Who Is Jesus?

Isaiah 9:2-7 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 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. 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.”

Jesus is a gift to the world. If you look at John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God gives Jesus Christ to us as a gift. Not because we deserve Him, but because we NEED Him.

What is something that you need right now? Or maybe something that you do not think you can live without?

Jesus was sent to you and I for our benefit.

Wonderful Counselor: What is a counselor? How often could you use a counselor? Many times, especially the male species, we try to hold things in. Would you benefit laying your stress on someone else from time to time? Would you benefit taking your troubles to someone, and venting them out? You may rant and vent to your bestie, or you may lay your life out to your bro’s from time to time, but do they give you solid advice? Do they offer you peace in your decisions? Be honest, has your friend ever given the advice to get someone back for what they have done to you? Has your friend ever advised you strike before you have been stricken, attack first mentality? Has your friend given advice that you know was terrible and would end up hurting you, or you followed through with your friends advice and it ended up biting you in the butt? Jesus offers advice that will only bring you comfort and peace. Jesus gives you righteous judgment, and will only steer you in directions that will benefit you. Jesus will always build you up, while the devil seeks to bring you down. Jesus is the perfect counselor. He is the answer to the problems that so many people face. 7.1 % of kids 3-17 (4.4 million) have been diagnosed with anxiety. 3.2% (1.9 million) have been diagnosed with depression. Many cases go undiagnosed, maybe undetected, each year. This is a growing problem in America, and we have the perfect counselor waiting for us to call on Him. We can take our problems, we can take our struggles, we can give Him our burdens and allow Him to take care of them. Jesus came to set us free not only from our sins, but also from our weight of our burdens.

Mighty God: One of the ways that Jesus is able to handle our struggles is because He is a mighty God. There is nothing that Christ cannot do. You might have the most popular kid in the school as your friend. You might be one of the most popular yourself. You might be very influential, but you will never have God status. He is the only one who can obtain that. God is the top. There is a lot of things that you you cannot do which will leave you feeling helpless. There is nothing that God cannot do. When you find yourself struggling and failing in your own strength know that God is mighty, and it is He that you should be placing your trust in.

But let me clear something up for you a little. If you are placing your faith in God, and you are calling out to Him, and it is not working, then there is a good chance that it will not. God is mighty, God is the most powerful. If it is not in His will, then it will not and should not be. God has the best in store for His children.

God can do anything. What we must do is trust Him. Trust Him with your problems. Trust Him with your success, which means laying your life at His feet and allowing Him to turn your life into what He will. Trusting that He knows best. God has the power, but His will is paramount. You can trust your God.

Everlasting Father: Christ is a good father. People come and go, but God is forever. He is steady. He never changes. God is everything in a father that you and I could ever want or need. He may not be sitting in the stands at your ball games, but He is watching over you as you play. He may not have ever tucked you in at night, but He takes care of your while you sleep. You may not physically see Him, but He knows the number of the hairs on your head, even the ones that fell out today. He knows more about you than you even know about yourself. He even send His angels to watch over us. Listen to this in Psalms 91:11 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” God is interested in you! You may not have an earthly father, or you may have the best one in the room, but regardless He will never measure up to what Christ thinks of you. Christ gave His life in the place of yours fully knowing that you may never love Him back, but He did it anyways.

Prince of Peace: God offers peace. He is not the author of confusion. Life may be complicating, and things may confuse us at times, but God is not one to offer His children confusion. God has a plan, God has a will, and there is no confusion in the books for Him. God is clear, and to the point. God does not play games. What is black is black, and what is white is white. There is nothing in between. God shows not partiality. God is even kill. (BTW, if you are a confusing human being, if you send mix signals, if you play on emotions in a relationship of some sort then you are not being Godly. God is not manipulative of iffy. God is steady and strong. God is driven and determined. God is just and holy. He will not mess with your feelings, and He will not confuse your mind with tricks).

Ever struggle to find hope in yourself or in humanity? There is hope in Jesus. Jesus brings peace. Ever feel lonely and anxious? Christ is a friend that is closer than a brother, and He irons out the wrinkles in our lives. He brings us peace. Christ is all about peace.

Not just peace in the world through good deeds, but He brings eternal spiritual peace. The thing is that everyone has an eternity. No matter what you think, no matter what you believe, even if you do not believe in an afterlife…you will have one. It will be full of pain and turmoil if you have not placed your faith in Christ. Christ offers you the utmost peace. Spiritual peace. No more insecurities. No more tossing and turning at night. No more depression over spiritual matters. Just peace. That is what Christ brings, and if it is not peace then it is not of Christ.

You might be thinking “well how do I get this peace that Christ brings?” He has to be your Savior. This means acknowledging that Jesus is God, and placing your trust in His offering of His life as a payment for your sins. The wages of sin is death, your spiritual death. Jesus died that death in our place. If you trust that He took your place in death, and that He has the power to save you and give you eternal life, you will have it. It takes faith, it takes trust, but when you place your faith and trust in Him, then the King of Peace goes to work in you.

The biggest component of this is prayer, communication with God. Christ has everything you need to live a wonderful life in Him, if you will only let Him have it. Your troubles, you have to tell Him. Your stresses, you have to tell Him. Your decisions, you have to seek Him. Your worries, take them to Him. Your triumphs, be happy along with Him. Keep Christ as the instrumental center of your life, and He will keep you well held together.