Thank you. You may be seated. All right,
I'll go back to Isaiah 9 with you, Isaiah chapter 9. Now, this is not a Christmas sermon. That's what people think of when
they think of this verse we're going to look at. Verse 6, as well as Matthew 1 and other
places, they think, well, Christmas message. This passage deserves
to be read year round and preached from and heard, read and heard
year round. There's no doubt. anyone, there can be no doubt
who this is speaking of. This one whose name he mentions,
whose names he mentions. There can be no doubt this is
speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's a wondrous thing,
a mystery. Scripture says, Paul said to
young Timothy, he said, this is a mystery, great is the mystery,
God is manifest in the flesh. It's a great mystery. And we're
looking into things too wonderful for us. I'm going to try to preach
about one whose name is wonderful. It's too wonderful for us. It's
too wonderful for a human being to be able to Tell it, but we'll
try. OK, verse 6 is our attack. Verse
6. He says under us a child is born. Speaking of that baby. In Bethlehem. That little infant. That was
actually born a woman actually. Lay down in the straw. In a barn
stable. and went into labor, and her
water broke, and a baby came out of her womb. I mean a real
baby. A child was born 2,000 years
ago. A child was born. Yes, a baby
was born. But wait now. Who is this? What is this child? and no mere passing matter. That woman was a virgin. That woman gave birth who had
never known a man. The seed of man had never entered
her body, yet she gave birth to a child. That's a wonder, isn't it? Because
this child is the son given. See that, verse 6? Under us a
child is born, under us a son is given. Yes, a baby was born. A baby was born. Flesh and blood
baby came out of the womb of a woman, but she was not the
originator of the life of that one that came forth. That one who came forth did not
get its life from that woman. Because the angels had already
said, that holy thing that's going to come out of you is of
God. Because she said, I've never
known man. How am I going to give birth?
How am I going to bring life into this world? You're not.
You're just a receptacle. You're just an instrument. You're
just a vessel. God's going to fill it. And then
God's going to open it in His good time and bring forth that
which He hath done. He Himself, the Son, is given.
The eternal Son of God. The eternal Son of God. The reason
He's called the Son is because, well, John has sons. They're His, they came from Him. They're His flesh and blood.
They came from Him. All right? That's why I call
it, Christ is called the Son, because he's the only, the only
begotten of the Father. The only one who actually came
from God. Adam was created out of dust. You understand that? Adam was
created out of dust. Adam was not the Son of God in
that he was begotten of God. that he actually came from the
person of God. Adam was created out of the dust
and God breathed life into him, yes, but now Christ is called
the express image of God. The Son who was in the bosom
of the Father. Son is given, the eternal Son,
and the reason he's called the Son is not because he is not
God, not because he's less than God, not because he's something
other than God, but because he came from God. You understand? God is spirit,
but yet God was made flesh. And so he's called the begotten
of the Father, you see. The image. God who does not have
an image. made an image of himself. A body
has thou prepared me, Christ said. And he entered the Son,
the eternal Son, who really has always had an image. Right? Every appearance of God to human
beings was the Son of God, was Christ himself. And we're going
to see God. Job said it, the oldest book
in the Bible, I'm going to see God with my two eyes. Yes, me. In my flesh, I'm going to see
God. But no man can. Man has. And every man will see
God, the Son of God. Jesus Christ, the Son, who was
with the Father, who has no Father, but was with the father. Now you explain this. Come up
here if you can do a better job. Who has no father or mother,
no beginning of days, yet here he is. Child's born, the son's
given. He's the father, yet he's the
son. Too big for me. The eternal son. Read on. It
says the government shall be upon his shoulder. It's a continuation of last week's
message, and we know who won the election. We know who's in
power. We already saw that. We know. He said in chapter 42,
Behold, mine elect, my servant. We saw it in Psalm 2, I've set
my king on the holy hill of Zion. I chose him. Man didn't choose
him. He wasn't running for election.
God set him there. He's my king. And the government
is on his shoulders. What government, Dan? United
States? Well, yeah. And Russia and Mexico
and China and the universe. All things. Christ said this
In John 17, he said, all authority is given unto me in heaven and
in earth. Not just this little ball of
dirt. That's very minor. It's a third world world. I didn't even know what I said
then, did I? Third world world world? Paul
said, I've gone into heaven, the heaven of heaven. He's the governor. Always has
been, always will be. Government has been, is not now,
and always shall be upon his shoulder. And they're big enough. Government's upon his shoulder.
Well, what's his name? This child was born. But the son, the son of God,
was given. God had a son, one son. Only
begotten son. Well, beloved. God's going to
name him. This is fitting. God gave him
his name. Name him after yourself. What
is his name? What is the name of this wonderful
one? Just said it. His name shall be called Wonderful. See that? His name? shall be called wonderful." by God, because they describe
the person or what the person is to do, or the description
of the person's character, or the person's work, or the person's
actual appearance. You understand what I'm saying?
Name. We're given. God gave Abraham. He started
out Abram. He called him Abraham, father
of many. Jacob started out, his name was
Jacob, he was given that name because it fit him, it means
cheat. And he was, but God changed his name to Israel, prince. And so on and so forth, other
names. Peter, who used to be just old Simon, now God, our
Lord changed it to Peter, little rock, little stone. were given to describe a person
or their character or their appearance. The name of this one that God
first gives. Wonderful. Let's see, what shall we call
him? Wonderful. Wonderful. Full of wonder. Wonderful. Full of wonder. Consider this woman who's full
of wonder at his birth. OK, let's consider his birth,
which was full of wonder, his birth, the ancient of days. Became an infant of mere hours,
minutes, born. The life giver I mean the one
who gives life, in whom we live and move and have our being.
The life in whom we live and move and have our being. The
life giver sustained his own life from a woman's breast. He needed that breast to sustain. It was wonderful. Full of wonder. The child, the
child was the father of the mother. What were you going to call him? Wonderful. Full of wonder. Wonder of wonders. God became
a baby. Wonderful. You see why this is
so fitting? Wonderful. In his birth? What
about his life? Wonderful in his life. Full of
wonder in his life. Not only as a baby, but a 12-year-old
boy walks in a temple one day. Doctors and scholars and all
these self-proclaimed wise men are sitting around discussing
theology, deep points of theology, and discussing the old writers
and the old in the old languages, which took them years to learn. And here comes this 12-year-old
boy, wandering in. They didn't even, let's see, and they continued
talking. And this 12-year-old boy sat
down right, right there where they were listening to him, held up his hand. What is it, son?" I got a question. And he asked a question. And none could answer. Well, here's what I think about
it until All of these scholars and
doctors and lawyers and masters and teachers are always sitting,
listening to a 12-year-old boy. Full of wonder. A 12-year-old
boy. Later, a 30-year-old man—that's
young, that's real young—30 years old, he became a Young man, grew
up in wisdom and stature. That's a wonder, isn't it? He who is wisdom, Jerry, grew
in wisdom. But he became a young man and
he started preaching. He stood up one day in the temple. Here he is again. Came to the
temple again. Stood up. Thirty-year-old man.
I gave him the book to read. Gave him the book he wrote, saying,
Here, read this. I know it. He could have said,
I know it well. But he took the book and began
to read, and then he began to preach. And the general consensus
by everyone who heard him was that no man spake like this man. They've heard the orators, they've
heard the philosophers, they've heard the great and mighty men
of their day, and here comes this carpenter, here came this
carpenter, this young 30-year-old carpenter in their midst. They knew him, we know you, we
know who your dad and your mom is, and he began to speak and
they were spellbound. Wonderful. Full of wonder. And he walked out of that building,
and from that day forward he began to do wondrous works. Not only what came out of his
mouth, but what came forth from his hands. Wonderful. Wondrous works. He walked out
of that building. There's a blind man, Peter. Walked
down the road, there's a man lame from his mother's womb,
laid on a, his legs shriveled up. He walked everywhere. Scripture
says he healed everybody that had need of healing. That's what
we're going to call him. Wonderful. Full of wonder. He was a wonder to all who heard
him, a wonder to all who watched him, and a special wonder to
a chosen few, when one day, wonder of wonders, he took them up on
a mountain. He said, you think I'm just a
man, don't you? He peeled back the veil. Saw his glory. Saw God no man
had ever seen. That's what we're going to call
it. They were standing out on a boat
one day. Waves crashing. He's sleeping. What a wonder.
He's sleeping. He who never slumbers or sleeps,
Brother Henry, was sleeping on purpose. And they thought they
were going to die because of the ocean, and that they were
going to be shipwrecked, be drowned. And this man, they woke him up, and this man
walked to the bow of that tossing ship in those twenty-foot swells. He walked to the bow of that
boat, hanging on to the rail, pointed at that ocean, and said,
Hush up. And all those disciples on
that boat, what manner of man is this? It was wonder, full of wonder. You know, that's a fitting name,
isn't it? Isn't that a fitting name? Call
his name Wonderful. We use that term when you're
looking for a description of someone who's so near and dear
to you. Someone who you think has all
of the qualities that you admire so much. of loveliness, and beauty, and
compassion, and mercy, and grace, and just character. To describe
someone you think is just, he's just, he's wonderful. Isn't that fitting? Describe
our Lord's character. Not only his works, but his character. Wonders in love. Greater love
has no man than this. No man, no human being has ever
exhibited the love that he exhibited. The ones that killed him, the ones that turned their thorns
down on him, the ones that said, kill him, that's who he was dying for. What a wonder. To write the love of Him above? It's a wonder. He loved them
to the end, too. Huh? I don't love you anymore,
people say. He never said that about any
of you. Never has. Never will. Having loved his
own, he loved them to the end. He
loved them even while they were yet sinners. Unlovely. Loves them through thick and
thin. Loves them to the end. It would be a good poem. Write one, Jeanette. Write a hymn. Through thick and
thin. Loves them to the end. Mercy.
Wondrous in mercy. Wondrous in mercy. wonderful
in mercy, his mercy is wonderful. He's hanging on a cross, looks
like he would, looks like he would be thinking about his own
pain and his own suffering. Looks like he'd be thinking about
himself, and right there hanging beside him is a, somebody killed
somebody's son or daughter, maybe a, you know, a thief, a murderer,
a rotten, no good convict. And the Lord has mercy on him. He's not thinking
about himself. Mercy. The chief of sinners.
Grace. Wonderful in grace. Wonderful
in grace. Grace means giving. He said,
it's so and so's generous. Oh, they give you the shirt off
their back. That's what he did, didn't he?
Huh? He gave his back, not his shirt. Gave his back to the smiters,
Psalm 56. Took my weapon. Rod was going
to come down on you and me, and I heard this wonderful one said,
Woo! Stop. Beat me instead. Beat me to death. Let him go
for it. Gave his back. Not just his shirt. He did give his shirt though,
didn't he? His robe of righteousness. Wonderful
in grace. Gave his life for us. Wonderful
in compassion. Compassion. Compassion. That's a wonderful word. Wonderful
word. See what I mean? When you think
of... See what I mean, Sherry? When you're trying to come up
with an adjective that talks them off. It's wonderful. What did you think about such
and such? It was wonderful. God said, I've got a son. Here
he is, my son. What are you going to call it? Wonderful. This is the most wonderful message
you've ever heard. Because all up to this point
has been nothing but Christ. That message, which is most wonderful,
is most full of Him, isn't it? Wonderful and compassionate. I just quoted it a while ago.
He healed all that had need of healing. Wherever He went, somebody
had a need of healing. He did. He healed them. They
were hungry. He fed them because they were
thirsty. gave them drink. If they were naked, He clothed
them. If they were sick, He healed
them. If they were dead, He raised
them. If they had a need, He gave it to them. The good Samaritan took them to the end and gave
everything necessary to sustain them for the rest of their days. But we don't call one who's so
wonderful, so rich. See what I mean? Well, rich in
compassion, isn't he wonderful? Well, isn't that wonderful? Gentleness, you know, gentleness. This is a lost art. It's a lost
art. It's a lost virtue to be a gentleman
today. You know, it's thought of as
being weak, as not being macho, you know, a gentleman. chivalry. What's that mean? It means being
a gentleman. But years ago, there were gentlemen. Strong, yes. Bold, yes. Courageous,
yes. Mighty, yes. But they were gentlemen.
Gentlemen. Men who could slay an enemy would
get a flower. Men who would slay hundreds,
even thousands, yet take their coat off and lie in a puddle. Gentleman, gentleness, a true
gentleman, a truly gentle man. That's our Lord. And wonderful,
and wonderful in death, wonderful in his birth, wonderful in his
life, wonderful in his works, wonderful in his death. full
of wonder, full of wonder. The greatest wonder is he didn't
have to die. He didn't have to die. Ask any
human being on the earth if you have a choice. We'll give you
a choice here. You don't have to die. You can
live forever, or you can die. You can suffer. You can go through
pain. You can die, or you can live
forever. You think you'll get one person
who volunteer to suffer? I mean, as no one has ever suffered. And die, leave this world, leave
those you love. You think you'd get one taker?
Christ did. In the prime of his life, 33
years. We say if someone that young,
when their life is taken, their life was cut short. Well, that's what it says there
in Isaiah 53. He was taken from the land of
the living. He was cut short. Thirty-three years old. He voluntarily took every form of abuse he could
take. The worst punishment. and torture,
voluntarily. No man could touch him up to
that point, you see. And then it came a point in time,
God's time, when he said, OK, I submit to the most excruciating
pain, to hell on earth. And I die. I will die. I will
cease from the land of the living. No man takes my life from me,
he said. I lay it down. I lay him down. That's a wonder,
isn't it? A wonder of wonder. Who'd he
do it for? The likes of you and me. A wonder
of wonder that subjecting himself to such a judge of the universe.
Let's think about his death a minute. Let's think about his trial on
the judge of the universe. I was watching that kangaroo
court down in Florida. Man-appointed court, you know,
down there in Florida. All of them, seven of them with
their black robes, and oh, more aren't we powerful. Until the Supreme Court overrules
you. But anyway, oh, man in his black
robes and his judge, you know, sits on his little judgment seat.
We're talking about the judge of the universe, before whom
all flesh shall someday stand, the judge of the universe, submitting
to one of those kangaroo courts, standing before some pinhead
fellow named Pilate, some little pawn in a a corrupt
government head, some little pinhead ruler named Pilate. Don't
you know? Don't you see that little fat
bald-headed man, you know, talking to him? Don't you know I have
the power to release you? You're before me and I can, I
can, I'm a judge here. He that saith in the heavens,
Surely he must have laughed at that. This little judge stood
and thought, I'm going to sentence you. He who has already sentenced
all things. Isn't this a wonder? Isn't this a wonder? The judge
of the universe submitting to such a judgment as this. Lack of it. No justice. No justice. He whom angels praise, angels,
angels, bow down in reverence and worship to this one. Angels,
one of which can destroy a fourth of the earth. Angels bow down
in the presence of this one. That one allowed men to jeering,
mocking, taunting, Steve, if you were the most powerful man
on earth, physically and authoritatively, if you were the most powerful
man, would you allow one, would you allow a dog to bark at you?
Huh? He did, he did. He let everyone, he allowed everyone to take a
shot at him. of his who will speak, he will
speak. And all flesh will hear him and
all flesh will see him as he is. Not this pitiful Jesus, but
as he is. That lion of the tribe of Judah
became a lamb, a dumb lamb, before her shearer. Didn't open his
mouth. The wonder of wonders of the
Lord of life. He hung his head and died. What are we going to call him? Only
God could name him, couldn't he? Wonderful. Wonderful. But call his name this. Look
at it again. Call his name Counselor. He's the wonderful counselor.
You could add this description to every one of the rest of these
names. You know that? You could add this adjective
to every one. He's the wonderful counselor.
He's the wonderfully mighty God. He's the wonderful, everlasting
God. He's the wonderful Prince. He's
the wonderful counselor. Counselor. Counselor. Counsel means meeting. Counsel. Have a counsel. together. He's it. You understand? We elect city council, see, and
we have how many on there? However many can pay for it. Five, six, seven city councilors. He's council. He is it. He's so remembered
now of this council. He's the counselor. All of it,
everything, the originator of all things, author and finisher
of the faith, the eternal purposer. Is that a word? Purposer? And counsel, ordaining all things,
a counselor. This also means what you think
it means. Counselor means an advocate,
a lawyer. We use that term today, don't we? prominent in our thoughts right
now. All these counselors get together. All these lawyers get
together. All these advocates are getting
together. Or no, they're fighting. They're
not together. He's our counselor. He's our
advocate. He's our lawyer. Let me tell
you how wonderful this counselor is. You know those fellas that
got that football actor off? That got him off scot-free? Pretty
good lawyers, weren't they? Pretty good loophole finders,
weren't they? It's amazing that they won that case, wasn't it?
Somebody so obviously guilty, caught red-handed, literally,
that they could get him off? That's amazing. I got one more
amazing than that. No loopholes involved. One who
takes the very law itself, who condemns the one whom he represents,
and proves them to be guilt-free. Lets them off by the very law
which condemns them. But there's a good lawyer. By the very justice which demands
their punishment, they must go free. Something that injures his counselor.
Approach the bench. And he approaches the bench and
they talk things over and they discuss things, things of importance
and all. Well, our counselor approached
the bench. He approached the bench. The
mercy suit, if you will. He approached the bench. Our
counselor. On behalf of trillions of guilty,
red-handed criminals, he approached the bench on our defense. See, he's a publican
defender. The counselor approached the
bench on behalf of all his people. Incidentally, the judge is his
father. And he approaches the bench, and he pleads our case. And by what transpired between
the judge on the throne and the counselor at the bench, the bailiff
pronounces, all defendants—you want to say it, don't you?—all
defendants, all publicans and senators represented by this
measure, before, and now, and heretofore, are hereby declared
not guilty." Case dismissed. What did our counselor do? What
did he say? That's the Counselor I want,
don't you? He's a wonderful Counselor. Wonderful Counselor. And I'm
not going to cut this short. No way. It's too wonderful. Read on. The Counselor and the
Mighty God. Call His name the Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father. People, what need we of further
proof of who Jesus imagined? Huh? Like those detractors, like those
mockers and scoffers said of him when he said who he was,
they said, what need have we of further proof? That's what
I say. Before all these cavaliers, before all these unbelievers,
before the whole world who's trying to debate whether or not,
who he is, all these various denominations, Rebecca, that
are debating, trying to decide if they'll let him be who he
is. If there is knowledge, who he
is? What need have we of further
proof? Who is that Jesus of Nazareth? Who was that man that walked
this planet? Just who is he, really? He's God. God said so. It's over in it. All argument
has to cease. Isaiah 9, 6 says that that man
that walked this planet is the mighty God. So the Son of God,
the everlasting Father. What need have we of perception? Jesus of Nazareth is not just
the Son, he's the Father. But at the mouth of two witnesses,
Isaiah and Christ himself, he said to Philip one time, he said,
Philip, Philip wanted to see the Father. Philip didn't know that he was
seeing the Father. And at the mouth of two witnesses,
Isaiah and the Lord himself, he said to Philip, Philip, that hath seen me, hath seen the Father." It's not in theory, that's not
in principle, that's barely, barely God was manifest in the
flesh. Ah boy, the invisible God became
visible. The Prince of Peace. Look at
this. Here's the last thing. Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Any of you
young girls or young ladies or older ladies like to read those
old stories of Prince Valiant? Prince Charming? Any of you still
waiting on your Prince Charming? You're going to be waiting a
long time. You're going to be waiting a long time. But now,
wait a minute now. There is one. You know, that
character, that fictitional character prints this, prints that. The fictitional character. They
have to make him up because there's no such man as wonderful, as
charming, as as loving, as kind, as handsome, as strong, as just,
you, oh, they make these princes, these heroes! Everybody's hero,
and every villain's enemy. Prince! Boy, don't call him. The Prince. The Prince. Do you think of stories
like that when you think of Prince? Don't think of that old Charlie
over there in England. Bad example. You think of the
Prince. Here he comes, riding his white
horse, Polly. Prince with a sword in his hand.
Prince with a breastplate on. Prince. more beautiful than all
men put together. The prince more mighty than all
put together. The prince! We're the paupers. We're the cinderfellows. Sweeps
us and carries us in his bosom all the way to glory. Kill the
dragon. That's exactly where those stories
come from. Where do you think those stories
come from? Huh? Grim? Mr. Grimm make that up? Grimm's fairy tales? God wrote this story long ago
about his prince, about all those who were in ashes. He gives them
beauty for ashes. Where do those stories come from?
Turns frogs into dogs into fellas. Prince wakens in with a kiss
of Lord! They're dead! He awakens them.
Where did that story come from, would you tell it? This is the prince. Prince of
Peace. I like that. Prince of Peace.
He made peace. He made peace. By the blood of
his cross, he literally fought a dragon. He literally did. Sacredly. He did. He fought. The dragon,
that's what the scriptures calls him, doesn't it, Victor? Calls
him the dragon, the beast, doesn't it? And by the way, that battle's
been won. It's already been fought, John.
That's no future battle, the beast gonna come after us. 2,000 years ago, this prince
of peace took his sword and cut the head off that dragon, buddy.
Chained it. Prince of Peace. He made peace
for us by the blood of his crop. And he's declared peace in his
kingdom from there on. And only what anything seems
to disturb, he's allowing it for his purposes. But it's at
peace. It's at peace. He's made it.
He's declared it. He's ordained it. It's at peace.
until all of his purposes are fulfilled, until all of his sheep,
all of his people, all of his bribes, until he comes to get
all of his bribes, until our Prince of Peace comes to gather
his bride-elect in his arms, in his bosom. It seems like there's
a war going on, but no. He's going to grab them, get them,
and take them home, and then he's going to destroy the rest
Prince of Peace. Isn't that a good name? Huh? What are we going to name
him? Let's call him one. Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of
Peace. And you know that the end, the
spread, the scope, the length of his government, there's no
end. There's no end. far as the east is, the west,
north, south, from eternity past, eternity future. He has been,
is now, and always will be on the front, reigning ruler. No
end. No end. All right, I want you
to stand with me. I'm going to dismiss this in
prayer. We've got to get on the road. Our Heavenly Father, we thank
you. the name of, for the glory of
Christ, for sending him down to this
earth for the likes of us. Truly his name is wonderful.
We wonder, we're full of wonder at who he is and what he's done. And we thank you for revealing
a little bit. We preach in part, Lord forgive
this poor attempt at declaring him who is indescribable. Don't let it tarnish his glory,
but rather somehow lift him up. Forgive our lack of attention
to such a glorious message We ask all these things through
him whose blood ensures our forgiveness. In Christ our Lord we pray. Amen. You're dismissed.