Jesus, Our Wonderful Counselor

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0:19Well, please join with me as we go to the Lord and ask for his help. Father, as we enter this advent season, some of us are really excited. We love this time of the year. We love the music and the decorations and even the snow, but others of us are really stressed. Our plates are full, and we're stretched thin and we feel absolutely overwhelmed. And yet others of us come bearing grief and heartache. This season is a challenging reminder of the loved ones we've lost and the empty seats around our table. And so, Lord, we pray that you would meet each of us during this advent season in a very powerful way.

1:05We pray that over the course of these next four weeks, he would bring encouragement and hope through your word. And Lord, through it all, help us to see Jesus more clearly. Help us to behold him afresh. Help us to treasure him. Above all, Lord, give us a joy and a delight and a hope in Jesus like never before. Oh, father, please do this. We ask for your great glory and for our everlasting joy, we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as you have probably noticed, uh, we have quite a few children here at the North Church. In fact, almost every single week during our Sunday services, we're announcing the birth of a child.

1:55And whenever we do that, we always share the name that that child has been given. Now, there are a lot of reasons why parents name their children the way they do. Sometimes they just really like the way that name sounds. Uh, at other times they want to commemorate or honor a loved family member. And yet other times they're just drawn to the meaning of the name. And often when parents name their child, they do so with all sorts of hopes and aspirations in mind. In other words, uh, they hope that their child will live up to that name in some way. Well, over the course of the next four weeks, we are going to be looking at one of the most remarkable birth announcements ever.

2:42We're going to be looking at a birth announcement of Jesus from Isaiah chapter nine. And this birth announcement is very different from ours. Unlike our birth announcements, this one came extremely early. In fact, it came some 700 years before Jesus was born. Not only that, unlike our birth announcements, this one shares four different names. As one author said one name wasn't sufficient to describe this special child, and most importantly, unlike our birth announcements, these names weren't given because of how they sounded. They weren't given to commemorate someone else, nor were they given with some sort of aspiration in mind.

3:30No, these names actually reveal who Jesus is and what he came to do. They reveal something true, something certain about the person and work of Jesus. And so this week we're going to be focusing on the first of those four names. We're going to focus on Jesus as our wonderful counselor. And to do that, we're going to consider three things, the context for this name, the meaning of this name and the relevance of this name. So if you want an outline, that's it. This morning we're gonna be looking at context, meaning and relevance for this name, wonderful counselor. So first this morning, let's consider the context for the name.

4:19Wonderful counselor. At this point in the book of Isaiah, God's people in Judah were in the midst of an absolute crisis. So even though God had pursued them time and time again, by his grace, they continually turned away from God. So they broke God's commands and they followed after idols. They, they rebelled against God and refused to follow him as the one true living God. And it wasn't just the people of Judah who were corrupt, but many of their leaders were as well. For example, king Ahaz led God's people astray in numerous ways. For instance, he placed an assy Syrian type altar in the temple court.

5:00He encouraged false worship. He even burned his son as an offering. Not only that, but Ahaz leaned on his own understanding. So instead of trusting in God and taking God at his word, he made alliances with foreign nations. Well, God responded to all this by sending Isaiah to warn the people that judgment was coming. In fact, we see some of those warnings in Isaiah chapter eight. So just for a minute, turn with me back to Isaiah chapter eight, and let's look at verses six to eight. Look what it says there in Isaiah eight, beginning in verse six, it says, because this people has refused the waters of Shiloh that flow gently and rejoice over resin and the son of Alaya.

5:51Therefore, behold the Lord is bringing up against them waters of the river, mighty and many the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over its channels and go over all its banks and it will sweep on into Judah. It will overflow and pass on reaching even to the neck. And its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land. So because the people of Judah refused God's waters, his waters of refreshment and protection, God was going to send a mighty river of judgment. And that mighty river was the nation of Assyria and their armies. They were going to invade Judah almost like a flash flood that would just overwhelm them and really all but wipe them out.

6:40Well consider as well the language that Isaiah used just a little further down in verses 21 to 22, look what it says there. It says, they will pass through the land greatly distressed and hungry. And when they're hungry, they'll be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God and turn their faces upward and they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and they will be thrust into thick darkness. So as a result of rejecting God, the people of Judah will walk around hungry and distressed and hopeless, even though they're the ones responsible for their predicament, they're going to blame their leaders and they're going to shake their fists at God.

7:30Not only that, but as they look out on the land, the only thing they will see is darkness and gloom. In other words, they're going to get a foretaste of how empty and destitute life is without God. So hopefully you're getting the picture here that Judah was in a desperate situation. They were facing an absolute crisis because of their rebellion. They were about to be defeated by their enemies, judged by God and exiled from the land. And yet alongside of these warnings, Isaiah spoke words of hope. He prophesied about a time in the future when God would deliver his people and God would graciously intervene.

8:17And that's what we see unfold here in chapter nine, beginning in verses one and two, Isaiah prophesied that a time will come when there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. And the people who walked in darkness will see a great light. In other words, a a, a great reversal was on the horizon. The spiritual gloom that was facing God's people would one day be removed, right? The darkness that they were walking in would one day be pierced with the presence of God's light. And that light would produce something as verse three says, it would produce great blessing and joy among God's people.

8:59So instead of experiencing sorrow, God's people would rejoice like farmers after a great harvest or like soldiers after a great victory. In fact, victory is a key theme in this prophecy. So it's not just that God's people would rejoice like soldiers after a victory, they would actually experience victory. That's why in verse four, Isaiah spoke of God breaking the oppressive yoke of their enemy. In other words, their time of exile would eventually come to an end. God was going to free them from the foreign powers that had shackles on them. That's also why in verse five, Isaiah spoke of the burning of instruments of war such as boots and garments.

9:47Those items would be burned because they wouldn't be needed anymore. You don't need instruments of war when war has ceased. You don't need instruments of war when victory is complete. But that raises a question, doesn't it? How exactly will God bring this victory about how exactly will he deliver his people? Well, that's where verses six and seven come in. According to Isaiah, a child will be born, a son will be given and sent by God, and this child won't be an average citizen. No, the text tells us that the government will be on his shoulder. In other words, he will come to lead and to rule God's people.

10:36In other words, this, this child will be the Messiah that was promised long ago. He will be the final and ultimate error to David's throne. And as Isaiah mentioned, of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. So this child will usher in a kingdom unlike any other. It will be an eternal kingdom, a kingdom that overflows and is saturated with peace and righteousness and justice. And if you have any doubt whatsoever who this child, this messiah, this Davidic king is, then consider these words from Luke chapter one that the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary. He saiddo not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God and behold, you'll conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.

11:34He will be great and will be called the son of the most high. And then here it comes. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There will be no end. So make no mistake about it, when Isaiah said that a child will be born and a son will be given and the government will be on his shoulders, he was speaking about Jesus. Even though he didn't fully understand it, he was speaking about the eternal son of God who would take on flesh to dwell among us. Well, that brings us to the four names that Isaiah ascribed to Jesus here in verse six, Isaiah said, this child should be called wonderful counselor mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace.

12:28So whatever these names or titles mean, they're somehow connected to Jesus as Messiah. They're somehow connected to the rule and reign of this Davidic king. In other words, these names are royal names and they have royal implications. They tell us something about Jesus as king and the way in which he would rule. So that's the the context for this name, wonderful counselor. It's the context of light breaking into darkness. It's the context of joy overcoming gloom. It's the context of a child being born, a child who will be a king, a king who will bring victory for God's people. And so with that as our backdrop, let's now shift our attention and consider the meaning of the name.

13:23Wonderful counselor. Now, when we heard the word wonderful, we often think of something that we admire or that we take delight in. So my guess is a couple of weeks ago, and you had thanksgiving with family or friends, uh, you might've heard someone say something like, oh, that pie was so wonderful, right? Or maybe they said, oh, it was so wonderful to all be together. We had so much fun. Well, in the Bible, the word wonderful carries a different meaning. It refers to something that's uncommon or out of the ordinary, something that's beyond the course of normal human events, something that's outside the realm of human explanation.

14:05In fact, when we see this word wonderful in scripture, it often def, uh, describes God himself or the extraordinary and supernatural things that he does. For example, remember in Genesis 18 how God responded when Sarah laughed at the announcement that she would bear a child in her old age, remember what God asked her? He said, is anything too hard for the Lord? Well, that word hard there is actually the same word for wonderful. It could actually be translated that way. So God is saying, is anything too wonderful for me? And the answer is no, because God can do supernatural things. God has that ability. He does extraordinary and supernatural things all the time.

14:54Another place where we see the word wonderful is in Psalm 1 39. And you probably remember the context there, David's meditating and kind of musing on God's exhaustive knowledge of him, how God knows his thoughts and his intentions, and even the words before they come to his mouth. Well, it's in that psalm that David said, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. In other words, he's saying this, this knowledge is extraordinary. It's supernatural. It's beyond human ability.

15:29Similarly, we see the word wonderful in judges. Chapter 13, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Manoa and his wife to bring news that they would have a son during their interaction, Manoa didn't know who he was talking to. So he asked a question. He said, well, what is your name? In the angel of the Lord responded, why do you ask my name seeing that it is wonderful? Well, as soon as Manoah heard that he stopped in his tracks and he built an altar and made an offering to God, he knew that he was in the presence of someone extraordinary, someone supernatural, someone wonderful. So it's with this understanding that Isaiah draws on when he refers to Jesus as wonderful here in Isaiah chapter nine, verse six.

16:18So Isaiah was saying, Jesus will be a king with extraordinary and supernatural abilities just like God. He'll have the ability to do things that are beyond the natural things that surpass and go beyond what's humanly possible. Well, what kind of extraordinary and supernatural abilities will Jesus have? Well, that's where the, the second part of our name comes in. So let's consider now the word counselor. Now, among other things, counselors are often known for their wisdom. And when someone has wisdom, they have good judgments. As one author says, they have the ability to develop the best course of action or the best response to a situation.

17:07And yet, for all of the wisdom that that human counselors have, their wisdom is still limited, isn't it? It's still finite. It's still fallible, right? They may have, uh, a lot of knowledge about the situation, but they don't have all the facts. They don't completely and fully understand the situation, and they aren't always able to discern the best course of action. Well, not so with Jesus. He will have supernatural wisdom. He'll have extraordinary wisdom. Again, he's not just any counselor, he's a wonderful counselor. So his wisdom will surpass every counselor and every king that came before him.

17:51And this isn't the only reference that we see in the Old Testament where Jesus will have extraordinary wisdom. For instance, in Isaiah chapter 11, it says, there shall come forth a chute from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel. And might similarly, in Jeremiah chapter 23, it says, behold the days are coming declares the Lord, when I'll raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign his king and deal wisely.

18:32In fact, by the time we get to the New Testament, we see that Jesus not only possesses wisdom, he actually embodies it. That's why in one Corinthians, Paul refer to Jesus as being the wisdom from God. That's why in Colossians, he says that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So again, Jesus will be a wonderful counselor as king. He will rule with extraordinary supernatural wisdom.

19:05But there's a really, really, really important question we need to ask. How will Jesus use this wisdom in his capacity as a king? In other words, what exactly will he do with this extraordinary wisdom? And this is where our understanding of the type of counselor that Jesus will be makes all the difference. When we think of a counselor, we often think of someone who sits on a couch, uh, listening to someone, uh, who's experiencing trouble and providing them guidance. And there is a sense in which Jesus will do that. Jesus will minister to us and guide us through his word and, and really through one another.

19:47But I don't think that's the kind of counselor that Isaiah has in mind here. The kind of counselor that Isaiah has in mind is more likely to be found in a war room than he is sitting on a couch. You see, in the Old Testament counselors primarily served in the king's cabinet. So for instance, Jonathan and ah, efile and Jo Haida all served as counselors to King David. And their role as counselor was to help the king figure out how to rule, to give them advice on what that should look like. So they would, for instance, help the king think through matters of national defense. They would help the king to, uh, figure out how to have relationships, uh, with foreign nations and how to navigate those.

20:34And most importantly, they would help the king develop military strategies and battle plans during times of war. That's why Proverbs 20 verse 18 says, finalize plans with counsel and wage war with sound guidance. Or as Proverbs 24 6 says, for by wise guidance you can wage your war. And in an abundance of counselors, there is what victory. So when Isaiah says, Jesus will be called wonderful counselor here in chapter nine, it's this kind of counselor that he has in mind. He has in mind a counselor who will have extraordinary wisdom to develop military strategies and battle plans on behalf of God's people.

21:24And this understanding of counselor fits our context, doesn't it? As we looked at earlier, the people of Judah were facing an absolute crisis, right? They were, they were about to be tacked by their enemies. They were about to face God's judgment. They were about to be exiled from the land. So their future was full of darkness and anguish and gloom. What they needed was a king who had wisdom. They needed a king who could understand their situation. They needed a king who could develop a plan to get 'em out of the mess that they were in. They needed a king who could rescue them from God's judgment and overcome their enemies once and for all put simply, they needed a king who would have the wisdom it takes to save them.

22:10That's what they needed. Only then would the darkness be dispelled and their gloom turned into joy. So again, when you think of Jesus as wonderful counselor, don't think of him kind of casually sitting on a couch giving advice to a troubled soul. Instead, think of him confidently standing up in a war room declaring I know what needs to happen. I've developed a strategy that will defeat the enemy. I have a plan that will bring salvation. That's the kind of counselor that Isaiah has in mind. Alright, well so far we've considered the context for this name, wonderful counselor and the meaning of this name.

22:59Wonderful counselor. Let's finish by considering the relevance of the name, wonderful counselor. And there's three things I want you to know to begin with. I want you to know that Jesus understands our situation. Again. Jesus understands our situation. You know, sometimes when we go to a doctor, it's pretty straightforward, right? We go, uh, they do an exam, they make a diagnosis, and they send us on our way. Other times though it's a little bit more complicated, we go, they do an exam, and then they run tests, and then they draw blood, and then they take x-rays. And sometimes it's days or weeks or months or even longer before they come up with a diagnosis.

23:45Sometimes they're actually unable to get to the depth of our problems and figure out exactly what's going on inside. Well, with Jesus, things are very, very different. As our wonderful counselor, he has perfect knowledge of us. He knows exactly how desperate our situation is, and the reality is left to ourselves. We're in just as much of a crisis as the people of Judah were so just like the people of Judah, we deserve God's judgment for our sin. Now, it may not be that we've actually literally shaken our fist toward God, but we have all rebelled against him. As Isaiah says, like sheep, we've all gone astray.

24:32Each of us has turned to his own way. And just like the people of Judah, we also face enemies that we don't have the wisdom to overcome. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how many degrees you have, we don't have the wisdom it takes to break free from the slavery of sin. We don't have the wisdom it takes to to overcome Satan's influence. We don't have the wisdom it takes to avoid the sting of death.

25:03Well also, just like the people of Judah, unless something changes, we are all at risk of exile. Only our exile won't be in Assyria or in Babylon. It will be in hell apart from light breaking into our darkness, we will face eternal torment and be forever separated from God's glorious presence. Again, our situation is desperate. But thankfully, Jesus understands our situation. He knows exactly what we're facing. So he knows that we're facing judgments and he's familiar with the enemies that surround us, and he recognizes the importance of what's going on. He recognizes this is a matter of heaven and hell.

25:52Well, second, not only does Jesus understand our situation, but he knows what to do about it. See, Jesus never sat around kind of scratching his head trying to figure out how to save us. He didn't do that. Nor did he gather a bunch of leaders to try to devise a strategy to overcome our enemies. Nor did he convene some sort of committee to come up with a plan that would bring salvation. Because Jesus is our wonderful counselor. He knows exactly what's needed to save us. He knows the precise strategy and the perfect plan that will rescue us from judging and bring victory over our enemies. So Jesus knows that to save us, he will have to be born of a virgin.

26:39Being born of a virgin will allow him to add humanity to his deity. Not only that, being born of a virgin will make it clear that salvation comes from God, not us. Jesus also knows that to save us, he will have to faithfully represent us. So he will have to face the same weaknesses and limitations that we do. That means he'll have to be tired and hungry. That means he'll have to experience pain and grief. That means he'll have to face temptations and trials. Jesus also knows that to save us, he will have to live a life of perfect obedience. He'll have to be righteous on our behalf so that one day we can be righteous and stand in God's holy presence.

27:29Jesus also knows that to save us, he will have to suffer and die in our place. The only way, the only way that our sins can be forgiven and we can be granted eternal life as if Jesus becomes our substitute. That's it. That's the only way. So Jesus will have to absorb the wrath of God instead of us. He will have to face the punishment and judgment our sins deserve in our place.

28:01Jesus also knows that to save us, he will have to rise from the grave. Rising from the grave will demonstrate that his sacrifice was sufficient payment for our sins. Rising from the grave will will prove once and for all that he was able to overcome the powers of sin and death and hell and rising from the grave will secure our resurrection, not just spiritually, but one day physically.

28:30And Jesus also knows that to save us, he will have to ascend back to heaven as our resurrected Lord and Savior. And when he ascends back to heaven, he will be sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and he'll be far above every ruler, every power, and every dominion. And when he ascends back to heaven, he will send the Holy Spirit to empower us so that we can be his witnesses to the ends of the earth so that his kingdom can be built and established. Again. Jesus knows exactly what to do. He has the perfect plan for our salvation. He has the wisdom it takes to save us.

29:15And then third, and finally, Jesus not only has the wisdom it takes to save us, but he acted upon that wisdom, didn't he? He did that some 2000 years ago. So Jesus came from heaven to earth. He was born of a virgin. He lived like us, and yet he lived perfectly. And then he went to a cross as the substitute for sinners dying in their place. And then he rose three days later from the grave triumphant over sin and death and hell. And right now he rules and he reigns as ascended Lord and Savior. As Paul writes in the book of Philippians, though he was in the form of God. Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form.

30:09He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, whether in heaven or on earth or under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So praise God, Jesus knew what to do, and he did it. Jesus had a plan for our salvation, and he executed it perfectly with the wisdom of God and the authority of God. King Jesus willingly and humbly came to save sinners. That's why we celebrate advent.

30:57That's why we remember his coming. Well, as we close this morning, let me ask a couple of questions. First. Are you trusting in Jesus for your salvation? See, the reality is we all put our trust in someone or something, don't we? Maybe it's ourselves or our spouse or a career or money or pleasure or you name it. We all put our trust in something or someone that will be, we believe will deliver us from our desperate situation. But here's the thing, there's only one person who's capable of getting us out of our mess. There's only one person who has the wisdom it takes to save us from sin and death and hell.

31:53And that's Jesus, our wonderful counselor. So instead of relying on your own wisdom, instead of trusting in your own strength and abilities, trust in his trust that he knows what it takes, and he did what it takes to save even you. And if that's something you would like to know more about, something you have questions about or wanna discuss, I would love to speak with you afterwards. And I know we'll have folks up here with lanyards and they would love to to speak with you as well. We'll second, for those of you who are followers of Jesus, are you continuing to trust in him? You know, I mentioned earlier that, excuse me, some of you probably came this morning with really heavy hearts.

32:45It may be that, uh, you and your spouse are in the midst of a pretty heavy conflict. Or maybe you recently lost your job or maybe you're facing yet another month of cancer treatments. Maybe you look at the world or you look at the news, or you even look at yourself and you just wonder, where is all of this headed? Well, I have good news for you because there's a part of Jesus's plan for our salvation that I didn't mention yet. There's good news because our wonderful counselor plans to return. He plans to come back to consummate the kingdom that he inaugurated in his first coming. And when he does, he will wipe away all suffering.

33:30He will eradicate all injustice, and he will bring us back into God's glorious presence forever. As we've already seen, when Jesus makes plans, he fulfills them. So you can take this to the bank. It's guaranteed this will happen. Jesus will return. So brothers and sisters, during this advent season, as you celebrate the first coming of Jesus, look forward to his second coming. Look forward with eyes of faith, trusting that Jesus, your wonderful counselor, the same one who lived for you and died for you, and rose for you. He will come back for you. He will. He will come back, and he will bring you safely home.

34:16Let's pray. Father, we are so grateful for Jesus. We're so grateful that he came to this earth for sinners like us. Thank you that he came with a plan, your plan for our salvation. Oh Lord, help us to trust him this day and each day. Oh, father, we love you. We praise you, and we pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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