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Is Isaiah 9:6 About Jesus? | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Front to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
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government shall be upon his shoulder, and he shall be called
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wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince
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of Peace, one of the most profound, precise and paramount
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prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And we hear it so much during this time of the year, do we
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not? Yes, because it is treasured and
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it is important, but I'm not certain how many believers
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understand why it belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Why is Isaiah 96 attributed and exclusively belonging to Jesus
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of Nazareth? And that's what I want to
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discuss with you in the opening moments of this service.
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I want you to consider first, what may seem to be obvious,
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that this prophecy is granted to the Lord Jesus Christ in the New
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Testament. You remember in Luke 211 where
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the angels appeared in glory before those shepherds at night,
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and they said to them in their declaration, front to you, this
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day is born in the city of David, a Savior, the Christ who
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is Lord. Listen carefully to how the
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angels heralded this message. They borrowed the language from
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Isaiah the prophet to bring to mind how God kept His promise
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even though he gave it 7 centuries before the arrival of
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the very thing he prophesied. For unto us a child is born, and
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in centuries pass, and the angels arrive on the scene and
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say, for unto you this day is born.
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And so it's very difficult to dispute how these angels are
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being very strategic in their choice of words.
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They are clearly making a connection.
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This Jesus who was born this night is the Jesus who was
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defined in Isaiah 96. The second thing that confirms
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this further is what Matthew says, and Matthew adds something
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and he quotes Isaiah, not necessarily verse 6, but very
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close to verse 6. And I think because we're not as
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familiar with the context of that awesome prophecy, people
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tend to miss how there's even more confirmation that Christ is
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indeed the fulfillment of that promise.
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So Isaiah 96, we all know it, but do you know Isaiah 91?
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Do you know Isaiah 9/2? Well today you're going to learn
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it. So turn with me to Isaiah 9,
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verse one, and consider the context of this prophecy, Isaiah
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9, beginning in verse one. But there will be no gloom for
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her who was in anguish in the former time.
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He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of
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Naftali, but in the latter time He has made glorious the way of
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the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
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The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
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light. Those who dwelt in a land of
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deep darkness, On them has light shone.
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So notice that in preparation for Isaiah 96, Isaiah is saying
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something to two specific tribes, two out of the 12 tribes
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of Israel. He mentions Zebulun, he mentions
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Naftali. Those are tribes that most
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people are not very familiar with.
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They may be able to rehearse the names by memory, but there's not
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much given to us about these tribes in comparison to Judah or
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Benjamin, for example. But Isaiah mentioned something
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that happened historically with these regions.
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They were found in the upper northern part of the Promised
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Land. And he doesn't get specific
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about their history, but he does say something about a
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gloominess, a dark past, something that essentially
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haunted them for many years. And though he is not specific,
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when you consider the wider testimony of the Bible, you do
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discover that there is one blot, there is one specific state that
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surely would have tormented them as a people.
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You find it in Second Kings 15. You don't have to turn there.
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Let me just summarize it for you.
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When the Assyrians invaded this land, they took into captivity
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the very tribes that are mentioned here, Zebulun and
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Naftali, were taken from their homes and brought into a foreign
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place. And surely this would have been
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an embarrassing thing in their history.
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This would have been something that would have made them
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cringe, something that they wish would have been erased.
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And the Bible defines it as a gloominess.
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And yet in the same breath that describes something that they
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would have known, even though he's not being specific, they
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would have known the reference. The Spirit through the prophet
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promises these particular tribes that whatever gloominess they
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knew would soon be eclipsed by a glory, that whatever dishonor
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they were haunted by would soon be dispelled by a great
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privilege. And that's why He says here that
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in the latter time, look at verse 1.
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He has made glorious the way of the sea.
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He's speaking about the region there they were by the water.
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He has made glorious the way of the sea.
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And whatever glory was going to come, evidently it was going to
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spill over into Gentile territory.
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Because the last part of verse 1 is what?
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The land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
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So something was going to take place that would affect more
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than just these two tribes, though they would be the center
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of this glory in a sense. They would be the focus of it.
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It would have such a wide range of impact.
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And what is this glory that will come and sweep away this gloom?
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While the exciting answer again is found in verse 2, The people
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who walked in darkness, the darkness of their past, the
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darkness of their current shame. Because why did they go into
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exile? Their idolatry, they're
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rebellion, they're evil. Finally God said enough is
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enough. You're going to disobey me, Then
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I'm going to take you out of the things that I promise is yours,
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at least for a time. So that darkness, the people who
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walked in darkness have seen a great light.
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Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness.
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On them a light has shone. And what is this light?
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It is a metaphor. Is it a physical light?
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Is it some kind of miraculous intervention?
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Verse 6 is the answer for to us a child is born, to us a son is
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given. Whoever this child is, this
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royal seed would also be a light bearer, and his arrival is going
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to impact a specific region, the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.
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And the same Holy Spirit who moved upon Isaiah to give this
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prophecy move the disciple Matthew to tell us and to affirm
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the fulfillment of it. So go to the New Testament now
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in Matthew chapter 4, and I want you to see the fulfillment of
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this prophecy beginning in verse 12 of Matthew chapter 4.
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And sound team, if you can help me with the buzzing again, thank
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you so much. Matthew 412 Now when he heard
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that John had been arrested, he, being Jesus, withdrew into
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Galilee, and leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum
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by the sea in the territory of what?
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Zebulun and Naftali, so that what was spoken by the prophet
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Isaiah might be fulfilled. The land of Zebulun and the land
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of NAFTA lead the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of
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the Gentiles. The people dwelling in darkness
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have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and
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shadow of death on them a light has dawned.
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Jesus is that light, and He in fact intentionally moved and
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relocated his headquarters into Galilee.
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Why? In order to fulfill this very
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prophecy, and not just to fulfill the prophecy that was
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given, but to also give a preview of what he would do on a
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larger scale. So Jesus intentionally moves
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into this region that was historically known as being dark
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with their history, their past, their behavior in a sense their
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record before God. And the same Jesus who moved
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into that darkness is willing to move into the darkness of any
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heart that is willing to receive him.
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Here is Christ's Messiah willing to make his ministry hub in this
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place among tribes that are often overlooked and not really
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considered, as I mentioned earlier.
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And additionally, tribes that we're notoriously known of
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rebelling in their sin against God, teaching you and I that
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he's willing to move into the life that has a despicable past
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perhaps, or sin that they are ashamed of.
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The same Christ who moved there physically is the same Christ as
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willing to move in spiritually. That's the Christmas message.
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And so we find Jesus here fulfilling this.
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And what would this produce exactly?
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Well, let me finish Isaiah 9, where we read here in verse
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three. You have multiplied the nation,
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you have increased its joy. They rejoice before you as with
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joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
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So what would this light produce as it came in an envelope, this
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darkness Joy. That's why you should be happy
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around this time, not because things are cozier, nothing,
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because merely we're going to be gathered together with people
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that we love, hopefully, but because we are remembering the
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Christ, the Holy One who is willing to move into a place
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that is dark. And I hope you have that joy.
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If you don't, then perhaps Christ hasn't moved in yet.
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You know about him. You can probably quote Isaiah
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96, but does he live in you, and does he minister in you as he
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ministered in Galilee? Does he minister through you?
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If not, I pray to God that today would be the day where you would
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accept Him not just as a tradition, but as your treasure.
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So it's clear the New Testament testifies that Isaiah 9,
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including six, belongs to Jesus of Nazareth.
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Now let me give you the second and final reason why he does
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because no one in all of human history can fulfill the role
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that Isaiah describes. Nobody can walk in the shoes
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that Isaiah defines concerning this child.
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The reason why I bring that up is because in recent years, this
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prophecy about Jesus Christ of Nazareth has been challenged by
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skeptics, has been challenged by unbelievers, has been propagated
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and preached by those who deny that Jesus Christ is the
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Messiah. And this is predominantly come
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from Jewish rabbis who have made a case that Isaiah 96 cannot be
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of this Jesus of Nazareth, but someone else.
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And I want to spend this time though we're going to get, and
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we're going to conclude in a message of hope.
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I want to spend this time to teach, if that's OK.
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I want to teach about these objections so that if you hear
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anybody daring to come to you and saying Jesus is not in
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Isaiah 96, you put him there. You can say no, God put him
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there. So this is a time of equipping
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now. This is a time of growing and
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learning about our faith. So I want Isaiah 96 to become
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more precious to you than just something you hear quoted around
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Christmas time. I want you to see it as a
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profound testament of the accuracy and the supernatural
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authorship of the Bible. So how are we going to do that?
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Well, I'm going to present to you some of these objections.
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And I remember hearing it for the first time, not from the
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mouth of a Jewish person, but through the mouth of a Muslim
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man who had an online platform and invited people to challenge
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him and him challenge Christians.
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And so I had a conversation with them and for the first time
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years ago that I hear the things that I'm going to present to
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you. So it's not just those who are
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Jews that are echoing these statements, but many people who
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deny Christ as the Messiah. So do you know how to defend it?
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Do you know how to say with confidence?
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No, no, no, no, no, you got it wrong.
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This is indeed about my master. What's the argument?
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Here's the first one. The first argument that comes to
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us is about how Christian translators have deceptively
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changed the tense of Isaiah 96 to make it appear as though it
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is something to come, when in reality, in the original
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language it says that it's already happened.
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So I want to read to you Isaiah 95.
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That's the Jewish quotation and reference for Isaiah 96 in our
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Bibles. So in the Tanakh, it's not
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Isaiah 96, it's going to say Isaiah 95.
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And I'm going to quote to you from the JPS, the Jewish
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Publication Society translation, the newest rendition of it, the
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newest revised version from 2023.
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Listen to the language and tell me if it sounds different.
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Isaiah 9, five from the JPS. For a child has been born to us,
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a son has been given us, and authority has settled on his
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shoulders. He has been named the mighty
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Goddess, planning grace, the eternal Father, a peaceable
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ruler Has has has it already happened?
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So who are you talking about? And I'll be honest, I think most
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people, when they are discussing this and the original languages
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are brought up, they feel helpless and almost as though
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they take the word of the one who knows those languages at
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face value. Because you don't speak Hebrew
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or you don't know Greek. But I want you to be comforted
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because you don't necessarily have to know Hebrew in order to
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engage in this conversation or to make sense of this apparent
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conundrum. What are we dealing with here?
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Well, here's an answer. What you'll find in the Old
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Testament on more than one occasion is that the prophets of
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God often refer to future events as though they had already
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occurred. This is a consistent pattern.
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It's a literary device to convey of an event to come that it is
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so certain it's as though it already took place.
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It's an idiom. It's an artistic way of
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communicating the certainty of a matter, and this is commonly
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known as the prophetic perfect or the prophetic past tense.
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So you're saying something that is to come, but you're speaking
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as though it already took place. Why?
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To communicate. This is so going to happen.
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Just consider it a done deal. And that's not only found here
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in Isaiah 96. Let me just give you 2
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quotations from the same prophet, the same book to make
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this matter clear. So turn to Isaiah 5 and look at
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verse 13. I hope you're taking notes.
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It's important to remember these things.
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Isaiah 513. Here's the prophet saying.
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Therefore, my people go into exile for lack of knowledge.
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Their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with
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thirst. This is even more clear if you
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have a new King James Version or King James Version.
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Here's how the new King James would read it.
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Therefore, my people have gone into captivity or the King
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James. Therefore, my people are gone
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into captivity. How does the ESB render it?
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My people go into exile. What's amazing about this?
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The people didn't go into exile yet when Isaiah prophesied this,
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it was still to come. But what is he implying?
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The same literary device as though it already happened?
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My people go into exile. They have gone into exile.
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It's going to happen. Judgment is sure to arrive.
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O people of God, It's not just there.
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Look at Isaiah chapter 10, beginning in verse 28.
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What you're about to read is a description of the movements of
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the Assyrian army as they're encroaching upon Jerusalem.
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So this is almost like a chartering of the movements of
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the Assyrian invasion that is to come.
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And excuse me if I don't get all these names right as I read
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these verses. Isaiah 1028.
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Look what the prophet says. He has come to Ayat.
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He has passed through me grown at Mick Mash.
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He stores his baggage. They have crossed over the past.
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Notice the tense at Giba. They lodge for the night.
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Rama trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.
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Cry aloud. O daughter of Galim, give
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attention. O Laksha, O poor Anatot, Madmina
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is in flight. The inhabitants of Gabim flee
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for safety. This very day he will halt at
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Nob. He will shake his first at the
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mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
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So notice he's giving a play by play every movement of the
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Assyrians as they come closer and closer to the holy city.
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But notice the language that he uses.
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He has come, He has passed. They have crossed over.
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It didn't happen yet. There's still generations that
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need to come to pass before this is realized.
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But he's speaking as though it already took place.
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Why? Because prophets would do this
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to convey something as though it has already taken place.
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And I want to also mention while we're here that this is a
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message of hope. By the way, the reason why
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Isaiah is telling this to the people of God is because he
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wants to let the people of God know.
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As God, I'm aware of every move of the enemy.
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It's true spiritually as well. I know the playbook of the
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enemy. I know what he's thinking next.
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I know his next move. I know his every angle.
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And so I'm letting you know that I have this knowledge even
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before it happens. I know where he's going to be,
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where he's going to rest, how he's going to come.
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But I also want to let you know that I already took care of it.
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So notice, as the Assyrians are coming closer and closer to
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Jerusalem, he also lets the people know I know where they're
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going to stop because I'm going to make them stop.
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They're not going to be able to come and invade.
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They're not going to take one soul away from you.
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Why? What's the extent of what
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they're going to do? Look at verse 32 again.
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This very day. He will halt that knob.
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He will shake his first at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
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the hill of Jerusalem. That's the most he's going to
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do, shake his first. And I'm going to take care of
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him right there and then. And we read of it later on where
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185,000 Assyrians were slaughtered in one night.
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So this is a truth for us to be relieved by as well.
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God knows everything and if you belong to Him, then you have
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nothing to fear. Any scheme is already understood
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and registered by your protector and we can look at more
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examples, but I think the point is clear, right?
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Isaiah 96 is not about something that has already happened, is
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something that will come to pass with absolute certainty.
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However, apologists, they need to bank on this and they will
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fight for this and they will try to cast doubt, especially on
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those who don't know these things to make it seem as though
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no, no, no, this is already history.
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And the reason for that is because they need to make a case
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based on that. Everything falls if if that's
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not laid out. And so the argument continues.
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Let's just suppose that you hear this and you don't know how to
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answer. How would they follow it up?
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They will. They will follow it up with
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this. After determining the past
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tense, they will go on to say that the names ascribed to the
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king are simply representative titles, like many names of kings
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or prophets that communicate a characteristic of God.
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Right. So you think of the prophet
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Isaiah. What does his name mean?
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Salvation is of the Lord or God saves.
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That's what Isaiah means. What about what about Joel?
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Yahweh is God and we can give example after example.
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In short, the argument is that in the same way that these names
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do not imply the deity of the ones who bear them, so it is
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with this child. It's not that this child is
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everlasting Father. It's not that this child is
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Mighty God. He is just holding these titles
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as a testament of what God will do and who God is.
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Just like Isaiah, just like Joel, just like Daniel.
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You've made too much of this child.
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Here's the problem. If we just take the title, which
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is usually the most contested part of this prophecy, Mighty
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God, what you'll discover is that it is mentioned more than
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once the very few times in the Old Testament.
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And every time just Mighty God is brought up, it always refers
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to God himself. Always.
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So you're in Isaiah, right? Go to Isaiah 10.
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Look at verse 21. A remnant will return, the
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remnant of Jacob to the mighty God al Gabor, the mighty God.
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That same phrase is found in another prophet's writings.
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You don't have to turn there. Let me quote it to you.
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Write it down if you need to remember it.
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And Jeremiah 3218, Jeremiah 3218.
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You show steadfast love to thousands, but you will pray the
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guilt of fathers to their children after them.
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Oh great and mighty God El Gabor, whose name is the Lord of
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Hosts. If you want to use another one,
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though not exactly spelled out like these two references, it's
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found in Deuteronomy. Listen to this language in
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Deuteronomy 10/17. For the Lord your God is God of
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Gods and Lord of Lords, the great, the mighty and the
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awesome God who is not partial and takes no bribe.
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So it's clear Mighty God alone is purely and exclusively
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ascribed to God Himself. But no, no, no, no, they're just
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titles. They're just titles given to a
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human king. And which king do people agree
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that this is about if it's not about Jesus?
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You ready for this one? Hezekiah?
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This is about King Hezekiah. This is not about Jesus of
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Nazareth. Where did you get that silly
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idea from? I have a question.
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Where do you get the idea that it's a Hezekiah and there's
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reason for it? There's reason for it because
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when you dig in, you see here that there is images and there's
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a there's a wording and there are certain phrases that are
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found in Isaiah 9 and Isaiah 10 that are repeated and are
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mirrored later on in Isaiah 36 and Isaiah 37.
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And what's happening on Isaiah 36 and 37?
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Well, we have a record of the Assyrians invading and
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surrounding Jerusalem and God giving them victory.
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So I don't have time now in one single message to go through all
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these evidences of the claim that this is in connection to
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Isaiah 36, Isaiah 37, where Assyria was overthrown under the
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reign of Hezekiah. But that's where they're going
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to go. That's what you're going to
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hear. And it seems compelling.
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Yeah, I see that. I see that there is, there is
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correlation and there is an overlap here.
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There's something that is connected.
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Hezekiah. Why not Josiah?
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Well, because the context suggests that it is about him.
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And as convincing as these cross references may be, it still
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doesn't satisfy the demands of Isaiah's descriptions of this
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king. If everything that I've shared
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up to this point has been a little overwhelming or difficult
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to retain one, take comfort. It's recorded.
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You can revisit it, but 2 all you really need to do is
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remember this one point that I'm about to share.
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If you can remember what I'm about to share, it's enough for
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you. Want to be confident and also to
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perhaps convince somebody else who is honestly skeptical about
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this being Jesus? Isaiah 96 is not just a prophecy
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about a king. It's also prophecy about a
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Kingdom. It's not just about a person,
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it's about a government. And when you consider the
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government that will be ushered in and established by this
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child, you'll realize that it doesn't fit with Hezekiah.
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So we read verse six. Look at verse 7.
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You know it well, but let's refresh our memory of the
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increase of His government and of peace.
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There will be no end on the throne of David and over his
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Kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with
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righteousness. From this time forth and
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forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts
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will do this. Hezekiah was one of the holiest
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kings in all of Judah's history. Hezekiah was a man of God.
27:04
Hezekiah accomplished much, but Hezekiah falls short of what is
27:10
said here about this administration, because even
27:14
after Hezekiah, yes, was used, his faith connected with the
27:17
power of God and the Syrians were expelled.
27:20
Yes and yes. Hezekiah, though he was on his
27:22
bed sick, received a miracle in addition of several years on his
27:27
life. After his healing, Hezekiah fell
27:29
into pride. The Babylonians came to to kind
27:34
of check up on him, and he decided in his pride to show him
27:37
all that he had, and Isaiah condemns him for that.
27:43
Hezekiah would also have a successor named Manessa his son,
27:48
and Manessa would be realized as one of the most wicked kings in
27:51
Judah's history, though he repented and was restored by
27:54
God. And if Hezekiah really fulfills
27:58
Isaiah 96, then why was it that other prophets anticipated a
28:04
king to come? A king far after Hezekiah's
28:08
reign and even his life? You remember the prophet
28:12
Zechariah. What did he say long after
28:15
Hezekiah, long after the temple was destroyed?
28:17
You usually hear this one around Easter time.
28:22
And there is no argument that this is about Messiah.
28:25
Even among Jews. I'm sure there are some who
28:27
would argue against it. But listen to Zechariah 99.
28:30
Rejoice, great Leo, daughter of Zion, shout aloud.
28:33
O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, your king is coming to you
28:36
righteous and having salvation. Is he humble and mounted on a
28:40
donkey? On a colt, the full of a donkey?
28:43
Why are you looking for another king?
28:45
If Hezekiah was a fulfillment of this perfect perpetual Kingdom,
28:51
this argument makes sense. I hope it does.
28:55
Zechariah tells of the people, tells the people there's another
28:58
king coming. Well, if if there's this
29:01
increase of the government of peace with no end, why are we
29:04
looking for another king who's going to usher in another
29:06
Kingdom? It should have happened already.
29:08
So you're left with only two conclusions about Isaiah 96.
29:13
If it's not about Jesus, then it's failed prophecy.
29:19
It's failed prophecy because Hezekiah didn't usher in this
29:22
kind of government. So you either deal with a God
29:26
who lied or a God who fulfilled His promise, but in another
29:29
person. And we believe that He kept His
29:32
word. And that is where it was,
29:33
realizing Jesus of Nazareth. I hope that makes you excited.
29:38
But Jesus of Nazareth did not bring in World Peace.
29:43
That's the argument that you'll usually hear if you quote Isaiah
29:46
9/6 or Zechariah 99, among other scriptures.
29:49
OK, if Jesus is who you say he is, then where all the weapons
29:54
of war being turned into farming equipment?
29:57
And where is Jerusalem being the headquarters of the world?
30:02
And where are the kings and and the governors and the mayors
30:05
flooding to Jerusalem to receive counsel from the Lord?
30:08
Where is that? How do you make sense of that?
30:10
And I say it's coming because what you fail to understand, my
30:16
dear friend, is the same misunderstanding that the Jews
30:19
and Jesus they had, that you are so focused on the prophecies of
30:24
a conquering Messiah that you miss the ones of the suffering
30:26
Messiah. So who fulfills those ones?
30:31
Because Messiah would come and establish a Kingdom, yes, but
30:33
Messiah must also die for the sins of his people.
30:39
So my Messiah came to accomplish not some prophecy, but all
30:44
prophecy. And in his first advent he came
30:46
to be a sacrifice. And in his second advent, he
30:49
will come to be the ruling king forever.
30:52
That's my Messiah. And so we believe the prophecies
30:56
of a suffering Messiah and a ruling Messiah are found in one
31:00
person. And because of the New Testament
31:05
and the Christian movement, sometime after Jesus arrived on
31:09
the scene and the church emerges, you had Jewish people
31:13
now trying to wrestle with these prophecies as they are brought
31:15
to the surface of the suffering Messiah.
31:17
So here's here's what some have concluded.
31:19
So you have these prophecies of a suffering Messiah and a ruling
31:22
Messiah. Christians say it's one person.
31:24
No, no, no, it can't be Jesus of Nazareth.
31:27
So they have to be two messiahs. There's going to be a suffering
31:31
Messiah and there's going to be Messiah, son of David.
31:35
OK, so you think it's two We believe it's one big difference.
31:41
And so I lay this before you for you to be confident that this is
31:44
indeed about Jesus. Can I, can I put a cherry on the
31:48
top of this before we move on? So the accusation from the
31:52
beginning is you Christians, not you personally.
31:56
The church massaged Isaiah 9/6 to the degree that it makes it
32:02
be something that it's not. And you have manipulated
32:05
translations as though it is a future thing and as though it's
32:08
about Messiah when it's about 1 king out of the roster of the
32:12
kings of Judah. And here's how you can respond.
32:17
The idea of Isaiah 96 being about Messiah, not just any
32:21
ordinary king, but about the King of kings, the ultimate seed
32:26
of David who is to come, didn't originate with Christians
32:31
necessarily saying, what do you mean?
32:33
I'm saying that ancient Jewish writers, teachers, rabbis,
32:37
commentators also believe that this is about Messiah.
32:42
So I have three sources here. I'm just going to read one of
32:45
them to you. This is from one who is known as
32:51
Rambam. Rambam was one of the most
32:53
influential Jewish philosophers from the Middle Ages, legal
32:59
scholar. He was a physician, and he is
33:01
considered one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of all time.
33:07
And I want you to hear what he said in his epistle to Yemen.
33:10
There was these Jews who were in Yemen who were really struggling
33:12
with their faith. And one of the struggles that
33:14
they had was about Messiah, their expectation of the
33:18
Messiah, when the Messiah would come, who the Messiah would be.
33:21
And so in this epistle to Yemen, we read here what I'm about to
33:25
quote to you, beginning with this quote.
33:28
The Messiah indeed ranks after Moses and eminence and
33:33
distinction. And God has bestowed some gifts
33:36
upon him which he did not bestow upon Moses, as may be gathered
33:41
from the verses. So what is he, What is Rambam
33:43
saying here? He's saying, I want to prove to
33:45
you how Messiah is greater than Moses, and I'm about to quote
33:49
you some verses to show how He is superior even to that great
33:52
man of God. So I continue, his delight shall
33:56
be in the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11/3.
33:59
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.
34:01
Isaiah 11. Two, and righteousness shall be
34:04
girdle on his loins. Isaiah 1156.
34:07
Appalachians were divinely conferred upon him, as the
34:10
following passage indicates. For a child is born unto us, and
34:16
his Son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder,
34:22
and he is called, and he quotes what we know to be Isaiah 96.
34:26
Then he goes on to Psalm 2, verse 7.
34:28
Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
34:32
And he finishes with this. All these statements demonstrate
34:35
the preeminence of the Messiah. That is from one of the
34:39
greatest, most influential Jewish writers in all of
34:42
history. He's saying that this is about
34:45
Messiah, so don't go and point fingers at the church.
34:49
And I have a quotation here from the Targum.
34:52
I have the quotation here from the Talmud, Sanhedrin showing
34:56
that this is about Messiah. Not saying that they think this
34:58
is about Jesus as Messiah, but about Messiah nonetheless.
35:03
Because the argument again is this is about Hezekiah and
35:06
Hezekiah is not Messiah. Strange arguments, but I present
35:12
this to you. Be fortified in your faith.
35:15
And now give me the last few minutes of this afternoon in
35:18
this church service to talk about Jesus.
35:21
Can I do that? This is about Jesus, precious
35:25
Jesus. And I want to quickly glance
35:28
over four titles that we see here.
35:31
He is wonderful counselor. He is mighty God.
35:34
He is everlasting Father. He is Prince of Peace, some
35:40
divide wonderful and counselor. So he is wonderful in one place,
35:44
counselor in another. We'll merge them together.
35:47
Wonderful counselor indeed. He is wonderful.
35:54
And what's so beautiful about this is that in Isaiah 28, nine,
35:57
we read that he is wonderful in counsel.
36:01
It's impossible to look at Jesus in the gospels and be bored.
36:07
There's something staggeringly wrong if you can look at Jesus
36:12
and read his words, see his actions, trace his love, and not
36:20
come to the conclusion he is amazing.
36:24
Don't you find it amazing how almost every world religion,
36:30
even cults, want to claim Jesus? Have you ever noticed that
36:35
everybody wants Jesus? Nobody's fighting for these
36:39
other supposed messengers or teachers, but everybody wants to
36:44
claim Jesus. Why?
36:47
Because he's wonderful. And he is wonderful in His
36:51
person, and he is wonderful in the manifestation of his
36:55
counsel. When Christ comes to rule and
36:59
reign forever, the world will be solved by his counsel.
37:03
It's amazing in this past election how so many feel a
37:06
sense of relief that hopefully problems are going to be solved.
37:12
Can you imagine the relief when the perfect Son of God comes to
37:16
fix everything and the world is going to flock to his counsel to
37:21
receive his instruction, his guidance.
37:22
He's actually going to do something that's never been
37:25
known since the beginning of time.
37:26
No more war for 1000 years. No more war.
37:30
People are going to be like, what do we do?
37:31
What do we do with all these weapons?
37:33
What do we do with all our training programs?
37:35
Or what do we do about our national security, all the tax
37:38
money that went into that? It's going to be futile.
37:40
It's going to be nothing because of the Prince of Peace.
37:44
But he's not just going to be wonderful in this council when
37:46
he comes, He's wonderful in this council now.
37:50
Today he's given us the manual for life in his word and and the
37:57
book of Proverbs talks about how when this word is is tied around
38:00
your neck and it's bound around your heart, it will speak to
38:03
you. And I'm telling you when you get
38:07
the living word in you. Oh, the counsel that you
38:09
receive. It's amazing how in in life
38:13
events or circumstances that you can't find chapter and verse
38:16
about how the wisdom of the word, the character of God,
38:20
examples and stories come to the surface and give you wisdom to
38:25
know how to deal with this situation, how to comfort you.
38:29
The greatest counsel I've ever received were from people who
38:31
knew the word of God so well that they could effortlessly not
38:35
just bring references to promises, but examples, things
38:38
that you wouldn't necessarily see at face value and just bring
38:41
counsel to my life. And it originates with Christ,
38:45
the word who became flesh. He's wonderful and counsel
38:49
reminds me of the passage in Judges chapter 13 or we're told
38:53
of Samson's parents. We don't know the name of his
38:55
mother. We know the name of his father
38:57
Manoa. And the Angel of the Lord
38:59
appears, right? And he comes before the wife and
39:02
tells her of the supernatural birth that's going to happen
39:05
this this pregnancy, right? A judge is going to come for
39:09
Israel. She runs to her husband and the
39:10
husband asks the Lord in prayer, Oh bring that man back so that
39:13
we can receive clarity what we're supposed to do with this
39:15
child and the prayers answered and finally after he received
39:19
some kind of instruction. Manoa asked him in Judges 1317,
39:23
What is your name so that when your words come true, we may
39:27
honor you. And what is the Angel of the
39:30
Lord? Reply with in verse 18.
39:32
And the Angel of the Lord said to him, Why do you ask my name,
39:34
seeing it is wonderful. Angels are powerful, angels are
39:45
splendid in their own way. But for an Angel to say, Why do
39:48
you ask my name, seeing that it is wonderful.
39:51
I have a hunch this is no ordinary Angel.
39:55
And if you're skeptical about this being something more,
39:58
someone more than an Angel, listen to what they say.
40:01
After this encounter in Judges 1322 and Manoah said to his
40:05
wife, We shall surely die, for we have seen God.
40:10
So here's one of the many previews for those who are very
40:14
stumped by the idea of God becoming flesh.
40:16
God appeared in human like form many times in the Old Testament,
40:20
including this one. And you're saying, well he
40:23
appeared as an Angel? No, no, the Hebrew word and the
40:25
Greek word is very simple, simply means messenger.
40:28
So it's not the cartoony version with wings.
40:30
That's not an Angel. A messenger with human like
40:34
appearance comes on the scene. His name is ass.
40:38
Why do you ask my name? Seeing it as wonderful, but
40:42
Noah's think this is strange. And then he realizes we've seen
40:44
the face of God, and Israel would in fact see the face of
40:50
God again when this child would be born in Bethlehem.
40:54
Wonderful counselor, but he's also mighty God.
40:58
So he has this infinite wisdom, but he's going to have this
41:01
infinite power to execute his counsel.
41:06
But as we heard earlier, he's not just mighty, He is mighty
41:09
God. And the detail, this detail is
41:12
so important because it really transforms the entirety of the
41:14
message and carries massive implications.
41:18
What I mean, OK, how do you have mighty God as a child?
41:23
And how do you have God who is by nature eternal, being born?
41:29
So look back at Isaiah 96 again. For to us, a child is born, to
41:35
us, a son is given. Whenever in the Hebrew there
41:41
wants to be an emphasis. The author wants to make
41:43
something, he wants to under score, highlight something.
41:45
It's happening through emphasis, right?
41:48
And you can say that's the case here.
41:49
There's an emphasis, a child is going to be born, a son's going
41:51
to be given. But I think it's more deep than
41:52
that. This is a very specific choice
41:56
of words to convey a deep theological truth.
41:59
How do you make sense that mighty God will become a child?
42:03
How do you make sense that mighty God will be born?
42:05
He has no beginning. And the only answer that you can
42:08
find that will bring a sense of clarity and conclusion is the
42:12
dual nature of Christ. So notice the language, for to
42:16
us a child is born. The humanity of Jesus had a
42:21
beginning. Jesus wasn't always human from
42:24
eternity past, but he would add humanity to Himself.
42:29
But more than that, he's not just man.
42:32
And that's why we're told a son is given.
42:35
Here's my question. Whose son is he?
42:38
You say he's the Son of David. That's what the prophecy is
42:40
about. From the lineage of David, a
42:41
son's going to come, but he's mighty God.
42:44
So he's not just the Son of David, He's the Son of God.
42:48
And the Son of God by nature doesn't have a beginning.
42:54
That's why he's given. The Son isn't born, The Son of
42:59
God is given, but the child is born because the Son who would
43:03
come from eternity would add flesh, would add humanity.
43:08
So his humanity had a beginning, but as the eternal Son he always
43:12
was, a child would be born. A son is given humanity and
43:18
deity, one person, Jesus Christ. He's saying, well, this is
43:23
wonderful, and this is confirmed by another prophet, Micah 5 Two,
43:28
let me read it. But you, O Bethlehem Efrata, who
43:32
are too little to be among the clans of Judah, for you shall
43:35
come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming
43:40
forth is from old, from ancient days.
43:45
So whoever this ruler who'll be born in Bethlehem is, we're told
43:49
where he's actually coming from from, of old, from ancient days.
43:54
Ancient days is a phrase that's synonymous with eternity,
43:58
synonymous with everlasting. That's why in the King James and
44:01
new King James, it reads from everlasting.
44:03
Whoever this ruler is, he's going to come from eternity, son
44:08
given child born son of God, always was taking on humanity
44:14
and flesh 2000 years ago. Which leads us to possibly the
44:19
most controversial part of of these titles concerning Christ.
44:24
Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, hold on.
44:32
We believe in the Godhead. We believe that God is one in
44:35
being but three in persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
44:38
How is it then that you have Jesus, who is the Son, given
44:43
this title that should belong to the Father alone?
44:49
And here's what we have to make sure that we're clear on.
44:53
This is not describing the roles within the Trinity.
44:58
This prophecy is not about describing the different roles
45:01
in the Godhead more than it is talking about the character of
45:04
the coming Messiah toward his people.
45:07
That's what this is conveying more than anything else.
45:10
And So what this means is that Jesus is not only going to be
45:12
infinitely wise, wonderful counselor.
45:14
Jesus is not only isn't going to be infinitely powerful, but
45:20
Jesus is going to be infinitely caring and protective as a
45:26
father would be. Another way to understand this
45:30
is that the Messiah is going to be fatherly.
45:34
The Messiah is going to be caring and loving and protective
45:39
and compassionate as a good father would be to his children.
45:42
And why is that comforting? Because we're not just learning
45:45
about a governor who's going to rule a Kingdom that's going to
45:48
dominate the universe. You're talking about a king who
45:51
actually cares everlasting father.
45:55
And as much as the Father is exclusive in that title, the
46:01
idea of the Son having certain qualities about him that are
46:05
father like it is not foreign in the Scriptures.
46:09
It's everywhere. So can I show you a couple
46:11
places in John? Turn with me to John and notice
46:14
this with me. This title does not dismiss the
46:20
unique position of the Father, but it does confirm something
46:23
about the heart of Christ for those that he brings into the
46:26
family of God. Look at John 14 verse 8.
46:38
John 14, eight. Philip said to him, Lord, show
46:42
us the Father, and it is enough for us.
46:45
Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long and you still
46:49
do not know me? Philip pause.
46:50
Can I say something? What he said to Philip can be
46:53
said by many and too many Christians today.
46:56
Has it been so long you still don't get it yet?
47:00
Maybe somebody needed to hear that.
47:03
Have I been with you so long and you still do not know me?
47:05
Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
47:10
How can you say show us the Father?
47:13
What's Jesus saying here? If you want to know what the
47:15
Father is like, who the Father's like, look no further than me.
47:19
I'm the exact representation of His being.
47:22
I'm the exact imprint of His nature.
47:25
You don't have to guess or wonder about distinctions.
47:27
I am exactly a copy paste of the heart, the mind, the will of the
47:33
Father. So what you can expect from the
47:36
Father, you can see an experience in the sun.
47:40
Scroll down and notice what he says in verse 18.
47:44
I, Jesus is speaking, I will not leave you as orphans, I will
47:50
come to you. Another way of understanding
47:53
this. I will not leave you fatherless.
47:57
I will come to you. Jesus will come to you.
48:01
So he is implementing parental language here, parental care,
48:05
parental protection, parental supervision.
48:08
I'm not going to leave you here without a father.
48:11
I will come to you. Not that he is the same person
48:14
as the Father, but he is father like He is fatherly.
48:21
And we see here that it's shown in the title, Everlasting
48:26
Father. And here's how it applies to us
48:29
as we anticipate the return of Christ.
48:32
So unto us a child is born, a son is given, and upon his
48:37
shoulder shall rest. What government?
48:43
So the shoulders represent strength in the Bible, right?
48:46
So the government of the world is going to rest on the strength
48:51
of Jesus Christ the Messiah. And I love how the Bible uses
48:54
the word shoulder because there's one place in the New
48:58
Testament where we read Messiah concerning his shoulder.
49:03
You know the story very well. Listen carefully to the parable
49:06
of the lost sheep, Luke 15, Three.
49:10
So he told them, being Jesus, this parable, what man of you
49:14
having 100 sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the
49:17
99 in the open country and go after the one that is lost until
49:21
he finds it. And when he has found it, he
49:24
lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
49:29
So not only is Messiah going to have the strength to uphold this
49:33
universal government, but this Messiah will also have the love
49:38
to take sinners and care for them and protect them.
49:41
And what's so beautiful about this is that if you consider
49:44
this in the plural, then you have even a deeper thought.
49:47
The government shall rest upon His shoulder, one shoulder.
49:51
But when it comes to redeeming and securing sinners shoulders,
49:55
both shoulders. So in his caring, his love,
49:59
there is a specific type of grace and strength that's
50:02
implemented towards those that belong to him.
50:05
So this Messiah is not just concerned about the eternal
50:08
reign of a government. He's concerned for every single
50:11
one of his subjects were ultimately his children that he
50:13
knows by name. That's what Isaiah is trying to
50:16
convey. He's a mighty king.
50:18
He's wonderful in counsel, but he cares about those that belong
50:21
to his Kingdom. He's not just carrying a
50:24
government, He's carrying you and carrying me on those mighty
50:28
shoulders, everlasting Father. And I hope you have a whole new
50:35
understanding of this, because not only will His Kingdom be
50:38
eternal, but those who become a child of God will belong to him
50:42
forever. He will forever be your Father.
50:45
He will forever be yours. He will forever care for you and
50:48
love you and keep you. He's not just eternal, He's
50:52
eternal in His love. And some are troubled by this
50:57
title, so they go a different direction.
50:58
They say this doesn't really mean everlasting father, it
51:00
means father of eternity. You can go there too.
51:04
And the argument is father of eternity.
51:06
In the Jewish mind, Father doesn't just mean you're a dad.
51:09
It also means you're the source of something.
51:11
So Satan is called the father of lies.
51:14
It's not like he's the a dad of lies.
51:17
He's the source of lies. So some would say, no, this is
51:20
just saying that Jesus is really the possessor of time, that
51:24
Jesus is the supervisor of all things as he is eternal, which
51:30
leads to the final thing. Prince of Peace, you heard it so
51:36
many times. So I'm not going to be redundant
51:38
here. He's going to bring peace in a
51:40
way that this world can only dream of.
51:43
But I want to present to you this thought.
51:44
Perhaps you haven't considered it.
51:45
I don't think it's an accident that out of the titles mentioned
51:48
here, Prince of Peace is brought up last.
51:51
Why is it brought up last? Because there's an equation that
51:57
before the world can ever know peace, it first has to
52:00
acknowledge and submit to the reality that He alone is
52:03
wonderful in counsel, that He alone is mighty in power, and
52:08
that He alone is everlasting Father and His care.
52:13
Until you acknowledge and submit to His counsel, His power, His
52:18
fatherly love, you will never know peace.
52:21
This world will never know peace.
52:23
And, and, and let's just put that aside now, never mind
52:26
what's going to come. Let's talk about your life and
52:29
mine. As I conclude, you will never
52:32
know supernatural peace until you personally make those same
52:36
acknowledgments. Do you submit to His counsel and
52:40
do you see it as wonderful? Or do you look at His word as
52:42
options and suggestions? OK, you can do that.
52:46
You'll never know peace, true peace.
52:50
Do you believe in His mighty power that He can perform in
52:52
your life? Intervene, protect, rescue,
52:54
provide? How can you know peace if you
52:57
don't believe that He's able to do that?
53:00
Do you see Him as a loving God? Oh, you believe?
53:05
You believe He's wonderful in His wisdom, wonderful in His
53:08
power, mighty and all those things.
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But I don't know if He really loves me.
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I'm just trying to do my best so that when I'm graded for
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eternity, I just pass. I just want to get in.
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Oh, you. And you expect peace, thinking
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that God's temperament is so fickle.
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You'll never know peace until you understand Him as a loving
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God. And I hope that you would
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realize it today. He is Prince of peace.
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The world will know Him as such. But you can know it personally
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today. You just have to acknowledge Him
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as such. And how do you do that when you
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realize that Messiah has come to suffer and die in your place,
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and that He is waiting for you to respond to that news so that
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you can belong to Him? And when you belong to Him, He
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will take you up and put you on His shoulders, and nothing can
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RIP you out of His hands. Nothing.
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You know, when somebody announces that they have a child
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on the way, I've never heard anybody.
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As much as we celebrate babies here, I've never had anybody
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come through the doors and approach me or any of the
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leaders and say, I want to let you know that a child is coming
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to us. That 'd be a little strange.
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You say no, so and so and I, we're having a baby and we
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celebrate that. What did Isaiah say this child
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would be for us? He's God's gift to the world.
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He's God's gift to you. News flash, he's not a baby
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anymore. He's ascended on high and he's
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the ruling king. But you do have to believe that
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at one point he did come as a baby.
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He did live as a man perfectly. He did die on a cross to pay for
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your sin. He was buried in a tomb.
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He did conquer death, He did rise into the heavens, and He
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promised that in the same way He went up, He will come back down.
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And when He comes back down, it's no longer to deal with sin,
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but to redeem those who have repented of their sin and
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believed on His name. Today, this Christmas service,
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have you repented and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ?
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If not, He is God's gift to you. Would you receive it?
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Let's pray. Father, we thank You that You've
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given us the ability to register all these things for the time
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being. We pray that by Your help they
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would be remembered. Thank You for instilling in US
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greater confidence in the sufficiency, the accuracy, the
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validity of Your Word. We ask that in times where Satan
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would try to make us doubt that You would remind us that Your
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Word is perfect. When those who don't believe in
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Jesus as Messiah, we would be gentle and kind to show them the
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truth and that You would give us the ability to communicate these
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things in a way that would help them embrace the Messiah.
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We ask, Lord, that if there's even one person here who does
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not know you, who has not experienced Christ Jesus as
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their Lord, that 2025 would be the beginning of a new walk with
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you. Only you can perform that by the
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power of your Spirit. And for those who have made that
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confession, for those who have been born again, may we never
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lose the wonder of who You are. May we never lose faith in the
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might of your power. May we never lose the sense of
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your tender, fatherly love. And may we remember that you
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offer peace, that no money, no health, no amount of children,
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no job can provide. Thank you for being our Prince.
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Thank you for being our Lord. Thank you because you're coming
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back again in Jesus name, Amen. What a mighty God we serve.
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Let's celebrate Him and rejoice in His goodness.
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As we stand in conclusion of this service, let's sing to the
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Lord.