By Pastor Eric Westland
Isaiah 7:14 NKJV 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Matt. 1 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Isaiah 9:6 KJV 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, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 NIV 6 For to us a child is born,
– to us a son is given,
– and the government will be on his shoulders.
– And he will be called
– Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, (no comma)
– Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
NLT – “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
1.Wonderful: Pe-leh in Hebrew- wonder, marvel
a. wonder (extraordinary, hard to understand thing)
b. wonder (of God’s acts of judgment and redemption)
2. Counselor: Yawats in Hebrew- to advise, consult, give counsel, purpose, devise, plan
a. (Niphal) to consult together, exchange counsel, deliberate, counsel together
b. (Hithpael) to conspire
c. to lead and guide
I . Introduction – Talk about Counselors
II. Body
A. As Wonderful Counselor, God Became Available to us. He became a personal God. We have an high priest. His very name – Immanuel, God with us! JESUS-Jehovah (God) has become our savior!
1. The name “Counselor” speaks of His wisdom (Omniscient-ALL KNOWING)
2. You know when wisdom is worthless???
a. When it is not available
b. or,When it cannot be applied to your Life
c. But with Jesus it is available and can be applied to your life.
3. Jesus became available to us (NLT Phil. 2:5-7) 5Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.
NIV Heb 4: 14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
a. He came to us in a manger (Luke 2:1-7)
b. His birth was announced to shepherds (Luke 2:8-14)
c. Wise men came to worship Him (Matt. 2: 1-11)
4. During His ministry, Jesus was always available
a. Available to children and adults
b. Available to rich and poor
c. Available to sinners like you and me
Aren’t you glad He is available to us. Always (He never sleeps or slumbers)
B. As Wonderful Counselor, He Came with Answers to Our problems.
Most people have problems or needs. Amen?
Jesus has all the answers
1. He had Answers for the doctors in the temple (Luke 2:41-52)
2. He had Answers for Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews (John 3)
3. He had Answers for His critics (John 2:18-22)
4. He has Answers about eternity
a. There is the promise of heaven (John 14:1-6 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions;[a] if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.)
b. And also the reality of hell (Luke 16: 19-31; The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man.)
And lastly
B.”As Wonderful Counselor, He Came with an Assurance of Hope!” “In a world that sometimes seems hopeless, Jesus brought hope to those who had no hope.”
1. He brought a message of hope – thru His love
a. He had a Love for the woman at the well (John 4)
b. He had a Love for crooked Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-1.0)
c. He had a Love for a dying thief (Luke 23:39-43)
3. No situation is too bleak for Him to fix/intervene. -No problem is too difficult for Him to solve
a. He still reaches out to those who have no hope
b. He offers hope to you and me
Conclusion
A. This Christmas Season – We Celebrate More Than a Miracle Birth
1. This virgin-born Savior, has the answers we need for our lives today
2. Answers that are relevant to every need of every age
B. Bring Your Burdens and Problems to Him
C. His Wise Counsel Will Guide You through Them All
Clare Boothe Luce. There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.
Halford E. Luccock
One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power or hope in the present.
