Turn in your Bibles please to
the familiar passage we've read from Isaiah's prophecy, the prophecy
of Isaiah in chapter 9. And I'll read a few verses, commencing
to read at verse 2, Isaiah 9 verse 2. The people that walked in
darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them have the light shined. Thou hast
multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy. They joy before
thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when
they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke
of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his
oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior
is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood, but this shall
be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his
shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the prince of peace. Of the increase of his government
and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and
upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this. At this time in winter we see
a lot of the darkness of night. The days are short, there's little
light. But as the season turns towards
the spring and the days begin to grow longer, the light returns. As we noted last week, this is
a great reminder of that time in the history of this earth
when spiritually speaking, Christ came into this world. when God's
light, the light of God in Christ, entered this world as Christ
was made a man. And Isaiah speaks of the spiritual
state of a people when he says, the people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them have the light shined. Now the great light which shone
in this world was the Son of God. God made
man. Born to Mary. God contracted
to a span. Conceived of the Holy Ghost.
Truly God and yet truly man. Born to a sinful woman, a virgin,
a nobody that God chose to bear His Son, God with us, Emmanuel,
the Savior of sinners. Isaiah says of this birth in
prophecy of that great day to come, for unto us a child is
born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon
his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Oh what a wondrous gift the birth
of this Son was and is. What a wondrous gift that God
should give unto His people, a people who sat in darkness,
a people fallen and corrupt in sin, a people who from their
birth had rebelled against their God and Maker, had gone their
own way, had turned their backs on God. had in their selfishness
and self-glory sought their own ends and had sunk in sin and
corruption. A people who sat as blind sinners,
dead in trespasses and sins in the darkness of this world. despite
their rebellion, despite their rejection of all that God has
said unto them, all that God had promised, all the goodness
that God had shown unto mankind from the creation of this world,
despite man's state, despite the state of his people, God
in grace, God in mercy, God in love, in the darkness of this
world, sent his Son. A child was born, a son was given,
Christ was born in Bethlehem, the Son of God. And the government shall be upon
his shoulder, this child, this babe born. was no weak babe,
though a babe, though helpless, though in the care of his mother
at that time. This one born was Almighty God,
the Sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth. the One who governs
all things, the One who will rule all things, the One who
causes all things to be, the Creator of the heavens and the
earth, the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, the Judge of all
mankind, the One before whom we all shall one day stand. almighty God in the person of
his son Jesus Christ. We will all bow the knee to this
child who was born. We will all have to give an account
of our deeds throughout our lives under him on that great day in
which he returns to judge this world in righteousness. This
child, this great governor, this great savior, this almighty God
was born in Bethlehem. And the promise to Mary and Joseph
was that they should call his name Jesus. Jesus, Saviour, God's
Saviour, Joshua, the Saviour, God, the Saviour of sinners,
they should call his name Jesus for he should save his people
from their sins. Oh what a name, Jesus. But Isaiah gives us several other
names here for Christ. Several other names for that
child born. His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. Wonderful. These aren't just
names, they're not names like we would name a child often.
Often we name children simply because certain names appeal
to us, simply because certain names appeal because we've known
other people with those names, we've liked those names, we've
known other children, or they're popular names at the time. But
the names given to Christ here are names with meaning. He is
named wonderful because he is wonderful. He is named Counselor
because He is the Counselor. He's named the Mighty God because
He is the Mighty God. He's named the Everlasting Father
because He is the Everlasting Father. Named the Prince of Peace
because He is the Prince of Peace. But the first of these names
which Isaiah names Him here, which he quotes, is wonderful. His name shall be called Wonderful. And it's really just that one
word I want to draw your attention to this morning. The name of
Christ, Wonderful. He's Wonderful, He's a Wonderful
Saviour. He was Wonderful at His birth. He was Wonderful throughout His
life. He was Wonderful in His death.
And he is wonderful, glorified in heaven, the risen saviour,
the conqueror, the victor, today, as he sits on the right hand
of his father, ruling the heavens and the earth, sending forth
his gospel, gathering in his elect for whom he died, until
the world is brought to a conclusion, and the sheep are separated from
the goats, and his people go to be with him forevermore. He's
wonderful. wonderful he was wonderful in
birth unto us a child is born unto us a son is given wonderful
wonderful because this child born to mary in bethlehem the
city of david is christ the lord this child
born is god god made man wonderful it's wonderful that God would
enter this world Almighty God Divine that he should take upon
him human nature that a divine person should be made man that
he should be made flesh that he should be born a man like
unto us yet without sin fully man and fully God, truly man
and truly God, with one exception, the one man who never sinned,
the one man who never fell, the one man who never rebelled against
his father. That is wondrous. something to
fill us with wonder, it is wonderful, wonderful that God should be
made man. What a birth his birth was, the
birth in fulfillment of all the promises and prophecies over
hundreds, thousands of years regarding him. He would come,
Messiah would come, the Saviour would come, a Redeemer would
come, and in the fullness of time, at the exact moment that
God appointed, at the exact moment at which He should come, when
this world was at its darkest, when it was desperately in need
of His coming, at that exact moment, Christ was born. God made man. He came, every
prophecy was fulfilled. There is no doubt of the reality
of who this one was. Because prophecies given to many
different people, recorded in the scriptures over thousands
of years, all were fulfilled to the letter, remarkably, wonderfully,
amazingly. They were all fulfilled, every
prophecy, every event concerning Him. The shepherds heard in the
fields as they watched their sheep. The angels appeared unto
them and told them of the birth of this Saviour. Wise men were
told of him and travelled from the east. They sought him out. He was born in Bethlehem, the
city of David, that great king, that great picture and type of
Christ. David. David, a prophet, priest
and king. He was born in his city. wondrous
birth. God made man, God with us, God
dwelling and walking in this world alongside man. Now many
cannot fathom this many cannot fathom that God should be made
man many not many cannot fathom that he could be truly God if
he was a man or that he could be truly man if he was God and
so many errors and so many cults have arisen by falling shipwreck
on this truth there are those that say yes he was God but was
never truly a man his manhood was not true humanity for he
could not be others go the other way and say that he was a man
yes but he was created he was born he was born of God he was
not God he could not be truly divine others say he could not
be truly sinless there must have been that capacity to fall in
him and they reason and try to fathom these things out with
their human understanding and how wrong they are, how evil
the conclusions that they reach are because their understanding
cannot reach. to the wonder, the wonder of
this mystery which was hid from ages and generations but now
is made known. The wonder that God should truly
be born man. How blasphemous is their thinking.
how blasphemous, how great God is, how great his wondrous knowledge
is, how small man is. And in our smallness we pick
these things apart and make them to be naught. We make the Word
of God as naught. And yet, everything that God
said of this one is true. unto us a child is born unto
us a son is given and his name shall be called wonderful for
he is wonderful he is God he is man he was born and it is
true that God made man made a little lower than the angels came in
Christ the Son of God as the Savior of his people Made a little
lower than the angels even for the suffering of death. Made
a man. What a manhood. What perfection. He was wonderful in birth but
he was wonderful in his life too. There has been no man upon
the face of this earth comparable to this one. A complete man. He knew what it was to suffer
and to feel as we do. He knew our infirmities. He knew
the weakness of the flesh. He knew our capacity. He knew
what it was to sorrow. He knew what it was to have those
he loved. sick and ill and in trouble.
He knew what it was to have compassion for his brethren. He knew what
it was to suffer loss. He knew what it was to have his
friend Lazarus die and to see the sorrow that it brought his
family, his sisters. Jesus wept when Lazarus died. He knew the full range of our
emotions. He was a man like unto us. Yet
a wonderful man. a sinless man, a man full of
wisdom, full of knowledge, full of power. This man spake and
when he spake, people said of him and his words, no man spake
like this man. No one has uttered the things
that this man has uttered. His words are wonderful. His words are true, we can hear
what he says, there's an authority and a power in them. He does
not speak as the scribes and Pharisees, but he speaks with
authority. He declares a thing and it is
so. He says and it is done. There's
no messing around with him. There's no sugar on his words
to make them acceptable to a wider audience. He says it as it is. There's authority. Oh what wisdom in his words.
Wonderful wisdom, wondrous wisdom. Elsewhere the scriptures name
him wisdom. This one had such great power.
Power to heal the sick. Power to make the blind to see,
the deaf to hear, the lame to walk. Power to raise the dead. When Lazarus's friend lay in
the grave four days, such that his body would rot and stink,
he went to that grave. and called out unto that dead
sinner, Lazarus, come forth. And he came forth. He came forth. He came forth alive, risen from
the dead. He who was truly dead truly lived
again and others looked on and beheld. What sort of a man has
the power to raise the dead? just by his words, just by his
voice. He's wonderful. In his life,
he showed forth the righteousness of God. He was perfection, pure,
not a blemish in him, righteous. He spake with the wisdom of God. He preached the gospel of our
salvation. He came unto sinners in their
condition and declared unto them, their need of salvation, their
need to have their sins blotted out. He comes to you this day
and declares unto you your need of salvation, you, you and me,
sinners, desperately lost in sin, blind to the truth. He comes
and declares our need, that you need righteousness, you need
your sins blotted out, you need life, you who are once dead. You need life. He preaches the
gospel. He preached the gospel in his
day. He spake of that death which he must die in Jerusalem. He
declared unto his disciples that he must needs go to Jerusalem. He must needs be taken up by
wicked men. He must needs be nailed to a
cross. He must die because only through
dying he make the dead to live? Only through dying would he take
away the sins of sinners and make them the righteousness of
God in him. He must die. He was wonderful
in his life but he was wonderful too in his death because he did
die. He did die and he lived his life
set upon going to the cross. He was born to die. That child
born, that son given, was not simply given as a man to be seen
and heard in this world, but he was given to be given as a
sacrifice for sin. God gave him. Christ gave his
life for those he loved. He went to the cross, he went
to Golgotha, he went to the place of death. to die in the place
of sinners, to die a substitute for sinners, to die in the place
of those who deserve the wrath of God against their sins. He
stood in their place and God judged him. God slew his only
begotten son. God slew that wonderful child,
that wonderful man. He slew him and laid upon him
the sins of his people. If you're one of his, he laid
upon him your sins. And your sin, he made him to
be sin for you, that you in him might be made the righteousness
of God. He slew him. He was wonderful in birth, wonderful
in life, but wonderful in death. He didn't turn from this death,
he didn't run away from it. in Gethsemane as that hour of
death approached as he knew that Satan's hour was upon him as
he knew that all the enemies of God were raging against him
and he knew what cup he should drink he knew that he must drink
the cup of God's wrath against sin and how He would recoil from
it, he who was sinless, he who was pure, he who was the Son
of God. How he would recoil at the idea
of bearing sins, being made sin, being judged for those sins.
How he would recoil at the idea of being slain upon a cross.
the suffering which he should enter, the eternity of God's
wrath that he should suffer in those few hours upon the cross,
how he would recoil from it. Nevertheless, he said, not my
will, Lord, but thy will be done. He went. He did not turn from
it. He allowed man to take him. He
allowed wicked men to nail him to the cross. He allowed them
to raise him up in the midday sun. And he knew that God would
poured down the fires of his judgment against him. He knew
it was coming and he waded through that death. He could have come
down from the cross at any moment. He could have sent a legion of
angels to deliver him as the people mocked him and cried out,
why don't you, if you're the son of God, call out for angels
to save you? He could have done that. But
he would not, because he came to die. He came to save His people. He came to save that elect company
that God His Father gave to Him. Those names which were written
upon His heart from all eternity. Those names, those ones He loved
from before the foundation of this world. He came for them. He died for each one of them
in particular. He knew each one in particular,
even before they were born, even before they lived. He knows us
all. he knows us all sinner he knows
you from start to finish and inside out he knows your every
thought your every intention your every desire he knows your
desires this day he knows where your heart is whether it's set
on this world whether it's set on the world to come, whether
it's set on the things of man, whether it's set on the things
of God in Jesus Christ, he knows your heart, he knows us inside
out and despite the fact that our hearts by nature are black
and filthy and corrupt, those whom he loved he suffered for,
he took their corruption, he took our corruption, he took
our filthiness, he took our rebellion, and he took the judgment of God
upon it and he drank it to the dregs, that he should take it
all away, and that he should make us clean and righteous and
pure and perfect in his blood which he shed for us, which he
would wash his people in. Was it shed for you, sinner?
Are you one of that us for whom it was shed? Are you one of that
us for whom this child was born? Unto whom this son is given?
Are you one of those us who can look upon him in his birth, in
his life, and in his death and say, his name is wonderful? Have you beheld Him in His death?
Have you seen how He died? How He was willing to suffer?
How He lived heading for that cross? Have you considered His
sayings upon the cross? Those seven sayings He uttered,
that forgiveness He spake towards those that passed by and railed
at Him and mocked Him and scoffed Him and crucified Him? Have you heard His words of wisdom? Have you heard His cry at His
finish when He had done all to save His people? Have you beheld
by faith that wondrous, wonderful salvation which He wrought upon
the cross? Have you considered what happened
in those hours of darkness as God judged the sins of His people
in His Son, as He blotted them out, as the light of the sun
was taken away? yet at the end as it returned
as sin was blotted out and righteousness replaced it. Have you considered
the wonder of his salvation at the cross? Have you considered
your need of it? Has God shown you your need of
it? Has he shown you you're interested
in it? Has he made it known that that blood was shed for you?
Do you know whether it was? Was it? If it was, has it come
unto you as a thing of joy and wonder? Do you behold Christ
upon that cross and say, His name is wonderful? Wonderful. If you have, then
you will consider him now and where he is. For he was laid
in the grave. He truly died, he was truly laid
in the grave and yet on the third day the grave could not hold
him because there was nothing to hold him in the grave. No
sin, no condemnation, no judgment, no guilt. He rose victorious
and all his people rose victorious with him. Saved with an everlasting
salvation. righteous with an everlasting
righteousness and he ascended and they spiritually ascended
with him to that place where he is today ascended to sit upon
the right hand of God the Father there he is there he is this
morning this day This 25th of December 2011, that son born
in Bethlehem, that babe born to Mary, is sat on the right
hand of God the Father, sitting until all his enemies be made
his footstool, ruling over this world, whatever is said and done
in this world this day, He rules over it, He is over it all. There's
nothing said and done that does not come from His ultimate command. And all the evil which is said
and done in this world will be judged, whether it was judged
in Christ on that day upon the cross or whether it will be judged
in those sinners as they enter eternal death on that last day. Well where were your sins judged? Will they be judged in you on
that day when you stand before Him and have no answer for your
sin and your rebellion? Will He say away with you, enter
out of darkness? Or were your sins judged in Him? Can you say it is wonderful because
this wonderful Saviour died in my place? He was given, that
Son was given for me, He was given as a sacrifice for me.
He loved me and gave himself for me. Wondrous truth. Can you say that? Do you look
up by faith to Him sat in glory now and see Him in that ascended
glory as the Lord Jesus Christ victorious having conquered all,
having wrought an effectual and complete salvation? Does it fill
you with wonder that He did everything necessary to save His people?
That He saved them, that there's nothing left to be done? that
all that is left to be done in this world as time goes on to
the last day is for the message of what He has done to be made
known, the message of His grace, the message of His gospel. He
sits in glory this day preaching, He is the Great Preacher, He
is the Prince of Peace, He is the everlasting Father, the One
who by His Spirit begets life and brings sinners unto life,
as they hear that gospel that He preaches, as it's sent forth
by His Spirit and declared by the mouths of those men that
that Spirit calls and sends forth to be heralds of His salvation. And He declares unto this world
that sits in darkness he shines a light and declares unto them
that the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light
and what they have seen is that i was born i was that son given
i am that one whose name is wonderful i am that counselor i am the
mighty god who speaks and sinners live. I am the everlasting father
who sends life and brings sinners unto life through my spirit.
I am the prince of peace who can take those who are at war
with God and bring them to peace with him by my blood. Yes he
sits on high this day and declares his gospel. Well have you ears
for this gospel? Have you? Or would you rather
hear the world and its noise or would you rather just hear
the carols and the happy singing and not consider why that child
was born why the son was given who that son is who it is whose
name is wonderful have you heard this gospel? Will you hear this
gospel or do you kick against it? Do you shut your ears? Do
you look around? Are you distracted? Do you want
to be anywhere but where that gospel is preached? Or do you
as a sinner lost in sin aware that you are evil? Aware that
you have fallen short? Aware that you have shaken your
fist at God? Aware that judgment awaits if
you were to die in your current state? Do you cry out to God
to save? Do you cry out to God to have
mercy? Do you listen for the sound of
this gospel? Do you long for one who can save
you from your sins? Do you thank and praise God that
he did not destroy this world in the moment as he could have
done, but that he sent into this world of darkness his light in
Christ? He sent that son, he sent that
sacrifice, he gave him upon the cross. Do you thank God for him
whose name is wonderful? Do you? Well, that Son sits in
glory today. He sits in glory at this moment. That wonderful Saviour declares
His Gospel even now to you this day at this hour. He declares
that Gospel that sinners like you might be born again of the
Spirit. He was conceived of the Holy
Ghost in Mary. Born of God. Divine. Well he sent and he was named
Wonderful. Well he sent forth his Gospel
by his Spirit that the Spirit might cause dead sinners to be
born again of God. Born again by Him who is called
the Everlasting Father. Born again of the Spirit of God
that they might have newness of life enter into them who are
once just death that they might be born again with everlasting
life eternal life life which is without beginning and without
end wonderful life yes he reigns above on high and preaches his
gospel that sinners below today might be born again wonderful
that's wonderful he reigns on high this day that
sinners born again by this gospel might live in the Spirit, in
union with Him. He dwelling in them and they
dwelling in Him. He whose name is wonderful living
and reigning in the hearts of these ones for whom He died,
for whom His blood was shed. And they dwelling in Him, walking
through this world, walking through this world of darkness, walking
in the shadow of death. those upon whom the light has
shone that they might walk through this wilderness of this world
united to him whose name is wonderful. He lives and reigns on high above
that that people who live in this world for whom he died that
when they come to the conclusion of their lives and pass from
this world into the next that they might die the death of the
righteous that their death might be wonderful that they might
have a wonderful death as they pass into everlasting life having
that life already but passing from this earthly realm into
that heavenly realm in which they shall dwell dwell with him
forevermore They will have a wonderful death because of the death of
Him whose name is wonderful. and he lives and reigns on high
and preaches his gospel this day that that people who believe
on him that that people who hear and confess their need of him
and his salvation that people who hear of that child born that
son given whose name is wonderful that people who hear of this
savior who hear his voice That people who sit in the grave,
that dead people who come to hear his voice crying out unto
them in the midst of darkness, live. That people who do live,
that people who are brought to life, that people who walk through
this pilgrimage of this world and eventually pass from it into
eternity to come, he lives and reigns on high that they should
one day live and reign with him forever. in glory. Is that your hope? Is that your
desire that you will one day live and reign with him? Are
you heading there? Are you going to be with him?
Are you with him now? Is he in your heart now? Are
you going to sit around his throne forever? Sit around the throne
of him whose name is wonderful? Is that your wonderful hope?
I ask you, is it? If it is, then your heart will
be full of joy, full of rejoicing, and full of thanksgiving at the
wondrous grace and mercy of God, His free grace which is made
known this day, that He sent His Son into this world, that
that child was born, that He truly was given, and that He
truly wrought that wondrous salvation. upon the cross. O are you going
to live and reign with Him whose name is Wonderful, with Him whose
name is Counsellor, with His whose name is the Mighty God,
with Him whose name is the Everlasting Father, with Him whose name is
the Prince of Peace? Is He your Saviour? Is He your
Hope? Is He your Glory? Will you be
with Him there forevermore? Will you? You must, you need
to be. Don't shut your ears to his message. Don't shut your ears to his truth. Don't shut your ears to his glory
and his gospel. Listen to the words of him this
day as he sits on high declaring his name. Listen to him whose
name is wonderful. Hear His salvation. Hear the
forgiveness of sinners through Jesus Christ's blood. See your
need of it. And if God show you your need
of it, cry out unto Him for salvation. And may you be one of those for
whom He died. May you, by God's grace, perhaps
come to know that wondrous salvation and know that wondrous Saviour. and know Him whose name is called
Wonderful. Do you know Him whose name is
called Wonderful? If you do, let us praise Him
this day and praise the God that sent that Son whose name is called
Wonderful. Amen.