Prophecy of the Child to Come

Christmas:Christmas: Prophecy of the Child to Come (Part 1)

Lesson Text: Isaiah 9:6

Introduction:

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

1.       A Name

a.        In our society a person’s name doesn’t often have meaning behind it or we don’t know the meaning, for example my name is James and I am sure if I looked it up I could find out that it probably has some meaning but my mother wasn’t naming me James because she knew what it meant but because she liked the sound and she knew someone with the same name and named me after them. That’s true for most people although there are some who pick names out because of their meaning.

b.       Biblically speaking when we read that a person had a certain name that name had a meaning behind it. For example Eve’s name means "Mother of all the living" and Abraham means "Father of a multitude". The name of a person often told something about the character of the person or something about their nature. And so often we find in the Bible people’s names being changed, remember Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter. Saul has another name that of Paul and we usually use that name to refer to the apostle. One of my favorite names in the bible has to do with two brothers. Jesus as he is appointing his disciples he names some of them.

i.         Mark 3:16–17 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);

1.       They had to be related to my family. We’re often a loud and thunderous bunch. So biblically we find that names had meaning. It had to do with the character of a person or what the parents thought of the child or something to do with the hopes of what the child would do.

c.        In Isaiah the passage says "His name shall be called…" That’s telling us something about his nature and character and that’s what I want us to think about this morning. This child that will be born, what’s so special about him?

2.       Wonderful Counselor

a.        The first descriptive name we come across is "Wonderful Counselor". Some translations actually separate these first two words so it would be "Wonderful" and then "Counselor" I don’t think that’s correct I believe they’re to be taken together. So it’s "Wonderful Counselor".

i.         This isn’t our modern day counselor, one who is a shrink, psychologist or something like that. But a counselor in the bible has to do with leading and guiding and giving good advice, now it is true that some counselors today do this very thing, they try and lead people in the right direction but usually we have a certain picture in our minds of a doctor sitting in a chair and a client lying down on a sofa talking while the counselor does nothing more than write down what the person says and then say things like, “Ah-ha, how does that make you feel”, and things like that.

ii.       Remember in the times of the kings of Israel, David and other kings had counselors. They were most often wiser older men who would give the king their advice and tell them what the king should do according to their wisdom.

iii.     There was a time when the kingdom of Israel was divided because a new king had asked his advisors, his counselors what he should do and the older wiser men told him one thing but he didn’t like what they told him so he went to those who were his peers and asked their advice and they told him what he wanted to hear, well the kingdom of Israel divided over that bad advice that the younger men gave the king.

b.       But what does the name "wonderful Counselor" mean? This is the one who will tell us about God and about life, he’ll be wonderful, full of wisdom and knowledge and he’ll impart that wisdom to those who ask and seek.

i.         John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

c.        John says that the word who is Jesus made God known to us. The word “known” is the word for “Exegesis” a term used in bible study and sermon preparation which means “to draw out the meaning”. Jesus explains to us who God is. That’s part of how he counsels us. We don’t truly know what God is like until we know Jesus and see God in action among us.

i.         John 12:45–46 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

d.       The Christ, Jesus came and imparted the deep things of God, he counseled us about what life was all about. That is to love God and love mankind and he showed us what that looks like.

i.         Have you even said “what’s life all about?” or “Why am I here?” Lots of people say those words and think those thoughts. The meaning of life is wrapped up in God. It’s to worship and serve God; it’s to be in a loving relationship with the creator of the universe and each other. When we reject God or forget about God that’s when life looses all meaning and we try to add meaning to our lives by placing our jobs, or schooling, or our children in the place of God. We end up making the creature or the creation our purpose and meaning. The stuff we own and the money we make become our life and our hope and it leads to misery because we’re thinking this life is all about us and stuff and the real meaning of life is found in God.

e.        In Colossians 2:3 we’re told that in Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." It’s in this "Wonderful Counselor" that we find the answer to life’s questions and the real meaning of life.

f.        Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he said love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. He told us that God was interested in the heart and not the outward pomp of religious appearance. He told us how we’re to put others ahead of ourselves. Christ is the "Wonderful counselor" the one who not only speaks truth to us but leads us in that truth because he is the truth.

3.       Mighty God

a.        The next name we come across in Isaiah is "Mighty God". What’s this saying? It’s saying the child to come will be none other than God himself, Emmanuel God with us. God took on human flesh and dwelt among us. We read in Paul’s letter that although he was God he didn’t think of his privileges as God something to be considered and held onto.

i.         Philippians 2:6–11 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

b.       Paul takes an Old Testament passage where Yahweh is speaking of himself and he paraphrases it and applies it Jesus.

i.         Isaiah 45:22–23 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

c.        That’s what Paul paraphrased and applied to Jesus. Who is Jesus? He’s Yahweh, he’s God with us.

d.       This one to come was God himself living and moving and eating with sinners. If we want to know God and want to know what God wants form us and what he’s like we need to look no further than Jesus. Look to him he’s God with us, might God, or Our great God and savior as Peter puts it in his letter.

e.        That means that God is not some impersonal force he’s not distant or uninterested, he’s concerned and loving and wanting us to seek him and when we do we find he’s never been far from us.

i.         John 1:1–4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

f.        Then in verse 14:

i.         John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

a.         There’s a song that says "God is watching us from a distance". That song is dead wrong. God is not off somewhere looking at us from a telescope he was and is involved with us he came to this earth to show us that he’s not far off somewhere. This one who was to come was God himself, the "Might God" creator and sustainer of all things.

i.         Colossians 1:15–20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

1.       That’s the one Isaiah tells us was to come and that prophecy was fulfilled the night when Christ was born in Bethlehem.

1)      Everlasting Father

a)      We read that the one to come, this child will be called "Everlasting Father". The idea of the word “Father” has a broader range of meaning than what we might think of at first. In fact we might ask the question is Jesus here the same as God the Father? That’s a mistake some people make, they see Jesus and the father as the same person. But Jesus is not God the father. God is one God in three persons all three are the One God or share the same nature but there are three distinct persons. Sometimes people help us with our understanding of this by saying there is one “what” and three “whose”.

b)      When we read that the Messiah is to be called “father of eternity” this is not saying that Jesus is the Father and the Father is Jesus but that Jesus is the “Father of Eternity”, he’s the one who ushers in Eternal life. He was and is Eternal himself, we know that because we read passages like John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16-17 which teach us that he was before anything else ever was and he is the creator, he is eternal but he’s also the founder of Eternal life for those who believe in him and give their lives to him by faith,

c)      The word Father biblically has reference to one who is a protector and provider, for example in Genesis 45:8 we’re told that Joseph was made father to Pharaoh, that is protector and ruler of Pharaoh’s house and the land of Egypt.

i)        Genesis 45:8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

d)     Job say a similar thing about the needy

i)        Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.

e)      The Christ has ruler ship over eternity and is protector of those who are his.

f)       The word “father” also can hold the meaning of someone who is the head or the founder or the source of something.

i)        In ancient Rome when a citizen had accomplished some brave and noble deed of infinite value and of willing self-denial, soldiers would raise him up on their shields, maidens would throw garlands around his feet, and the populace would hail him in their songs as Father of his country.

g)      Jesus is the Father of Eternity because he’s the one who opens the doorway to Eternal life; he’s said to be the very door. No one gets eternal life except by and through him. He is the Father, or source of Eternal life.

i)        Romans 5:21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

ii)      1 John 5:20–21 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life...

h)      Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life; eternal and full life, life without end. He’s the father of eternity because he’s the source of eternal life and the ruler of eternal life.

2)      Prince of Peace

a)      The last name given to this "One to come" is "Prince of Peace". What a beautiful name that is and as we mentioned earlier a name in the Bible has to do with the character or nature of the person. He’ll be characterized by peace.

b)      The announcement of his birth was sounded with wonderful words of peace:

i)        Luke 2:8–14 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

c)      Some translations put this way: "peace on earth". That’s the way the birth of the Christ was announced, peace on earth.

d)     Not that this peace would be an outward peace where there weren’t going to be any more wars but he would bring peace between God and man, between men and men, and peace in the midst of trials.

e)      We have peace with God because Jesus took our place and died for us carrying our sins. We were at war with God and we were under the wrath of God but when Christ shed his blood he opened the door back into the presence of God and back into a personal relationship with him.

i)        Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

f)       In Micah 5:5 and Zechariah 9:10 we find in prophecy that this child will be "Our peace" and "He shall speak peace unto the nations". These were fulfilled in Christ. In Ephesians 2 we read about the peace that was preached in Christ.

i)        Ephesians 2:17–18 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

g)      He’s talking about the hostility between Jews and Gentiles. In Christ there’s peace.

h)      Peace with God because sin is done away with, Peace with men because Christ brings all different people groups together in Him and Peace in this world because we know that he’s in control. Jesus truly is the "Prince of Peace".

Conclusion:

What have we seen today? I hope we’ve seen Jesus a little closer. He’s called "Father of Eternity" as he opens up the way to eternal life, he’s the head, the source, the father of eternal life, and he’s called "Prince of Peace" the one who brings peace with God, men, and inner peace as he died for sinners and rose again. He is our peace.