Names of Jesus in Isaiah: WONDERFUL COUNSELOR
Isaiah 9:2-7 - Victory Fellowship
November 28, 2021 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
1st Sunday of Advent
The Prophet Isaiah
The language in Isaiah 8 is ominous and dark and foreboding. People are rejecting God’s ways and are walking and living in darkness. Despair is rampant in the nation, distress is common and the pressures of an enemy attack lurks in every shadow. The people are afraid and stressed out.
Why are they afraid?
They were afraid because they had totally lost sight of God. God sent Isaiah, to help them recover their sight.
- The days of God’s nearness – GONE
- The days of God’s great works – GONE
- The days of God’s glory – GONE
- The days where a word from the book brought comfort – GONE!
In their desperation where do they turn? Isaiah 8:19 When they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Looking for answers they thrust themselves further into darkness and hopelessness by having their palms read and checking out Madam Balboa’s astrological charts and the whole time cursing God!
It is interesting, but God says in verse 20 that all they need is the teaching and the testimony, in other words, just look in God’s word and that’s all you will need. This was the culture of Isaiah’s day, and how little things seem to have changed today!
The next several verses in Is. Indicate that God was going to do something new and significant. These are the exact words that many people are needing to hear today…if we can listen…
Isaiah 9:2-5 (NLT)
- Those in darkness will see a great light…2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light—a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. - Joy will replace despair
3 Israel will again be great, and its people will rejoice as people rejoice at harvest time. They will shout with joy like warriors dividing the plunder.
- The enemies power will be broken
4 For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon’s little band.
And then Isaiah says that this will all be fulfilled because of the birth of a baby who will be named Jesus Christ.
ISAIAH WANTS TO INTRODUCE YOU TO JESUS!
Here In Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is named:
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.
Our focus the next couple of weeks will be on these names. Today we start with Wonderful Counselor. What does this mean? What does it mean that Jesus will be known as the Wonderful Counselor?
The Hebrew word translated "wonderful" in this verse signifies something indescribably great; something so tremendous, so amazing, that it’s literally beyond description. (Miracle) Something that transcends human experience or imagination. So when the Scriptures refer to Jesus as a "wonderful" counselor, it doesn’t just mean that he’s good at giving advice. It means that he understands things which are beyond the ability of our finite minds to comprehend. He knows things which only God can know. He knows the ways of God; He understands God’s plans and purposes. His knowledge, and intelligence, and wisdom, and insight far exceed that of any man who ever lived. So in Jesus Christ, we have someone who, by virtue of his great knowledge and understanding, is abundantly qualified to guide and direct our lives. Someone who is never confused or mistaken. Someone who always knows exactly what to do. Someone who will never lead us astray.
Why does this matter? Because I wonder if we really see Christ in this way; as a fully competent counselor, someone whose guidance is superior to any other. Do we really see him as someone who understands, better than anyone else, what life is all about? Do we believe him when he claims to be able to lead us into "abundant" life? Do we go to him first for assistance in dealing with our marriage, our children, our job? When we need help coming to terms with illness, or depression, or conflict? Yes, we know he’s the Son of God, and so we view him as omniscient, all-knowing.
But when it comes to living our daily lives, do we really look to him for practical guidance? Who do you say Jesus is? Do we study his teachings? Do we follow his example? Do we go to him in prayer? Or do we look first to the advice of our friends, our family, our co-workers; perhaps even someone we stood in line next to at the hardware store, or someone we saw on Ellen; and only as a last resort go to Christ?
Not only did Jesus meet and surpass all expectations, not only was there no limit to what He could do, but as a counselor He applies His limitless knowledge to our lives. COUNSELOR. He is the sum total of all knowledge. All wisdom, all guidance, all direction, all truth, all counsel and insight…He knows everything about everything and is never wrong.
All knowledge of the past present and future, of all things, of all purposes and plans belongs to Him. He even knows what is in your heart!!
He will be known to His people as the WONDERFUL CONSELOR – our friend, our savior. According to Isaiah, the light we have in the darkness, the thing that is going to lift our load, our ability to rejoice is all wrapped up in the wonderful counselor. There is no alternate, no substitute and no one who can compare to Him. He is the wonderful counselor!
God is the source of all wisdom. All wisdom - not just theoretical, abstract wisdom, but every day, practical wisdom about how to live, comes from God. And we have access to this wisdom through Jesus Christ, and through His Spirit. Listen:
"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his." -- Job 12:13
"I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me." -- Psalm 16:7
"For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." -- Proverbs 2:6
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." -- James 1:5
All truth is God’s truth; all truth and wisdom have their source in God. And how is that truth and wisdom communicated to us? Through the Son of God, the Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ doesn’t just reveal the wisdom of God to us, He is the wisdom of God. There is nothing God knows that He doesn’t know. There is no truth, no knowledge, no understanding which He does not possess. In Him are hidden "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge". Now, who would you rather have giving you advice on how to raise your children? Jesus Christ, the "wisdom of God"? Or some guy who graduated with a degree in clinical psychology from Minnesota State University? Or Case Western? Or even Harvard? Who understands people better? Who understands the dynamics of human relationships better? Isn’t it the one who created us in the first place?
All right, if that’s true, then how do we receive his guidance? How do we receive His advice and counsel for the specific issues we’re dealing with?
First, you have to read and understand the Bible. And I don’t mean just looking for a few verses which speak directly to the issue you care about. I mean becoming familiar with the Bible as a whole. You can’t just open your concordance and start looking up verses with the word "teenagers", for instance, because you won’t find any. There’s no chapter devoted specifically to "depression". That doesn’t mean God doesn’t know anything about depression, or that he doesn’t care about it. It just means that in order to understand the causes and cures of depression, you need to dig deeper.
You need to read the Psalms where David talks about his soul being "downcast". You need to read what the Bible has to say about discouragement, and despair, and joy, and gladness. It takes time and effort, which is one reason wisdom is in such short supply. People think the Bible doesn’t speak to the issues they’re struggling with. But the real problem is that we don’t know our Bibles well enough to draw the wisdom out; we’re not students of the Word. Do you want to be wise? Do you want to know how to live a successful life? Then read the Bible. Read the gospels. Study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The second thing you need to do to receive wisdom is to pray. Because when we pray, the Holy Spirit gets involved. He helps us to pray; He guides our prayers and changes our hearts. He enables and empowers our prayers.
One last thing: seek help and counsel from other believers as well. God never intended that we should be spiritual "lone rangers". He has placed us in a body, the body of Christ, so that we can minister to one another, and one of the ways we do that is by giving counsel to one another. When you need help with an issue, seek out those who are more mature in the faith and ask their help. Let the Lord speak to you through them. Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor!
PRAYER
SONG: Manger Throne
Isaiah 9:2-7 NLT
2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.
6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
