Wonderful Counselor

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a privilege to dive into the Word of God together as a church here at Durbin Memorial Baptist Church. Our church exists by grace, for glory, in love.

This morning and for the next three weeks following we are taking a break from our walk through the book of James. This is for a variety of reasons, many of you know that I will likely be needing to spend an extended amount of time in Cincinnati in the coming weeks and I am working with a sister church in the Central Kentucky Network of Baptists to provide some supplemental pulpit supply during that time. Our series for the next four weeks will be diving into a different psalm each week and lends its self well to multiple preachers potentially rotating in and out. But also, though I have mentioned before that Christmas decorating in my house starts sometimes in late October, December 1 is when the rest of the World traditionally begins joining the celebration.

I think we can all recognize that the cultural celebration of Christmas has lost the plot. It’s not that there is anything wrong family parties, pies, plates of food, and presents, those are all good things. I can also appreciate some of the media programming that seems to have a more positive message than other times of the year. They’re not bad things, per se, but they’ve lost the plot because they are not the MAIN thing.

A few weeks ago, on Sunday Night, we walked through Hebrews 2:10 -14.

Allow me to read some of that section for us this morning. Hebrews 2:10 “10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” Hebrews 2:14–15 “14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

Now we gave this section of Scripture deeper look that Sunday night, but as we are entering the culturally accepted “Christmas Season,” It is my goal that we all appreciate this season for what it is truly pointing towards. For Christians, it is a reminder just how fitting it was for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second-person of the Triune God, to partake in flesh and blood, to be born, so that through His death, the death of the All-righteous Christ, He might destroy the hold that death has on you and I, a sinful creature, who on our own are separated from the Holy God, but the founder of our Salvation suffered and bled and died, to deliver us from being subject to death and lifelong slavery, and reconciling us to the Holy God.

It was fitting, it was the God-ordained only way to reconcile this sinful creature to the sinless God. It was promised in the Garden of Eden, longed for by the people of Israel, pictured by the judges and kings, forecasted by the prophets, proclaimed by the Angels, and one Oh Holy Night, Christ was born!

Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth Hark! The herald angels sing "Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ was born to die that we might live. And raised from the grave on the Third day which assure us of our own resurrection.

There is much to ponder upon in the Christmas story. It is full of great wonder and marvelous glory. But this Christmas season, I don’t want us to be thinking about it as an isolated cute event. Rather it is a celebration of the great lengths to which God goes to save a wretch like you and me. The babe that was born in swaddling clothes would grow to wear a crown of thorns. He is the One whom God’s people had waited for, the only one who can be our hope today. The Christmas story is much more than an isolated, cute event that we picture in our nativity scenes.

It is the aim of this series to expand our view on just who that Child was born to be, see how this had been long awaited, glory in the work of Christ, and truly appreciate that Christmas is a celebration of the One who is the Hope of the Ages!

With this in mind would you turn in your bibles to Isaiah 9, specifically verse 6. You can also be planning to quickly turn to Psalm 33.

The series that we are walking through for the next 4 weeks will follow the framework provided in Isaiah 9. In verse 6 we will see four titles that describe Israel’s long awaited Savior. We will then be looking at four psalms, one for each title, that explore the theme of the title a bit closer and see how, through the lens of Christ, these psalms which would be sung by the Israelites throughout the centuries, were unknowingly Christmas Carols, that we can sing to praise our Savior and better understand His Character. So as an introduction to the series at large, read with me Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

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.

To better appreciate this verse, we need to know what was happening around the time in which Isaiah wrote it. Dark days we’re coming for God’ people, especially those in the Northern Kingdom. The Assyrians are going to invade from the north and Israel would be in for a great humbling. Destruction and oppression are on the horizon. In chapter 8, Isaiah warns the Israelites of all of this and implores the people to have their hope in God, not in the political powers, not in the pagan practitioners. The message is in all things keep your hope in God and God alone. Then as we enter here into chapter 9, Isaiah is explaining to the Israelites that God is in control and has a plan of redemption. Those who walked in darkness will see a great light. The nation will multiply by the grace of God. Salvation is coming, despite the battles, they are not outside of God’s plan. Then comes the Words we read this morning.

The emphasis is not on the preciousness of the baby, though I’m sure He was precious indeed, the emphasis is on who that child was born to be!

Hear these words again

Isaiah 9:6 “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.”

and then it continues, Isaiah 9:7 “7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

The implication for the incarnation is that the Lord will accomplish the future deliverance for his people through this Messiah! This Messiah would be the ultimate ruler of David’s throne. These titles given to the Messiah attest to the close relationship with God that the Messiah would have. Given the benefit of a closed canon of Scripture, we know that these titles are God-like because the Messiah would be God-incarnate!

The first of these titles, and where we will be focussing today is Wonderful Counselor. Wonderful refers to capability to work supernatural signs, wondrous, extra-ordinary ability, and counselor refers to giving wise advice. Now, in our current culture there has been an uptick in individual willingness to go to counseling. And let me say, from the onset, I am not against counseling by any means. I think we see throughout Scripture that we can often have blindspots in our lives where others can speak into a situation and open our eyes and provide sound advice. The caveat that I will suggests is that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, as we will see today. The best counsel we can receive comes ultimately from him. There are well qualified, biblical counselors, that ultimately rely not on their own theories, but ultimately intend on pointing you to the ultimate source of wonderful counseling, Jesus Christ. If you see the wisdom in seeking counseling, I would love to help connect you to with a Christian Counselor.

It is also important to recognize in this title of Christ, “Wonderful Counselor” that the word for Counselor refers to someone giving advice in a militaristic context. If we recognize that we are in the Lord’s army, fighting not against flesh and blood, but powers and principalities, then we also ought to recognize that our great commander, our wonderful sergeant is Christ the King. The battle plan of our King is for our good and worthy of heading the call.

With this in mind, would you now turn over to Psalm 33. It was once said of Psalm 33, “If the purest form of hymn is praise to God for who He is and what He does, this is a fine example.” Believed to be a Psalm of David, this psalm is an expression of joyous praise to God and elicits great worship. We will break this psalm into four parts, see how the counsel of God deserves our praise, and conclude with see how Jesus Christ, God-incarnate embodies the wisdom and counsel of God. Let’s begin with the first 5 verses.

Psalm 33:1–5 ESV

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

This psalm begins with a call for worship. We see seven commands for different ways in which we ought to praise God. Shout for Joy (other translations rejoice), Praise, Give thanks with the lyre, make melody, Sing, Play the Strings, and shout! This is where I might get myself in trouble in a baptist church, but I’m gonna say it anyways. While I do firmly believe that we are to have order in our worship and our actions should never be self-promotion or look at me, I also believe that when we truly understand, appreciate, and praise the God of our salvation, that our worship ought to be laced with exceedingly great joy! It is fitting to use our talents, our collective voices, with a sincere attitude of praise for God. The Lord deserves your smiles. The Lord deserves your exultation. Joyous praise “befits the upright” verse 1, that means that it is beautiful on you. The practical implication here is when we are singing together, sing your heart out! If you’re playing an instrument with the worship team, sing your heart out. If you are in agreement or moved by a particular part of the sermon or Scripture, give a hearty Amen. Now, if you find yourself looking for moments to interject yourself so that all eyes will be on you, then refrain from a self-indulgent interruption, but all in all the worship service ought to be one of, if not THE most joyous moments of your week.

Why? The Lord is worthy of your impassioned joyous worship because His Word is upright, He is faithful in His works, and the earth is full of His steadfast, unfailing love. These three reasons serve as the framework for the rest of the psalm. Look now to verses 6-9

Psalm 33:6–9 ESV

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

These verse all celebrate the veracity and surety of God’s Word. His word is certain, and settled. All of creation is fixed by Word of God. There is intentionality to the elements that are highlighted here, from the might heaven, to the seemingly innumerable hosts given life by His breath. Those things we are beyond our comprehension and cause us to awe. But we have a deeper category for what is mentioned in verse 7. The waters of the sea. It says the Lord gathers and stores the seas. Even with all of our technological advances, the seas are still a mystery and destructive force. To this day, we have only explored 5% of the ocean. 26.4% of the seafloor has been mapped to some detail, its theorized that millions and species of creatures have yet to be discovered. There may be nothing more powerful and mysterious to us on this earth than the waters. Just a few weeks ago we looked at the illustration of the titanic and how the hubris of man was no match for the unknown dangers of the waters. Yet the Lord knows all of their depths and has them under complete control.

As we connect this text to the fullest of deity in Christ, we ought to first be reminded on John 1. John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:3 “3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:14 “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.”

The Word became flesh, the Word is Jesus Christ, The Word has always been from the beginning, The Word is God, and all things were made through the Word, that is Jesus!

That means from the fuller context of Scripture, Jesus Christ gets all the glory for creation! The preincarnate Christ spoke our World into existence. By the Word of Christ, the heavens were made! The Babe born in the manger has complete dominion over the seas! And did He not exhibit such dominion in His earthly ministry? From walking the waters, to the rocky seas calming at His voice, Christ showcased He is fully God in His life.

When we recognize the dominion and power of our Triune God, we see the proper response in verse 8. We stand in AWE of this awesome creator! We are revere the incarnate Son. We cherish the God of the Word and the Word of God!

We recognize the better design and sovereignty that God has for this earth and find our hope and solace in Him.

We live in a wild and a crazy world. We have more access to information than ever before in human history. The problem with this is that is now more difficult than ever to know what to trust. I’ll be honest, I don’t know which news channel is giving the most reliable information. I don’t know who you should be following on Twitter. I’m personally exhausted by all the competing voices and half truths we hear from all directions. But something I am never let down by is the Word of God. His Word stands firm from the beginning and remains true to everlasting. Praise in light of the Word of God.

Let’s look to the next sections of Scripture

Psalm 33:10–12 ESV

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

As we talk about the steadfastness of the Word of God through the ages as compared to the unreliable nature of our news sources, we see an even greater supremacy between the counsel, the battle plans, the strategic outworking, of our Lord as compared to the plans of the nations.

We all know well that kings and kingdoms come and go, from the greeks, to the romans, to the mongols, to the British, to the Mayans, and Aztecs. All throughout history, all around the world, various kingdoms have come and went. In this very moment, powerful people in various positions, representing various nations, are making important decisions. Those decisions may very well effect you and I and our loved ones. Whether you are excited by the direction of international politics or even terrified, there is one important truth we all need to recognize. There is a God, there is THE God in heaven whose counsel, whose direction, stands forever and it is His plans that are established through all generations. All of the decisions of our magistrates are nothing more than pans in the hands of God. This is God’s World and we’re just living in it. “He runs it, He rules over it, and nothing frustrates His plans.” He is the wonderful counselor over the directions in life that we have no ability to see how they are connecting and He is in control!

When we read blessed is the nation, our natural inclination is to read in our own country and pine for such a blessing in our country. Now, on this point, I want to be clear that I do desire repentance and revival in our country. It would be a remarkable affair should our country from top to bottom unite in reverence and devotion to the One True God as the Lord. God can do what He well pleases, but looking at the evidence around us, I will be honest in saying that I do not find that likely. I would also add that if the author of this Psalm is indeed King David, that this would originally be a reference to Israel nearing the heights of its devotion of the Lord and enjoying the leadership of a king who was a man after God’s own heart. However I do believe in light of the full testimony of Scripture, that there is still reason for us to rejoice and even ENJOY this blessing even in the here and now. If you know Christ as Lord then you also know that this earthly citizenship is not where your final allegiance lies. Rather, as Peter puts it, when you know Christ as Lord you are then grafted into a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy NATION, a people for His own possession, that you proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are GOD’S PEOPLE!

If you know Christ as Lord the praise be to God for you are apart of the most blessed nation! You are chosen to receive the Lord’s heritage! God blesses those whose trust is in Him! He has supremely blessed you in Christ whose governance and peace know no end!

Look now to the next section of our Song this morning

Psalm 33:13–19 ESV

13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

This psalm excellently highlights the magnificence of God. God sees all. In this psalm He is pictured as looking down from heaven, we know that He is omnipresent, seeing all. But He is not just a passive onlooker, an active observer. And our text doesn’t limit this looking to just “man” in general, but personalizes it to us, to YOU! “The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him! On those who hope in His steadfast love! If that is you then He does that SO THAT he may deliver YOUR soul from death and keep YOU alive in famine!”

No King, no president, no nation can provide this intimate care, concern, and provision. Yet God has promised His unfailing love towards us which should cause our hearts to rejoice! Notice that the promise in verse 19 is sustaining in the famine, not necessarily filling up the pantry. We are not promised that the famines wont come. We aren’t promised never ending wealth and prosperity on this side of glory. But we are promised that our God is with us through it all. That He gives us what is for our good and sometimes our good is sharpening our dependence upon Him.

And God most ultimately provided for those who fear Him on the cross of Jesus Christ. Go back to our Scripture proclamation for this month. Col 2:13-14

Colossians 2:13–14 ESV

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Through the cross of Jesus Christ, our King of kings, the Lord of lords, we have been delivered from death! Through faith in Christ we are kept alive in the famine. Christ, God-incarnate, lived and died to provide and accomplish the plan of redemption for us! Praise be to our Triune God!

Which brings us to the conclusion of our hymn of praise from this psalm.

Psalm 33:20–22 ESV

20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

As we look back to creation, as we have seen the unfolding plan of redemption through the selection of the seed of Abraham, as we see providence of God to maintain a remnant of the faithful despite how dark the world may have looked, as we see the divine intervention in the divine incarnation, as we see the veracity of the Lord and the wisdom of His counsel, we ought to see our utter need, dependence, and reliance on Him from whom all blessings flow. We can join in the chorus with King David, expressing to our God that our Soul waits for Him. We can cast away anxiety and fear because we know He is the wonderful counselor. We can have exceeding joy because joy flows from faith. Anxiety flows from uncertainty. I can tell you that both from an academic understanding, but also from personal experience. But in the darkest moments when doubts begin to fly, I am reminded as I have said before that the Wonderful Counselor lived and died and rose again to save me and seal me for the day of redemption. As we look to Jesus, trust in Him, and rest in His love, we will find that God’s rest will lead us to a heart that rejoices in God. We have hope in the darkest of days! Luke 12:7 “7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Do not fear! Fear not! You are valued! You can know you are valued because the Wonderful Counselor sacrificed His life so that you may live! Do you know this to be true? Do you know this to be true for YOU? Then rejoice! Make that known, and understand that the Wonderful Counselor gives you great advice that is more than a simple suggestion, but are the very commands to live your life by! He says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” “Love your neighbors as yourself.”

And Jesus Christ, the Wonderful Counselor, says, “All Authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to Him.” He IS the Authority. And in light of His authority, He commands us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to believe all that He has commanded you. And behold, He is with us always, to the end of Age.” Do not fear, follow Jesus. Heed the call of the Wonderful counselor. Order your life around Him and rejoice in the God who displayed His worthiness through the supremacy of His plan.

Do not fear, follow Jesus, your wonderful counselor. Do not fear, make your desire to follow Him known. Do not fear, respond today. We exist to make disciples, respond today, come forward during the hymn of response, find me afterwards, however it may be, I hope that we all leave here today renewed in our appreciation, obedience, and zeal to praise our Wonderful counselor.

Let’s pray.