Unto Us A Child is Born pt 2
Unto Us A Child is Born - Christmas 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 49:27
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We are well into the advent season now, Christmas is upon us.
This is the time that we celebrate the coming of our king.
This is the time we celebrate 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.
Our focus this season is on Jesus. We celebrate Jesus.
In the book of Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied that He was coming. In a season of darkness for the world, Isaiah said that God was going to do an incredible thing. He was going to change it all.
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.
How was he going to do all of that?
Verse 6 tells us, in great detail.
Isaiah 9:6
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.
Isaiah tells us, God has said, He so declared, that he was sending His SON.
Unto us - because of us, for us as a gift specifically prepared and purchased for us. Thinking of you, he sent Jesus.
Knowing you, He sent the “word of God”
Understanding what you need, he sent the Lamb of God.
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.
Our focus this month, through this series will be on the four names given here for our Lord Jesus, 700 years before he walked the earth.
We should remember that the implication here is that these names would be things that we would call him, not worthless royal titles, but really the way we would understand him.
Isaiah had an understanding of how great Jesus would 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 this is who he would be.
Jesus carried these characteristics consistently - they weren’t one time achievements. They were his nature. This is how we would know him. He would be called.
Last week we looked at the first name in the list - wonderful counselor.
In that first description, we find the characteristics of Jesus - in what you might think of as his mental capacity.
He is wise, beyond our understanding.
He is capable of understanding well beyond our own.
He is able to guide us and direct us and share wisdom with us, because he has wisdom in abundance.
We should not presume to instruct the Lord. He instructs us. He is the only wise King.
And we can know that to be wonderful. It always goes well.
If Jesus tells me to do it, it is the right thing to do. As your pastor, I would caution you to lean more on what we know he said - in the bible - than on individual revelation. And yet, there will be individual revelation. You have to know what Jesus is telling YOU. And know that it is wise, and good. Because he IS a wonderful counselor.
The next name on this list is Mighty God.
We have considered His wisdom - the way that he thinks, and instructs. Now consider his power.
And when you consider his power, know that what we call Him, is Mighty God.
He is ultimately strong, and ultimately God.
To make that really simple - He is enough.
Strength serves one purpose, Might serves one purpose - it is the ability to do things.
I can only do the things that I am strong enough to do.
In my house, I am the lifter of heavy things, and reacher of things in high places. The opener of jars and cans. There is function to strength.
For those that I love, my strength provides some level of comfort - not just physical strength, but my ability to do - and to Handle - things.
And sometimes, things just need handled, Right? Strength is the ability to handle.
For us to consider Jesus Mighty God - speaks to his ability to handle the things. And to wrap our head around it, we have to think, he is both strong enough - physically - and in his nature as God.
In the beginning was the word - and the word was with God and the word was God. And from him and to him and through him are all things. He is ultimately capable of handling the stuff.
If you feel like there is a mountain you cannot get around - you functionally know the creator of the mountain.
If he created mountains with the sound of his voice - do you not think he can UNCREATE them?
On windows computers - there is a series of keys that you can push at the same time that open what is called the task manager. The primary use of the task manager is to show you what is running - so that you can make those things stop running, if you need to, with one click on the button that says “end task”
You press the button, and no matter what is happening in that program, it closes.
Jesus, has that same button - for the whole of the universe. He doesn’t even need the key combination. He just exists with that ability all the time all the place. He can begin, and he can end. He is Omnipotent. All powerful. All mighty. All capable.
14 These are but the fringes of his ways; how faint is the word we hear of him! Who can understand his mighty thunder?
3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
14 The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”
4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods.
3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.
3 The Lord is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable.
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding.
29 He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.
27 “Look, I am the Lord, the God over every creature. Is anything too difficult for me?
28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.
Paul - in his letter to the Ephesians:
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—
21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, we should consider His nature. He is the Mighty God.
His strength - the reality that he is all powerful
For us, as believers, we should follow in the mindset of David and Paul as they found comfort in the strength of the God they had relationship with.
It should also work, in our minds to help us have a healthy fear of God. And I dont mean be totally afraid, but there should be a level of fear and respect for Jesus. He demonstrated that for us when he taught the Lords prayer, as he prayed to his father - with total respect and honor.
As Christians today - our hope ultimately lies in the power of Jesus. Paul described it in his letter to the Philippians like this:
20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.