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A lot of people are out traveling, so just grateful for everybody that can be here and make it so. Yeah, I thought it would be helpful this morning for us to actually just look at a short couple verses in the book of Isaiah. So if you have your Bible, go ahead and grab your Bible and open up to Isaiah, chapter nine. So my hope is that I’ll actually preach a shorter sermon this morning, but give everyone a lot more time to really meditate on these four amazing names that Isaiah gives us concerning Christ. So as you open up there, I’m going to go ahead and read chapter nine, verses six through seven, and then I’ll pray and just ask that God would bless this time and we’ll jump into it.
So Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7, here’s what the word of the Lord has for us this morning says, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace, and of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. And on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness, from this time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Please pray with me.
God, thank you. Just for this season where we get to really reflect on the coming of Christ and just worship you and Christmas and even in transitioning to the new year. God help us to continue to worship Christ. Pray that you would bless this time as we study your word and God that you would speak and give us ears to hear. It’s in Jesus name we all pray.
Amen.
All right, so when I was a junior in high school, about the age of 17, I had just received my driver’s license and had bought my first truck. It was a red 1994 manual Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. It had a camper shell that I could sleep in at any time, and then it had six gears to get me wherever I needed to go. So that winter, right after I just got my license, only weeks after, I decided that I wanted to drive out in the middle of the Waihee Prairie desert in Idaho to go coyote hunting. And then I also decided that I could even sleep in the back of the camper shell of my truck to make it even better.
The only thing I had to do was convince my mom that this was a good idea. So when I asked her, she immediately told me that there was a huge snowstorm coming that weekend and Counseled me to not go. She told me the roads would be too slick and it would be too cold and too dangerous to go out driving in the middle of the waihe prairie. But I was very persistent. And after lots of persuading, I finally convinced my mom to.
To let me go as long as my cousin nick, who was a freshman, would join me. So I thought to myself, what does my mom know about the snow and the cold? I will be just fine. And so, before my mom could change her mind, I quickly loaded up everything I would need into my truck. I got Nick, brought him into my truck, and said, we are going to reynolds creek to hunt coyotes in the snow.
And so out we went. And I found a place at the end of a dirt road, Pretty much in the middle of nowhere to park my truck. And then me and Nick slept in the camper shell of my truck. That night, the temperature was at least in the single digits, if not colder. And that night, it snowed close to about 8 inches to a foot.
So early the next morning, we wake up ready to go out coyote hunting. And I start the truck, which barely turned over. And then we begin to drive further into the snowy rolling hills of the oahes. And after multiple attempts of getting out and trying to call for coyotes that might be wandering out in this desert, Nothing came. And we didn’t see any coyotes.
And it was really, really cold. So me and Nick decided, let’s go ahead and loop back home after completely failing. So we’re driving down these hills and making a loop back down to the main highway to get us back home. And I notice that my truck tires were starting to slip in areas on the road. So I had the truck in four wheel drive.
I knew that my truck could handle this, I’d be just fine. But the roads had become like ice overnight. And so as we’re going downhill, on one side of the road, the left side of the road, there is a 20 foot ditch that is off to the side. On the other side, there’s just this giant hill, which you just end up hitting the hill. And so as my truck begins to slip a little bit, like, me and Nick get really quiet as we realize this may not be good.
And so as we continue to drive down this winding road, Going very slow, creeping very slow, Being very incautious, all of a sudden, the truck lost control and began to slide. So it just happens in slow motion. Me and Nick are just completely frozen in fear. And the truck begins to actually spin 180 degrees in the middle of this dirt snowy road and as it’s doing so it is shifting itself right towards the 20 foot ditch. And so as this is happening both me and Nick begin to yell and begin to panic and at one point Nick opens up the passenger door like ready to jump ship and leave me as the truck is going to go into this ditch, which did not make me feel good at all.
So doing the only thing I could possibly think of, I throw the truck into first gear and hit the gas as much as I could as the wheels begin to spin on the backside and begin to slowly push us inches away from the 20 foot ditch in which by God’s grace, it worked and we barely missed the ditch. And so the truck continued to spin an entire 360 degrees to where it’s now facing back downhill down the road and then comes to a stop. I cannot express how terrified I felt in this moment. And almost immediately my mom’s words came to my head as I realized she was right. So me and Nick, after getting a hold of ourselves and adrenaline wearing down, started to drive back home and thankfully we did not slide or get ourselves into any other trouble as we drove back home.
And you can bet that I did not tell my mom a single word of what had happened as we drove back home. Now the reason I share this story with you is because this was a time when I received some really great counsel, but I ignored it. And so the first four names that we are given here in the book of Isaiah is wonderful counselor. So Christ, he is our wonderful counselor of God who is brought to mankind. Therefore we should certainly heed his counsel and apply it.
This is something I’ll talk about more in the next few minutes, but before I do, I want to briefly remind you of the context of this passage in the book of Isaiah. So Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah almost 700 years ago before the coming of Christ. Sorry, 700 years before the coming of Christ. Isaiah was a prophet during the rule of four different kings, and the last one being Hezekiah. He lived in the shadow of Assyria’s oppression upon Israel, including the Assyrians victory over the northern tribes of Israel, which resulted in their capture and their temporary exile to Assyria, which was a dark time for Israel.
And so during this time Israel and Judah were in a very dark spiritual state and the hand of God’s judgment was heavily upon them. God’s people had rejected the Lord and refused to listen to Isaiah’s pronouncements and judgments that would come through the Assyrians and later through the Babylonians. But in the midst of all this judgment that Isaiah prophesies, he also prophesies about future restoration and comfort for God’s people. And Isaiah also gives some of the richest Messianic prophecies found in all of Scripture, including the verses that we are looking at today. And so you’ll see at the end of chapter 8, Isaiah further pronounces judgment upon Israel, saying, and they will look to the earth, but behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish.
And they, being Israel, will be thrust into thick darkness. So chapter eight is ending very bleak. But verse one of chapter nine then says, but there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. Rather, Isaiah says, in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea in the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. So essentially, the beginning of chapter nine serves as a transition from gloom and anguish that chapter eight talks about to now the glory of restoration, starting with the northern tribes of Israel that dwell in Galilee and the border and border, the Gentile nations of the north.
So verses one through five of chapter nine, they are building up what is about to be revealed in verses 6 and 7 about the child who is to be born. So I’m just going to give us a quick overview of verses 1 through 5 and what they’re saying, and you can just kind of follow along as I give this summary in verses 1 through 5. So these verses tell us that a light is going to shine on God’s people that will bring them out of darkness. God will increase the joy of his people, and he will multiply the nations of Israel as He promised to Abraham, the joy his people will experience. It will be like the joy one has at harvest time, or the joy that comes when dividing the spoils of a great enemy.
God will break the yoke of Israel’s enemies that was placed upon them, which is namely the Assyrian yoke. And just as God brought a grand victory for God’s people during the days of Gideon against the Midianites, which is what the reference is alluding to, in the same way, God will do this again for his people against the Assyrians, God will use the death of Israel’s enemies as fuel for the fire, meaning God will use what was meant to harm Israel to be used for the good of his people. And he will bring an end to to the battle by burning what is left. So all of this, all this context, verses 1 through 5, all this hangs on what Isaiah tells us in verse six, which says, for to us a child is born to Us, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. Now, if we were to just stop there, Jewish readers would certainly see that Hezekiah is the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Hezekiah is the son born of King Ahaz, who God used to bring about temporary restoration to Israel during this time. And it’s upon his shoulders that the government of Israel was laid. He is the one who would lead God’s people to victory against the Assyrians, as the angel of the Lord would strike down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight, which is much like Gideon’s battle against the Midianites when God miraculously fought for his people. And so if we were to stop there, we would say that Hezekiah is the fulfillment. But that’s not all that Isaiah says in this prophecy as we keep reading.
He says his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. So there’s certainly an immediate fulfillment of this prophecy found in Hezekiah. But there is no way these names could be attributed to just Hezekiah. This child, the son who is given by God. He is a counselor of wonders only God can do.
He is the almighty, powerful God himself. He is an everlasting eternal Father. And lastly, he is the Prince of Peace. This is the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, the long expected Savior and king of God’s people. He is the child who would be born 700 years later in fullness of man, the eternal Son given by the Father in fullness of Deity.
And it is upon Christ’s shoulders that not just the government of Israel would rest, but the entire government of the world would rest. In the transition from gloom to glory, from darkness to light, from sorrow to joy, and from oppression to freedom, all finds its fulfillment in Christ. He is who Isaiah calls Emmanuel. God with us and those walking in darkness in verse two are all of us who walk in the darkness of sin. Verse 7 goes on to say of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end.
Jesus government over his coming kingdom will keep on growing and growing. When Jesus returns to establish his kingdom, there will be no end to his reign and of the peace of his people of faith that will not end either. Verse 7 goes on to say, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. So Jesus is the heir to David, who will never cease to sit on the throne. He has established a kingdom and now upholds it with justice and righteousness forevermore.
And then verse seven ends with the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Now this ending in verse seven, this is like God’s signature upon everything that was just said about this son who would be born, essentially saying that God guarantees that this will happen by his own zeal of the Lord of armies. He will accomplish this and his glory will be made known. And God has already accomplished this for us on Christmas Day when Christ stepped onto the earth. That is what Isaiah was proclaiming in these two incredible verses.
And it is this reality that God’s people now live in today. So on this side of Christ, almost 2,700 years later, we can say to Isaiah’s prophecy, yes, and amen. God has done this for us. And this child who has come, he is glorious. So that being said, as we continue to look at these verses, I want us to just look at the four names in much more depth.
And so as I talk about them, I want you to really ponder anew what the realities of these names mean for you personally. The main application I have for you today from this passage is simply continue worshiping Christ throughout the new year in light of these four names that Isaiah gives us. So I encourage you, really lean in with me on these names as we look at them. And so the first name Isaiah gives us is Wonderful Counselor. I said earlier that Christ is the wonderful counsel of God brought to mankind.
And that is because no one else can do what Christ has done. The word wonderful is meant to describe the unusual and extraordinary things that are only attributed to God, like the miracles of Exodus when God splits the sea. Only God can work wonders like this. So Wonderful Counselor is alluding to the counsel that only God knows and that only God can give. Christ’s counsel is beyond mere earthly wisdom or counsel.
It is divine counsel that results in salvation and redemption, righteousness and life for all who hear it and who respond by faith. And so to further help us understand, like the counsel of God, I’m actually just going to read Romans 11 concerning God’s counsel, which is a spot where Paul just like responds to the wisdom that is found in God through the salvation of Christ. So Romans 11:33, 36. This is what Paul says. Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments, and how untraceable are his ways.
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that he should be repaid for from him and through him, and to him are all things to him be the glory forever. Amen. For those who believe, it is the wonderful counselor who has saved you and who now dwells in you by the power of His Holy Spirit. And there is no tracing the wonder, the wonderful counsel that God has given to us and has had since all of his days, from eternity past to eternity future.
It is the wonderful counselor who now leads you according to his goodwill and good purpose. He is the wisest counselor who has ever walked the face of the earth. And he continues to speak counsel to his people of faith by his word and by His Spirit. So if you have faith in Jesus today, take heart. Jesus is your wonderful working counselor who guides your life today and who can do what only God can do in your life.
He will guide your steps and give you counsel in the way that you should go. He is our wonderful counselor. The next name given to Christ is Mighty God. So the word Mighty God here actually refers to the strength attributed to Yahweh and Yahweh alone, which is most often paired with God’s strength when he is fighting for his people. So this immediately tells us that Christ, the Son who would be given would himself be Yahweh God.
And therefore the strength of Yahweh would be attributed to him. So listen to what Deuteronomy 10, verses 17 and 18 says about God’s might. It says this for the Lord your God is God of Gods and Lord of Lords, the great, the mighty, the awesome God who is not partial and he takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow and loves the sojourner giving him food and clothing. So God’s might here, like it’s not described as being something that’s forceful or overbearing.
Rather, God’s might is used to describe what God’s strength does for the poor and for the needy and for the weary. He is mighty to uphold justice for the fatherless and the widow. He’s mighty to love the weary sojourner looking for shelter, and he’s mighty to feed the one who is hungry and provide clothing to those who are without. He uses his divine power and strength to bring about justice, salvation and judgment for all who believe in him by faith. Therefore, Jesus is given the name Mighty God, for He Himself is mighty to bring justice to the earth by paying the penalty for man’s sins with his own life upon the cross.
Jesus is mighty to bring salvation through the power of his resurrection to all who believe in him by faith. And Jesus is mighty in judgment to judge all the Earth when. When he returns to separate the wheat from the chaff. Jesus is our mighty God. And if you have placed your faith in him, he is mighty to save you and to fight for you according to his steadfast love.
In 2026, Jesus, the child who has been born, your mighty God, he sees you and he will help you according to his goodwill and pleasure. This is an awesome name that is given to Christ. So take heart that Jesus, the mighty God, whose strength knows no limits, he goes on before you and he will help you as you trust in Him. Whether the battle is small or great, Jesus, the mighty God fights for you. The next name given to Christ is Everlasting Father.
Everlasting Father means that Jesus will be an eternal father to his people. So all throughout the Bible, God describes himself as a loving and caring father to his people, Israel. We see this all throughout the Old Testament as God is referenced as a Father. And now we know that Scripture clearly reveals to us that God is three persons in one. He is Father, he is Son, and he is Holy Spirit.
So how can Jesus be given the name Everlasting Father if he is indeed the Son of God? And so Jesus actually answers this question, I think about himself concerning his relation to the father in John 14. And so you can go ahead and turn there if you want. I’m going to read to you some verses in John chapter 14 where Jesus talks about his relation to the Father. And so John 14, starting in verse 8, this is what it says.
Philip, who is one of his disciples, says to him, lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long and you still do not know me? Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
So Philip here, one of the disciples of Jesus, asked Jesus to see the Father and says, if we could just see the Father, that’ll be enough for us to understand what you’re trying to tell us and where it is that you’re going and what all is happening, since Jesus says this right before he’s going to be crucified. But Jesus responded to him twice in this passage, saying, I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, and that the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Jesus is alluding to God’s trinitarian nature here, where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. And they all share the traits of Yahweh, the one true God among one another. And that is why Jesus says, whoever has seen the Father has seen me.
It’s also why Jesus, only a few verses later, actually, when talking about sending the Holy Spirit to His disciples, he then tells them, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. So Jesus Himself, like He, reflects who the Father is, and he does the Father’s works himself. And that’s why Isaiah prophesies that Jesus will be called the Everlasting Father. Jesus love and care for his people as God the Father loves and cares for his people.
And because he and the Father are one, he will do the Father’s works. And so in telling you this, I don’t expect you to understand the complexities of how Jesus and the Father are one and yet separate. This is a mystery, but it certainly is true. And we can see that John picks up on this in seeing how Jesus is a type of the Father. And so this is mysterious and yet it is marvelous.
And this is why that Isaiah gives this title of Eternal Everlasting Father. It gives us comfort knowing that God is our Father. Through faith in Christ, he will care for his people and show compassion to them as his children. For all who are in Christ are made children of God. Jesus is our great everlasting Father.
He will not stop caring for you as his child and loving you through all the ups and downs of life. The words of God prophesied through Jeremiah are now God’s words to you through Christ, our everlasting Father, that says, I have loved you with an everlasting love, and later in Jeremiah says, my heart yearns for you. Surely I will have mercy on you.
The last name of Christ given in this passage is perhaps the most beautiful. Is the Prince of Peace, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who is the child who would be born when Jesus is born, like the angels actually declare glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to those whom God is pleased. So Jesus himself, He is the peace of God brought from heaven to earth. Peace on earth cannot come through human effort or human will. As often Christmas likes to think happens in the large scope of just the world’s thinking.
But instead peace comes from God and it comes through specifically Christ. This peace is God’s shalom peace that Isaiah is referencing. It is a restorative peace that makes one complete through the presence of God in Ephesians 2 says this in verse 14. For he himself is our peace, meaning Jesus, who has made us both, saying both Jew and Gentile, has made us both one, and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. So what this is saying in Ephesians is Jesus has brought spiritual peace on earth through his death on the cross.
And this humbles all people, whether Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, all to become recipients of God’s grace. Swear that all now find peace simply by placing their faith and trust in Jesus and in Jesus alone. And one day the Prince of Peace will abolish all hostility that sin has brought in our world by making all things new. It is in the new heavens and new earth where the wolf shall lie down with the Lamb, and where all of the enemies of peace, including pain and suffering and death and loss, these things will reign. Hostility no more.
To all who have faith in the Prince of Peace, he says, peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. So let not your hearts be troubled, neither let your hearts be afraid. If you have faith in Christ, know that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, is yours in Christ in 2026.
Let your heart not be troubled, nor be afraid. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is with you, and his peace he gives to you both now and forever more. As we will be with him in his kingdom of peace forever. So in summary of Isaiah verses 6 and 7, understand this that the King who governs the world we live in today, who governs your personal life in 2025 and in 2026 and for all of your days. This is King Jesus, who was born in a manger on Christmas Day.
It’s upon his shoulders that the government of the world rests today, and of the increase of his government and of the peace that he brings, there will be no end today. Jesus has established his kingdom and he upholds it with justice and with righteousness. From this time forth and forevermore as we move into 2026, my hope and my encouragement for everyone here is that you would worship Jesus as your wonderful counselor, as your mighty God, as your everlasting Father, and as your Prince of Peace. That being said, please pray with me.
Lord, I thank you for these just short verses that are just packed full of rich promises found in Christ. Lord, I thank you that you are indeed our wonderful counselor, our mighty God, our everlasting Father, and our Prince of peace and God, I pray that knowing this would help us to better walk with you by faith today and tomorrow and for all of our days. And God that we would worship you as God. You are indeed a wonderful and glorious king above all other names. And so God help us to make much of you as we finish this year.
And God in 2026 help Red Village Church to be found faithful in continuing to declare that an empty tomb means everything. Lord, as you have risen again, and may we give much praise and glory to you as you see fit. And it’s in Christ’s name that we pray all these things. Amen.