Wonderful Counselor

Gloom to Glory (A Promise of Hope)

A promise that takes us from “gloom to glory!”

CONTEXT

God’s people were in trouble. Assyria was quickly becoming the world’s superpower. It wasn’t because of political influence, military dominance, or even finances. It was God! God was raising them up to bring justice against Israel because of their unfaithfulness! So how could Israel overcome such a dominant force such as Assyria? God..God was bringing justice so He could bring the Savior!

Isaiah recognized that the Northern Kingdom of Israel was pretty much done for, but he had hope that the Southern kingdom of Judah where he stayed they could rescued. But we see as the book continues, the temple is destroyed, and even Judah, the southern kingdom is going to be destroyed by the Babylonians

Isaiah 7:9 NIV

9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ”

In spite of all this however, their biggest problem was not a fallen temple. Their biggest enemy was not the Babylon king. It was not the physical turmoil around them that was most tragic. Rather, it was the spiritual collapse within them that had brought them so low. Isaiah, the prophet, reminds God’s people that it was their idolatry that landed them in this place. God had not failed them, their idols had! Even in the midst of judgment, God had a promise! Even when we’re unfaithful, God remains faithful! While we are sinners, God saves sinners. While we walk in darkness, He brings the light! While we walk in gloom, He brings glory!

God was bringing justice so He could bring the Savior!

God was bringing judgement, but there was still hope. There would be a savior to rescue them. God was punishing them, but would not completely destroy them..he still had a plan to save them.

Isaiah 9:1–2 NIV

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

God is providing hope, promising hope in the midst of thier darkness. A light was dawning..coming, but for this people, they had seen so much disaster and wickedness coming, they had started to lose hope. God was going to give them a new hope, and teach them what to hope in.

Understanding Hope

“I Hope”. Sometimes we associate our hopes with something we want, but don’t really believe will happen. Will our team win? We hope…we may not expect them to, but we want them to.

We typically use the word hope in three senses:

A desire for something good in the future

the thing in the future that we desire,

and the basis or reason for thinking that our desire may indeed be fulfilled.

“I hope I get the job”- I have a desire, but theres no certainty that it will come“Our only hope is if a cure for this disease”- We have hope that if a cure comes we can be saved, but we have no confidence that the cure will come, or that it will do what we think it can. Biblical hope is deeper than that. It is not simply to desire something good in the future..it is the confidence and expectation that it will come. Biblical hope is more than a longing, it is a certainty.

“Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future — it expects it to happen.”- John Piper

a. Desire and Expectation

Your hope in the things that you expect to fulfill your desires.

“You and I are unavoidably and irreducibly hope-based creatures. We are controlled in how we live now, by what we think will happen later.” -Tim Keller

Your life is shaped for good or bad by what you hope in. Your desires and expectations determine your future. If you tell me your hope, I can tell you your future. More specificially, it is not what you say that reveals your hope…the way you live reveals more about your hope than what you say. Notice from the beginning…Adam and Eve had a desire for freedom and wisdom…to be like God. Thats not bad in itself, Humanity was made to exercise wisdom and be Holy as God is Holy. We were made to be like God…but the problem was that instead of expecting God to give it (and obeying)…they believed God was keeping something from them, and expected disobedience and the fruit..to give them something only God can. You see its not just your desires which betray you, it is your expectations. We all want comfort, security, love, happiness....those are not bad desires. The sin comes in what things we turn to to fulfill those desires..What we expect to fulfill those desires is your hope. And there is no more important question to ask yourself than this…What is my hope in? Not just in theory..but in practice. To say I trust in Jesus, but to refuse to pray…reveals what you truly expect to save you. Its one thing to say I trust God to be my provider…yet when our finances get tight, we stress and blame God..and look for our way out. Your life is shaped for good or bad by your hopes…by what you trust to meet your desires. By what you look to for rescue.

In the book Unbroken, it records the life of a man named Louis Zamporini, an Olympic Athlete who later joined the battle of world 2.

Nowhere is the importance of hope and life-filled words more strongly showcased than in the story of Mac.  Mac was the third man to survive the plane crash a long with Louie and Phil, but he did not survive the raft.  From the onset of the journey, he had the least hope of the three men.  It didn’t begin well for Mac, whose fear overtook him from day one as he screamed repeatedly in a panic, “We’re gonna die!” until Louie had to punch him in the face to get him to shut up.  That night, Mac devoured all the provisional chocolate, and though Phil and Louie were merciful the next morning, after that moment Mac went virtually silent.  Phil and Louie were determined to keep their minds sharp by talking about the future, telling every detail of their past, praying, singing songs and describing their favorite foods. Mac didn’t participate in any of this and slowly slipped into a haze that he never escaped.  This part of the story particularly riveted me because Mac had the same food and water Louie and Phil, and he was just as healthy (even more so perhaps because Phil was injured) and yet he simply died one night after 34 days on the raft.  The life-giving power of hope contrasted with the death-bringing power of fear and guilt were a powerful lesson to me in this small portion of the story. They eventually spend 47 days on a raft before spending 2 years in a Japanese war prison. -Unbroken

The life-threatening conditions led Phil and Zamperini to turn to prayer. Twice, Zamperini promised that if God would spare his life, he would serve him forever.

One of those prayerful promises is depicted in the film when the men are fighting a storm, trying to keep their raft afloat in the middle of the crashing waves.

According to Hillenbrand's biography, it is this promise that Zamperini remembered when attending a sermon by the evangelical preacher Billy Graham years after returning from war. In an interview with the Faith Community Church in his old age, Zamperini talked about the moment he recognized the hand God had in his life and was filled with faith and forgiveness.

"God kept his promise," Zamperini said. "And I started to leave (the sermon) when I thought about that and I thought, 'You know, he brought me home alive, and here I am turning my back on him.' So when we got to the main aisle, I turned to the right and went back to the prayer room and made a confession of my faith in Christ."

We live or die by our hopes. Can what you hope in rescue you.

“Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” -C.S. Lewis

They looked to the future not as something which may be..but on that which they are sure..and which they expect…and so thier life was shaped by that hope. What will rescue you from the dark ness of the world? What do you expect to save you?

Your hope rests in that which you trust to meet your desires.

The Problem With Hope

What does it mean that the people were walking in darkness?

Biblically darkness refers to wickedness, ignorance, foolishness.

The problem for the people in the Old Testament, and the new wasn’t simply thier desires..but their expectations. The problem was that they looked to the wrong things and expected them to meet the desires that only God could. Walking in darkness…wanted life, freedom, joy, victory, but were decieved into trusting into the wrong things.

So they had created idols..and again were seeing the consequences.

Isaiah 7:9 NIV

9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ”

Its not just that darkness was around them however.

Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)

Ephesians 5:8 NIV

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

Its not just darkness around us, but in us. It is our identity without Christ.

Years ago, I read an ad in the New York Times that said, “The meaning of Christmas is that love will triumph and that we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace.” In other words, we have the light within us, and so we are the ones who can dispel the darkness of the world.- Tim Keller

This is what it means to walk in darkness. It is not just that there is wicknedness around us…its around us. It is not that there is a light within us that must come out, there isn’t. So, the hope, and light we long for…is beyond us..and beyond this world. This is the dilimma.

This is the issue with hope…we have within us desires which nothing in ourselves or in this world can fulfill. Everytime we put these deep expectations on each-other or our goodness, or the things in this world..it ends in disappointment.

This is why depression and anxiety are on the rise. We have put our trust in ourselves, and realized we can’t carry the weight. This is also why so many Christians walk around powerless, cyncical , anxious..and misearble. We may say we have put our trust in Jesus, but functionally we live as if our hope is everything else.

The Christmas message is this..we could not find hope so hope came to find us. Light was not in us..so light came to us. We were in darkness and we were darkness.

This is the Christian hope. Not a “might happen”…but a promise, a certainty. So this hope is differently than a worldy hope.

Isaiah 9:3–5 NIV

3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

Gideon defeats the MIdeans. It was God’s victory! It was God..and God says like that day, you will see that it will only be me, and has always been me.

Christ is victorious, he rescues, saves, and is the light.

“We celebrate his victory as if it is our victory because in Christ, by grace, it is.”

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

We are going to walk through the names given to Christ in this passage. And today..we will be looking at the first that He is a Wonderful Counselor.

Wonderful Counselor

With time remaining today, we want to see how Jesus being the Wonderful Counselor brings us from a place of gloom to a promise of glory. For most people, they either seek no advice from anyone or they are listening to the wrong ones. Whether it’s from our heart of pride where we think we have it all together and need no help or us seeking advice from people who don’t have our interests at all. Sometimes too many voices are just that, voices. We are not saying not to seek mental health specialists (counselors, therapists,) matter of fact; we are advocates. Btw, we are working through a “mental health series,” in February. Please keep that in prayer. But, God gave us the greatest counselor we could ever need, JESUS! In the New Testament, Jesus provides us 3 promises of hope as our wonderful counselor

Promise #1: He Knows What We Need

God does not need to be introduced to your problems. This councelor knows all things and knows what you need even when you don’t.

He Knows What We Need as God

Psalm 147:5 NIV

5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

1 John 3:20 NIV

20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Matthew 6:8 NIV

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

You see, Jesus knows all about you. Sometimes when we go to councelors or friends to counsel us we have ideas of the type of advice we need. We also imagine that if we can explain the situation they will understand and see it from our perspective. But you see God is better than any counselor in this world because he knows your past, present, and future.

1. He Knows Our Past

He knows the mistakes you’ve made, and the hurt you’ve felt. He knows the trauma, the regrets. He knows the things that have been done to you that were not your fault. He knows how you got here, and he knows it better than you do.

2. He Knows Our Present

He knows what we our currently struggling with. He knows our fears. Thoughts..and desires. Right now. He knows the pain you feel right now.

3. He Knows Our Future

He also knows your future. God recognizes our past, undertands our present..but always looks at us, and guides us with his eternal understanding of our future.

No one is more qualified to guide you in this story of your life than the one who wrote it! God knows the beginning, middle, and end. He doesn’t need to be caught up, he is not surprised. He guides us and councels us wholly and completely because he knows and understands us completely.

He doesn’t just understand us a God up there thought

He Knows What We Need Because He Lived As A Man

Hebrews 4:14–16 NIV

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Christ knows what you need because he felt it too. He knows it intimately. He has been hungry, hurt, talked about, rejected, suffering.

The best counselors have the worst scars.

Who are the best equipped to help those in addiction, those who have been in it. Loss of a child? Sickness? Struggling with homosexuality, pornography, sexual sin?

Christ can councel you in your pain, suffering loss..unfair treatment..becuase he walked the road too! He doesn’t just understand it as God, he understands it becuase he became fully man.

But Jesus wasn’t an addict. Jesus can’t know my sin because he didn’t do it.

He was still tempted, and even more so, took the weight of your sin upon him on the cross. Jesus knows your sin deeply and personally. He knows your suffering. So he speaks as one who has walked through it.

Example of Jesus, the Wonderful Councelor

John 11:1–7 NIV

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

John 11:12–14 NIV

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,

We see Jesus in this verse reveal a couple things:

First, he knew Lazaras situation. He knew his past, he was a friend. He knew Lazaras was dying before they even got to him. He knew Lazaras would die. And He knew Lazaras future, because he says..God will bring glory from this.

So Jesus knew Lazaras as a man and a friend..and he knew him as God.

Martha and Mary may have thought Jesus had forgotten about them..but He knew. And Jesus helps us see the second promise of Him being a Wonderful Councelor.

He Knows What We Need &

Promise #2: He Knows When We Need It

John 11:6 NIV

6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,

Jesus heard the request..but still waited 2 days.

Jesus was going to come for Mary and Martha and Lazaras..but he was going to come when it would bring about thier greatest good and God’s greatest glory.

If there is one thing that is hard..its not that we don’t know he can help us, and we know he knows our situation..but it is the waiting on his timing. Its trusting Him in the mean-time.

God comforts us, but how long he allows certain things, or why he allows certain things..we don’t know. But we do know that He is an on time God.

John 11:21 NIV

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

God why?

Isaiah 55:8–9 NIV

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 11:33 NIV

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

You see our counselor isn’t just one who helps us understand the story of our lives…he writes it! And he writes it for our good! Sometimes God’s counsel is just.. “Trust Me”. Theres a happy ending to this story. There is purpose in this pain. Be patient.

Tim Keller: “If we knew everything God knows, and were perfect in wisdom and insight, in love and holiness…we would ask for exactly what he gives.”

I am sure Martha and Mary were thinking the same thing! This is a horrible thing..yes, but God’s ways are not my ways..and though he may allow it, he gives hope in it, hope through it, and eternal hope on the other side. I am not minimizing your pain or your situation. I am not saying that all things are good, but I am saying that if God can become a man, die on a cross…and the Father allow the Son to be beaten and bloodied..and bring about an eternal salvation from the greatest evil the world has ever seen…then, what can he do, what will he do with my mess? Somethings are our fault, something aren’t…but either way, God is soverign over it all..and He knows the plans he has for me.

What you meant for evil God meant for good.

God knows what we need. And He knows When We Need it! Trust Him.

Genesis 50:20 NIV

20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Joseph wanted out in the moment..but God’s timing is perfect. The wonderful Counselor taught him…to trust that God knows what we need, and he knows when we need it.

Promise #3: He Knows How to Give What We Need

John 6:68–69 NIV

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

2 Sisters, Same Complaint…I needed help, you didn’t come in time. Christ offers two different responses.

John 11:21–27 NIV

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

To Martha, God comforts with truth. She minunderstands Jesus’ meaning when He says her brother will rise again. She things he means that He will raise him on the last day..Jesus has to remind her of a truth that she had not yet realized about Christ. He says, I am the resurrection and the life. She was hoping in some future resurrection on the last day..Jesus says, don’t hope in the future…I am here. i am the resurrection..I am here.

One of the ways that God Gives what We need is through the ministry of Truth!

MINISTRY OF TRUTH

The Mighty Counselor has to remind her of who He was, to see that life is in him now. For Martha in that moment what she needed was to be taught, corrected. Shown the truth.

And so God is a counselor that speaks the truth we need to hear. He challenges us, and helps us to lean more fully on Him.

But when He gets to Mary, the same question..he responds to her differently

John 11:28–35 NIV

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept.

MINISTRY OF TEARS

With Martha Jesus preaches…with Mary he doesn’t do that. He sees her brokenness. He knows her heart of devotion to Him. He sees her brokenness and cries with her. In her hurt. Even though he knew that Lazaras would be raised, he cried for her hurt, for the brokenness of the world.

Jesus is a wonderful counselor because not only does he speak truth to us..but he cries with us. And most importantly he knows the right time for both.

Ministry of Tears- Personal example—>have to do better at this!

Sometimes our problem is we sympathize though and don’t preach. We serve people, he help people..but we haven’t once shared the gospel. Jesus does both. And He knows the right time for each!

JOB—> Sat..and then started preaching.

Jesus doesn’t say..I am the resurrection and the life get over it! He cries with us! God is a wonderful counselor because he doesn’t just have the answers, or even understand how we feel..he feels what we feel. And His heart breaks too!

He cries too! And so he speaks to us what we need, when we need, and how we need. We have to learn to use wisdom to learn how to speak and councel people. We need truth, we need tears, and we need to know when to do both!

Hurt by church—> Love of God.

So focused on the love of God—> You have made your sin casual.

Hear me…if you reduce Jesus to one or the other, you have created an idol, and do not worship the true Jesus. Jesus will preach and challenge you. Jesus will also love you and cry with you. Not either or, both and. But the truth is..some of us need different things at different times.

The church will mess that up. Jesus won’t.

This councelor knows what we need, when we need it, how we need it, and most importantly is what we need,

Promise #4: He Is What We Need, When We Need it, and How We Need it!

John 11:25–27 NIV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Jesus knows we need to be saved..and He is the savior. He knows we need it now..and he says today is the day of salvation. He knows how we need to be saved..and not in teaching the truth, or tears…but in dying.

Jesus doesn’t just preach, or cry…He dies!

We don’t just need a good word we do. We don’t just need someone to cry with us and sit with us, we do…but crying without the cross can’t save us. Truth without the blood of Christ can not save.

Jesus is not just a councelor that tell us the way forward He is the way forward. He doesn’t just tell us where to find new life..he is the new life. He doesn’t just tell us the truth, he is the truth. He doesn’t cry over our death..he beomes our death. He doesn’t just offer answers, he is the answer!

Hebrews 7:24-25

Hebrews 7:24–25 NIV

24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

1 Timothy 2:5-6

1 Timothy 2:5–6 NIV

5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

Christ is the way! He doesn’t just bring good news..he is the good news. He doesn’t bring gifts, he is the gift!

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

But the thing about a gift is..you can take it or not. The thing about counsel is..we you can listen or not.

The more desperate we are for help, the more likely we are to recieve counsel.

Ephesians 5:8 NIV

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

2Kings 5- Naaman, wash in the Jordan, dip 7 times

Sin, like leprosy has a deteriorating effect. It gets worse..and we either come now, or we watch our lives deteriorate unto death. How bad does it have to get? And be careful, come today because you might now make it till tomorrow.

The more we pay for councel the more likely we are to recieve it.

Free--->Take it or leave it

Costly-> More likely to take it

The Counsel of God is costly..it Costs Christ everything to give it. It Costs us Everything to Be Guided.

Salvation is free…but only those who trust God fully can be people who are guided. Only those who recieve him, and roll over all thier trust onto him will recieve his gudiance.

Take up your cross and follow me. Recieve Christ’s salvation, take up your cross..and follow.

There is no counsel without the cross.

There is no counsel without recieving Christ’s cross..and taking up yours.

Some of us treat Jesus like a friend and we just take his counsel or leave it. Following Jesus is cheap, so we treat his counsel like its cheap.

You can not recieve his counsel without recieving him

Isaiah 7:9 NIV

9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ”

You will trust or fall.

First Receive Christ.

Second Follow Him- Salvation is free/ and changes us…but there is a growing sactification that costs us. How much do we want Christ? How much do we want to look like Christ? How much do we want to see people saved? He is the Wonderful Councelor recieve Him and recieve his guidance.