A CHILD IS BORN – PART 1: WONDERFUL COUNSELOR

A CHILD IS BORN – PART 1: WONDERFUL COUNSELOR Isaiah 9:6 December 2, 2007 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction They say that 400 million greeting cards will be bought and mailed this month. And retailers in the United States are expected to sell 20 million packages of gift tags and bows, 30 million rolls of wrapping paper and 40 million Christmas trees. It is estimated that we Americans will, by choice and not by choice, listen to the music of some 2,400 Christmas songs, shop in an average of 18 different stores and attend 4 Christmas parties this month. I have a daunting task. Somewhere between the songs, the shopping, the gift-wrapping and giving and the insane montage of advertising and Christmas decorations, I am commissioned to remind us all from God’s Word of the true and abiding meaning not only of Christmas, but of all of life. For the next four Sundays I would like to subsume all of it under the heading of four simple words: “A Child is Born.” The words are taken from Isaiah 9:6, one of hundreds of very compelling prophecies of the coming of Christ strewn through the Old Testament scriptures. Many of these, Isaiah 9:6 included, came to the heart and pen of the prophets as double-fulfillment prophecies. That is, though the words they spoke on given occasions related to a current situation (political intrigue, military engagement or as a denunciation of national sin), they would also have a future, far-reaching application as well. During the 8th century when Isaiah prophesied in Israel. They were a divided nation, North and South, Israel and Judah; they were awash with sin and idolatry, for which they were now facing the judgment of God; they were, frankly, doomed. Assyria the great power of the day was already decimating Israel in the North, and God had made it clear that Judah, barring a quick and sincere repentance, would meet a similar fate with Babylonia. I recommend that you read the first 8 chapters of Isaiah, in order to understand Israel’s rebellion against God. Maybe while we read how God felt about the idolatry of His people in that setting we might better understand the idolatry to which we have succumbed in our manic materialism and the godless way we worry more about Christmas lists, decorations and dinners than we consider the One whose miraculous birth we commemorate. James tells us that with God “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13) for the truly faithful; and after the eight chapters of remonstrance and warning, the prophet opens a door of hope to anyone in Israel who will dare to repent and return to Yahweh. Turn in your Bible to the 9th chapter of Isaiah and read with me. Nevertheless, there will be o more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naptali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 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. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 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. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. The reference in verse 6 to one who would be born is the lynchpin of the prophecy in this chapter. This is the one who will be the great deliverer of God’s people and the “Great Governor” of God’s Great Kingdom, which is further described as eternal. In line with all the prophecies and expectations of the Israelites this utterance from Isaiah promises that the anticipated kingly descendant of David is on the way. This is all in keeping with God’s grand purpose in history: For the sake of His glory before all nations, God will fulfill the promises He has given, and bring about His vision of a kingdom in which all “Israel” will be united and at peace under a second David. We believers who have the privilege of the full revelation of the New Testament scriptures know that the coming one is Jesus, who would be born more than 700 years hence. This morning I’d like for us to consider the first of those four riveting titles applied to the coming Messiah in verse six. There it says He will be called Wonderful Counselor. There is some debate, I think needless, over how to translate the two words here, but the important thing is that both the idea of “wonder” and “counselor” are stressed. “Wonderful Counselor” does that nicely. PELE-YOEITZ in the Hebrew means this child that will be born will be a wonder of a counselor—one who counsels wonder. The word wonder has to do with awesome, miraculous, surprising and jaw-dropping stuff. Wonder is always about God—noone else. He does marvelous things—things that can only be explained as the work of almighty God on behalf of His people. He delivered His people, up to three million of them from the hand of Pharaoh, across the sea—the same sea that drowned their pursuers. He brought water from a rock, spoke through a burning bush, closed the mouth of lions, caused the sun to stand still, appeared as a pillar of fire and cloud, and repeatedly gave victory to the small army of Israelites against overwhelming enemies. He is the God of wonder. He is wonder-full. And now the God who exclusively is full of wonder says the prophesied descendant of David who will be Israel’s Savior) is also someone of wonder. But He will also be a counselor. We are fascinated with counselors, aren’t we? We love our Doctor Dobson, our Dave Ramsay, our Dr. Laura and our Dr. Phil. We love to have someone who can answer our questions, understand our needs and share a few words of advice ad direction. How about a counselor who deals in things of wonder? One who understands you completely—one who knows you better than yourself? How about a counselor whose wisdom is limitless, who is never wrong, always right, one whose advise is unerringly perfect? Those who met Jesus in person said of him: “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” (John 7:46) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” (Matthew 13:54) When Jesus taught them, Luke 4:32 says, “they were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.” He could honestly say, “Heaven and earth will pas away, but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31) Paul said that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3) And in 1 Corinthians 1, he says Christ is “the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30) He is the Wonderful Counselor. He is the One on whom you can depend. David, in the days before he was anointed king, was actually a fugitive on the run for 15 years. Evil King Saul turned on him and branded him as a criminal to be hunted down and killed. He was slandered and mistreated. During those days he was very much alone, hiding in caves with other outlaws as his only friends. During those terrible days he sought the Lord. Please look at Psalm 40 with me. I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. Most of you have come to know the Lord Jesus in this way. You’ve come to trust Him as compassionate, a healing counselor who never leaves you nor forsakes you. You’ve drawn on His love and care when no one else was there, when no one else cared. And He has been faithful to you, hasn’t he? The Bible teaches us what we already know in our hearts—that if we are His through faith we are like the sheep of His flock. He said in John 10, I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me… (John 10:14) As no one else can, He says He knows you, inside and out. He knows your deepest needs and moves compassionately to meet them. He knows your hidden sins; and He still loves you, and longs to forgive you if you will come to Him in repentance and faith. The scripture assures us that He has plans for us, good things He has laid up for those who love Him. “For I know the plan I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…” (Jeremiah 29:11) He knows your suffering—things no one else understands about You—your hidden hurts, your struggle with sin, the private pain you endure. Hebrews teaches us that He is the high priest who is able to sympathize with you. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) Here is what you need to know—you are not alone and helpless in your struggle against sin and evil around you. You have a Friend. He is not only your Savior—He is your Friend. He said when He bodily left the earth He would send “another counselor” the Holy Spirit to live in us who love Him. Dr. James Dobson relates a story of an elderly woman named Stella Thornhope who was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior through a slow developing cancer. Now, several days before Christmas, she was almost snowed in by a brutal weather system. She felt terribly alone—so much so she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas. Late that afternoon the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box. He said, "Mrs. Thornhope?" She nodded. He said, "Would you sign here?" She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, "What's in the box?" The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little puppy, a golden Labrador Retriever. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, "This is for you, Ma'am. He's six weeks old, completely housebroken." The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity. "Who sent this?" Mrs. Thornhope asked. The young man set the animal down and handed her an envelope and said, "It's all explained here in this envelope, Ma'am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift to you." The young man then handed her a book, How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever. In desperation she again asked, "Who sent me this puppy?" As the young man turned to leave, he said, "Your husband, Ma'am. Merry Christmas." She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then. She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden furry ball and held it to her neck. Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor's house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come." Suddenly Stella felt the most amazing sensation of peace washing over her. Her heart felt a joy and a wonder greater than the grief and loneliness. "Little fella," she said to the dog, "It's just you and me. But you know what? There's a box down in the basement I'll bet you'd like. It's got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights that are going to impress you. And there's a manger scene down there. Let's go get it." Far and away, the greatest thing Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, has ever done for us is summarized in Romans 5:8 God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Listen, saints of God, we need this reminder. We did not earn and we never could earn God’s forgiveness and favor. But He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He gave Jesus to a sinful humanity who would ignore Him, beat Him and crucify Him. And from the cross He would say, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing. If you have never accepted His offer of forgiveness through faith, then you are not a Christian, you are not yet forgiven of your sins by God, and you do not yet have God’s Spirit living inside you. But you can receive Him. To all those who receive Him, who believe in His name, to them He gives the right to become children of God. (John 1:12) That’s the kind of Counselor He is. I urge you, on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. He will not ask you to pay for that salvation, and He does not expect you to pay Him back for it. You can’t, for two reasons. First, you simply cannot attain holiness on your own because you are a sinner, like the rest of mankind. Secondly, you can’t because it’s all been paid for you. Jesus, your Wonderful Counselor has paid it all. Earlier this year the church of Jesus Christ said goodbye to a great Christian spokesman – Dr. D. James Kennedy. He wrote a poem about his life and his experience of coming to Christ. He entitled it, “Nothing to Pay”. I shall never forget when I made that great discovery. After supposing for years that I must work for it and earn it and deserve it, I discovered that it was free. Wonderful to tell. When I was a child and had nothing to pay, they fed me and clothed me day after day. She nursed me through measles and other such ills and mended my clothes, and he paid the bills. They hoped for me, feared for me, prayed for me too. Saved me from evil and carried me through. I never asked how. I never asked why they should wear out their lives for a thing such as I. Well, that was their way, and I was a child and had nothing to pay. Those days are far gone. I grew to a man, a respectable person according to plan. Took sixteen in collars and wore a black coat, political candidates called for my vote. I wrote to the papers and gave them my views and preached to the people all patient in pews. I got paid once a month, had an account at the bank with a checkbook that showed the amount. Well, was it worth all God's trouble? So much of my life is wood, hay, and stubble; so little of me good to meet his desire, so much of me bad only fit for the fire. If God should call for a reckoning, ah, what could I say? Lord, this poor sinner has nothing to pay. Nothing to pay? Give him justice, they say. There's nothing for nothing. Take him away! But God says Stay. Christ is for those who have nothing to pay. You see that's God's way. Christ is for those who have nothing to pay.       [Back to Top]