"The Wonderful Counselor"
Isaiah 9:6
Introduction:
One of the tasks that confront every parent is the job of coming up with a name for their new baby. I remember that struggle.
Some names are immediately dismissed because they don’t sound right. Some
names are dismissed because you associate them with certain people who are weird, people you don’t like, or because
the names have certain stereotypes that go with them. Finding the right name is something most parents agonize over.
As much as we care about
names, the people of the Bible cared even more. Names were most often picked because of the meaning of the name. We read several
places where people had their names changed as a result of their new relationship with God (Abram became Abraham; Jacob became
Israel, Simon became Peter, and Saul became Paul).
Other people were given names that were to represent various truths (consider the zany names of the children of Hosea
or the symbolic names of the children of Joseph). So when we read names in the
Bible have not been selected simply because they “sound cool”.
In the Bible according
to Naves Topical Bible there are more than 250 different names for Jesus! You’ll be glad to know that we are not going
to look at all of them! But we are going to look at a few of them. Pastor King have plan to spend the few weeks of Advent
reflecting on the four (some would say five) names of Jesus given in Isaiah 9:6. But
as he said we are going to look at only one (Wonderful Counselor) like a person might look at a diamond, turning it to try
to better grasp the richness of its beauty. Isaiah 9:6 says
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,
Everlasting
Father,
Prince
of Peace.
There is some debate
on this first name. In the King James Version Wonderful and Counselor are two
separate names. But in contemporary versions of the Bible they are listed as one name.
Why? The answer isn’t very complicated. The thought is that Isaiah
was being uniform in his structure. Each of the other three names consisted of
two words so it is believed that Isaiah meant the first to be two words. Either
way, this is quite a title. First, we look little bit all of them, and then we will go on our topic.
Wonderful-counselor
– Isaiah prophecies that he will be king and will be called wonder counselor. The reign of this king shall be progressive
and perpetual because founded in wonderful justice and secured by the distinguishing favor of Jehovah. Wonderful Counselor
because He comes to us as the Revealer of the Father’s will.
The Almighty
God- see 10:21. His divine power as a warrior is stressed. Everlasting.
Everlasting
Father- He will be an enduring; compassionate provider and protector (cf. 40:9-11).
Prince of Peace-
His rule will bring wholeness and well-being to individuals and to society (see 11:6-9).
The word used for wonderful
is the same word used in Judges 13:18 “He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.”
The words “beyond understanding” is from the same word as the word translated “wonderful” in Isaiah. In other words, Jesus would be a Counselor that was greater than we could begin to
comprehend.
But who cares? Why do we
need a Counselor? Let me suggest three reasons why the world (and we) needed a “Wonderful Counselor”:
The world is often a confusing
and overwhelming place. We need someone to help us get through the fog.
We have a sin problem that
we cannot handle by ourselves. We may try to be good but we fail. We need someone who can do for us what we cannot do for
ourselves. We need someone who can lead us to salvation and new life.
We yearn for a relationship
with God. Some people don’t realize it but they are searching for meaning
and purpose in their life. They are seeking the Almighty. We need someone who can lead us to Him.
With these things in
mind I want to address an important question. Why is Jesus a ‘Wonderful
Counselor”? Let me give you a few reasons.
ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS
The first characteristic
of a good Counselor is someone who is able to rightly identify the problem in the one they are counseling. We have all had
experience with people who tried to counsel us but didn’t have any idea what we were going through,
The single person counseling
on marriage
The Childless couple counseling
their friends on parenting
The person who doesn’t
understand depression who tells a depressed person to “just straighten up”
The person who has never
experienced loss who tells a grieving person to “get over it.”
A person who has never struggled
in life trying to counsel someone who has struggled all his/her life.
When you are on the
receiving end of counsel from one of these counselors we become exasperated (very annoyed) and frustrated because it is obvious
that the person doesn’t understand. Their information is coming from books. It’s plastic and inappropriate. These
are not wise counselors.
It is tempting to think
that Jesus might fit into this category. He wasn’t married, He was God’s Son, He had never sinned. But Jesus does
understand. This is what makes Christ so special. Listen to the Bible’s
testimony,
Hebrews 2:17-18
For this reason he
had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in
service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted,
he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 4:15
For 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.
Do you understand that this
is what Christmas is about? God becomes man to face what we face, to walk in
our shoes. He knew what it was like to suffer. He knew temptation. He understood
the desire to strike back, to give up, to despair. The only difference between our experience and the experience of Jesus
is that He got through the tempting times without giving in. He was without sin but that doesn’t mean He was without
struggle.
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and
rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and
we esteemed him not.
Jesus wasn’t born in
a temple. He wasn’t born as member of a royal family. He was considered the illegitimate son of a carpenter. In Matthew we read, “Then a teacher of the
law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes
and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:19-20) Jesus knew what
it was like to face rejection and ridicule. He knew what it was like to be poor.
John 2:25
He did
not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Jesus understood (and
understands) the hurts, the needs, and the rebellion of men. The Lord understands our tears. Take your best friend, the person
who listens when no one else will, the person who understands your deepest need, the person who will not jump on you when
you make a mistake but will help you get back up . . . . Jesus is like that, only extraordinarily better.
APPROPRIATE
PRESCRIPTION
A good counselor is
not just sympathetic. You can hurt with others and still not be able to help them. A
good counselor must know how to help. They must know the appropriate prescription for the problem.
Don’t you love it when
you tell someone that you are feeling anxious and they say, “Well, don’t think about it” or “Don’t
worry about it.” Don’t you want to say, “Wow, what extraordinarily empty advice that is. You make it sound
like I want to be anxious.”
Examples in the Bible
a. Poor Counselors:
There are examples of a number of poor counselors in the Bible. In the Garden
of Eden Satan acted as a Counselor and told Eve to eat what God had forbidden. He
counseled Jesus to make stones into bread and to test God’s love. The wife of Job told him to “Curse God and die!”
Job’s friends told him to repent because he must have done something wrong if bad things were happening to him. All
were foolish counselors giving bad advice.
b. Good Counselors:
We also see several examples of good counsel. Jethro advised Moses to delegate authority. The prophets were constantly advising
the Kings to “trust God”. And then there is this great story about
Solomon,
1 Kings 3:16-27
Now two prostitutes
came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a
baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born; this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there
was no one in the house but the two of us.
“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on
him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while
I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse
my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I
had borne.”
The other woman
said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one
is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
The king said, “This
one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is
alive.’”
Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king.
He
then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
The woman whose
son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby!
Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
Then
the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
This is wise counsel. Solomon read the situation correctly and found a way to bring the best resolution.
Jesus is the wisest Counselor
because His wisdom is from the throne room of Heaven.
He never sought the counsel
of man, and He never asked for the advice of man. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor?”
(Rom. 11:34). God has no counselor. The Lord Jesus Christ never called His disciples together and said, “Now, fellows,
what do you think I ought to do?” You don’t read anything like that in Scripture. The Lord called them together
and said, “This is what I am going to do, because this is My Father’s will.” And Christ has been made unto
us wisdom (see 1 Cor. 1:30). Most of us are not very smart. We must go to Him for help.
Our Lord does several things
when we turn to Him. First, He tells us the truth. He tells us what is really wrong with our lives. He points
out that we are rebelling against God. We are like sheep who have gone astray. He tells us that we need to repent of our sin.
He is like a Doctor who tells
someone suffering from emphysema that they need to stop smoking cigarettes and stop hanging around with people who smoke.
Understanding what is causing the problem is essential before you can solve the problem.
Second, Jesus tells us
to trust what He has done for us. In Matthew 20:28 we read,
the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus understood that we
could not save ourselves. Something needed to be done for us. Jesus didn’t
just tell us that we needed help. He provided the help we need.
Did you see the story on
television recently about the young girl who received two organ transplants at once?
She received a liver and a kidney. Her father and her Grandmother both
willingly provided for this girl they loved. Without their provision, without
their sacrifice, this girl was going to die. All the good intentions in the world could not change the disease that was inside
of her.
It is somewhat like that
for us. We can want to be forgiven but we can’t do anything about defeating the disease of sin that stalks us and enslaves
us. Jesus provided what we could not provide for ourselves. He gave His life
as payment for our sin. The prescription of our wonderful counselor is “Trust me and take what I have provided.”
Third, our Counselor gives
us a prescription for life that will help us continue to live a spiritually healthy life. This prescription is found in the
Bible. In John 14:21, 23-24 Jesus said,
Whoever has my commands and
obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself
to him.”. . . “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father
will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These
words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
People who have had heart
surgery are given a prescription. They are told to walk regularly, to watch their diet, to take their medicine and to get
their regular check-ups. If you do those things, you will get better and be able
to enjoy your life. But if you ignore those prescriptions you will not regain your strength or vitality and will probably
die much sooner.
Our Lord has given us His
prescription for joyful living. He told us to resist the morality and advice of the world and to follow God’s directions.
Practically, that means
We are to trust Him rather than trusting ourselves
We are to love rather than take advantage of one another
We are to forgive rather than be bitter
We are to be holy rather than profane
We are to store up treasures in Heaven rather than on earth
We are to be generous rather than selfish
We are to seek to serve rather than be served
The counsel of Jesus is very
good (superb). He understands our situation and has addressed with love and wisdom. However, most people don’t know
this because they haven’t given His counsel a chance.
APPRECIABLE RESULTS
The best test of a good counselor
is whether the people who go to that counselor are helped. And if you know anything about the Bible you know that Jesus was
the most effective counselor that ever lived. Consider,
Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2) who was delivered from seven demons
The Gedarenes Demoniacs (Matthew 8:28ff) who were so violent everyone was scared of them Jesus delivered them and they were
made normal.
The Samaritan woman (John 4) who had been married and divorced five times and was currently living with a man – Jesus
turned her into a Missionary
The woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8) was saved from death and sent on her way transformed.
Zacchaeus was a despised tax-collector (Luke 19) and after meeting with Jesus vowed to repay anyone he cheated with interest
The fisherman were turned into missionaries
The religious leader, Nicodemus became a Christian even though it was very unpopular
to do so.
And it is not just those
who were in the Bible. Jesus is still changing lives. Consider
St. Augustine was a womanizing man who ran with the wild crowd
before becoming one of the greatest leaders of the church.
John Newton was a drunken slave trader before he wrote “Amazing Grace”
Johnny Cash was a hard living Country Singer before coming to Christ
Chuck Colson was a convicted Watergate Conspirator before he met Christ. The Lord led him to begin Prison Fellowship and he
has become one of the prophetic voices of our time.
Alice Cooper was a wild and drug crazed rock singer before coming to Christ where he sits under the teaching of RC Sprout
and others.
George W. Bush was known for his parties before He met Christ
Rev. Emanuel Khokhar was a Government official
before coming to Christ, but now he is the servant of God.
And if you look around, there
are many other names we could add to the list. Some of you have stories that
would surprise the people sitting around you. Jesus Christ has made an impact on millions of lives over the years. For some,
the progress has been slow and steady. For others it was a dramatic turnaround. But anyone who has come to the Savior willing
to submit to His leadership in their life has found Him to be sufficient for their needs.
CONCLUSIONS
What I hope you see is that
when Christ came into the world as a baby in Bethlehem, it
was not some historical event that is irrelevant to you and me. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem
the Wonderful Counselor was born. He is one we have been looking for all our lives.
He is the one who understands when no one else does
He is the one who stands by us when everyone else turns away
He is the one who really can help us confront the past and begin again
He is the one who can help us to find the God, we knew was present but couldn’t reach.
But let me remind you that
even the Wonderful Counselor cannot help you unless you are willing to be helped. Is it possible that Jesus is the one you
have been looking for all your life? May be it is time to stop running faster and instead stop and listen to the Wonderful
Counselor. May be it is time to stop hiding from the things that haunt your life. Why not take your hurts, fears, and failures
and bring them to Jesus?
You don’t have to hide
the truth about yourself. He already knows what you’re like. And
He loves you anyway.
When Jesus was born to Mary
and Joseph in Bethlehem it was God’s way of sending
us the help we needed. It was God, getting off the throne of Heaven to become a baby, so that He might come into our world,
take our hand, and lead us home.
He is the Wonderful Counselor,
renewing our minds. He is the Mighty God, encouraging our hearts. He is the Everlasting Father, lifting our spirits. He is
the Prince of Peace, who comforts our souls.
May God bless you, and guide
you to follow this wonderful counselor in your daily life. Amen!
Rev. Emanuel Khokhar
Candidate: Ph D in Missiology
Kukje Theological University
& Seminary
Delievered at IBF, Shinil
Presbyterian Church
Dated: December 3, 2006