Christmas Eve Service

Isaiah 9:6,7

Audio Access Available Above

“His Name Will Be Called, pt. 3” • 12.24.13 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Christmas Eve Service

Intro.

- We first looked at "The Context Of Christmas." Isaiah did not prophecy during a jolly happy time. It was a time of deep depravity and depression wrapped in darkness.

- Israel's sin had set them in an adverse condition and had set them up for a profound fall. It was in that darkest part of Israel that God's light would shine in the ministry of the Messiah.

- In our second message, we observed "The Celebration Of Christmas."

- Because the Messiah has come, the work for salvation is finished, the oppressor has been crushed and peace is ours. Today, what exists in our hearts will ultimately be expressed in our world!

- Tonight, we come to our final message, where we discover "The Christ Of Christmas." Let's take a look and see what we discover about Him.

Text

• Isaiah 9:6 : "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." : What was Isaiah's voice like when he uttered these words? Do you hear a proud, superior tone?

- I'm convinced that when Isaiah uttered these words, there was a near shock and certainly an awe at the incredible grace that would be bestowed upon them!

- "For unto us." This is going to happen to us! This is going to be a blessing from God for the people of Judah!

- Considering all that we have observed regarding the spiritual and moral climate of the nation during this time, any expectation of good would have seemed far fetched.

- Yet, it was the people of Judah who could expect this wonderful person and claim Him as one of theirs, indeed, the greatest of theirs or any people group ever!

- Far from distancing Himself from Judah, God again reveals that His faithfulness to His own promise is far more important than Judah's disobedience to His covenant!

- His grace is indeed sufficient to me if it has already been sufficient to these!

- What does Isaiah say about Him? He'll be a Child who is born. He will be a human being, a person with the same vulnerabilities of time and space.

- As a Child born, He would need to be fed and cared for. He would need help reaching things that were too high for Him. He would have questions that would need answering.

- Jesus, our Savior, was born and His birth was hardly one that one would expect. He let out His first cry in what we might call a tiny barn.

- His parents and some animals were the only ones to hear His first cries! There was no immediate fanfare. He was only a baby.

- But He was already a Son! He was already, at the moment of conception, the unique, eternal Son of God. God had given us or delivered to the world, His own Son!

- When a human has a baby, it's a human. When God has a Son, that Son is God! That's the Son of God, Jesus, the One God the Father has given to redeem a sinful humanity unto Himself!

- He is human so that He might sympathize with our weakness and God that He might be strong enough to procure a salvation for all who would believe upon Him!

- He must be great enough, as the government, the reign over God's Kingdom, will rest squarely upon His shoulders. He will bear the full weight and responsibility as the sole sovereign.

- He will not depend upon a holy constituency or a righteous cabinet of voices contributing to His decision making. He will rule alone!

- When one thinks of government, or authority, the thoughts are hardly complementary. The Lord's rule will be far different. He will have a Name.

- The concept here is not that people will employ these words when delineating who He is. "Hey, that's Mr. Wonderful!!" The idea here is that this will be His reputation.

- When people say His Name, it will be synonymous with this type of rule, or with these characteristics. His Name will be called, each item, more excellent than the last.

- His Name will be called "Wonderful Counselor." Some have believed that the two words should be separated and the words would certainly be true. "Wonderful" speaks of awe inspiration.

- As one gets older in their faith, Jesus does indeed become more wonderful. When you think of Him, your mind gets caught up in what He must be like in full divinity.

- How great must He be in heaven, when on Earth, His ministry was replete with miracle after miracle. He is Wonderful. He is our Counselor.

- His life advises us to put our faith in God, to trust Him even in the face of the worst pain. He counsels us in His teaching every time we read His words.

- Certainly, these things are true and you wouldn't be wrong for holding them in this way. However, I tend to agree with the view that Wonderful modifies Counselor.

- He is our wonderful counselor. I'd suggest that we consider this in terms of advocacy. He stands as our Lawyer, our legal defense. Turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:31ff.

- The chapter that begins with the phrase "There is therefore now no condemnation" ends with this group of sentences.

• Romans 8:31-34 : "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." : Who can condemn us when Jesus stands right there next to the Father and answers for us!?

- He is not only a great lawyer. He is Mighty God. What a statement to those that will say that the Bible never equates the Messiah, Jesus Christ, with deity. The scripture is unified on this subject.

- The Jehovah's witnesses will tell you that there is a difference between Mighty God and Almighty God. The Father is also called "Mighty God" and Revelation 1:8 calls Jesus Almighty God!

- Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He has always been and will ever be God, a direct assault on the teachings of every major and minor cult.

- He was never anything else and He will never be anything other than the strong God that He is. Is that not a comfort? The One who you worship is the One who rules over everything!

- Jesus is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. For those who already struggle with the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity, I know that this might make it a bit worse for the moment.

- Jesus is God. The Father is God. The Holy Spirit is God. None of them are the other person. They are distinct from one another, but the same in essence. They are all God.

- At Solomon's porch in Jerusalem, Jesus told the Jews that He and the Father were one, a statement that drew their ire enough to gather stones for stoning! (John 10:30,31)

- When the disciples asked Jesus to simply show them the Father, Jesus replied, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father!" (John 14:9)

- Again, one would not be wrong for adopting this view of this phrase. The word "Father" however, speaks to one who is the progenitor, the first of a type of people.

- In that respect, Jesus is our Father, the first of another kind, specifically being the first to have been resurrected, to have received a glorified body!

- Twice the New Testament, Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5 takes it from the other side, calling Jesus the "Firstborn from the dead."

- Because He did that, we who have believed upon Him also have the promise of following suit! He was the First, the One who opened the door to life, but certainly not the last.

- He is our Wonderful Counselor. He is the Mighty God. He is the Everlasting Father. He is the Prince of Peace.

- When a male heir to the Kingdom was born, the Prince would be groomed for his eventual rule, being taught from the first day the policies of the Kingdom and of his family.

- Isaiah is telling us that His reign will be marked by God's heart for peace. This must have brought a tear to Isaiah's eyes, as all his people knew at the moment was conflict.

- When would there be a cease fire? When could we return to some semblance of rest from all this activity? His Name, His reputation, His Kingdom will be marked by peace!

- How much do we long for that day when all skeptics will be silenced, all opposition will cease,  and all hatred of God will come to an end!? Someday the Prince of Peace will bring this to pass!

• Isaiah 9:7 : "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." : His government will never stop expanding. Unlike human governments that are subject to the weakness of age, God's Kingdom will only ever multiply!

- The peace that He ushers in will never be threatened, not because He rules with an iron hand, but there will never be another rebellion! Sin will have left the world!

- Notice again Isaiah's mention of the the throne of David. God had promised David an heir and Jesus is that rightful heir!

- The Son of David, the Son of God will establish it firmly and sustain it with judgement and justice forever and ever!

- How will this be accomplished? Will it be by the will of the people? Will it be by popular demand? Neither will be the case.

- The zeal of the Lord of Hosts, His passion, His greatest desire is to bring this to pass.

• Isaiah 9:8b (NLT) : "The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!"

Conclusion

- God's greatest desire is to give His Son the Kingdom that His Name deserves. His humanity has made Him our "Wonderful Counselor" and has made us the new race to which He is the Father.

- In His deity, we confess that He is our Mighty God and the Prince of His Father's Peace.

- Every Christmas, this is the Christ that we confess: He's the King. We're His subjects and as the Father fulfilled His promise in His first coming, so now we expect Him to come again!

- May He come quickly!