.
A. Jesus Defeated His and Our Worst Enemy – Satan
1. He is the destroyer, the enslaver and He is the prince and power of this Word. He rebelled from the throne of heaven and said in Isaiah 14:13-17 (NLT)
‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’
a) No man has ever been able to defeat his power. His throne and reign on earth is absolute.
b) Jesus met Satan head on and defeated him at every turn. He defeated him by the Power of the Word of God!
c) He may still roam the earth as a roaring lion, but as everyone knows, only the weak old lions roar. The young powerful lions stalk their prey quietly, and then pounce.
d) No Satan is roaring because he was mortally wounded by our Hero God. His days are numbered and he knows it.
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. I John 3:8
2. The rest of the story continues in Isa 14:15-17:
15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. 16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? 17 Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’
The end of Satan is recorded in the Word of God:
Revelation 20:10 (KJV) 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.
B. Jesus has defeated Sin.
1. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
2. Jesus was the second Adam who did not sin, and by defeating the power of sin in His flesh, enables all who believe in Him and walk in the Spirit, to escape the power of sin.
3. When God sees believer’s, He sees us in Jesus Christ. He sees us clothed in the righteousness of our Savior.
4. We are that spotless bride.
1 John 3:5 (NKJV) 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
Jesus is Our Battle Proven Warrior Hero!
C. Jesus has defeated death
1. Peter in his sermon in Acts 2:24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
2. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. I Cor 15:20-22
3. IF We are in Christ We SHALL LIVE!
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Cor 15
II. Jesus is Our Mighty Covenant Keeper
A. Only Jesus, Mighty God has the Power to Keep the Covenant of Forgiveness and Eternal Life.
B. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:20
Hebrews 12:24 (NLT) 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
III. Jesus is the Champion of our Salvation
Hebrews 2:10 (NKJV) For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Hebrews 5:9 (KJV) And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The word for captain and author is archegos. prince or leader (Vines). It contains the ideas of supremacy, personal participation, being first. You can picture that first mountain climber to scale Mt Everest, he goes ahead of the others, chipping away footholds, inserting pitons, and extending the rope to his partners. You can visualize him as the mighty warrior going ahead in the battle and single handedly defeating the enemy.
Jesus is our True Champion. He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He is our true champion and the Savior of our souls. We owe Him our lives. We owe Him our obedience. We owe Him our reverence. There is no battle on this earth you can face that He has not conquered. There is no hurt that He does not feel. There is no suffering that He does not know. There is no storm that He cannot silence, there is no problem that He cannot safely guide you through.He went first and He won. He is the Champion that you need each and every day. There will be no drug scandal tainting His victory. There will be no moral scandal in his life. He overcame every possible obstacle, and He Won! He endured the Cross for you and me, and now He reins supreme.
IV. Jesus is Our Conquering King
Jesus may not be sitting on a visible throne on earth today. But He reigns on High. And we are citizens of heaven. We are seated in the heavenlies as we walk here on earth. Christ is looking for people who will worship Him as King. You turn away from your sins, you way of living, and confess Him as your King. He becomes the Lord of your life. He becomes your reason for living. Christmas is not just about presents and parties, it is about living your life in obedience to our coming King
He will return, but it will be too late to give your life to Him:
Listen to how Christ is described in Rev 19:11-16:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Some of you may be saying, El Gibbor, so what. He was just a baby born in a manger, no big deal.
There will be no change in your heart, no change in your life, no change in your priorities, no change in who or what drives your life.
There was a similar group of people who were shown, in living color, with powerful video, the EL GIBBOR. He freed them from the mightiest Nation, with the mightiest army, He vanguished that army in one of the greatest miracles of all time, he fed those people with manna, with quail, he provided them water from a rock which travelled with them in the wilderness. He healed them from snake bites by simply having them look at a brazen serpent held up on a cross. He led them by a fire at night. His presence was visibly among them.
Hebrews 4:2-3 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest.
There is rest for the souls of those who give their hearts and lives to EL Gibbor. He has provided us the most precious gift, the gift of His Son, who himself is El Gibbor.
- He is our Mighty God
- He is our Warrior Hero
- He is the Mighty Champion of Salvation
- He is our Mighty Covenant Keeper
- He is our Conquering King
Do You Know this Mighty God. He’s God’s Son. He’s My King!
Do you know my King? (with homage to SM Lockridge)
He’s the sinner’s savior. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s pre-eminent. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek.
That’s my King. Do you know Him?
He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the heroes….He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the President of Presidents. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords.
That’s my King.
His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you . . .but He’s indescribable….
That’s my King.
Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilot couldn’t find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. He’s the King of righteousness. He’s the King of the ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of glory.
That’s my King.
You can’t impeach Him And He’s Not gonna Resign. Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and forever and when you get through with all the forever’s. AMEN!
Now that’s my King.
Do You Know this Mighty God. Does Jesus live in your heart? Do you Know my King?
Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV) The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Loving the Word with the MudPreacher 