Our Savior, Counselor, Coming King

Transcript

GRM 510
12/22/96
Our Savior, Counselor, Coming King
Isaiah 9:6
Gil Rugh

I want to direct our attention to the book of Isaiah today. Without question, the greatest of the writing prophets is the prophet Isaiah. Whether he was the greatest of the prophets we cannot say up until John the Baptist. Outstanding prophets like Elijah did not write books that are included in our canon, so we are not able to compare their ministry in the same way we are Isaiah’s. But without question the highlight of the writing prophets is Isaiah. Perhaps the greatest chapter in all of the Bible, at least in the Old Testament, is Isaiah chapter 53. We are not going to be there. We are going to be in Isaiah 9.

Isaiah 53 talks about the suffering and death of the Messiah with a clarity and a detail that is amazing when you consider it was penned about 700 years before the event. Isaiah contains much material about the Messiah. It is material that is blended together regarding the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. In the first coming of Christ, He would come lowly and humble to suffer and die to pay the penalty for sin. In the second coming of Christ He will return on the clouds in great glory and every eye shall see Him. Then He shall destroy His enemies and establish a kingdom on this earth over which He personally will rule and reign. The prophets of the Old Testament did not see some 2000 years separating the first and second coming of Jesus Christ so their prophecies of the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ are often joined together. It caused them some confusion as Peter wrote in his letter in the New Testament. They tried to sort out what they were writing about the suffering and death of the Messiah and the reigning and the glory of the Messiah. They didn’t understand how both could be true because they didn’t understand He was coming twice, the first time to suffer and die, and the second time to rule and reign.

Look at a few passages with me. Beginning in Isaiah chapter 2. I just want to read parts of passages primarily that anticipate the second coming of Christ because our passage in Isaiah chapter 9 is in the context of the second coming of Christ. In Isaiah chapter 2 verse 2 we read, “Now it will come about in the last days,” these are the days of the Messiah, “the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountain, will be raised above the hills and all the nations will stream to it.” “Mountain” in the Old Testament pictures a king of a kingdom. The kingdom that God will establish in the person of the Messiah will be chief of all the earthly kingdoms and all the nations of the earth will come up to the capital, Jerusalem. “Many peoples will say, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob that He may teach us concerning His ways that you may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” That will be the center of the world. “He will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples.”


Here’s a familiar verse, “They will hammer their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation and never again will they learn war.” This verse has been inscribed on the United Nations Building. The problem is it’s out of order. You have to read Joel 3:10 first. Joel 3:10 says you should take your implements of farming and beat them into implements of war because you have the tribulation before the kingdom. This verse refers to the time when Jesus Christ will personally reign over the earth from Jerusalem and so there will be not war. There will be no conflict. There will be peace over the earth. Chapter 4 of Isaiah verse 2, “In that day the day the Branch of the Lord,” that refers to the Messiah, “the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.” It will be at that time when the Lord has washed away verse 4, “the filth of the daughters of Zion, purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem.” “Then the Lord, verse 5, “will create over the whole area of mount Zion and over the assemblies a cloud by day, smoke the brightness of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory will be a canopy.” It’s talking about that time when Jesus Christ, the Branch, will reign glorious and beautiful.

In chapter 6 you have that awesome picture, the vision of Isaiah that he was given of Christ in His heavenly glory before His birth at Bethlehem. You read in verse 1, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne lofty and exalted.” In verse 3, the seraphim are crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory.” In the New Testament in John’s gospel chapter 12 verse 40 John says that Isaiah was writing about Jesus Christ in Isaiah 6. He says that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 6. You can get some idea from that of the glory that Jesus Christ left behind when He stepped from the throne of heaven to be born in a stable at Bethlehem.

Turn over to Isaiah chapter 11 verse 1, “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, a branch from his roots will bear fruit.” We just saw the branch in Isaiah 4:2. You hear the Messiah again. He’s from the line of Jesse, Jesse being the father of David. “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” And He won’t judge by what He sees. We are talking about when Christ will rule on the earth. Human judges are dependent on the physical, external evidence. Jesus Christ will judge with righteousness. He will see the heart. He will see the motives. He will rule in righteousness.

Look at verse 6, the characteristics of the earth during the reign of Christ. “The wolf will lie with the lamb. The leopard will lie down with the young goat. The wolf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them.” Sometimes we grab just portions of these verses, “little child will lead them.” You can try to apply them today, but you are liable to get eaten by a lion or a bear if you try it. We are talking about the millennium. The animosity even in the animal world and the violence in the animal world will be gone. “The cow and the bear will graze. Their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox.” This is not advocating a vegetarian lifestyle. You may be a vegetarian. Fine. But that’s not what Isaiah is talking about here. The point is all violence even in the animal world will be gone. Lions won’t be killing other animals for food. There will be killing of animals because there will be sacrifices going on at the Millennial temple but there will not be violence even in the animal world. “The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra; the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.” Note this. “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, in all My holy kingdom for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters over the sea.”


Some people say “well, we are in the kingdom today.” It’s a kingdom in the heart. But you understand that all the prophecies of Isaiah and the other prophets related to the first coming of Christ were fulfilled actually, literally as they were given. Upon what basis do we decide the prophecies regarding the second coming won’t be fulfilled actually, literally? They are just spiritual concepts that take place in our hearts. The lion really won’t eat straw like the ox. That just means that we ought to treat animals well and join on of the animal’s rights organizations. You say, what do you do with scripture? “They will not hurt of destroy in all of My holy mountain.” Throughout all of the kingdom over which Christ will rule there will be no violence. There will be no criminal acts. There will be enforced righteousness and obedience around the world. Come back to Isaiah 9 and look at verse 7. Looking forward to that kingdom, “there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace.” You see it’s an endless kingdom. The thousand years, what we call the millennium from the Latin for “a thousand years” is just the first phase of a kingdom which is eternal. “There will be no end of the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over it to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.” The scripture is absolutely clear. Jesus Christ is coming again. With His first coming in Matthew and Luke and the record, we are told that He was coming to rule and reign. That did not take place at the first coming because the nation Israel was not ready for Him. They would not have Him as their king but He is coming again and will fulfill the prophecies given here.

Back in Isaiah 7:14 there is a great passage regarding the first coming of Christ. His birth called “the virgin birth passage” because it prophecies the virgin birth. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.” Isaiah is speaking to Ahaz who is king of Israel at this time. “Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son and she will call his name Emmanuel.” Emmanuel means “God with us.” In the New Testament we are told in Matthew chapter 1 this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. When the virgin Mary was selected to be that choice among women to give birth to the Messiah of Israel, that which was conceived in her womb was conceived by the Holy Spirit Himself. So remarkably, the virgin would conceive and bear a child and His name would be called Emmanuel declaring a truth, God with us. God would be present in human form on the earth at that time.

As you come over to chapter 9 again, chapter 9 opens up by talking about events around the birth of Christ. In fact, in verse 1 we are talking about the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. “Galilee of the gentiles” at the end of verse 1. “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” In Matthew chapter 4, after the temptation of Christ in the wilderness by Satan you have recorded Jesus’ withdrawal into Galilee. Matthew tells us that was in light of the fulfillment here. Galilee of the gentiles would experience a great light. God in the flesh would walk in their midst. Then you have some verses which have to do with coming conflict and judgement, ultimately the tribulation. We are told in verse 6, “for a child will be born to us; a Son will be given to us.” You see here we are talking about His first coming, the birth of the child, the child born to the virgin in chapter 7 verse 14. “And the government will rest on His shoulders.” We are carried to His second coming when He will rule and reign over the earth.

You see how the prophets brought together under the direction of the Spirit the events of the first coming and the second coming of Christ. They didn’t understand. “A child will be born to us. A son will be given to us.” Then somewhere around 2000 years later, we don’t know yet, “the government will rest on His shoulders.” That’s not happening yet. We say, “Oh He rules a spiritual kingdom.” Well God has always ruled a spiritual kingdom. God in the broad sense has always been the King of all. He has always been in the narrow sense a king in the hearts of those who have been redeemed. But we are talking about the promised earthly kingdom where the will of God will be carried out with some of the characteristics which we read in the passages that we looked at. “A child will be born to us; a Son will be given to us” and then there will be a series of names given to Him. Ultimate realization of these and what is described in verse 6 will take place in the coming Millennium. But the description of this child who is born has real impact for us today even though the full realization of it will not come until the kingdom is established on this earth.

I want to look at this description of Him in verse 6. Many take it that not only is there a parallel idea in the first statement “for a child will be born to us; a Son will be given to us.” But there is also a distinction made. “A child will be born to us.” That clearly depicts His humanity. He is a human being. He will not have a human father we know, but He will have a human mother, the virgin. “A Son will be given to us.” This may indicate something we will see in a later verse, that He did not have His beginnings at Bethlehem but as Micah tells us in Micah chapter 5, that one born at Bethlehem comes from the days of eternity. He is the Son that God has given to us, the second person of the triune God.

“The government will rest on His shoulders.” If we read in some of the passages in Isaiah, that will someday take place where literally Jesus Christ will be bodily on this earth and all authority over all the earth will be His.


“His name will be called,” you have a series of four pairs really laying out His name. It is not primarily saying this is what they will call Him by name as the name they will use on earth. These describe Him and reveal something of His person and the way that He will function. The first pair, “Wonderful Counselor” we are probably most familiar with as broken in two. The King James Bible had these as two names, Wonderful, Counselor. Then that was forever imbedded in our minds from the song from the Messiah, the Wonderful, Counselor. But they probably should be taken together, Wonderful Counselor. You have four pairs here that go together. You would end up the same place because if He is both wonderful and a counselor, then both qualities are true of Him. But is seems that He is describing, as he does each of these, a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, eternal Father, the Prince of Peace. We see joined here in each of these a declaration of the deity of Christ and an explanation of how He manifests or functions in a certain aspect with that deity in relating to the earth and to His people.

I had some people come to my door yesterday. Marilyn wasn’t home and there is a man and woman on my doorstep. This can’t be good. Do I want to open this door? I opened the door and they started out. “We are doing a survey of the neighborhood. We are from a Bible believing church and we just want to check and find out if people are happy in the church they go to.” “Couldn’t be happier.” “If you could be interested in a Bible study.” Then they started to explain to me that the Bible wasn’t written in English. It was written in Hebrew and Greek. I listened and they enlightened me further on these matters.

So, I said, “Are you Jehovah’s Witnesses.” “Oh, no, no. We are an independent church.” I said, “what independent church?” “Well, we are from “The Way International.” Back in the 70's they were hot on campus and now they are cycling around. And I said, “oh yes I am well familiar with The Way International, your founder and your beliefs.” Well they wanted to go on and talk about what they were doing and we talked. And I said, well I have a real problem. I said, you do not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ and the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ was God come in the flesh. The lady said, “what do you mean deity?” I said, you just told me you know some Greek words and you don’t even know what the English word deity means. It means God. When we speak of the deity of Jesus Christ, we mean God become man. There is no salvation for you if you do not believe that Jesus is God come in the flesh because he could not pay the penalty for your sin on the cross if He was just a man.” So we talked further on that vein. We went through some passages. I went through some passages with them, talked about John 1 and some others. They tried to explain to me what the Greek of John 1 meant.

I asked “do you really know Greek?” “Well I know some words.” And they tried to explain to me what sozo really means. That’s the Greek word for salvation. I said, we could go into my house, downstairs; I have half a dozen lexicons. I said I don’t think I have any lexicon that gives the meaning for sozo that you just gave me.” I said, the real problem is the founder of your cult distorted the word of God. Oh, would you like someone else to come back who might know Greek who might know John 1:1? I said, the problem is not John 1. The problem is you don’t understand the scripture from front to back. The truth of the deity of Jesus Christ pervades it everywhere.”


The conversation ultimately concluded by her saying to me, “are you absolutely committed to your position on Jesus Christ as God?” You would have been proud of me. I was doing good. She was probably young enough to be my daughter. I said, I am going to be fifty-four soon.” You always pull this on them finally and for the last 30 years I have been preaching and teaching the Bible. I spent years studying the language in school. I didn’t tell her it was because I was so slow. I said, I spent hours every day studying the text of the Bible. I am absolutely, unshakably committed to the biblical truth the Jesus Christ is God as well as man, that you can only be saved by believing in the person Jesus Christ that He is both God and man and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin and was raised because the penalty was paid. If you do not believe that or you deny any of that, you are lost and going to hell. I am committed to that. They said, “goodbye” and that was it.

All of that to say, here we are in another passage that you cannot believe Isaiah the prophet did not see the deity of Jesus Christ. Look at these names. “His name will be called Wonderful Counselor.” Or it could be called a wonder of a counselor, a counselor who is wonderful. Wonderful draws attention to His supernatural character. Counselor draws attention to the work or ministry He will carry out. He is wonderful. It denotes something that goes beyond a human work or human ability.

Look back in Psalm 78. Here the word wonder is used to describe the miracles that God accomplished when He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. In verse 12 of Psalm 78 “He wrought wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through, and He made the waters stand up like a heap. Then He led them with the cloud by day,” the light of fire by night and so on, “split the rocks in the wilderness.” Those are the miracles, called miracles in verse 11, and He used the word “wonders” to describe them in verse 12. The word that we have in Isaiah speaks of a Wonderful Counselor. It is something beyond human ability, beyond human work and accomplishment.

Turn back to Judges chapter 13. This is perhaps the most familiar use of this word and it is used of Christ in Judges 13. Remember in the Old Testament, before His birth as a human being Jesus manifested Himself as the Angel of Jehovah, the Messenger of Jehovah. In Judges chapter 13 the Angel of the Lord comes to Manoah to tell him about the birth of Sampson who would be one of the great judges of Israel. Verse 17 of Judges 13, “Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, ‘What is your name so that when your words come to pass I may honor you?’” Manoah still does not have a grasp of who he is speaking to. Verse 18, “But the Angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why do you ask My name seeing it is Wonderful?” It is beyond human ability to grasp or understand. There is a depth to Me that you cannot grasp, the name going beyond just more than a physical identification given but to reveal the character in the person. My name is Wonderful. It is beyond being grasped and contained in human understanding. It describes the Messiah in His very person, as the one who is a wonder, the one who goes beyond human understanding and human power. He is God.

So back in Isaiah 9 when we call Him Wonderful Counselor, we are talking about a counselor who is wonderful, who goes beyond human abilities and human powers and human wisdom as a counselor. Look over in Isaiah 28 verse 29, “This also comes from the Lord of Hosts, ,Jehovah Sabaoth, who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.” You see, it is the Lord of Hosts whose counsel is wonderful. His wisdom is great. So, the Messiah who would be born is the Wonderful Counselor because He is God in the flesh.

In the New Testament in Romans chapter 11 verse 33 and 34 Paul quotes from the book of Isaiah chapter 40. “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgements, how unfathomable are His ways. Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become His counselor?” God has a wisdom that goes beyond human wisdom. To whom does the Lord have to go for advice? I mean, you know the very concept is foolish.

I Corinthians 1:24 says, “Christ, the wisdom of God.” In Colossians chapter 2 verse 3 we are told “in Him, [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Because it is in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. So He is the Wonderful Counselor, the one whose wisdom directs His people. He guides them in the coming kingdom. This one who is the Wonderful Counselor will rule over all. His wisdom will be dispensed over the world. It will be His counsel, His directions that are followed in that day. You and I as the people of God, those who have been redeemed by His grace and have become His children, now enjoy a personal relationship with this one who is the Wonderful Counselor and we have His wisdom to guide and direct our lives.

Come back to Psalm chapter 119 and we will just take one verse, verse 24. “Your testimonies also are my delight,” referring to God’s testimonies, “they are my counselors.” You see where we go for the wisdom and counsel of God. We go to His word. We have a Wonderful Counselor. His wisdom is beyond human wisdom. His understanding is beyond human understanding. His perception of what needs to be done. He has given us His word. We avail ourselves of the counsel of the One who is wonderful when we turn to His word and follow its guidance.

What a tragedy it is that the Wonderful Counselor has been born, has come to earth and the world goes about celebrating in a form the birth of this One. At the same time, they spend millions and millions of dollars seeking counsel how to live life. This is why it is such a grievous sin that there are those who say, “Well the Bible is good. We need the Bible and when we bring it together with the best in psychology we are really able to help people.” That is an attack on the very character of the one who is the Wonderful Counselor. Now I believe God uses people, His people to counsel others just like the Holy Spirit is the teacher. He uses human instruments to teach and so there are times when God graciously uses His people to open the truth of His word and give us His wisdom and His counsel. I am not opposed to that. Don’t misunderstand. But I am unalterably opposed to those who say that the counsel of this One who is wonderful is not sufficient for the deep and hard problems of life. If that is so, He is not so wonderful, His counsel is not so wonderful because when I really need the counsel that is wonderful is when it is hard and the problems are deep and difficult, when the solutions don’t come easy. Then I need the counsel of the One who is wonderful, whose wisdom is beyond human wisdom. So that’s what we have contained here. You and I who are God’s people are privileged to walk in this counsel today. The fullness of it will not be realized on this earth until He comes and rules with wonderful counsel over the whole earth, but you and I know Him as the Wonderful Counselor even today.

Our first reaction under pressure and in trial ought not to be pick up the phone and call another human being. To run and say “I need someone to talk to.” Did you ever think of talking to the Wonderful Counselor? You know, in the book of Hebrews He invites us to come “with confidence, boldness to the throne of grace that we might receive mercy and find help in time of need.” But oh, how quickly we panic and look around. Oh, I need someone to talk to, I am at loose ends. The last thought that crosses my mind is to go close the door to my room and not pick up the phone but talk to the Wonderful Counselor. Open His word and allow Him to speak to my heart. What a glorious privilege. What a “resource” if I can use that word. What vision we have in Christ. In so many ways we are enjoying a foretaste of what someday will be realized on this earth when He reigns here personally. We enjoy it in the relationship that we have with Him as our Savior.

Come back to Isaiah chapter 9. He is the Wonderful Counselor. I wonder at so much of what is going on in Christianity and in the Evangelical world today. I wonder if they would look at us and say “wow, they really believe in the Wonderful Counselor. They find Him sufficient in every situation, in ever trial, in every heartache.” He is not only the Wonderful Counselor. He is the Mighty God. His deity is declared. He is God. His strength, His power. Again that will be seen when Christ rules over the earth because as the Messiah He will be God ruling the kingdom with power and might. The word “eloheim” is the plural form of this word for God. It is used of men and angels as well as God Himself in scripture. But we have the singular “el” here for God. It is only used in Isaiah and only used in the Old Testament of the God who is God. So, we are talking about the God who is God here.


Now this fits. He is wonderful, more than human. He is God, God Almighty. Turn over a page or two to chapter 10 of Isaiah and verse 21, “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob to the Mighty God.” It’s talking about the work that Almighty God will do. And the ultimate end of His work will bring about restoration of Israel in the remnant. Though the number is like the sand of the sea, a remnant only will return. The Mighty God. Who are we talking about? We are talking about God, the Mighty One. So indeed, a child will be born. His name is Wonderful. His name is God.

Now how Isaiah’s mind was running as he wrote this, I have no way of knowing. We have a difficulty with our finite minds as we wrestle with this concept even now that we see the picture that has been put together with the coming of Christ and His death and so on. You ought never to be intimidated because you cannot explain the Trinity. Keep in mind His name is Wonderful. He goes beyond human wisdom. I am not embarrassed to tell you I don’t completely understand God. I have nothing to compare what we call the trinity with. There is one God but He exists eternally in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is easy to ridicule the concept because there nothing outside of the scriptural presentation of the triune God that we can identify it with. Every single illustration collapses at one point or another. Because only God is God. We constantly want to reduce God to finiteness so that we can totally comprehend Him. But once we have reduced Him to that level, we want to totally control Him as well. We want God to be created in our image rather than for us to experience the image of God as He created us.

“In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God.” John 1:1. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” John 1:14. How can that be? The God who already was at the beginning became flesh. I still cannot understand that concept. I can’t put it together that that baby at Bethlehem was the God who called all things into existence, who upholds all things by the word of His power. The more I think about it the more questions I have. But you know what? I believe it because God has said it. That makes it true. It’s not true because I understand it. It is true because God said it. So, you are asking me, “do you understand the trinity?” My answer is no. You ask me “do I believe in the trinity?” My answer is yes. Do you only believe what you understand? I am not very technical. I don’t understand very much about computers, but I feel free to use it with my limited ability. I drive by the power station on 84th Street and I say now how in the world do I get electric lights out of that thing? It looks like a misplaced erector set. What in the world? But I still go home and turn on the lights.

He is the Mighty God. That ties back to Isaiah 7:14, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son; and you shall call His name Emmanuel.” The same name for God as the Mighty God, el. That’s who He is. Look at one passage out of Psalms, Psalm 24:8. “Who is the King of Glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle?” We are talking about God Almighty. He is the one who ultimately will rule over the earth. You know what? He is the child born at Bethlehem. He is the one I know is my Savior. He is the one who has sufficient power and strength and might to keep me and protect me, to guard me and assure that someday I will be given an abundant entrance into His kingdom. I should fear men, the puny power of created man when God Almighty is my Savior? He is the One who has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Is there anything that the might and strength and power of God is not sufficient for? This is a reality I am to live in light of. “Unto us a child is born; a Son is given.” His name the Mighty God.

Isaiah 9:6, the third pair here, Eternal Father. Now at first reading you say, “It looks like we have a problem here. I thought there was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now you are telling me that the Son is the Father. Well, if the Son is the Father, maybe the Father is the Son. Maybe there aren’t three persons. Maybe there is only one. And maybe you are right. You don’t understand the trinity at all. Well, the point is a comparison. It’s not saying the Son will be God the Father. But just like Paul portrayed himself as a father to those he ministered to, he wasn’t saying he was God the father. But in his dealings with people he was like a father deals with them. So here this child will be born, functions eternally as a father because He is God. That is a characteristic of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit to provide and protect, to care for and have compassion on His people. He is eternally a father, the one who is eternally a father.

Turn to Isaiah 63 verse 16. Verse 15 for the background. “Look down from heaven. See from You holy and glorious habitation where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds; the stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained. For You are our Father though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You O Lord our God are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name.” You see God the Father to His people is one who has compassion on them, who redeemed them. The ultimate act of His fatherhood was to provide for them what they could not provide for themselves, their salvation. Just jot down Psalm 103:13, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on them that fear Him.” God functions as a father to His people and this child that will be born. Remember this is the God of Isaiah 6 whose train filled the temple to whom the Seraphim cried out, “Holy, holy, holy.” He is eternally a father.

Micah chapter 5 verse 2 I mentioned early in our study and that’s the prophecy the Christ would be born at Bethlehem. Let me just read it to you. “But as for you Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah. From you one will go forth from me to be a ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” He did not begin at Bethlehem. He became humanity at Bethlehem, but He has always been deity. Remarkable, awesome. We see the wisdom of God displayed in the coming of His Son. He is eternal because He is God, eternally a father.

That will be demonstrated most fully when the government rests on His shoulders and we see Him. “The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea” we read in Isaiah. He will provide in every way graciously and protect and keep. But you and I as God’s people are privileged to experience that today.

There’s a distortion of the word of God that I want to just mention here in passing. Some people say “you know I really can’t understand God as father. My earthly father was mean and cruel or I never knew my earthly father.” Where in the Bible does it say you ought to see God through the eyes of your earthly father. We find out from the God who is eternally a father what a human father ought to be like but don’t turn it around. He is eternally a father. You know what if you never knew your father, if you have the most wretched father on the face of the earth? In Christ you have one who is eternally a father and everything a father must be, one who is eternally compassionate and understanding and caring, who provides and keeps and protects. We constantly are afraid that our God is not enough. We need something more in something else. I am not saying God hasn’t provided earthly parents. He has and they are a blessing. But as a child of God I must understand, if I had no earthly father to know and appreciate, I would have one who is eternally a father to me, one that I can find eternal comfort in, One who said I will never leave you or forsake you.

We need to enjoy the Father we have eternally. He is eternally a father. What a great comfort. I can find my security in him as that child does who under pressure or difficulty looks to the parent, looks to dad. I have a heavenly father. He is always there. He is always a father. He never shirks His responsibility. There is never a lapse. He is eternally a father because He is eternal. What a comfort.


Finally He is the Prince of Peace. Ultimately this will be experienced in its fullness when He reigns over the earth and there will be peace everywhere on the earth. He is the Prince of Peace. But you know the foundation for that and why someday that will be realized on the earth is that Jesus Christ has provided peace at His first coming. In Romans chapter 5 verse 1 we are told, “Therefore having justified by faith in Christ we have peace with God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” He is the Prince of Peace. He is the one who sovereignly rules over peace. That’s another identification for Him as God. He is the ultimate Prince. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We see in the book of Revelation that He is the Messiah of Israel, and He is the one who brings peace and will bring peace.

Peace must first be brought to the heart. James chapter 4 tells us, “Where do the wars and the fighting come among yourselves?” They come from within. Ephesians 2 tells us before salvation we are the enemies of God. We are at war with God, but Jesus Christ has brought peace by the blood of His cross, brought peace to the hearts of men and women and ultimately can bring peace to a redeemed creation in the kingdom that He will establish. He is the Prince of Peace.

Let me tell you, this one who brings peace with God also brings the peace of God to us. Jesus said in John 14:27, “My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give unto you.” Do you realize we have a peace and a source of peace that goes beyond what the world can provide? Even many who profess to believe in Christ run here and there, looking for peace in this, peace in that, this circumstance. If this would only change. Realize He is the one who brings peace to the heart, not like the world brings peace. When everything gets right so to speak, my health is good, my income is good, my family is good, and everything has come together, then I have a certain peace, even as an unbeliever. We are not talking about that. We are talking about a peace that starts in the heart and is rooted there by the work of Christ in bringing peace with God.

Philippians chapter 4 verse 7 says, “The peace of God shall stand guard at your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” He is the Prince of Peace. We are privileged to experience that peace today. That is just a foretaste of what will take place when the kingdom is established on this earth and the Prince of Peace rules and reigns. These will be manifested externally around the world even as today we are privileged to experience it manifest in our hearts. It’s a tragedy, people don’t have peace. They are worried. They are fearful. They are frightened. They are unsettled on the inside. Do you know why? Isaiah said it. “There is no peace says my God for the wicked.”

Come back to Isaiah chapter 1. I just quoted to you from the end of Isaiah 57, “The wicked are like a tossing sea. It cannot be quieted. Its waters toss up refuse and mud. There is no peace says my God for the wicked.” Isaiah 57 verse 20 and 21. Isaiah started out his prophecy with a message to Israel, tragedy, tragedy. Israel did not have the good sense of a donkey or an ox. In Isaiah 1 verse 3, “an ox knows it’s master, a donkey it’s master’s manger. But Israel does not know. My people do not understand.” He goes on with a stinging condemnation of the nation Israel. He says you are like Sodom and Gomorrah, verse 10. Verse 11 He says I am sick of your worship. I want you to stop worship. You hear that. God from heaven speaks to Isaiah. He says in verse 11, “What are your multiplied sacrifices to me?’ says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams. I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls and goats, lambs.’” You are trampling my courts. This isn’t worship. This is sacrilege, He says. “Bring your worthless offerings no longer,” verse 13. Verse 14, “I hate your new moon, your appointed feasts.” “Even when you pray [verse 15] I have hidden My face from you.” An awesome thing to say.

We think well, never speak against anybody’s worship. Everybody has their religion. You know God says I hate it. Stop it. You are doing worse than doing nothing. You are aggravating Me. Not only are you not pleasing Me you are aggravating Me. Why? Well, look down to verse 18. We just read God says, don’t come any longer. I hate it. Don’t come any longer.” Then you have verse 18, “Come and let us reason together says the Lord. Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be as wool.” Isn’t that remarkable. Don’t come any longer. I hate it. Come. I would like to cleanse you.


You see, they can’t come on their own terms. God says you have to come on my terms. You have to come first and be washed by me from your sin. I want you to come. I’ll make you as white as snow. It doesn’t matter how awful your sins are. They are red like crimson. That’s okay. I’ll make them white like wool. Then out of that relationship with Me as one I have redeemed, then the joy of intimacy of worship will be yours. Then we will know His salvation. That’s why the child was born, the Son was given. “Unto you in the city of David was born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” “You will call His name Jesus for He is the one who will save His people from their sins.” Those who come to the Savior receive the cleansing, the washing. They are not better than those who don’t come. They are simply sinners who come to the grace of God and are cleansed.

You know the tragedy of Israel is being repeated today. We celebrate the birth of Christ but many people are determined it is going to be their way. They are offended to be told their sin has separated them from God. They are the enemies of God, not the friends of God. They must begin where God says they must begin. They must come through the right door. “I am the way, the truth and the life.” The narrow gate that Jesus talked about. They must first come for cleansing. They must come believing that they are sinners, believing that Jesus, the Son of God was born at Bethlehem, died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sin, was raised in glory because the penalty was paid in full. When you believe in Him as your Savior...I can’t explain it. It is another one of those wonderful works of God. You are cleansed, made new, forgiven every sin, and brought into a personal relationship with the living God. Then you know Him, and He functions toward you as the Wonderful Counselor, the God of might and power, the Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace.

Do you know Him as such? Have you been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb? I trust if not, this will be a day of salvation. If you have, may we rejoice and thrill again in the God who is ours, whose counsel is wonderful, whose power works in and through us and for us, who is eternally to us a Father, whose peace is ours moment by moment and day by day. Let’s pray together.

Thank You Lord for the richness of the person Jesus Christ, the baby born at Bethlehem who in Your sovereign, awesome plan was God who took upon Himself humanity that He might accomplish salvation for us. Lord, I pray that no one will turn a deaf ear, a hardened heart toward Your invitation of mercy and grace to come reason together, experience forgiveness and cleansing that only can be brought to a heart and life by You the sovereign God and is found only in the person of your Son, Christ. And Lord may we who have received full and complete cleansing and forgiveness not lose sight of the one who is our Savior, the one who is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace. In Him we have received everything necessary for life and godliness. May our lives be a testimony to the wonder of His marvelous person and work in and through us. We pray in His name, amen.