Sermon Tone Analysis

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God []

Stand for the reading of the word of God []

Today we’ll start a two part lesson on the names of Jesus from this familiar passage of Isaiah.

Many of us are very familiar with this passage, we no doubt hear it read somewhere every Christmas time, but I wonder if we’ve taken time to stop and think about what these names of Jesus mean for us?

First, why so many names?

Well you need all these names to describe this amazing savior, plus all these different names describes something very special about our Lord.

He’s Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, prince of peace.

Today we’ll look at Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God.

Wonderful counselor combines the idea of extraordinary and miraculous along with giving wise advice, making good plans and giving good counsel.

While today I’m going to separate those two words and look at them individually, they idea is a combining word.

I’ll tie those two together later.

Now today’s sermon is going to be a little different than usual in that we’re going to be looking at many scriptures to point out that what Isaiah says about the Messiah is in fact 100% true…so if you don’t want to be flipping through your bibles nonstop at this time that’s fine, I’ve listed the scripture references in your bulletins so you can dive in deeper on your own later…and I encourage you to do so.

Now just a disclaimer, this is not an exhaustive list, this is just a few scriptures I picked that I thought best described the different attributes of Jesus…there are certainly many more that illustrate the point as well…I encourage you to dive into the bible and find your own list of scriptures that point to Jesus being, the wonderful counselor, the might God.

Jesus is Wonderful []

The book of Isaiah certainly stands out in the OT for many reasons, but one reason in particular is the prophet’s multiple teachings on the Messiah.

Isaiah wrote about Jesus birth, life, death, and His coming kingdom.

What does Isaiah have to say about this wonderful savior?

Let’s take a look.

1. Wonderful in His birth []: The birth of Jesus was wonderful and miraculous.

Isaiah tells us, centuries before Jesus was born, that a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be Immanuel [God with us].

When the angel Gabriel told Mary she was to give birth to a child in , she was confused because she was a virgin “I have not known a man”.

The angel reassures Mary that the child she would give birth to would be a miracle from God sent to save the world.

The virgin birth wasn’t the only miracle surrounding the birth of Jesus, the angelic appearances to Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, and to the shepherds.

When the angelic host begin to announce and appear it had been 400 years of silence from heaven when all of a sudden the heavens open up with a wonderful message.

What the prophet of God had talked about 600 years before was happening…the virgin would give birth to Immanuel.

The wonderful baby was an amazing miracle but that’s not the only wonderful thing about Jesus…that was only a small part of God’s plan for Immanuel.

Jesus was also...

2. Wonderful in His life [] “A king will reign in righteousness, a man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest.

As rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

If you read on in it talks about his righteous king healing blind, deaf, mute, satisfying the hungry, etc.

What was Jesus’ life like?

healing and satisfying.

Jesus life was wonderful.

We don’t worship a baby in a manger, we worship a righteous king who meets people in crisis.

Notice what the prophet says Jesus is like.

He is like a hiding place from the wind.

He is like a cover from the tempest.

Ever been out in a bad storm with wind and rain or snow, what do you look for???

A place to hide, a place of cover…that’s what Jesus is like He’s a refuge for us when we are in trouble.

When we’re getting pummeled by the storms of life, Jesus is our refuge.

The prophet says He’s like rivers of water in a dry place, like a shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Summers in MO can get hot right, when you’re out in the heat and that bright unforgiving sun is bearing down on you, what is it you look for…shade and water.

That is what brings relief.

i.e.

Jesus is our refuge and relief when we’re desperate.

Jesus will meet you in your crisis and deliver you.

He will be your refuge and relief from distress.

Jesus was also...

3. Wonderful in His death [] very familiar passage about the suffering of the Messiah.

“He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…surely He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows…he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…the punishment for our sins was upon Him.” tells us that all die because of sin…but Jesus was sinless and died for sinners.

Isaiah tells us… “he carried our sorrows…he died as our substitute…all our sins were laid upon Him…his death is wonderful for sinners.

Jesus is our propitiation.

Jesus death is wonderful because it gives sinners life, who turn to Him by faith.

Those who repent and believe then become children of God and we will be with the Lord forever.

The prophet also speaks of Jesus being...

4. Wonderful in His coming kingdom []: says, “There shall be a highway there called the Highway of holiness, and the unclean shall not pass over it…the redeemed will be there, the ransomed will be there, and they shall sing with everlasting joy and gladness, and sorrow and sadness shall flee.”

There are multiple descriptions of God’s kingdom in the scripture, in the book of Revelation speaks of golden streets, and a place were there will be no tears.

But I like what Isaiah says about Christ kingdom…he says you know who’s going to be there???

The redeemed, those ransomed by the blood of the lamb, those covered by Jesus blood…that’s who’s going to be there.

It gives us this picture, there won’t be people in heaven who has earned there way there…the only way to get to heaven is to be redeemed and ransomed by the atoning and substitutionary death of Jesus Christ…He certainly is wonderful.

This wonderful savior is also wonderful counselor.

Jesus is Counselor []

What do you say about a wonderful counselor?

1.

He became available [] “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

This is quite mind boggling, that the creator of the universe, John, Colossians, Eph.

all tell us Jesus made all things…the creator left the splendor of Heaven and took on human form and walked among us.

God as man??? who can understand it?

God became available through the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

He was available in the manger, the shepherds were told to go find Him.

All throughout Jesus earthly ministry he was available…to children and adults…to rich and to poor…Jesus is still available to sinners like you and me today.

He is available to you…God is available to you today, have you sought the counsel of this available savior?

The New King James Version.

(1982).

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Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2. He came with answers [] Was when Jesus was a young boy, His family had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

After Passover His family left, but Jesus stayed behind…the family not knowing it got worried and began looking for Jesus, when they found the boy Jesus He was in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers listening to them and asking questions… says, “and all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.”

This young boy had the answers.

Jesus came with answers.

Jesus had answers all throughout His ministry, when Nicodemus, the Jewish leader came to Him by night Jesus had the answer for Him in .

Nick was looking for the answer to eternal life, Jesus answer…you must be born again.

Jesus had answers to His critics the religious leaders who always were there trying to discredit Him.

Jesus gives us answers about eternity, the promise of heaven and the peril of hell…The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ…the way, the truth, and the life.

Have you sought answers from this wonderful counselor?

3.

He came with assurance for hopeless sinners [; ] “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

Paul calls this the assurance for hope.

Jesus brought a message of love to the hopeless.

Love for the woman at the well in , an outcast of society who was hopeless.

He had a message of love for the crooked Zacchaeus [] who got rich off of selling out his own people.

Jesus brought a message of love to a dying thief upon the cross in …Jesus brought hope to those who had none.

No problem was too difficult for Jesus to solve…in fact there still is nothing that Jesus can’t solve…He still reaches out to those who have no hope, who are desperate, who are in need of a hand of love and forgiveness…and He still offers hope to hopeless sinners today to you and to me.

Have you grasped onto that assurance and hope?

He can offer this hope because...

Jesus is the Mighty God []

1.

Who brings light to those in darkness [; ] “In Galilee of the Gentiles.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.”

, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.