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Sunday, December 28, 2008
Title:
Prince
of Peace Scripture:
Isaiah 9:2-7; Acts 23:9-11; John 14:27Preached by: Larry Phillips, Chaplain
We've all heard of an oxymoron -- those unique combinations of words that both make sense
and nonsense at the same time. An oxymoron, according to Wikipedia, (which in an online
encyclopedia,) is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.
Oxymoron is a Greek word. oxy
= sharp or pointed. moros = dull Thus the word oxymoron
is itself an oxymoron. Here are some examples of an oxymoron. Maybe you have said one of these
before. jumbo shrimp
long shorts
icy hot fresh frozen
pretty ugly
start stopping holy
war
deafening silence living dead little big man accidentally
on purpose same difference
controlled chaos nondairy creamer awful good
inactive Christian
My wife’s grandma would always sit back from the
dinner table after eating a meal and declare, “Oh, that was awful good.” Then I would say,
“Which is it grandma? Is it awful, or is it good?” Or after
we help do some chores around the house that she just can’t do anymore, she will say, “You kids are awful good
to me.”
I hope this oxymoron doesn’t define anyone you know. Inactive Christian. Because if you are
truly a Christian, then you are active in serving our Lord. Amen! Now there is one more that I would like to mention.
But after thinking about it, I not sure whether it really is an oxymoron or not. What do you think?
World Peace.
Is World Peace an Oxymoron?
According to the Wikipedia definition it would not be an
oxymoron because the two terms, world and peace are not contradicting terms. (pause)
Or are they?
Did you hear this story? There is a church
in Bethlehem, Judea that has erected its building right on top of the site where they believe Jesus Christ was born.
The stable is no more but this church building is now there.
There
are two church groups that share the use of the building, “well kind of.” They at least
try to share it. One church is Greek Orthodox and the other church is Armenian.
The name of the church is Bethlehem Church of the Nativity.
Listen
to what the article says. The cradle of Christianity was rocked by an unholy
punch-up when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over
how to clean Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.
The ancient place of worship, built over the site where Jesus Christ is said
to have been born in a stable more than 2,000 years ago, is shared by various branches of Christianity,
each of which controls and jealously guards a part of the holy site.
The brawl apparently began when Greek Orthodox priests
set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church after the Christmas Day
celebrations.
Armenian priests claimed that the ladders encroached
on their portion of the church, which led the two sects to exchange angry words which quickly turned to blows. Witnesses said that the robed and bearded priests scuffled for more than an hour using fists, brooms and iron rods
as weapons.
Photographers who came to document the
annual cleaning ceremony instead recorded this entire event. Five priests were lightly
injured in the melee, which was eventually broken up by a dozen unarmed Palestinian policemen. Two of the policemen were hurt
in ending the brawl.
Where
is the peace at there?
Did you read about the death at the Wal-mart in New York? The day was
“black Friday.” The day after Thanksgiving when all those great sales begin. An
employee of Wal-mart unlocked the doors to the store on “Black Friday” and unleashed a mob of “stuff
focused” people who trampled that employee to death. Where is the world peace? When
people die senseless deaths caused by people chasing after stuff. Where is the peace? I mean, what
is this world coming to?
It seems to me that the liberal/activists judges are constantly fighting to the point
that they are about to win in the battle to redefine the definition of marriage in the U.S. That angers
me, but at the same time I feel helpless in being able to do something. Where is the peace?
We
have wars over seas that never seem to end. No peace there! We’ve dealt with bombings
and 9/11 terrorist attacks and school shootings. Even natural disasters and our current economic crisis.
There seems to be no rest for the weary. No peace of mind.
Many are loosing their jobs and it hurts. It seems that every week or so we hear more news about
layoffs, factories going down to one shift. And of course we have all heard about the big three car industries and the bail
out plans that are begging congress for. Where is the peace? Like most important words, “Peace” has become all
things to all men. What does peace look like?
I have
a few images of peace. · A loving mother looks upon the face of her sleeping infant.
The sleeping infant is a picture of peace. ·
Just moments after a storm has passed
through, when you open the door to your house and step out to hear and see peace. Sometimes even before
the birds start their chirping again. · Look across the headstones in an old graveyard. Especially
right after it is freshly mowed or after a fresh blanket of snow has fallen.
You can probably come
up with your own pictures of peace. But there is a problem with these pictures. Do you
know what the problem is? IT DOESN’T LAST! The peace doesn’t last.
Eventually the baby wakes up and needs a diaper changed
or needs to eat. At my house when I was a boy, right after the storm has passed, the chainsaw will start
and storm cleanup begins. The peace that we are referring to here is a certain silence. Then
when noise begins, silence is no more and those peaceful moments are just that, peaceful moments.
The Old Testament
Jew would not look at peace in that way. To him, the word “peace” -
Shalom - which means “May peace be with you.”
meant far more that these peaceful moments that we have shared. Peace is more than a lack
of noise. Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is a living, vibrant thing that
is made for our well-being.
Dr. George Morrison expresses
it like this: “Peace meant the possession of adequate resources.”
I think he is right! If we have adequate income, adequate
amounts of food, adequate supplies to accomplish our tasks and projects. But
that peace doesn’t last either.
The Old Testament Jew’s peace has nothing to do with the
situation on the outside; it has everything to do with the condition on the inside. ---Why
is it that people can live in the beauty of nature and hear the awesome silence daily but then these people are restless with
inactivity so they smoke one cigarette after another, then the drink one beer after another, and complain that they are bored.
---And why is it that these other people are in the midst of the noisy city, surrounded by the noise that only a
city can produce and these people smile, and sing and show the signs of peace. What makes the difference? If you turn to outside resources, money, friends, cigarettes, drinks, etc. you
will find your peace has nothing to do with that stuff.
It has everything to do with the condition on the inside.
You can smile in the city because of the condition of your heart. Do you know what makes the difference? The
difference is made by Jesus Christ!
I would
like to show you Four truths about how Jesus can make a difference in you. Turn
with me to the Isaiah 9:6, 7. READ Isaiah 9:6, 7
(2 slides)
First Truth - He is
proclaimed the Prince of Peace! If you read earlier in Isaiah you will find that
Isaiah is preaching to a group of people who are not seeing much hope. So Isaiah proclaims the coming of
Jesus by calling him, among other great titles, the Prince of Peace! Who better to provide hope
for a lost world than God’s own son who will help bring peace.
If you ever get the chance to go to New York,
there is a visual reminder for the source of true peace on regular display along New York’s Fifth Avenue.
· At the entrance of the RCA building is a large statue of Atlas struggling to keep the world on his shoulders.
· On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Behind
the altar of this church, a statue of Jesus effortlessly holding the whole world in one hand.
Peace
is hard to come by when we strive to balance the world on our own back, but when we accept God’s invitation to give
him our concerns, the weight of our world is effortlessly lifted by the Prince of Peace.
Second Truth - He exhibits
Peaceful Characteristics. Jesus was a man of peace. You can see
evidence of this as you watch him in the different circumstances of life. ·
He is able to fall asleep in the ship in the middle of a storm so bad that
even his disciples who are fishermen are terrified. ·
Jesus faces over five thousand hungry people and assures his worried disciples
that he knows what he will do. · Those professional mourners at the home of Jairus laugh in his face when he tells them the little girl is only asleep;
but he calmly enters her room and raises her from the dead. ·
Even the two demoniacs in the graveyard of Gadara do not frighten him.
Because he is “The Prince of Peace,” he is able to bring peace to their divided and distressed hearts ·
In the Garden, Peter pulls out a sword and declares war; but Jesus calmly
faces the mob and peacefully surrenders to be arrested and crucified, slipping one more healing in before he goes. Picture
a massive hurricane raging over the ocean. On the surface of the sea the violent winds whip the water into
giant waves and create a scene of havoc and chaos.
Yet,
just twenty-five feet below the surface, the waters are clear and calm. The fish there go on living
their lives totally unaware of the treacherous action that is just above them.
When
there is “depth,” there is peace. So it is in the Christian life. The
deeper your relationship is with Jesus in your life, the more at peace you will be through the storms of life.
That is very comforting.
Third Truth - He
provides Peace with His Presence.
I love the story found in Acts 23:9-11,
where there is this big fight between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It
reads: (2 slides) There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who
were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they
said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” The dispute became
so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to
go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
That is a pretty fierce fight. The commander saved Paul and
protected him probably because he was a Pharisee. But could you imagine what Paul was going through, what
Paul was thinking. I believe I would be pretty down if all those people were fighting over me.
I figure Paul was pretty down because in the next verse look who came to be with
Paul.
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said,
“Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Paul
just found out that he is not going to die because Jesus is not finished with him yet.
There
are many people who come into the hospital who think or believe that they are not leaving alive. Then when
their health takes a good turn and start getting better, they will declare more often than I can count, “Well,
I guess the Lord isn’t through with me yet.”
As is the case with Paul.
He has more plans for Paul. And what better comfort than to have the Prince of Peace to stand right
next to you when you need him most.
Fourth Truth - He wants to Give
You His Peace.
Jesus said, John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be trouble. Trust in God;
trust also in me.”
Jesus said, John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give
to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do no be afraid.
Jesus said, John 16:33 “I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 20:19 On
the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus
came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
God has blessed us with
the Prince of Peace, Who has given us many examples of how to live peaceful lives. Who had sent his Holy Spirit to be with us always, just like Jesus was with Paul. And Who wants to give you His peace today.
Blank Screen I know this beyond any shadow of doubt. No matter what problem you
face in life. No matter what trial you experience. No matter how strong the winds of
the hurricane are that slap you and beat you down, trying to drown you. You can
have an overpowering peace in you to help you stand through it all.
I know this because I was dealing with a hurricane of a storm
in my life. For a solid year I dealt with wave after wave of treacherous and powerful hits soaking me to
the bone in sorrow, in grief, in repentance, in anger, in frustration and in seeking forgiveness. It seemed
that every time my head would break the surface, another heavy and powerful wave would hit and under I would go again.
But because
of the Prince of Peace, --because of his examples found in His Holy Word, --because of his Holy Spirit
probing me to, to do what?
To go deeper into God’s word. I
felt the peace of Jesus Christ in my life, during the height of my storm. I dove deep into God’s
word and found a calm that allowed me to heal and strengthen. There were several passages that the Holy
Spirit would lead me to when I needed them most. Several in Psalm. Some if Philippians
and Ephesians. Even Revelation · having His presence with me, ·
with His peace in me, ·
with repeated times in the calm, I was able to weather the storm.
The Prince of Peace calmed the storm in my life and I am able to continue serving my Lord with all my heart, soul,
mind and strength.
It has nothing to do
with the situation on the outside; It has everything to do with the condition on the inside. Because it is the condition
of the inside that brings the peace of Jesus to others.
There is this story about a soldier who was on patrol
in an area of occupied Palestine when he felt a rock strike him in the back. Before he had a chance to turn around, another
rock had struck him in the shoulder, then another hit his helmet.
He whirled around, his rifle ready to fire.
In his sights were several Palestinian children. Children.
They were picking up more stones to throw at him. The soldier did not want to fire, but he could not
allow them to show that aggression by attacking him again.
Suddenly, he had an idea. He bent down and
picked up three of the rocks. He picked them up and began to juggle. Yes, juggle.
The
children were mesmerized and forgot about their stones. The soldier did a few tricks, and the children laughed. Then he did
a grand finale, and they applauded. He took a bow and walked away.
You know
what that soldier did here. He took what had been hurled as weapons and transformed them into objects of
wonder.
He
helped them transform their aggression into a moment of peace.
That is
the same peace we believe Jesus Christ came to bring us and to give us in his death and resurrection.
·
Jesus took the cross, a tool of torture and death, and transformed
it into a symbol of salvation. · Jesus took death and transformed it into life. ·
Jesus took our despair and turned it into hope. ·
He took our sins and juggled them before our eyes that we might
forget our hatred and focus on his power and love.
Which brings us peace!
World Peace is not an oxymoron.
World peace is something that we can achieve.
We have to improve the condition on the inside of every person.
Who
better to start with than you!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
TITLE: Mighty
God, Everlasting Father TEXT: Isaiah 9:1-7 OPEN: Steve Harvey – Introducing Jesus APPLY: When I first heard about that video I didn’t know what to expect.
A comedian introducing Jesus???
I thoroughly expected him to get the audience to laugh AT Jesus But instead of laughing at Jesus, here’s a famous comedian praising Jesus in public performance Now, I don’t know what kind of a man this Steve Harvey
is… I don’t know how Godly he is
(having previewed one of his comedy acts… he probably isn’t what we’d call Godly) But at this point
in his career, Steve Harvey stood up for Jesus/ and publicly worshiped God
He finished his act in a way that bro’t the entire audience on its feet. Now, the folks in his audience hadn’t come to hear a sermon And many of them may not have been
Christian
But there was something in the words of that speaker that spoke to them
There was something about the message of Jesus that made them cheer About 700 years before Jesus was born… …another
speaker - the prophet Isaiah - “introduced Jesus” in much the same way
There was something in Isaiah’s words that spoke to his people
There was something in the message of … … the Child/Born… Son/given that gave Israel a
reason to cheer. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And
His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Many in Isaiah’s audience were not Godly people. In fact, the nation of Israel had messed
up so badly, that God… … was bringing the nation of Assyria down upon them to punish them. They were walking in darkness… in the shadow of death… because they’d abandoned
God. And it was to this audience (who walked in darkness) that
God gave the guarantee of a great light
… a child of hope and promise
… a future for their people that would be Ø a wonderful counselor Ø
a mighty God, an Everlasting Father Ø and a prince of peace. Last week, we addressed the fact that Jesus was the “Wonderful
Counselor” Today we’re looking at the Bible’s claim that He is the mighty God, the Everlasting
Father The first thing that comes to my mind is
the fact that this tells us Jesus was divine/God. He wasn’t just a wonderful counselor He wasn’t just a great teacher He wasn’t just a good example He IS the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father A couple of chapters before what we read this morning, in Isaiah 9 we read this: Behold,
a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14b Now when Matthew tells about the birth
of Jesus, he quotes this prophecy and then he explains: “…they will call him Immanuel —which
means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:23
A virgin with give birth to a son… He will be known as “God with us” And
this child/born, this Son/given will be called “the Mighty God, the everlasting Father. The New Testament reinforces
this: "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:35 And the Apostle John introduced Jesus this way: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. John 1:1 That’s what Steve Harvey was referring to when he declared: Jesus was the King of
all Kings, Ruler of the universe Alpha and Omega./ Beginning and the end The bright and the morning star There’s no mistaking
what Mr. Harvey… or what the Scriptures are trying to say:
Jesus was God (pause)… who became flesh
and dwelt among us. Why
is that important? 1st --- it’s important because - the only individual who could get us into
Heaven was God The
repeated message through out Scripture is No one is going to get into heaven because they’re nice people
Romans 3:23 “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Nobody is good enough to be good enough to get into heaven. Your sins have created
a debt that must be paid Romans 6:23 tells us “…the wages of sin is death…” In other words
– the price of your sin is somebody’s death
Either yours… or somebody else’s Now, I CAN’T die for you – even if I wanted to I couldn’t do it… I
can’t even pay for my own sins… let alone yours.
But God can. When God stepped
down from Heaven and became a man…
… He died on a cross to exchange His life for yours. One poet put it this way: "He paid a debt He did not owe I owed a debt I could not pay.
I needed someone to wash my sins away. And
now I sing a brand new song; Amazing Grace!' Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could
never pay." That’s the most important reason why - Mighty God, everlasting Father - is so important to me. But it means even more than this: He is a MIGHTY
God. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He
is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17
He is the MIGHTY God. He’s created everything… and He holds all things together by the power of His Word. Now what does that mean to us? It means, Jesus is
BIG ENOUGH/ POWERFUL ENOUGH to supply us with whatever we need ILLUS: I read the true story of the wife of a preacher who decided
to feed leftovers to her 2 boys She gave the 6 year old the remaining portion of something called “tor-tel-lini”. Apparently
it was so good the first time round, that 8 year old son wanted it too.
And that’s how the argument started. Well the dad thought he’d try reasoning with the older son. “Jeremy, what
would Jesus do in this situation?” (thinking “He’d Share”) Instead, Jeremy looked
up and said, “Oh, Dad… He’d just make more!”
Paul Decker in “Do We Have Enough
for Dinner” on www.sermoncentral.com.
THAT
is what it means to have a Jesus who is the MIGHTY GOD. He is able and willing to supply us with the things that we
need. - You might say: "It's impossible."
- But Jesus says: All things are possible. (Luke 18:27)
- You say: "I'm tired."
- And Jesus says: “Come unto me and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28-30)
- You say: "I can't go on."
- But Jesus says: “My grace is sufficient.” (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
- You might say:
"I can't do it."
- But Jesus: You
can do all things through me because I’ll give you strength. (Philippians 4:13)
Jesus is the MIGHTY GOD In addition… Jesus is called
the EVERLASTING Father here in Isaiah 9 . He is - as Steve Harvey said “the Alpha and the Omega/the Beginning and the End.” Jesus
has always been… and will always be…
He is eternal.
And He offers to share with us of that eternity. In John 5:24 Jesus said "I say to you, he who hears
My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from
death into life.” Once you’ve given yourself to Jesus. Once you’ve believed
in His name Repented
of your sins
Been buried in the waters of baptism And been risen up to a new life… you have laid
hold of eternity. And from that day on you have the promise
from the everlasting Jesus: I will never leave you or forsake you. Hebrews 13:5 ILLUS: People we trust can fail and disappoint us.
The company that we work for may fire us or go out of business. Governments and kingdoms will ultimately crumble and fall. But Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. He is the presence of the everlasting Father to us… and He will not walk away from us. That’s the Jesus Steve Harvey introduced to his audience. But now… Harvey did say one thing
that wasn’t true in that video. He said “Jesus
needs no introduction.” But that’s not true. God felt it was so necessary to introduce
Jesus to us… … that He filled the Old Testament with hundreds of introductions.
Again and again, God said “Somebody’s coming” (repeat)
Over 300 prophecies told us told us - where He would be born
- what He’d do
- what He’d say
- how He’d die
- How He would rise from the dead.
Oh yes – Jesus needed to be introduced
to us…
… so that there would be no mistake/ no misunderstanding
… this Jesus was exactly who He said He was
… and this Jesus has a right to claim what He claimed
… He is the MIGHTY GOD/EVERLASTING FATHER But even more than that Jesus needs to be introduced…
… but BY you Romans 10 says "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And
how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone
preaching to them? Romans 10:13-14 You see… if you believe that Jesus is everything we just talked about…
… wouldn’t you want share that with your friends/ relatives, your neighbors? And… when we do that God actually praises us. He says: “How beautiful are the feet
of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15) CLOSE: I once read the true story of a little girl named Jana who was in a Christmas pageant. As her mother told the story: The day of the Christmas presentation finally arrived.
My young daughter, Jana, was so excited about her part… … that I thought she was to be one of the main characters… … though
she had not told me what she was to do. The parents
were all there and one by one the children took their places. I saw the shepherds fidgeting in the corner of the stage meant to
represent the fields for their sheep. Mary and Joseph stood solemnly behind the manger. In the back three young wise men waited
impatiently. But still Jana
sat quietly and confidently.
Then the teacher began: "A long time ago, Mary and Joseph had a baby and they named
Him Jesus," she said. "And when Jesus was born, a bright star appeared over the stable." At that cue, Jana got up from her
chair, picked up a large tin-foil star, walked behind Mary and Joseph and held the star up high for
everyone to see.
When the teacher told about the shepherds coming to see the baby, the three young shepherds came forward and Jana jiggled
the star up and down excitedly to show them where to come. When the wise men responded to their cue, she went forward a little
to meet them and to lead the way, her face as alight as the real star might have been.
The playlet ended. We had
refreshments.
On the way home Jana said, with great satisfaction, "I had the main part!"
"You did?" her mother asked in surprise.
"Yes," she said, "because
I showed everybody how to find Jesus!"
Sunday, December 7, 2008
TEXT: Isaiah 8:11-9:7 TITLE: Wonderful
Counselor OPEN: The year was 1809. The
world was in an upheaval. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; … soldiers from many countries were dying on the battlefield… …The fate of entire kingdoms and nations hung in the balance …
and the world seemed on the very edge of collapse In that same year several significant people were
born. Amongst them: William Gladstone - destined to become
one of England’s finest statesmen. Alfred Lord Tennyson one of the great author of his day = born to an obscure preacher & wife. In
the US - Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And
not far away in Boston, Edgar Allen Poe began his eventful, albeit tragic, life. It
was also in that same year that a physician named Darwin named his child Charles Robert.
And that same year produced the cries of a newborn infant in a rugged cabin in Kentucky. The baby’s name? Abraham Lincoln.
If there had been a news broadcast at that back in 1809 - these words would have been heard: “The destiny of the world is being shaped on an Austrian battlefield today.”
But history was actually being shaped in the cradles of England and America. APPLY:
Every age has its dangers; eventually every nation faces difficulties
Even today in the US… one of the greatest nations on the face of the earth…
Even in the US – we’re concerned w/ Financial ruin, terrorism, & political
uncertainty. Every nation – sooner or later – will face
threats/ perils that will make them believe that… The
destiny of the world is being shaped by today’s events.
And they will see their future as bleak, dark, and hopeless And yet - in
every age - the birth of a child can make a significant impact on their destiny. Back
in the days of Isaiah, the world looked dark, and bleak, and hopeless.The nation of Israel
had turned their back on God… … and they
were faced with certain destruction.
God is bringing Assyria down upon them like a flood tide…
… and they will be swept away. Isaiah said = God told Him (and any other person who’ll
listen) The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of
this people. He said:… The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is
the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will
be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and
a snare. Isaiah 8:11, 13 -14 It was going to be a time of darkness… a time of hopelessness (pause…) But… just a few verses later… God that
there will be a time of hope and light Hope and light brought by the birth of a child. Look at Isaiah 9:2 The people walking
in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Yes,
Israel, you have walked in darkness Yes, Israel you have been living in the land of the shadow of death. But
there will be hope And then in verse 6 He tells them why they should have hope: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. … this Child that was to born… …
this “SON” that was to be given. Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace…
… and today – Wonderful Counselor. A counselor is someone you listen to. Some
people listen to talk show hosts: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glen Beck Folks
will listen to political pundits, religious leaders, comedians, actors, singers, etc. If the people that they listen to say it… it’s
got to be true. And there are folks who form their opinions in
life - based on what those counselors say. Whoever
you listen to is your counselor. And sometimes those counselors can give you good advise…
… and other times they can’t. ILLUS: Back when I was in High School I took a test
our guidance counselor gave me. It had a series of questions - designed to help me decide what occupation
would be best for me. I was curious… because since I was 12 yrs old
I was convinced God wanted me to be a preacher …
so I wanted to know if this test from my school counselor would agree…
(pause…) It didn’t.
I got a fairly low score on preaching. Now that test was designed by some of the finest minds
of that day… … and had I listened
to its guidance, I’d have missed out on the satisfaction… …
that I’ve enjoyed as a preacher. A counselor is someone you listen to…
someone you accept advice from. Look with me to Isaiah 8:19
“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists,
who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” There
were men in Israel who were giving the people bad advice And
these men were advising Israelites to listen to someone other than God (mediums/sp)
Apparently these men were trusted enough by the people to be taken seriously And because Israel
listened to these counselors, their nation was being destroyed. And so God was telling His people… You’re walking darkness/in shadow of death because you’ve listened
to the wrong counselors
BUT REJOICE…
Because unto you a child is born … unto you a son is given …
… and He’s going to be the a wonderful counselor.
He’s going to be someone you can listen to and know His advice is right. No
mortal man or woman is capable of giving you advise that will be anywhere as good as His. Now… I don’t want you to get the impression
that I’m telling we should not to take advice Pr 15:22 tells me “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
A wise person is someone who listens to the advise of people he can trust
A wise Christian seeks the advise of his elders A
wise child looks to his parents for advise A
wise husband talks things over with his wife… and vise versa And there are
many skilled and trained counselors that can help you with … …
your finances, marriage, guilt, etc. No
matter what issue you need help with… … there are people
out there who are trained to help you.
And many of them sincerely want to help you. But no matter how good the advise these folks might give you…
… they are still only mortals. …
their counsel can only accomplish so much. ILLUS: A rehabilitation
counselor took an early retirement to spend the rest of his life preaching. One day, while addressing an audience, he told
of how - early in his career -… … he found a young
boy with several birth defects. He arranged financial and
medical help. Skilled surgeons restored the child's facial appearance.
Trained therapists taught him to speak and walk.
By his teens, the boy was able to take part in all the activities
of other young people. “What do you think has become of this young man?” the counselor asked. - One guessed he was a great athlete;
- another, a skilled surgeon.
“No, none of these,” the retired counselor said sadly. “The
young man is a prisoner, serving a life sentence for murder. We
were able to restore his physical features and his ability to walk and act… … but we failed to teach him where to walk and how to act. I was successful in helping the boy physically, but I failed to help him spiritually. From that day on, I have determined to use the rest of my life to help people direct
… …their steps and actions toward glorifying
God.” (J. Furman Kearley 20th CC)
But we must deal with it/ we must confront it. And the only way we can deal effectively with sin is to realize…
… that only the Wonderful counselor… can help us remove sin’s power and guilt. Paul said it this way: “we preach Christ crucified: a
stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power
of God and the wisdom of God." -- 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 Jesus
is the wonderful counselor because He IS the power and the wisdom of God. And
because that’s true - Jesus can give us the power to help us overcome sin… …and
the wisdom to know how to deal with our sins when we fall prey to them. The counselors/ of this
world/ can help you with your problems… ...
but they can ONLY help you so much. …
to help us deal with the root cause of our problems
… and He does this gently because – as Hebrews tells us: “He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness…
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in
every way, just as we are— yet was without sin.” Hebrews 5:2 & 4:15 You
see – Jesus understands our problems, he’s sympathetic to our failure But He’s
too good a counselor to just let us do what we want… and ignore the consequences
He knows our problems and He has counsel to help us deal with our sins.
The key of course is this: listen to… and follow His advise. So, have you done that? Have
you let Jesus be your counselor? Have
you asked for His guidance and His advise in your problems? Consider
this test that a very wise preacher once gave his congregation: SELF-EVALUATION: I
listen to and follow the counsel and advice of Jesus Christ as I make the daily decisions in the affairs of my life.
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10
Not at all
Sometimes
All the Time (pause… leave this up on the
screen for a long time)
CLOSE: We have a counselor who is able to deal gently with us… who is sympathetic to
our weaknesses
But we need to first listen to His most basic advice: In
Mark 16:16 Jesus said “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Have
you made that decision yet?
"If Jesus were born one
thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost."
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