The Everlasting Father of Our Souls
Notes
Transcript
Everlasting Father- Isaiah 9:6
Everlasting Father- 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.
Good morning, Church.
Grab your Bible, we are going to need them. And we are back in Isaiah 9 .
How many of you still have to do some Christmas Shopping?
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 could really be a good candidate for the Jerry Springer show?
How many of you have a gift you’re really excited about giving to somebody this Christmas?
Christmas is a time where we think about gifts, and as we have walked through this series He shall Be called, we see that Hope Has a Name and it’s about God’s great gift to us.
We are in the third week of this series and we come to, in my opinion, one of the most confusing names of Jesus predicted in the Old Testament. Everlasting Father.
And We have seen how Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor who gives wisdom and discernment to everyone who asks for it. We saw last week how He is Mighty God and how everything in the Old Testament as far as miracles go - Jesus demonstrates how he is better and we can find our fulfillment in Him.
He made the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, the lame walk, the dead rise BUT the greatest miracle ever to occur is salvation.
Jesus going to the cross for us and allowing Himself to be nailed to the cross and willingly dying for everyone who has faith in Him. And we know that when He said it is Finished it was finished.
We no longer have to go to priests and have them make sacrifices upon our behalf anymore because Christ is our perfect spotless lamb who was our subsitutionary atonement.
I talked about it on Wednesday night. We looked at Abraham going on Mount Moriah and how Abraham was told by God to sacrifice His son, the Bible said His only Son, which Abraham had another son, but Isaac is the only promised son.
And When Abraham went to kill the promised son, the Angel of the Lord appeared and told him not to do it. and in the thicket was a ram that was used a substitute in place of Isaac.
Thats why when the Mosiac Law comes from God on Mount Sinai- they are given the sacrificial system.
Thats how big a deal our sin is- something has to die for it.
And everyone of us has sinned against a Holy God.
The severity of the punishment is based on who you have wronged right?
You kick a wall- not that big of a deal to anyone except maybe yourself and your hurt foot.
You try to kick a neighbors door in- you’re going to either meet God or go to jail. This is Florida and we love the 2nd amendment and we utilize it. So there’s a good chance you are going to meet Jesus if you do that.
You kick a cop- you gonna go to jail.
You kick a cat- not even a sin.
You sin against a infinite Holy God and you have infinite punishment to bear.
All sin, all wrong doing, is ultimately sin against a Holy God- requires punishment. There is no such thing as a a harmless sin. You realize that?
Every sin that you commit is cosmic treason against a Holy God.
And for that sin to be forgiven something has to die. In Genesis 22- God gave Abraham a substitute- a ram.
But they were looking for a lamb.
Genesis 22:7 “7 Isaac said to Abraham, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?””
The lamb comes in John 1:29 When John the Baptist sees his cousin coming
John 1:29 (ESV)
and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus is going to be our substitute sacrificial lamb once and for all time.
When they would take an animal and sacrifice it as a burnt offering- This offering was unique because it was wholly consumed by fire, symbolizing complete dedication to God.
It was atonement for sin, it was an act of worship, and according to Leviticus 1:9 it acted as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
The burnt offering ultimately pointed forward to Jesus Christ, who offered Himself as the perfect and final sacrifice.
Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
If you really want to grow in your walk with the Lord in this upcoming new year- I’d recommend getting a really good study Bible.
Even the Bible you have probably has verses written in teeny tiny lettering- and its giving you cross references in scripture that have to do with that verse.
There are also a ton of free apps and websites you can use- I really enjoy using the Blue Letter Bible App and website- it’ll give you the cross references, the original word in the Hebrew and Greek.
I tell you this because you may have read the book of Ephesians a 100 times and never made that connection.
When Jesus gave up His life for us- it was a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Just like the burnt offering was to the Lord in the Old Testament.
The only difference is the sacrifice of the animals was a temporary solution to an eternal sin problem. They did burnt offerings every morning and every evening as a blanket covering of sin for the people of Israel.
When individuals brought a burnt offering, it addressed their sinfulness at that specific moment, but it did not provide lasting atonement.
Only Jesus is the permanent lasting atonement for the sins in our life.
Romans 3:23–25 (ESV) (ESV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Propitiation is a payment that satisfies. Jesus is the only payment that fully and forever satisfies the punishment we deserve the sins in our life.
And its a gift- notice its a gift- All you have to get a gift is receive it.
The Messiah’s salvation was not that if you could be good enough for long enough then He would save you.
Jesus’ salvation was an announcement of His acceptance of us based on the work He would do for us: He would live the life we were supposed to live and die the death we had deserved to die, in our place, so that if we would just accept it we would be immediately and fully forgiven and accepted.
Thats why a child was born, that's why a son was given.
That happened so you could have everlasting live which is offered in our everlasting Father.
But let us read 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.
Let’s pray
I just want to clarify a few things- Jesus is not God the Father.
God the Father is not Jesus- God the Son. Nor are either of them the Holy Spirit.
This is a key doctrine of Christianity.
Its a doctrine we cannot fully understand though.
God is father.
God is Son.
God is Holy Spirit.
We serve 1 God.
We use the term Trinity, the Holy Trinity. 3 in 1.
3 distinct persons of God but we serve 1 God.
One the quotes that has stuck with me throughout the years was:
To understand the Trinity, you will lose your mind. To deny the Trinity you will lose your soul.
Because the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
We serve 1 God.
Nonbelievers love to try to use that against Bible Believing Christians.
1+1+1= 3
Like that is something clever.
Because 1x1x1=1
They are all God- and Scripture is not saying that Jesus is the Father.
Jesus is the only begotten Son.
This has to do with relationship to us.
Everlasting Father is a title of Jesus. The title, in the Hebrew literally means "Father of Eternity.”
Jesus is the only Father of Eternity.
And with Him being the only Father of eternity. There a some truths that come with that.
1. The Father of Eternity is the author of life.
Jesus is the Creator of life, the very source from which all existence flows.
In John 1:3-4
John 1:3–4 (ESV)
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
These verses show us that Jesus, as the Word of God, was actively involved in the creation of the universe.
Every star in the heavens, every creature on earth, and every human being bears the imprint of His creative power.
Life, both physical and spiritual, originates in Him.
He did not merely create life and step back; He is the sustainer of all life, holding everything together by His power (Colossians 1:16-17).
As the Author of life, He not only initiated creation but also designed us with eternity in mind (Ecclesiastes 3:11
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
We have the giant void in our lives- really its in our hearts.
And we think a new house can fill it. or a new car can fill.
We think if I just had this *insert whatever it might be* then life would be worth living.
If I could just get that job. If I could just make this amount of money.
If I just got this for Christmas.
And that’s what we loving refer to the cul-de-sac of stupidity.
That we think the shiny things of this world will fully and completely satisfy our hearts.
But what happens over time?
The new job starts to feel like the old job.
The new car loses its new car smell and all your left with is the car payment.
That thing you had to have for Christmas will just become another thing by June.
So what gives?
CS Lewis said “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
We were made for another world. We have eternity on our hearts but sin separated us from our eternal father.
Jesus came for us so we could have that perfect eternal relationship with God once again.
This means that Jesus doesn’t just give us life for the here and now; He holds the keys to life that transcends time, He and He alone is the way to the Father.
Why did Jesus step off His throne to be born of a virgin in a manger?
To live the perfect life that we couldn’t. To die the death that we should have. And to come walking out that grave 3 days later because death could not hold Him.
When humanity fell into sin, death became a consequence, separating us from God and imposing a finality on life.
Yet Jesus, through His sacrificial death on the cross and triumphant resurrection, shattered the power of death.
Jesus is the Conquered of Death.
In the Book of Revelation- Jesus says
Revelation 1:17–18 (ESV)
17 “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
He not only bore the punishment for sin but rose victoriously, proving that death has no hold on Him.
He is the author of Life and He has the Keys to death.
Jesus holds the keys, meaning He alone has the authority to grant freedom from death and the grave.
His resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith.
Because He conquered death, we too can share in His victory, knowing that death is no longer the end but the doorway to eternal life.
For those who trust in Him, this victory becomes their own, offering a life that will never end in His presence.
But that life found in Jesus does not start when we breathe our last.
It starts when we put our faith, our trust, in Him. He came for us to have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 (ESV)
10 I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
That doesn’t mean an easy life. We don’t come to Jesus because He makes life easier. We come to Jesus because He is better than life.
That doesn’t mean life is just Pancakes, Puppies, and Parades.
A good father doesn’t just give you everything you want and then some.
A Good Father is someone who teaches their kids, instructs their kids, disciplines their kids. A good father is leads by example.
If things were left up to my 8 year-old.
We would have cheese pizza every meal, there would never be a bed time, showers would be optional, and cleaning up would be prohibited because he was about to start playing with whatever we were going to tell him to clean up.
That wouldn’t make me a very good Dad if I let him call the shots, would it?
Let me tell you something about Steve Chambers, my Daddy.
He's a good, good man, and he loves me and my brothers.
I imagine ya’ll have picked up on this but he is not a super affectionate guy.
Not a lot of hugs and kisses.
When Judah was about, I don't know, two years old. I gave him a kiss in the car and my dad was with us and I was like, Daddy, did you ever kiss me?
And. Went on the mouth just like that. What's wrong with you?
I’m only kidding.
But at great expense to himself, he always covered all of our wants and needs. My family went through some stuff there for a little while and my dad was willing to lay down his life for his boys.
Coached everything I ever did.
He never missed a game.
He was there, you know. Jesus promises in Matthew 28 and he says, and lo, I will be with you always. That's my Dad.
You know how many nasty gyms he sat in to watch me in some stinky wrestling tournament with my mom?
And he would. The whole thing last 6 minutes and him and my mom would sit there for seven hours to watch me wrestle for 6 minutes then He would go and work the grave yard shift.
How my mom and dad managed to watch 3 baseball games going at once I’ll never figure out.
They put a lot of miles on them legs walking around Tom Marshall ball Park and San Mateo.
“Get your bat back, get ready. Get your bat off your shoulder, keep your eyes on the ball.”
You didn’t keep your eyes on the ball try again.
or if I was wrestling. I’d hear- “Shoot, you’re not shooting.” from the top of those nasty smelling gyms.
If you aren’t familiar- with wrestling that's where a wrestler dives into the opponents legs to take them down.
I also got to see all the old cool rock and roll bands with him too.
I have a lot of fond and cherished memories with my Dad.
I'm a lot better off because of the kind of image my father gave to me in his love and devotion towards us through his actions than a whole bunch of preachers.
A lot of you can relate to that because you have great dads or you had great dads, and your memories of him are fond and you cherish them.
But for many of you, you didn’t have a great relationship with your dad, and some of the greatest pain in your life comes from your relationship with him.
Our relationships with our dads is one of the most shaping influences on how we approach life:
National statistics show that 71% percent of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes.
75% percent of teenagers in substance abuse centers are from fatherless homes.
One of these studies claimed that “Almost every social ill faced by America's children is related to fatherlessness.”
Nonprofit organizations exist because of the failure of men and fathers.
But understand this important distinction- we don’t view God through the light of our earthly father.
Our earthly father- no matter how God of a father he is- is still in need of a savior. He is still a sinner. He still has done some kind of wrong in the world.
We don’t view God through our earthly father.
We view our earthly father through the light of our Heavenly Father.
We determine who our earthly father is based on the Heavenly Father. Not the Other way around.
Because Jesus was/is/and will always be perfect in every way.
And since he is the Father of eternal life- He makes the rules.
Which brings me to my Second point.
2. The Father of Eternity is the Lord of Life.
Just like it wouldn’t be wise to let my 8 year old make the decisions-
Do you think it would be wise to give you everything you’ve wanted in life?
How many doors were slammed in your face only for a better door to open?
It’s almost like God telling us no is for our good?
When I tell my son, no, it’s not because I don’t love him. In fact, I tell him no because I love Him.
We have rules in place because we love our son.
If I didn’t love Him, I would just let him run wild.
The same is true of our Heavenly Father.
He tells us what we should do- Thats why he is Lord.
He lords over us. He rules over us.
If Jesus is Lord over your life- He tells you what to do and you do it.
By definition- if you do not do what He is telling you to do, He is not Lord over your life.
You ever think about who God is to you?
I mean, we all know like the words to say. But in the real day to day life- do we ever think about who God is to us?
Aw Tozer says this the most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God.
So when you think about God, what comes to your mind?
Because you can't rightly love God if you don't rightly think about God.
And so a lot of times we think about God, kind of like the force, you know, a new Star Wars is coming out. I think God's like. Like it's just sort of, you know. Ominous force out there and he's sort of in charge of stuff.
And there's the light side and the dark side and they battling out. We'll see who wins in the end, but you can't. Can't know him.
Some people believe God's. or like a force.
Some people think God sort of like Grandpa God.
You know, they'll call him the man upstairs, but he's super old.
Like forever and he's totally out of touch with the world. He can't get on the Internet and he's not sure about our TV shows and he hates our music and he dresses weird.
Every Sunday, he turns up his miracle ear. And he scoots his throne over to the edge of heaven. To listen to his children sing, some people think, you know.
Some people believe God's sort of like a referee or a cop that he's just waiting to get you.
He's waiting for you to do something wrong and then he's going to blow the whistle and and throw the flag right.
Like your date Friday night. Illegal use of hands you 15 yards. Go to hell. That's what you think is.
Some people think God's like a Lawyer. And you're always in constant negotiation.
God, I see your. I raise you some grace. If I do this, can I do that? If I.
If I go to disciple Group, will you also give me this job promotion? Mean can we negotiate?
If you Get Me Out of this one, I promise I'll never do this again.
Some people believe God is kind of clock.
God like how else could you explain all of this?
It couldn't just happen, but maybe God put all the pieces together and then wound it up and sort of set us on our axis.
Now he's off in some other part of the universe doing whatever he wants to do.
But he's not like, close now.
Most common, some people, believe in kind of Siri.
God is like Siri, if you have an iphone you know what I am talking about. If you have an Android, you need to tell Santa you want an Iphone for Christmas.
But you ask Siri- and she gives you the answer.
We only go to Siri when we are looking for something, or need something.
We can do that with God a lot of times. We ignore Him until everything is going wrong.
and when it hits the fan- we cry out, begging for help.
But in reality, we should be going to Him in all situations and in all circumstances.
If we don’t have a right understanding of who God is, we will fall into this lies of who God really is.
So many people have failed to recognize who Jesus is. I don’t just mean in Biblical times either.
Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, the early C. S. Lewis, Eric Reece, Michael Prowse all walk away from such a God.
Oprah walked away from orthodox Christianity when she was about 27 because of the biblical teaching that God is Jealous—he demands that he and no one else get our highest allegiance and affection. It didn’t sound loving to her.
Brad Pitt turned away from his boyhood faith, he says, because God says, “You have to say that I’m the best …. It seemed to be about ego.”
C. S. Lewis, before he became a Christian, complained that God’s demand to be praised sounded like “a vain woman who wants compliments.”
Erik Reece, the writer of An American Gospel, rejected the Jesus of the Gospels because only an egomaniac would demand that we love him more than we love our parents and children.
And Michael Prowse, the columnist for the London Financial times, turned away because only “tyrants, puffed up with pride, crave adulation.”
We must understand- that God sent He son because He loved us. Thats true. But it is ultimately for His own glory.
So people see this as a problem—that God created the world for his own praise.
Who else should get the praise though?
God is the one being for whom self-exaltation is the most loving act, because he is exalting for us what alone can satisfy us fully and forever.
If we exalt ourselves, we are not loving, because we distract people from the one Person who can make them happy forever, God.
But if God exalts himself, he draws attention to the one Person who can make us happy forever, himself.
He is not an egomaniac. He is an infinitely glorious, all-satisfying God, offering us everlasting and supreme joy in himself.
That’s why we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
And He isn’t some distant King who only wants things from you.
Jesus is not emotionally distant, but emotionally engaged.
Romans 5:5 (ESV)
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
In us... pouring out love. Doesn’t get more intimate than that.
Here’s another verse on this I find amazing, if not a little embarrassing:
Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)
17 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.
Imagine if your dad rejoiced over you with loud singing and dancing: “This is my son, I’m so proud of him…” Thanks, Dad. But, later.
Jesus is not absent, but ever present.
Psalm 46:1 (ESV)
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
A refuge is a place of safety and shelter during a storm. In life, when we face trials, uncertainties, or fears, Jesus invites us to come to Him. He shields us from despair and offers peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7).
He is the one we can run to when the world feels overwhelming, and in His presence, we find rest for our weary souls (Matthew 11:28-29).
And Life goes better when we follow His Word. I didn’t say easier- but it’s differently better.
I have lived a life that reflected that I did not love Jesus, I have lived a life that reflects that I love Jesus.
Following Jesus is better.
3. The Father of Eternity is the Giver of Life.
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are all black hearted wretched sinners in need of a savior.
So welcome to planet Earth. This makes you one of us. Paul says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”
Every one of us, if you’re a Christian, was at one time on that path of the world—a path that led to a Christless eternity.
The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death”
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There are only two paths in this life. If you don’t know Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are—by default—on a path that leads to destruction. To hell.
If you are a Christian, if you have surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ, then He has rescued you from that domain of darkness and placed you on a path that leads to Him. He has brought you to Himself. These are two very different places.
And when we follow Christ, we also have an enemy that wants to attack us, he wants to kill, steal, and destroy, everything we love and cherish.
The devil prowls around like a roaring lion. A lion never attacks the prey paying attention, the lion never attacks the prey that's the biggest, the strongest, most fit for combat.
The lion attacks the one away from the herd, the sickly, the weak, the ones not paying attention, the ones not standing firm and being watchful.
And here is some cold hard truth- I know this hurts some of your feelings, but if you were in a car accident and your car was on fire and you were being burned alive, and I dragged you from the inferno, would you mind if you got scratched on broken glass?
Of course not. Despite a culture that says we’re all going to heaven, we’re not.
Some people, some of your friends, are going to hell.
That separation will come on a day of judgment. What pains me is that some of you—sitting in church today—are in danger of hell because you haven’t surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus.
Let me tell you bluntly: If you are here today and don’t know the Jesus as Lord and Savior then God is calling you.
It’s time to realize you’re in a burning car and reach out for His hand.
He wants to pull you from the blaze.
Jonathan Edwards, a dead Puritan preacher, said,
“The bow of God’s wrath is bent and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart and strings the bow. And it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. What are we that we should think to stand before him at whose rebuke the Earth trembles and before whom the rocks are thrown down. There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any moment out of Hell, but the mere pleasure of God. We are but sinners in the hands of an angry God.”
If the message ended here, that we’re sinners in the hands of an angry God, then that would not be good news, because we’re all about to get smoked by lightning bolts. Bummer. But we would do well not to rush by the fact that you and I, apart from Christ, are children of wrath and that we deserve, by our own decision, by our own choices, the full wrath of God. What’s more, nobody had to teach us that.
If you have children, you already know this.
This is what I mean—you didn’t have to teach your kids to sin. They just do it.
Naturally. It’s like breathing. As much as you love them, that precious little beautiful angel, that skittle, that snowflake, is—at heart—a wretched, blackhearted sinner. Like you and me.
When I was a child, I would walk up to men and punch them where the son doesn’t shine.
How many times did your kids walk up, snatch something out of your hand, then bite you and walk away?
Nobody taught my son to do that. But he did it. It’s just in there when they opened their eyes on planet Earth. This means that by nature, they are sinners. Some people hear me say this, and they respond, “No, no, no, Pastor, I’m good. Really. I’m good.” Compared to who? The nightly news? Maybe. Compared to an Almighty God? Not so much.
Jesus says, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” That means this: You don’t have a potty mouth. You have a potty heart. And that’s a problem. That’s what Paul means when he says that we are sinners.
Ephesians 2:4–8 (ESV)
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
What a beautiful Truth.
Our Father is rich in mercy- he withholds what we deserve because He loves us.
And we are given grace
God’s Riches at Christ’s expense.
You can’t do anything to earn it. Its a free Gift from God.
Do you know the Heavenly Father?
As we enter into this time of invitation and consecration- Do you know the Father?
You were created by Him and for Him.
And good news—this weekend, you can!
The reason for Christmas isn’t the presents. Its God’s presence with us.
He died to remove your sin so he could have a relationship with you.
He wants to forgive you and save you, if you’ll receive him.
You can right now, by turning over control of your life to him and receiving Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior and Everlasting Father.
