Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 9:2-7

Introduction:

Well, we have officially entered the Christmas season – And with the Christmas season comes a Christmas Series which we begin today. So, let me start it with a little Christmas survey:

How many of you are done with Christmas shopping already? (And... how many of you hate the people with their hands raised?)

How many of you have ever re-gifted a gift at Christmas? How many of you it was within the same Christmas season?

How many of you are nervous about seeing family over the holidays?

How many of you get reminded every Christmas that your family should have been on the Jerry Springer show? (You know, here’s a thought: Maybe they are nervous about seeing you, too?)

How many of you went shopping on Black Friday and ended up buying a bunch of stuff for yourself? GUILTY.

Today we are starting a new series as we are going to take a look at the names of Jesus. The series is entitled "He Will Be Called." If you have your Bible, open it up today to the book of Isaiah chapter 9.

As we start today, I’m curious do we have any expecting parents? The whole naming process. What to name your baby can be very difficult. It’s also a very important task for the parents. With the last name of Rogers, I’m glad my parents didn’t name me Roger (Roger Rogers), or Buck, or Roy, or Mister. I’ve heard Mister Rogers so many times!

I came across some names that I thought were, well, interesting:

Amy Stake (A mistake)

Barb Dwyer (Barbed wire)

Chris P Bacon (everybody loves crispy bacon!)

Robyn Banks (Robbing banks)

Tim Burr (Timber)

You’ve got to be very careful naming your kids.

Body:

What we're going to do in this series is we're going to look at four of the names of Jesus. These names though, we find in an Old Testament prophecy that was given more than 700 years before the birth of Christ, in a season in a time when there was a lot of turmoil, a lot of fear, for the nation of Israel, the prophet Isaiah said this:

Isaiah 9:2-7 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 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. 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.

Verse 7 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

Today we are going to look at the prophetic title of Jesus that He would be called the Wonderful Counselor.

These two English words come from two Hebrew words, pele yo'ez. Let me hear you say “PEH-leh Yow-ETS!”

Pele (PEH-leh), a great soccer player - You know Pele (show pic of Pele). Pele means beyond understanding. It means too wonderful for words. When Isaiah was going to describe the one-day Savior of the world, Jesus, he didn't have the words to describe Him. He used a word that said there are no words great enough to tell you just how awesome He is. He is too wonderful for words. Yo'ez (Yow-ETS) is the word translated as Counselor. It means to advise or to consult or to guide.

One day a son will be born, a child will be given to us, his name will be Pele Yo'ez. He will be the Wonderful Counselor. He is God in the flesh. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end and yet He knows you and cares for you and understands exactly what you're going through, therefore He can be your Wonderful Counselor.

I love the way it's described in

Hebrews 4 vs 15

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.

Our high priest. Our Savior. Our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus, he's been through what we are going through. He's been tempted in every way that we're tempted yet He was without sin. He understands your pain. He understands your hurt. He has experienced life just as you have. He knows what you are going through.

That's why, verse 16 says,

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.

Some of us, if we are being honest with ourselves would say: “I'm in a significant time of need.” The good news is there is one who is here to help. He is the pele yo'ez (PEH-leh Yow-ETS). He is Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor.

Let's talk about Jesus the Wonderful Counselor because one of the things that a lot of people don't ever realize is that Jesus, He comes for the sick. When Jesus came, he came for those who were in need. In fact, there's an interesting story in the Bible, where Jesus called Matthew, who was a tax collector, to follow Him; and if you know anything about tax collectors, back in this day, they were the farthest thing from Jesus you could think of. They were corrupt and nobody liked them, but Matthew was so pumped and so excited that he threw this great big party at his house and he invited all of his other wild friends, tax collectors, and other well known sinners to come and to meet Jesus. Well, the religious people, they were highly offended by this and were beside themselves. They said why in the world would, Jesus, hang out with these sinners, and this is what Jesus said:

Luke 5:31-32

(31) Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. (32) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

You have to remember Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor who comes for the sick. So I'm curious, where are you sick? Where do you hurt? Cause truthfully we're all sick at one point or another. Just because of sin in this world, we all battle with weaknesses and vulnerabilities or strongholds, dysfunctions. Where are you sick?

A lot of people try to hide their sickness, some better than others. Some think they can figure it out on their own. Some might think, I’m the one that messed up, I will be the one to correct it, and play God over their life. But, hey, you look good on your social media posts, always smiling, doing cool/fun stuff, but on the inside you are broken and sick.

Where are you sick?

This time of year, the holidays have a way of magnifying things. They make the good things look better and they make the bad things look worse. The holidays often magnify our sicknesses, our hurts, our pains.

Where are you sick?

Is it depression? Loneliness. Anger. Are you filled with anxiety? Stress from work, your finances - you bust your butt at work and you get your paycheck and are like “that’s it! How am I going to get by!” Or maybe a family member or friend has pushed you to the point where you just need a break - a break from everyone! I get, I go there too.

Where are you sick?

We are all sick at different points in our life. Here’s the thing: Acknowledge it. Acknowledge yours. Answer the question, where are you sick and remember the good news, there is a Wonderful Counselor, his name is Jesus, and He came for those who are sick.

Let's look at a few biblical principles that will help us find healing with the Wonderful Counselor‘s help.

Three things, if you're taking notes, that we need to embrace and must do when we approach the Wonderful Counselor:

We Need to be Brutally Honest with the Counselor

Let me hear you say: Honest

We need to be brutally honest with Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, because, if we are being truthful, so many of us are not.

There is a great story in John chapter 4 about a woman who was very much like so many of us. She simply wanted to be loved, and she wanted to be accepted, and she thought if I just found the right guy then life will have meaning. Unfortunately, she picked some bad guys and went from one man to another man to another man and went through several men and then ended up on giving up on marriage all together and was shacking up with a guy; and then one day at a well she met this guy named Jesus, who was obviously incredibly different. Jesus and the woman were having a very serious conversation and Jesus asked a question and she could have lied and just gone about her business (and Jesus would have let her - she could have just lied and kept on going business as usual), but she told the truth and the conversation continued. Jesus said this to her, he said, hey go call your husband and then come back. About this point knowing that she was shaking up with her guy she could have very easily lied and said well, my husband he is away on business or you know he's at work, he's not available right now, but she chose speaking to the Wonderful Counselor, and told the truth. She said:

John 4:17

“I have no husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have no husband. 18 In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”

and because she was honest with him, Jesus continued the conversation and said, I am the living water, I am what you've been searching for your entire life and Jesus was able to reveal who He is and who He should be in her life because she was brutally honest.

Some of you right now, you may be honest for the first time in a long time. There may be some that being honest with Jesus today in almost a scary sort of way where you might say Jesus, I'm not even sure you're good. I've prayed and prayed and prayed about something that was so important to me and you haven't done ANYTHING or what I thought you should do. Where are you? My faith is rattled. You might be just that honest.

Some of you, you might need to be very honest about a situation you are dealing with. It's time to be honest. Some of you might say, you know what, I've got to come clean and be open about this, I'm hooked on something, and it's got me and it's bigger than I am and I have not been able to overcome it. We must be brutally honest with the Pele Yo'ez, (PEH-leh Yow-ETS) our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus.

Over the years I’ve grown increasingly honest with Him. My relationship with my Wonderful Counselor has grown stronger and stronger through the years. He knows everything about me and I want Him in every area of my life. He knows where I struggle. I want Jesus to know that I need Him! I can’t do it on my own, but He can!

If you want long-term sustained healing, then you need to be honest (with yourself and God).

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Just be honest with God.

The second thing we must learn to do:

Listen to the Counselor’s Voice

Turn to your neighbor and whisper “listen.”

Listen to what Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor will say to you. In fact, look at God's advice to his disciples, in Mark chapter 9.

Jesus took three of his disciples up to the top of a mountain and God did this incredible miracle and God transfigured Jesus into this glow in the dark, shiny beautiful creature and then Moses and Elijah appeared on this mountain and you can image the three disciples were like, what in the world! I've never seen anything like this in my life. Let's build an altar, and then as fast as the two additional people appeared they vanished and then God spoke to them. What do you think God said when he had these three disciples' attention? Here's what God said,

Mark 9:7

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”

Let me hear you say, “Listen to Him!”

If there's any three words that God might say to you today, it's “listen to Jesus.” “Listen to him.” Listen to what he wants to say to you. You might ask: How do I listen to God? How does God speak? How does Jesus speak to me about what I’m dealing with? Well, he speaks in all sorts of different ways. He is the Wonderful Counselor who speaks to His children. I promise you, he will speak to you through his Word (reading the Bible). He may speak to you today through my words and He may say something very specific just for you. He may speak to you through someone sitting next to you at church. He may speak to you through someone that you work with. He may speak to you on the way home as you're listening to a song. He may speak to you through a daily devotion – so many times he does this for me. I do a daily devotional (a Bible reading plan) with a great friend of mine, we’ve been doing this every day for the last several years (it’s how I start my day). We read a chapter (sometimes 2 depending on the plan we are doing), we pick a verse, and we write what God spoke to us through His Word. So many times we pick the same verse and if we don’t pick the same verse often we still have a similar inspiration of what God is saying and this brings us an incredible and inspiring confirmation for our lives and I believe spiritual growth. If you seek Him, He will speak to you.

He may speak to you through circumstances. If you listen, you can train yourself to hear his voice.

I have a story to share about how God spoke to me in a very obscure way. Several years ago, I had been walking closely with the Lord for a few years and my relationship with God was real and personal - He had changed so many things in my life, even removed relationships that I didn’t think were bad for me or that were not in His plan for my life. I was hurting. I was alone. I was confused. One day, I was driving to work - I was crying out to God - God I don’t know what to do - my heart is crushed and I’m at a crossroads in my life and I’m confused - I need you to tell me what to do. Then at that moment I came to a stop light and there right in front of me, this ratty old pickup truck had a bumper sticker on it and it said “Do Not Be Deceived - from Galatians 6:7”

Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

It was at that moment I knew exactly what God was telling me. I had to make a tough decision. But I also knew that God told me “do not be deceived.” If I had gone back to that situation it would not have been good and I probably would not be up here today. I’m thankful for God speaking to me in a time that I needed Him to - I’m grateful for God giving me ears to hear and eyes to see Him!

You can train yourself to recognize the voice of the Wonderful Counselor.

John 10:27 says:

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.”

Ok, so, that’s two:

We are brutally honest with the counselor We listen to (for) the counselor’s voice

The third thing we do is:

We Must Do What the Counselor Tells Us To Do

When he speaks, we must do what he tells us to do even when we don't feel like it and don't understand it, because truthfully Jesus will ask us to do many things that doesn’t make sense to our natural minds.

God told me to be a pastor. He actually said - “What are you waiting for?” I knew exactly what He was talking about. Here I had been serving in my church for several years in many different roles. Now, doing the work to become a pastor meant I had to go back to school. I graduated from college many years ago. It was a lot of work, but I was excited about it. I was growing in my knowledge and growing spiritually at the same time. There were times I was stressed over the workload, trying to juggle work and school and still have a life. There were many times that I would not be sure how I would be able to get it all done. But this assignment from God was important to me. I found the time and always finish my assignments before the deadline. Isn't it funny how we find the time to do the things we want to do?

God may tell you to do something that doesn't make any sense logically, but you do what He says to do because he is your shepherd, he is your guide, He is the Wonderful Counselor.

In Mark 10, we find the story of a man who didn’t do what the Wonderful Counselor, Jesus, told him to do - and it cost him dearly. This man was rich and moral, but he was deeply attached to his possessions. If he lived today, he might be someone obsessed with his image, car, house, and all his belongings. They didn’t just matter to him; they controlled him. He didn’t own his stuff - his stuff owned him.

The story begins with him running up to Jesus, kneeling, and asking, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds, reminding him of the commandments. The man replies, “All these I have kept from my youth.” This rich man thought he had done everything right.

But then, Jesus looked at him with love. Jesus saw his attachment to his wealth, his sickness, but Jesus didn’t judge him harshly. Instead, He loved him. Because Jesus loved him, He told him the one thing he didn’t want to hear:

Mark 10:21

Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

“Jesus challenged him because He loved him. And sometimes, Jesus will tell us things we don’t want to hear because He loves us too. Maybe, like this man, we are attached to our possessions. Maybe our possessions, our things rank above our relationship with God. Or maybe it’s an addiction or something else that we know isn’t good, but we can’t let go of it.

Sadly, the man walked away in sorrow because he couldn’t part with his wealth. His possessions had too strong a hold on him. He couldn’t obey the Wonderful Counselor, and he missed the life Jesus offered.

When we don’t follow what God tells us, there’s a cost - a sense of unfulfillment, always desiring more but never being satisfied. So, what might Jesus be asking you to let go of today? What is Jesus asking you to do?

Close:

Leads me to this question:

Do you know the Wonderful Counselor?

HE CAN SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS.

Feeling guilt and shame? Broken marriage? Wandering child? Health issues? Maybe it’s something in your past that you haven’t been able to get over. God can solve it…if you allow Him to Unsure of eternity? Jesus loves you…And died on the cross for you! All you have to do is believe in your heart, ask God to forgive you of your sins, and accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life. He can bring light to your darkness.

All you have to do is trust Him?

Then be honest with yourself and with God Are you ready to walk with him?

Then listen to Him and do whatever He says to do? Do you receive it? If you do let me hear you say: Amen!

Pray