Ashe Alliance Church
Sunday Service 12.1.24
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  • Joy To The World (Antioch)
  • How Great is Our God
  • His Name Is Wonderful

  • Main Idea

    Jesus is much more than a delightful advice-giver.
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    Who here loves a good ‘Who Done It’ mystery? Maybe you were a fan of the Sherlock Holmes novels (or tv series), or perhaps you were a Clue junkie growing up. They’re fun, aren’t they? We love the thrill of the chase, collecting the clues, connecting the dots, and putting everything together to catch the culprit. It’s a fun way to go on an adventure and use deductive skills to solve the mystery.
    I would argue that the people of Israel had to have a similar attitude regarding the identity and arrival of the Messiah. There were many prophecies in the scriptures about the Messiah that gave clues to His identity, place of birth, the timing of His birth, and the works He would accomplish… but that’s all they had… clues.
    Today, let’s look at one passage that gives us a handful of clues.
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    Passage

    Isaiah 9:1–7 CSB
    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. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. 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. 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. For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. 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. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
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    I - Pre-Christ Perspective

    We have the benefit of hindsight. 2,000 years have passed since the prophesied Messiah came to earth. We know Him as Jesus, the Son of God and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We have the closed Canon (or the collection of 66 books we call the Bible) sitting on our shelf and millions of resources in our modern age to guide us in understanding who Jesus is.
    But, for the Israelites of Isaiah’s day, or even Mary and Joseph’s generation who lived before the Messiah came, they had to look forward to this mysterious Deliverer. They would have to scour the scriptures for who He was, where He would come from, and what He would accomplish. Again, they would have to put on their investigative hat like we do for the ‘Who Done It’ stories, but unlike a fiction story, their pursuit of the truth would have far-reaching and life-changing implications. Prophecies like Isaiah 9:1-7 provide a great deal of insight into who this man would be. They did not know Him as Jesus of Nazareth, but they did know Him by four other names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and the Prince of Peace.
    As we celebrate the Advent season and focus our sight on the first coming of Christ, I want us to put ourselves in the shoes of God’s people who lived just before Jesus’ birth. If we allow ourselves to see the birth of the Christ from their perspective, I think we will learn a lot from these patient saints and see Jesus in a whole new light.
    This Advent season, we will look upon Jesus like Anna, who served in God’s temple day and night waiting for the Messiah, beholding the Messiah, and speaking of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-38).
    Or, like Simeon, who the Spirit told would get to see the Messiah with his own eyes. We will hold Emmanuel in our arms and know why he declared, “My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:5-35).”
    Over the next four weeks, we will ask the question: “Who is coming,” so that we can gain an appreciation for God’s people who didn’t have the advantage of hindsight and drink from the well of scripture to enlighten our minds and, D.V., see a different side of this baby in a manger that we would have missed otherwise.
    For today, we will review some of the descriptors and discuss the first title, Wonderful Counselor. First, it is important to mention two quick things that will frame these titles…
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    II - A Child Born, A Son Given

    This will be vitally important later on, but for now, I want to draw your attention to the fact that this is a child and a son. Isaiah gave a bit of a teaser already two chapters ago:
    Isaiah 7:14 CSB
    Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.
    This is easy for us to grasp because the season of Advent leads us to a literal male child in a manger. But, for the pre-Christ Israelites, it would have been far more convoluted. Of course, the Messiah would have to begin as a child, but he was expected to grow up and become a strong military ruler who would overthrow Israel’s oppressors (so Jesus’ 12 disciples weren’t completely wrong to think Jesus would overthrow Rome). They didn’t realize it would literally be God’s son, even though scriptures like Isaiah 7:14 call Him Immanuel, which means GOD WITH US.
    I love what one commentary said about this:
    “God’s answer to everything that has ever terrorized us is a child. The power of God is so far superior to the Assyrians and all the big shots of this world that he can defeat them by coming as a mere child. His answer to the bullies swaggering through history is not to become an even bigger bully. His answer is Jesus.”
    Ortlund, Raymond C., Jr., and R. Kent Hughes. 2005. Isaiah: God Saves Sinners. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
    More on that next week.
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    III - Ruler

    This Son would be a king who rules.
    He would be a Ruler who demolishes the enemy and establishes peace.
    He would be a Ruler who brought joy.
    He would be a Ruler who established an everlasting kingdom on David’s throne.
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    These details surround the four titles given to this child and, therefore, undergird and emphasize them. We must recognize that these are not official titles, such as senator, president, or even Messiah. They are titles that show us the characteristics or attributes of this Ruling Son.
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    IV - Wonderful

    There are at least three senses in which we need to understand this word, and we would miss out on so much if we saw the title Wonderful as only being someone delightful to be around.
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    Lexham Theological Wordbook פֶּלֶא

    פֶּלֶא (peleʾ). n. masc. wonder. Refers either to a miracle enacted by God or a miracle worker, or more generally to describe something as wonderful.

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    1 - Magnificent
    In one sense, this Messiah is wonderful, not terrible. When He comes, He will be magnificent in presence and deed. How he walks, talks, communicates, and leads will all be wondrous. This would starkly contrast with King Ahab, who was not wise, not wonderful, and sinfully looking to ally with the Assyrians, who was drawing a sword against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The future, wonderful king from the line of David would be the near-polar opposite of the one who currently sits on David's throne.
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    2 - Wonder-Worker
    But, in another sense, this future Son Ruler would be a wonder-worker, or as we might call it, a miracle-worker. If you think about all of the ‘signs and wonders’ God did in the Old Testament, you see the same root word for Wonderful Counselor. The term could technically be said as the Son given to us… a wonder of a counselor… or a Miraculous Counselor since this word often speaks to God’s supernatural acts:
    Psalm 77:11–15 CSB
    I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions. God, your way is holy. What god is great like God? You are the God who works wonders; you revealed your strength among the peoples. With power you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
    …Though it could also describe the wonders God performs through His servants, such as the wonders Moses and Aaron did before Pharaoh.
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    3- Deep Wisdom
    The third sense is the glorious depths of His wisdom and insight with their own air of splendor. Since Rulers must have the necessary wisdom to govern well, this coming Messiah will have a wisdom unparalleled by any other earthly king. God himself is described as having this type of majestic wisdom:
    Psalm 119:129 CSB
    Your decrees are wondrous; therefore I obey them.
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    Job 37:14–16 CSB
    Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God’s wonders. Do you know how God directs his clouds or makes their lightning flash? Do you understand how the clouds float, those wonderful works of him who has perfect knowledge?
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    This term, then, is multi-faceted and glorious. The Ruler, the child born and Son given, has a supernatural sense of splendor, miracle-working capabilities, and divine wisdom that is summed up in the first half of His Kingly title as Wonderful. And that sense of deep, divine wisdom ties it to the second term: Counselor.
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    V - Counselor

    He gives Counsel and guidance. In fact, today, we have guidance counselors in public school systems who help correct misbehavior and explore future options. Likewise, but far more glorious, this Ruler will wondrously guide His people and give them godly counsel so they can live as proper citizens who represent His kingdom. He has the wisdom to rule, govern, and inform His subjects.
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    A Wise Ruler
    Again, this man stands contrary to the King, who is currently sitting on the throne. Ahaz did not have or give wise counsel. He was known as wicked and careless. The future King will be more like the wise King Solomon, who reigned during an extended time of peace and who wrote the wisdom of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, which gives wise guidance like:
    Proverbs 11:14 CSB
    Without guidance, a people will fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance.
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    The prophet Micah also mentions this dynamic:
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    Micah 4:9 CSB
    Now, why are you shouting loudly? Is there no king with you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?
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    And Isaiah will go on to describe just how much of a wise ruler this Messiah will be:
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    Isaiah 11:1–5 CSB
    Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, he will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears, but he will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with a scepter from his mouth, and he will kill the wicked with a command from his lips. Righteousness will be a belt around his hips; faithfulness will be a belt around his waist.
    And the Spirit of counsel and strength (along with all other attributes) are because the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him, so the counsel and wisdom are of divine origin.
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    Military Strategy
    Because He is a ruler who destroys the enemy and brings joy-filled peace to His kingdom, He will also have counsel in the form of brilliant military strategy. As a Ruler who would bring an end to war, He must. All wise kings have Generals and war veterans around them to give them counsel in times of war.
    This would have mattered a great deal to Isaiah and God’s people at this time because the dark, stormy cloud of the Assyrian Army was looming in the northern sky, and their current king was trying to strike a deal with them instead of standing firmly against them in faith that God would lead them to victory. There was no current peace in the land, and the king was essentially a religious apostate. He was not fulfilling one of his core duties as king: to secure their sovereign borders and protect his people against the enemy. This only breeds fear and panic.
    But, the coming Messiah would be different. The nation he would bring would be enlarged, with the citizens rejoicing like plunderers after a victorious war and the delights of farmers at harvest time (v. 3). They are rejoicing because the oppressive yoke of the enemy has been obliterated. The enemy has been utterly destroyed (v. 4). He will indeed sit on the throne of David and rule over a vast, prosperous kingdom that He has established and will forever sustain (v. 7). A key ingredient to his success is His counseling wisdom. Instead of having a huddle of military generals to guide His wartime defense, He alone has that wisdom, and to have it on that level puts Him far above even King Solomon. His wisdom is utterly divine.
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    Embodiment of divine knowledge
    His counsel is wondrous. One can hardly think about the delights of divine counsel and the guidance that it brings for righteous living without thinking of the Psalms. They are filled to the brim with expressions of praise for God’s guiding word.
    Psalm 1 CSB
    How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
    This Ruler would be the one to dispense the Lord’s instruction because the Spirit of the Lord is on Him (Isa. 11), and He is the Mighty God (as we will dive into next week).
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    So, as an Anna or Simeon, standing in the Temple (the building where God’s presence dwells with His people), you are aware that you are holding Immanuel (God with us), the child born and Son given who will throw off the yoke of Israel’s oppression, perform wonders among their people, and rule over them with divine counsel. Now, can you see why they said what they did? And we’ve only reviewed one of the four kingly titles!
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    VI - How Was Jesus A Wonderful Counselor

    He was a miracle worker.
    Acts 2:22 CSB
    “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know.
    He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, opened the ears of the deaf, raised the dead to life, and set the captives free from their bondage and slavery to sin.
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    He Counseled us through His teachings- His Sermon on the Mount gave practical wisdom for daily living, and His Parables revealed the mechanics of His divine Kingdom. The people were constantly amazed, astonished, and marveled at the depth of His teachings and the authority He carried.
    In His military strategy- In His infinite wisdom, He disarmed the powers of darkness and crushed Satan’s head at the cross. His strategy was never to assemble an Israelite army like the Maccabean revolt and reclaim the physical temple. He did something far better. Through His death and resurrection, He gives citizenship to a Kingdom without borders that will eventually claim the entire world.
    In His successor - Even after His death and Resurrection, Jesus still provided a means of counsel to His people forever. He promised that when He departs, He will send the Holy Spirit, who will be (and is) our Counselor.
    Jesus is the Son given. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. He doesn’t just rule as a Wonderful Counselor because the Spirit of the Lord is on Him. He rules because He is the divine Son of God and God Himself, which is what we will unpack next week.
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    As we close today, the main takeaway is to simply meditate on Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor. Like Anna and Simeon, they marveled at the child born. They rejoiced in partial knowledge… a veiled understanding of all the Messiah would do and be. How much more should we be absolutely awestruck by His glory when we see the details of the prophecies about Him and read the gospels, which unveil the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah?
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    Questions to Consider

    What were the Israelites expecting from the Messiah?
    How does understanding Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor change our perception of His role as Messiah?
    What significance do the names given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 hold for understanding His divine nature?
    In what ways can we seek the counsel of Jesus in our daily lives, especially during this Advent season?

      • Isaiah 9:1–7CSB

      • Isaiah 7:14CSB

      • Psalm 77:11–15CSB

      • Psalm 119:129CSB

      • Job 37:14–16CSB

      • Proverbs 11:14CSB

      • Micah 4:9CSB

      • Isaiah 11:1–5CSB

      • Psalm 1CSB

      • Acts 2:22CSB

  • Wonderful Merciful Savior
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Ashe Alliance Church
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