How hectic is your life right now? How many shopping days are left? Have you baked all your Christmas cookies? How about those cards? Don’t you feel the least bit guilty about the time not spent with your kids? Rumor has it that some of you are actually done with Christmas shopping and have been for several weeks now. For your safety, I encourage you to keep that to yourself. For the rest of us, we are still shopping, wrapping, shipping. We have concerts to attend, parties to go to. I don’t know about you, but at a time of the year in which we are to fix our minds on the serenity of Bethlehem, I find my life more akin to a five-year-old on a sugar high. I’m moving at warp speed today, but tomorrow I’ll collapse in a grumpy heap. Frank Sinatra may sing, “It’s that time of year when the world falls in love,” but for most of us it is just that time of year when we fall in debt, racing around, spending money we don’t have, giving gifts to people who really don’t need anything new. In the midst of Christmas chaos, we could use order. Our Christmas conceptions owe their life to St. Hallmark more than Matthew and Luke, so the peacefulness of the greeting cards only serves to mock us as we frantically seek to accomplish everything on our list. The tranquillity of the manger is replaced by the commotion of the holiday. What we need is order to our disordered life. What better time than this to reflect on the order offered us by Christ. That order is seen in our passage this morning by the four names given to the Messiah found in Isaiah 9:6-7. As we saw last week in Isaiah 9:1-5, the one to be born will bring light where there is darkness, will give joy instead of doom, and freedom instead of slavery. Who is this person who will bring all this to pass? For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 This passage is familiar, if for no other reason, than from Handel’s Messiah. The names listed here will help us better understand who our God is and what He has done for us. If we are to celebrate this Christmas season in a way which glorifies our God, we must understand whose birth we are now celebrating. Let’s take a look at the four names given Jesus Christ. In the KJV the punctuation divides these into two, making there be five names and not four. Yet the Hebrew construction as well as the way the symmetry in the rest of the names causes us to conclude that this should read: a wonder of a counselor. Recall the situation at hand. The Syrians have joined Judah’s brothers to the north to attack Judah and are now poised to destroy Jerusalem. Ahaz the king of Judah is frightened and so aligns himself with Assyria for protection. The prophet Isaiah counsels Ahaz to trust in God’s protection rather than rejecting God’s promises by worshipping the Assyrian gods. Ahaz’s life is in disarray as his people teeter on the brink of destruction. What they need is order. What God offers them is a Savior who will bring that order. In this passage the order offered is seen most clearly in the names associated with the coming Messiah. CHRIST THE WONDERFUL COUNSELOR ORDERS OUR THINKING Clear thinking is something we all lack. At one time or another we so easily become confused, especially when life is most hectic. We may not have foreign armies invading our lands as Ahaz faced, but you may have your in-laws over for the holidays, you may find yourselves on the wrong end of a hurtful comment from a not-so-well meaning relative. You may dread the holidays for the painful memories they conjure, from desires never realized. It is at a time like that our thinking is muddied. It is then we need a good counselor. The meaning of the name: The first word here is “wonder.” The child born to be king is a wonder of a counselor. The word “wonder” refers to anything out of the ordinary. It is used of the miracles God performed when he took the Jews from Egypt. It is any phenomenon outside the realm of human explanation. From the very first appellation we have an attestation of the uniqueness of this child. He is not just any counselor, but His advise transcends human categories. Counselor: Often when we think of a counselor we picture a therapist. But while the word can imply one who aids someone through the maze of the human psyche; the counselor was one who advised the king as to prudent actions. What is interesting here is that this child will be the one to bear the burden of government; He will sit on David’s throne. His reign will only increase, it will never end and it will be characterized by justice and righteousness. Such a king would need hundreds of advisors. To do what is right is never inherent in the human heart, so the aid of others would be necessary. But this king needs no others to advise him, for this counselor is a wonder. Isaiah describes one who is God, for only God possesses these qualities. In Isaiah 28:29 it is the Lord Almighty who is wonderful in counsel. What is the importance of the name "Wonderful Counselor" to believers today? We live in a world filled with counselors. Psychiatrists’ couches are filled with people troubled by guilt, yet all they can offer are stop-gap measures or medication to ease the pain. The root is far too deep to be extricated. Financial advisors grasp for indications as to what the future economy holds and then gives their guess. They may be well informed, but can not prognosticate with sufficient certainty. Politicians are surrounded by advisors that read the tarot cards we call the polls in order to give direction. But such advisors are notoriously self serving. Far too often we are surrounded by counselors who are sycophants at the one end or know-it-alls on the other. While the Proverbs admonishes us to seek the counsel of others, that counsel, even the best, is only as good as the person giving it. Even the best advice is bound by our finite and sinful minds. It is for this reason we have news that our addled brains so desperately need: in Christ we have a Wonderful Counselor. What is the counsel Jesus gives us? His counsel is the Law. We don’t speculate about God’s demands. We do not have to offer conjecture what will please or anger our Father. It is given to us in the Decalogue. We are given direction through the work of Christ. Christ as the Wonderful Counselor does what others could never do. Not only does Christ dictate how we should live, but He then lives the life for us. His counsel is to take that which we do not deserve, but are offered by His grace. The best counsel He offers us is to look to the work He has done on our behalf, His death in our place. The simplicity should evoke a response of wonder in us as we recognize that Christ’s counsel finds His focal point on the Cross. Our wonderful Counselor now as our High Priest goes to the Father on our behalf. His wounded hands, feet and side plead our case. He is our advocate so that we can know we are accepted. When confronted by our own sinfulness, God’s acceptance is what we toss out first. We doubt whether a just and holy God could really love us. It is then that Christ the King comes down from His throne and counsels us, encourages us with the wonderful good news of His death on our behalf. Our muddled minds become lucid again. Despite what the world tells us, be it in the harsh words of a parent, the angry response of an ungrateful child, the TV blaring its accusations of proper holiday order, we have a counselor in Christ. CHRIST THE MIGHTY GOD ORDERS OUR LIFE How can we know that Christ should be our counselor? How can we be certain that in our disordered lives, in the face of turmoil and trouble, when we confront the sinfulness of our own heart, how can we know there is hope? There is a mighty God. Just as we lack clear thinking regarding who we are before God and how we are to relate to those around us, our lives lack the power to effect the change we know that good counseling tells us to do. It is for this reason that we can have hope in a Mighty God who orders our lives. The meaning of Mighty God: “Might” here can also be translated “hero.” What a statement! In a world where heroes are determined by their athletic prowess or financial power, we are told that the only One truly worthy to be adored is the One whose might is unparalleled! Just as the previous name makes it clear that this child to be born is far different than any other child, for His counsel is unmatched by any human counselor, so here we read that the child to sit on David’s throne is indeed God. There are few places in the Old Testament in which we have such a clear statement as to the deity of Jesus. He is God. As we contemplate this Christmas season the babe nestled in the straw, the star-lit night offering tranquillity and peace, we need to remember that the one in the manger is God in the flesh. Ahaz refused to believe this. He considered might to be demonstrated on the battlefield; it was measured by the size of the army. He could not believe that a virgin giving birth had any relevance to his life. But it is at that paradox we are called to consider Christ. What is the importance of the name "Mighty God" to believers today? As long as we think we control our own lives, that the pressures we face are no match for our own abilities, then the God of might will mean little to us. But as we find our lives spinning faster than we can respond, the pressures far more than we can handle, it is then that we will seek order from the one who ordered the stars in heaven, who orchestrates all creation for His own honor and glory. The disorder we face is not just the inability to balance our daytimers, but our inability to conquer our own sin. Who has not struggled with sin and found no relief? Who has not wondered why the world always seems to get the best of us? Our victory is assured in Christ. Not when we think we are mighty and strong, but when we trust in Christ alone. When we go to Him for guidance He is able not only to advice, but to give the power we need in our lives. CHRIST THE EVERLASTING FATHER ORDERS OUR DESTINY We live in a very transitory age. What may be good counsel at one time may not work at another. What might be powerful for one person is powerless for us. How can we be sure that our minds will not again become confused so that we’ll never think clearly? How can we know that order God offers us will once again fall into chaos? We think this way because that is what we experience. Our joy over God sending His Son to die for us lasts as long as the needles on a Christmas tree. Without some assistance outside of ourselves our faith in the Christ of Christmas will be as stale as those cookies in January. We need something that is lasting. The term "Everlasting Father" creates some confusion. The passage is a foretelling of the birth of Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah, the second person of the triune God, the Son of the Father. Why is he called Father here? The term ”Father” clarifies “everlasting” or “eternity.” Father here is not His eternal office, but tells us what He does for us regarding that which is eternal. He gives us eternal life as our earthly fathers gave us physical life. Father describes the relationship this King has to us. With each title, there is an increasing personal, intimate aspect. Ahaz didn’t believe that the promise of God to David would ever be realized. He could not imagine that God was both willing and able to fulfill His covenant. He refused to believe that God was a Father to him, so he had to take matters into his own hands. What is the importance of the name "Everlasting Father" to believers today? He gives us the supreme gift of eternal life. Christ secured our position before the Father in heaven when died in our place and rose on the third day. We have received that which will never fade like an old evergreen, it will not be useless like Aunt Martha’s fruitcake. When we by faith receive the offer of eternal life, we have that which we can never lose. We did not secure it, we can not lose it. As a good father nourishes and protects and cares for his family, so the Messiah will care for His own. He will eternally be a Father to His people. He will never leave us or forget about us. He will not walk away in disgust over our sinfulness, but gently and firmly encourage and enable us to live as God commands us to live. Your destiny is secure. The ordering of your affairs has been accomplished already by Christ. CHRIST THE PRINCE OF PEACE ORDERS OUR HEARTS This final title summarizes the benefits of all the rest. Ahaz did not trust the counsel of God; he refused the believe God’s own mighty hand could save him, and he rejected the promises of the covenant telling of the eternal nature of God’s merciful reign on David’s throne. In all this, Ahaz lacked peace. Once again you and I are a lot like Ahaz. We so desperately want peace in our lives, but the peace we desire is according to our own agenda. Peace and quiet is more often at the top of our lists. We treasure the quiet, but so rarely experience it. Try as we might to schedule in vacations, as much as we want to get away, the frantic pace of life is far more than we can endure. Even if we stop the madness around us, we can not turn off the voices which play inside our heads, keeping us from resting as we should. The meaning of Prince of Peace: Once again we have the promise of something we desire attached to a title of power. It is peace we want and only royalty may grant it. This prince (chieftain) is one with authority to make war and grant peace. But this royal one uses His authority to end the war and keep us sustained in a time of peace. The Prince of Peace: not only the Author of peace, and the Dispenser of peace, but also He that rules by peace, whose rule tends always to perfection, and produces prosperity. (Romans 5:1) Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. The peace we so desperately need can not emanate from the order we create, but must begin first from a right relationship with God. Christ satisfied the claims of absolute justice so that God in perfect justice can declare that the sinner stands in a right relationship with Himself. Being at peace with the sinner, God pardons that sinner, and give to him the peace which is a divine gift. The shepherds well understood the message that first Christmas (Luke 2:11-14). They could put 2 and 2 together as they were told that a baby born in the town of David was their Savior. The confirming message by the angels likewise spelled out the result of this birth: peace to those on whom God’s favor rests. What is the importance of the name "Prince of Peace" to believers today? Human rulers talk about peace and say that their aim is to have a kingdom of peace - but does it ever really happen? Internal unrest and international strife continue in spite of the best peace-making efforts of individuals and governments. But the Messiah's kingdom is different! Not only are all of His plans and programs directed toward the goal of peace and prosperity for His subjects, but His almighty power accomplishes His goal. This kingdom of peace is seen in His birth, it is recognized in His life, it is fully realized now that Christ has put an end to sin and made us His sons and daughters. This kingdom (verse 7) increases, and the peace will never end. The battle is over, the victory is won. We live now in the light of Christ’s reign. You need not worry whether the Father accepts you; His Son’s death established the peace. You can rest in that. The certainty of this truth is not based on your good intentions, not determined by our cooperative effort. Rather it is God’s own jealous desire for His own honor that guarantees our status before God. No matter how hectic your life, God’s victory is won. Chaos is ordered. Sure the shopping must still be done, the presents wrapped. Your Christmas season may still keep you unnerved. But the difference now is that God’s peace reigns. It is a peace that does not transform chaos into serenity, but announces peace while all around is chaotic. The transforming power of Christ recognized by the shepherds that first Christmas still is offered today. It calls us to look to Christ when our lives are the most hectic, the most busied so that we are reminded that God’s peace is real, for His favor rests on us as we trust that it is Christ who has died for us and rose again. |
