ISAIAH 9:6
OUR WONDERFUL LORD
"Dr.
Walter Maier once asked, 'What if the thousands of Christians in the
"Yet
over two hundred years ago George Fredrick Handel did exactly that. For three
weeks and three days he studied the prophecies of Christ's coming without
interruption, as he set them to music. He hardly left his room during this time
and his food was often untouched, so enthralled was he with the Savior's love,
but at the end of the twenty-four days his masterpiece, the oratorio, The Messiah, was completed.
"…Tears
streamed down the face of Handel as he contemplated the sufferings of Christ
during his twenty-four-day study of the Son of God. As he finished up the lines
of the famous Hallelujah Chorus, he
cried, 'I think I did see all of Heaven before me and the great God himself.'
"After
he completed The Messiah, Handel was
never the same. He no longer wrote secular music, but devoted himself strictly
to the sacred. He no longer was controlled by a hot temper, and he was able to
overcome depression when later he became blind. He died triumphantly, and like
the Wise Men who brought their gifts to the baby Jesus, He went home another
way." Source Unknown
One
of the prophecies which were incorporated into The Messiah, and thus having a bearing upon the life of the
composer, was Isaiah 9:6:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace.
In this glorious verse of Scripture, we have a summary
of what our Lord Jesus Christ is to us.
And as we study this Christmas verse, we can get the thrill of how much
the Lord Jesus Christ loves us and cares about us. The five titles given to the Lord in this
verse speak to us of,
HIS PERSONALITY - "Wonderful"
HIS PROFESSION (JOB) -
"Counselor"
HIS POWER - "Mighty God"
HIS PERMANENCE - "Everlasting Father" (Means
"Father of eternity")
HIS PREEMINENCE - "Prince of
peace"
BACKGROUND
Bear
in mind that Isaiah, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is looking
ahead. He begins with the birth of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
For unto us a child is born - Of course
But the Lord Jesus is not just for
Unto us a son is given… - Jesus came as a baby. But
Jesus existed before the foundation of the world. Jesus said in John 8:58 - Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Micah 5:2 - But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of
Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in
Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
It was God's choice to send to us the gift of His Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ. This gift is to the whole world! This gift is for you!
John 3:16 - For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And the government shall be upon his shoulders… - This day is yet to come.
The first time Jesus came to earth, he came to purchase
eternal life for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The second time Jesus comes to earth, He will come to
rule!
Isaiah 11:3-5 - And shall make him of quick
understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight
of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of
the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the
girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Now we come to the tremendous description of our Lord
Jesus Christ. First, we see
HIS
PERSONALITY - "Wonderful"
Someone
has written - "Jesus painted no pictures; yet some of the finest paintings
of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo daVinci
received their inspiration from Him.
"Jesus
wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets
were inspired by Him.
"Jesus
wrote no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendlesohm
reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and
oratorios they composed in His praise.
"Every
sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble carpenter of
Jesus is wonderful in every sense of the word.
·
WONDERFUL BEFORE BIRTH
Colossians
1:15-17 - Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
John
1:1-4 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life
was the light of men.
·
WONDERFUL IN HIS BIRTH
He
was the only one ever born of a virgin.
He
was the only one who had an Angel host announcing His birth.
He
was the only one who had a star appear in Heaven.
He
was the only visited by wise men from the East.
He
was the only one, who, at his birth, was called A
light to lighten the Gentile, and the glory of thy people
·
WONDERFUL IN HIS LIFE
He
lived a perfect life.
In
Him was no sin.
He
did exactly as God the father instructed Him to do.
·
WONDERFUL IN HIS DEATH
Later
in His book, the prophet Isaiah talks about the death of the Son of God.
Isaiah
53:6 - All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of
us all.
·
WONDERFUL IN HIS
RESURRECTION
1
Corinthians 15:3-4 - For I delivered unto you first of
all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures:
Because
the Lord Jesus arose from the dead, we can have faith, that we too, will one
day rise from the dead.
·
WONDERFUL IN SALVATION
The
most wonderful news I have ever given anyone is that they can have forgiveness
of sin, and escape the punishment of hell, and live anew and exciting life in
Christ right now!
All
a person needs to do in order to have this new life is to believe on Christ!
John
11:25-26 - Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and
the life: he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die. Believest thou this?
Have you accepted the wonderful Son of God as your
Savior?
·
WONDERFUL IN HIS MINISTRY TO
US WHO BELIEVE
When
I was growing up, I had two people who came to my rescue. One was my Mom. The other was my Dad. When I wanted to get my drivers license, Dad
balked. Mom spoke to Dad, and I got my
license.
When
I wanted the car on Saturday night, it was Dad who would talk to Mom so I could
get the car. Mom and Dad took turns
serving as intercessors in my behalf.
Today,
the very Son of God is at the throne of God interceding for me and every other
Christian. What a great ministry He has.
Hebrews
4:14-16
says, Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is
passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession. For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
My friend, consider Jesus' personality. He's
wonderful!
HIS
PERSONALITY - "Wonderful"
HIS
PROFESSION (JOB) - "Counselor"
Jesus
is the counselor in that He comes to us as the revealer of the Father's will.
A
counselor is one who gives advice and direction.
A
counselor is one who gives help when needed.
More
than once a counselor has gotten someone out of trouble.
Counsel
is something which God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have
always specialized in.
Psalm
16:7 - I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel:
my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
Psalm
73:24 - Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and
afterward receive me to glory.
Proverbs
3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
Never
think for one minute that the Lord Jesus wants to leave you and I in the dark. He has perfect plans for you life.
If
you follow them, you will be happy in the Lord Jesus.
God
does not play "hide and seek" with us.
He
wants to reveal his will to us.
And
the book of Romans tells us that God's will is "good, and acceptable, and
perfect."
Do
you avail yourself of this counsel?
Do
you look for His guidance in God's word, prayer, and life's circumstances?
Do
you listen for the friendly nudge of the Spirit of God, telling you what go do?
If
you want God's best for your life, you need to get your direction from your
counselor, the Lord Jesus Christ.
WONDERFUL -
HIS PERSONALITY
COUNSELOR -
HIS PROFESSION (JOB)
MIGHTY GOD
- HIS POWER
There
are those around today who try to detract from the deity of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
But,
according to God's Word, there is no question about the deity of the Lord
Jesus.
Luke
1:30-32 - And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for
thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He
shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David:
Luke
1:35 - And the angel answered and said unto her, The
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshdow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall
be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
He
is indeed the mighty God. He showed this in his first appearance to earth.
He
stilled the storm.
He
healed the sick and afflicted, including 10 lepers all at once.
He
raised the dead, including the son of the Widow of Nain.
He
saved souls, including a rich outcast tax collector named Zacheus.
And today his power is still available!
Paul
prayed that the Ephesians would grasp And what is
the
exceeding
greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to
the working of his mighty power, (Ephesians 1:19)
HIS PERSONALITY - "Wonderful"
HIS PROFESSION (JOB) - "Counselor"
HIS POWER - "Mighty God"
HIS PERMANENCE - "Everlasting Father"
This
term may bring a little confusion.
How
can Jesus be known as the Father and the Son at the same time?
A
better translation of this phrase is "The Father of eternity."
As
God the Son, Jesus is eternal.
This
is comforting.
The
very God we worship and serve has been around forever, and will endure forever.
Therefore, He is fully capable of taking care of us forever!
HIS PERSONALITY - "Wonderful"
HIS PROFESSION (JOB) - "Counselor"
HIS POWER - "Mighty God"
HIS
PERMANENCE - "Everlasting Father" (Means "Father of
eternity")
HIS
PREEMINENCE - "Prince of peace"
There
are at least three aspects of peace over which Jesus is Prince.
·
HE IS PRINCE OVER OUR PEACE
WITH GOD
Sin,
of course, is the culprit which has caused us to be at war with God.
Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he
will not hear.
Jesus dealt with our iniquities, our sins, on the cross.
He paid the price for your sin and mine.
When we trust Christ, we receive peace from the guilt of
sin, and peace from our war with God.
Romans 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
·
THE
LORD JESUS IS PRINCE OVER THE PEACE OF GOD
Isaiah 26:3-4 - Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in
thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting
strength:
·
THE LORD JESUS IS PRINCE OF PEACE ON EARTH
When He comes again, there will be peace!
HIS PERSONALITY - "Wonderful"
HIS PROFESSION (JOB) - "Counselor"
HIS POWER - "Mighty God"
HIS
PERMANENCE - "Everlasting Father" (Means "Father of
eternity")
HIS PREEMINENCE - "Prince of peace"