Unto Us A Child is Born
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The Christmas season is here.
And it is beautiful, and wonderful, and amazing. At every turn there is something incredible to be seen or experienced.
For Christians this is the time that we celebrate the coming of our King.
The birth of Jesus.
What we celebrate is not what the world celebrates.
This isn’t about a guy in a big red coat coming down chimneys, though all of that is fun to pretend sometimes.
As much as we try to be with family in this time, for Christians, this holiday isn’t even about family.
It certainly isn’t about giving gifts - though that adds to the celebration.
It isn’t about food - though there should be opportunities to enjoy plenty of that too.
We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
And it is only right and fitting that we make it a big deal.
Jesus coming to earth changed everything for everyone ever.
And that is what we celebrate.
It is worth celebrating.
Isaiah was a prophet of God around 700 years before Jesus birth. We believe he wrote the Book of Isaiah found in the old testament of our Bibles, directed by God. And in that, he captures the hope that we celebrate on Christmas. I want to look very carefully at the words describing Jesus coming to earth so that in this season, our hearts would be in the right place, that God would be most glorified.
6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
In a Season of Darkness.
To understand what is happening here, we have to go backwards, into Isaiah 8:21-22
21 They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.
22 They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.
Isaiah references a time that the nation of Israel had turned away from God. At the very least, they had introduced other practices into their lives that did not honor him.
This is not hard to believe, because we have this recorded historically many times. Jesus entered into the world in a dark time. In a season of darkness. And changed everything.
Isaiah goes on to say
1 Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.
3 You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before you as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.
4 For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as you did on the day of Midian.
5 For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire.
The people walking in darkness, those living in the land of darkness describes a people who are actively turning away from God, and those who have just never known of Him. Those who live there now, in darkness, and those who went after darkness.
And all of a sudden, the people in the darkness - they see a great light. A light has dawned.
Everything changed.
Joy was increased.
The nation was enlarged.
It was as if there was a harvest.
Harvest is when everything changes - it is when you store up for the year ahead. It is when you know how the next year is going. You can finally stop stretching last years stores - it is time for a feast!
We became More than conquerors - here. When this prophecy was fulfilled.
How? Verse 6.
6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
For unto us.
FOR.
ALL OF THAT - Because.
All of those things - due to.
Our reality shifted, all thanks to.
For unto us.
For you.
Unto - as a gift - prepared specially, given specifically - considering you.
Have you considered Appa?
It cannot be over stated, it cannot be passed over, it can not be disregarded.
God sent his son to the earth, yes - for his glory.
But also yes, for YOU.
Because he knew you.
Because he thought of you.
Because he cared for you.
Because he had a plan for you.
For you. And that is over simplistic. There are so many reasons and whys to God doing things the way that he has chosen to do them. But this is most certainly part of it. It is unto you. Given to you. As a gift, from a loving father.
What was his gift?
A Child was born.
And he changed everything.
This is where we are going to hang out for the next several weeks - in these names given to our Lord.
And He will be called - this is bible prophecy, but the prophecy is of our response.
Isaiah had an understanding of how great Jesus was going to be.
He was shown by God that we would respond to Jesus - in this way. If we really knew him, this is what we would say. Because it is SO Much of who he is.
Consistently.
He didn’t do these things once and try to be impressive. He didn’t pretend - or try to pass anything off. He did the things. And our response was..
We called him wonderful counselor.
Because we knew him to be wise. Because we listened to him. we came to know him. we understood him to be right. The things that he said, the plans that he made - they were good.
They were wonderful.
And we call Him wonderful Counselor...
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God prepares us for this. In a loving way he says listen, you aint always gonna get it. You don’t always have to get it. .You don’t need to understand it. It’s his ways. And they are better.
29 This also comes from the Lord of Armies. He gives wondrous advice; he gives great wisdom.
This is the way of the Lord. This is who he is.
11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will,
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?
35 And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory.
So when we relate to Jesus: When we communicate with God, which should be always
We do it in this way.
We share with him, and we listen.
We do not presume to instruct the Lord.
He instructs us.
He is the only wise king.
He is our wonderful counselor.
You need wisdom? Ask and it is given to you.
That is who our God is.
And if you ask,
Are you listening?
Communion: