Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nibert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nibert. Today is the day when the birth
of Christ is recognized. And I am thankful that men are
made to think that there was a man named Christ Jesus and
he was born and all over the world this is being recognized. Now, I would like to read a passage
of scripture from the book of Isaiah, written 700 years before
the birth of Christ. And we have here the announcement
of his birth. Isaiah chapter nine, beginning
in verse six, 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. 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 justice
and judgment from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform it." Now there we read of the announcement
of his birth. Some 2,000 years ago, the Son
of God was conceived in a virgin's womb. Matthew 1.20 says, that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. That is how he was conceived
in a virgin's womb, one that had never known a man. And he
spent nine months in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and he was
born on a certain day. Isaiah 7.14 says, behold, a virgin. shall conceive and bear a son,
and thou shalt call his name Immanuel, which means God with
us." What a precious name. Not God against us, God with
us. And not only are we told that
he would be born, we're told where he would be born in the
Old Testament. In Micah 5, verse 2, we read,
but thou Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me him that is
ruler of Israel, whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting. We're told where he would be
born. In Daniel 9, we're actually told
when. he would be born, the 70 weeks
times seven representing 490 years from that time. But what I want us to consider
mainly is this birth announcement or given of the Lord Jesus some
700 years before he was born. And to us, a child is born. And to us, a son is given. Now, somebody may be thinking,
how could a virgin have a child? And Mary asked the same question. We read in Luke 1, verse 34,
then said, Mary unto the angel, how shall this be? Seeing, I
know not a man. How is it that I'm going to be
with child if I've never known a man? And the angel answered
and said unto her, the Holy Ghost, that's the third person of the
Trinity. There's God the Father, God the
Son, God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, therefore
also that holy thing. which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God." He was begotten by the Holy Ghost. You see, if Joseph was the biological
father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he would have Joseph's sinful
nature. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and he could not be our Savior. He would be a sinner
if Joseph was his biological father. But Joseph is not his
biological father. And I love what the angel said
to Mary, with God, nothing shall be impossible. That is why this
virgin conceived, with God, nothing shall be impossible. Now, in
this passage of scripture, in Isaiah 9, verse 6, we read, for
unto us a child is born. And unto us a son is given. Now the first thing that comes
to mind with me is who is the us? Unto us a child is born and
to us a son is given. Who is the people represented
by the word? And I really can't understand
this passage of scripture unless I understand who the us is. Unto us a child is born and unto
us a son is given. Now, if that us is included in
people who are not saved, people who are already in hell or people
who will go to hell, him being given to them didn't do them
much good, did it? Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. Now, who is meant by us? Now, if I said the same us as
Romans 8, verse 31, if God be for us, who can be against us,
I would be giving the scriptural answer. The us represents the
elect of God, those who he is for. The us represents everybody
that Jesus Christ died for. The us represents all who have
been born of God, born of the Spirit. The us represents all
who believe the gospel, all who believe and repent. The us represents
all who receive Christ. Now, if I gave those answers,
I would be giving accurate scriptural answers, but perhaps you're not
sure If you are any of those things and you can't ascertain
that, yes, I know God elected me, I know Christ died for me,
I know I've been born of the Spirit, you might not be able
to answer honestly those things with regard to yourself. So let
me give you something easier. Are you a sinner? I'm not asking you if you're
elect. I'm not asking you if you know Christ died for you.
I'm not asking you if you've been born of God. I'm asking
you this, are you a sinner? And I'm talking about what the
Bible means by sinner. Genesis 6, 5, and God saw the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Would that be you? Romans 2.1 says, therefore thou
art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou that judgest, for thou that
judgest doest the same things. Are you a sinner to this sense
that you don't have any business judging anybody on any level
because you know you're worse than they are? Are you a sinner
in that sense? John said in 1 John 1.8, if we
say we have no sin, we've deceived ourselves. If you're a sinner,
you know at all times you have a sinful nature. It's always
there. And then he said in verse 10, if we say we've not sinned,
we make him a liar. And they're the words of verb
talking about anything I do, if I did it, that's all it takes
for it to be sin, because I have this sinful nature. Are you a
sinner? The way I just described, the
way the word of God just described. Well, if you are, you're included
in that us. Unto us a child is born. Unto
us a son is given. Somebody says, how can you say
that? Because 1 Timothy 1.15 says, Christ Jesus came into
the world That's why he was born. That's why he was conceived.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The only people he came to save,
sinners. Now, if you're not a sinner,
I can't say that he was given to you. You're not included in
that us. But if you're a sinner, this
is for you. For unto us, sinners, The child
is born, unto us sinners a son is given. Now, let's think about
the language of this. Unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given. Now, there's a reason it's stated
like that. The Son of God became flesh. The eternal Son of God became
flesh. He was not always flesh. But
when he came into the world, when he was conceived, he became
a human being, something he was not before. He became a child. He has a birthday. Now, I seriously
doubt that it's December 25th, but he does have a specific birthday. There was a specific day when
he was born. John 1.14 says, the Word, the
eternal Word, the Word that was with God and was God, was made
flesh. Jesus Christ became a human being. He was born unto us. This child is born. But to us,
the Son wasn't born. The Son's eternal. The Son was
given. God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son. This Son was not born. This is
the uncreated, eternal Son of God. Now, Isaiah tells us concerning
this Son that was born, and the child that was born and the son
that was given. He tells us in verse six, and
the government shall be upon his shoulder. This one that was
born that day, some 2000 years ago, when he was born, the government
shall be upon his shoulder. shoulder. Now, the government
he is talking about is not government as we know it, with an executive,
legislative and judicial branch, a balance of powers with officials
we elected. It's not talking about that kind
of government. It's not talking about any other kind of human
government, an autocratic government, communist, socialist. The word
government means rule or dominion. The rule and the dominion shall
be upon his shoulders. Now this is speaking of the absolute
sovereignty Of this child who was born, of this son who is
given, the government will be upon his shoulder. He has absolute
rule. He has absolute dominion. Now here is what that means.
This child who is born, this son who is given, he has a will. He has a will. He has the power
to make sure His will comes to pass. He has the right to make
sure His will comes to pass. And He always does His will. That's what is meant by the sovereignty
of Jesus Christ His will is always done because He has the power
to make sure it's done. He has the right to make sure
it's done. And He always makes sure it is
done. His will is always done. Daniel
chapter 4 verse 35 says, He doeth according to His will. in the
armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and
none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou? Psalm
115.3, David said, Our God is in the heavens. He hath done
whatsoever he hath pleased. His will was done when he created
the universe. Every minute of time, this thing
we call time, whenever it began, and there's a time when there
will be no more time, is His will being done. He's the cause
of causes. The lot is cast into the lap,
but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. And if you're
saved, it's because He willed your salvation. It's not because
you willed it, it's because He willed it. He is Lord. The government is upon His shoulder. Now, Isaiah now gives us His
name. His name shall be called. This
child who is born, this son who is given, This One who exercises
absolute sovereign dominion over all things, He's got a name.
His name shall be called. Now, before I get to that, remember,
Matthew 121, we read that His name is Jesus. Savior. He shall save his people from
their sins. He's already been called Immanuel,
God with us. But here Isaiah tells us he shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father. and the Prince of Peace. Now let's consider each one of
these titles. This one who was both the child
born and the son given, his name is called Wonderful. Wonderful. Counselor. the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. Now, listen to this. Either Jesus Christ is God, or
he is the biggest imposter to ever live. The claims he made
about himself, called the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. He said, I and my Father are
one. He took to himself the name I
Am. He is either who he said he is,
God, the second person of the Trinity, or he's the biggest
imposter to ever live. You know, Mohammed never made
the claims that Christ made. He said, there's one God and
I'm his prophet. Christ said, I am the father
of one. Big difference. Now he's called wonderful. And you know, we use that term
far too loosely. How was the meal? Wonderful.
Well, I don't know whether any meal is full of wonder, but he
is. He is wonderful. Wonderful in his person. He's
God. He's man. He's 100% God. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead in a body. He's the man Christ Jesus, perfect
humanity. He's wonderful in His life. His perfect, sinless life is
the righteousness, the personal righteousness of every believer. He's called, in Jeremiah 20 and
36, the Lord, our righteousness. Now, when I stand before God
in judgment, you know why I'm going to be accepted? Because
I have His life as my life before God, His personal righteousness.
He's wonderful in His death. In His death, He actually put
away sin. You know, when I die, there's
no accomplishment in it. But when he died, he actually
made the sins of all of God's elect not to be paid for, put
away. Wonderful in his resurrection,
he was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification.
When he was raised from the dead, I was declared to be justified. God satisfied with me. I'm sinless. That's what his death accomplished.
Oh, how wonderful he was in his resurrection. How wonderful he
is in raising himself from the dead. How wonderful he is in
his intercession. There's a man in glory right
now representing me. and everyone who believes on
him, and they are preserved and kept by him, his intercession
for them. Oh, how wonderful he'll be in
his return. His name shall be called Wonderful."
What a name for the Lord Jesus Christ. His name shall be called
Counselor. Now, that's not what we would
call a counselor today. People go to counselors. They
may be helpful, they may be harmful, but they're men, and they're
not going to be infallible by any means. But this is not, when
the Lord has called a counselor, this is not talking about one
who gives advice or even one who gives infallible advice. The word counsel here is a verb. What does that mean? That means
that My counsel, he said, shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure. His counsel is his decrees. He
works all things after the counsel of his own will. His counsel is always done. The counsel of peace he made
before the foundation of the world. He didn't consult with
men. He didn't consult with angels. His father made him to be the
counsel, the decree of peace. He's the wonderful counselor. And then he's called the mighty
God. He did what only God can do. In
his miracles, he did what only God could do. He raised the dead. He controlled the weather. He
brought matter into existence that was not there before when
he made food. He suspended the law of physics
when he walked on the water because they're his laws. He did what
only God could do. He is God in the sense that only
God can raise Himself from the dead. Only God can obey the law
perfectly. Only God could satisfy God. The
God-man did all of those things. He is the mighty God. And then Isaiah says He's the
everlasting Father. Now somebody says, how can that
be? How can he be called the everlasting father? That's a
good question. This is mysterious. I can't answer this to anyone's
satisfaction. I just believe it because this
is what it says. I know he's separate from the father. We
read in John 1.1, in the beginning was the word and the word was
with God as a distinct person and the word was. God. And I know this, all we're ever
going to see of the Father is Jesus Christ. God is Spirit. No one can look upon Him. The
God-Man, Jesus Christ. Now, I love it when Philip said,
show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. And the Lord looked at him
and said, I've been so long time with you, Philip, and yet has
thou not known me? He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. How sayest thou then, show us
the Father? Now, the Lord didn't say, if
you've seen me, it's just as if you've seen the Father. He
said, he that has seen me has seen the Father. You see, he's
the express image, the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person. He's the image of the invisible
God. And all I'm ever gonna see of
the Father is his Son, Jesus Christ. His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
and the Prince of Peace. Now that word Prince is the same
word used when Joshua saw the man standing with the drawn sword. You can read about this in Joshua
chapter five and he said, are you for us or for our adversaries?
And he said, neither. I don't take sides. I'm the captain
of the Lord's hosts. That's the same word as prince.
He is the prince of God. He is the king, God's king, and
he's the prince of peace. What a name for him, the prince
of peace. Now, Acts chapter 5 verse 31
says, him hath God exalted to be a prince and a savior for
to give repentance to Israel and the remission of sins. Now,
peace, peace. He's the prince of peace. Now,
let me tell you why he's the prince of peace, because he is
our peace. The only peace I have is the
peace God has with him. If I'm in him, God has complete
peace with me. Colossians 1.20 says, Having
made peace by the blood of His cross, when He died on Calvary's
tree, God was at peace with everybody He died for. He has no reason
to be angry. There's nothing for Him to be
mad at because I am sinless if Jesus Christ died for me. Having
been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. You see, here's what Christ did
on Calvary's tree. He made a way for God to be just
and justify somebody who's unjust like me or you. He made a way
for God to be absolutely just and justify the ungodly. And the only peace I have is
that everything God requires of me, He looks to His Son for,
who made my peace with God. And I have peace with God because
of the peace that he accomplished on my behalf. He truly is the
Prince of Peace. What a name. He's wonderful. This child who is born, this
son who is given, the government is upon his shoulders. His name
should be called wonderful. Counselor, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. This is the one who
was born of a virgin some 2,000 years ago, and lived a life of
perfection for 33 years, and died upon the cross as a sin-bearing
substitute, making peace for all he represents. Truly, he
is the Prince of Peace. I am so grateful for the birth
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I am longing for His return. He will come again. We have this message on DVD and
CD. If you call the church or write
or look on our website, you can get a copy. This is Todd Nyberg
praying that God will be pleased to make Himself known to you.
Amen. To receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send
your request to todd.nyberg at gmail.com. Or you may write or
call the church at the information provided on the screen.