Wonderful Counselor
Wonderful Counselor
Isaiah 9:6-7
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 it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Introduction-
Isaiah prophesied over 700 years before Christ was born. Remarkably, he projected the birth of Christ, the nature of Christ and the death of Christ in the Bible book which bears his name. Among the amazing prophesies of Isaiah is the one found in our text for today.
There is a great dualism presented in this verse. In one phrase Isaiah points out that a child is born, but then he asserts that a son is given. Why say twice what appears to be essentially the same thing? Because the two are not the same, not in the least! On that first Christmas about 2,000 years ago, the child, Jesus, was born. But the Son is preexistent. The Son was not born, for He always has been and always will be. The child was born, but the Son was given. Yes, the child and the Son are one, but the terms used are different to describe Him.
A Child is born...that speaks of the Humanity of Christ.
A Son is given...that speaks of the Divinity of Christ.
A Child is born...that speaks of Im-po-tence.
A Son is given...that speaks of Om-nip-o-tence.
A Child is born...that speaks of the Terrestrial.
A Son is given...that speaks of the Celestial.
A Child is born...that speaks of the Earthly.
A Son is given...that speaks of the Heavenly.
A Child is born... that speaks of the Son of Man.
A Son is given... that speaks of the Son of God.
Isaiah caught the duality and the deity of Christ in simple, but profound words as he described the wonderful gift God was giving to the world - namely, His own Son. Just think of it, "Jesus had an earthly mother, but no earthly father. Jesus has a heavenly Father, but no heavenly mother." In essence, God's Son from heaven came to be born as a child here on earth for the express purpose of redeeming the lost race of humanity.
In this passage Isaiah speaks of four titles for the Son. If one reads the Bible carefully, he or she will discover that the Word of God contains more than 225 terms, names or titles for our Lord. Truly, His name is the name above every name. In this four part series, we are going to look at the four titles, which Isaiah gave to us in this passage, and relate them to our lives right now.
The four names are:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.
We begin today with the title Wonderful Counselor.
The name Counselor, and the adjective Wonderful, are filled with meaning - as we shall see. A counselor is one who gives advice, leads, or defends someone. But we must be careful to whom we turn for counsel. The story is told of two bums sitting together on a park bench. One of them said to the other, "I'm a man who never took advice from anybody." The other said, "Well, old buddy, I'm the man who followed everybody's advice."
The problem for many people is they will not listen to words of wisdom. For others, they are listening to the wrong voices or to many voices. Today we are going to consider listening to and following the Wonderful Counselor. Let’s contrast the effort of an earthly counselor with the wonder of the divine Counselor. Now, granted, we need earthly counselors. They play an important role. In fact, they may be used by the divine Counselor to help us when they are applying the Word of God to our situations. This message is not meant to demean of belittle human counsel, but rather it is to reveal the supremacy of the Savior when it comes to giving counsel to us.
I. The Earthly Counselor Must Ask to Know Your Need -
The Wonderful Counselor Knows Your Need Before You Ask
A counselor must have knowledge of the person he or she is seeking to advice. Counselors always begin by asking questions or seeking to get the counselee to discuss the situation and life experiences that exist that might have an impact on the advice needed. But Christ, the Son who was given, needs no introduction to your need. He knows you wholly, completely and utterly. He knows your talents and gifts. He knows your sins and weaknesses. He knows you history. He knows all about you. The earthly counselor must ask about your need. The wonderful Counselor knows what you need before you ask. Listen to the words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:8, which reads, "Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "Think about all He knows about us.
A. He Knows Our Past
Our need of counseling assumes and presupposes that we have a past. But the Lord knows our past, every moment of it. He is the Wonderful Counselor because He has all the knowledge of our past in His heart and mind. He knows the secret sin of your past. He knows the hidden hurt of your past. He knows the lost dreams of your past. He knows all about your past experiences.
B. He Knows Our Present
Sometimes we will speak to someone and say, "You can't image what I'm going through right now." But you can't say that to Jesus! The Lord knows your present pressures, your present pain, your present temptations, your present trails. He knows this very minute what no other person on earth knows about you. He is wonderful in His knowledge of us. He is om/nisc/ient – he knows everything
C. He Knows Our Future
No earthly counselor can boast that he is aware of the future of the counselee. Our Lord knows what is ahead of us. He is able to see the future and to guide us through the landmines that dot our future landscape. He alone can do this! Jeremiah 29:11
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.
II. The Earthly Counselor Hopes He Can Help You - The Wonderful Counselor Knows He can Help You.
A. Those Who Have Tried Him Testify Of Him
When Jesus was talking about Communion in
John 6:68-69, "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.'" Those who know Him tell of His love and leadership in their lives. He is the only One who has the words of life. Rev. 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
B. Those Who Have Not Tried Him Are Invited to try him
Matthew 11:28-29
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
He calls us to come to Him. He longs to save and to lead. He is the Great Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. No matter that He already has 99 sheep safely in the fold, He cares for the one that is lost and hurting.
III. The Earthly Counselor Tries To Give You An Appointment -
The Wonderful Counselor Is Always Available
Don't misunderstand me. God is not an errand boy. He is not a Cosmic Santa Claus. What I am saying is that the Lord does not make us wait when we are in trouble. When Simon Peter was sinking in the water, he prayed, "Lord, save me!" The Lord Jesus put out a hand and helped him before he could swallow an once of water from the Sea of Galilee. Now I know that you have called on the Lord and thought that He was wasn't listening, but you were wrong. He told us to call on Him and that He would hear us. Of course, we must go to Him in a proper manner. Let me tell you two requests our Wonderful Counselor will hear and answer.
A. The Request for Conversion
Would you like to be saved? Would you like to really know God in a personal way? You can. Look at Romans 10:9, 10, and 13;
Romans 10:9-10
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
You can be saved! The Wonderful Counselor is the Lord and Savior. Call on Him. He is always available to save those who turn to Him in faith, those who hearts have been touched with conviction of sin and assurance of His redeemer status. "His arm is not shortened that He cannot save."
B. The Request for Cleansing
In 1 John 1:9 we are told that He is faithful and just to forgive all those who confess their sins to Him. Tell Him the truth. He doesn't just want to help you, He will help you!
One lady came forward to her pastor during the invitation following the sermon. She admitted that she sometimes stretched the truth. The pastor said, "Come now, dear sister, tell the Lord the truth. Tell that you LIE!"
At first she hestiated, and then with tears she asked God to forgive her for lying. Sweet peace came in that very instant. Tell God the truth. He will hear the prayer of an humble and contrite heart David said in Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
One of the words for counselor is the word "advocate." A lawyer is called a counselor. He is one who stands in our place and represents us. That is what Jesus is to us. He is our great Paraclete. He is our Advocate. He can bring calm in the midst of the storm. He can give songs in the night.
IV. The Earthly Counselor Charges a Fee -
The Wonderful Counselor Paid the Price with His Blood
As I said a moment ago, a counselor can stand for one who goes before the law bench for you. Jesus stood between the Law of God and us. He took the wrath of the Law in our place. We violated the Law of God, but it was He who died in our place.
Elvina M. Hall who was sitting in choir stand and convicted by the Spirit to write, penned a poem Jesus paid it all and all to him I owe, sin had left a guilty stain, but
Jesus took our crown of thorns. Jesus accepted the nails in His hands. Jesus took our punishment. He stood between the Law and us and at great price. Now He calls us to come to Him. Turn to the Wonderful Counselor.
There was a woman who in the Christmas rush purchased 50 greeting cards without looking at the message inside. She signed and addressed all but one, and then dropped them in a mailbox, still not taking time to see what they said. The verse on the inside was completely overlooked. Just imagine her dismay when a few days later she glanced at the one unmailed card and read these words:
"This card is just to say
A little gift is on the way."
Needless to say, that gift was never received by anyone. There were 49 disappointed families wondering what had happened to their presents.
But God did not forget us. He loved us so much He gave His only Son that we might inherit eternal life. Turn to Him now. His counsel is for you to repent and be saved. His counsel to the Christian is for us to walk in close fellowship with Him. Let us come now to the Wonderful Counselor.
Is there someone here today who needs direction? Do you need the Lord to show you how to deal with a problem? Are you trying to make important decisions in your life or help others do that? There is only One who can help you. Jesus is His name. Come to Him now!
Only Jesus Christ can break the enslaving chains of sin and Satan. He alone can speak peace to the human heart, strengthen the weak, and give life to those who are spiritually dead."