In 1 Peter 1:10-11 the Apostle Peter tells us, “Concerning our salvation, the prophets [i.e. prophets like Isaiah], who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing. . . when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
What a remarkable verse! When God is about to do something big, something extraordinary (like Christmas. . . like sending His Son into the World) He shows it to his prophets seven hundred, even thousands of years, earlier. Peter says, “It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”
The Prophets wrote on scrolls everything God was showing them. Carried by the Spirit of Christ, Isaiah longed for the first Christmas. Would Christmas ever come? Would God fulfill his promise? “There the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (which means God with us).” (Isaiah 7:14). Moved yet again by the Spirit of Christ, Isaiah understood more fully what God had in mind for his people… “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. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:5–7).
The Apostle Peter isn’t content that any of us would just dismiss Isaiah. They spoke of God’s grace. They searched intently for Jesus, with great care. They wanted to know the times, the circumstances. They predicted Jesus’ coming…
Listen to what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:16-21, “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
They searched intently, w/great care. They wanted to know. They saw the light of the world, Jesus, coming into the world. What are you searching for this Christmas?
We’ve been looking at these incredible verses in Isaiah. A male child would be born. A “son” would be given of God. He’d be a great King, the government would be on his shoulders. His Kingdom and reign would never end. He’d be called “Wonderful” “Beyond Understanding”. Yet he’d also be called “Counselor” “One who unravels Mysteries! One who makes the eternal purpose and plans of God known! This child would be called Emmanuel. God walking among us. Notice what else Isaiah tells us about this child. He would be called “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father!”
This past week two movies were released. Both films dealt with the darkness of death, of grief. In both films, two men, both fathers, are trying to cope with the loss of their children. In the first film, a father loses his daughter to cancer. He’s angry how time runs out on life, how we experience such deep love only to have it taken from us, and how death can be so cold and non-discriminating. In the second film, a father loses all three of his children in a house fire. He does everything he can to cope, but cannot beat back the grief. The movies are about each father’s quest to find some thread of hope, some shred of comfort!
Think about it. Both movies we’re released this Christmas, yet neither looks to the hope of Christmas. Neither is paying attention to what Isaiah, to what Peter, to what the Gospels are proclaiming… that a light has dawned, that our eternal Father in Heaven has given his One and Only Son that we might have everlasting time. That God doesn’t discriminate, he freely offers his love, the gift of eternal life to all who believe.
First, Isaiah tells us this child will be called “Mighty God.”
How amazing. In Jesus, the power of God would be put on display. Jesus would be God in the flesh, God among us. Think back throughout history, how the ancients addressed God. What did Moses tell the nation of Israel? Deuteronomy 7:21, “Do not be terrified by your enemies, for the Lord Your God who is among you, is a great and awesome God.” How did Nehemiah address God? Nehemiah 1:5 he prays, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands.” Or how about Jeremiah the Prophet? Jeremiah 32:17-21 he prays, “Ah sovereign Lord, you have made the heaven and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. . . O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men, you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve. You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day… you brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror…”
Seeing these movies, I wonder, is there a mighty “anything” in our Christmas? Any power? Any hope of salvation? Any source of strength and eternal encouragement?
Isaiah didn’t just believe a great child would be born. He, along with all the prophets, saw the Mighty God himself was coming into the world, born of a virgin. BTW, this Old Testament word “mighty” means inherent ability, the power, the capability to bring something to effect. In the New Testament its translated “dunamis” from which we get our word dynamite. The issue this Christmas is what do we believe God’s Almighty’s power to be?
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. When you look back over time, what do you believe God’s mighty power has achieved? Do you believe God almighty created all things? Do you believe God performed mighty deeds with his outstretched arm, to save his people? Do you believe God worked signs and wonders among his people… defeated giants, subdued lions, quenched flames, brought healing, raised the dead?
When you look at your life today, what evidence do you see of God’s power in your life, in his people? Do you taste God’s power daily? Does God give you comfort? Does he give you strength? Does he show you truth? Has he given you real freedom from sin? Has God set you free from darkness? Has he brought healing to your body?
When you look toward eternity, what do you believe about God’s power? Do you believe God will raise you from the grave just like he raised Jesus from the grave? This is one reason we are baptized… we declare our hopeful expectation that just as God raised Jesus from the grave so he will give life to our mortal bodies.
This past Thanksgiving, our family sat down for the meal. We all sat in our usual seats. But there at the end of the table was an empty chair—it was the chair where dad always sat. I didn’t anticipate how hard Thanksgiving, seeing that empty chair, would be. My sister and I were overcome with emotion! I love Thanksgiving but I lost all interest in food for that moment. That chair forced me to deal with the reality of our loss but also the reality of God’s power. Not what do I just preach… but what do I really believe? Dad loved Jesus. Does God have the power, the ability, the willingness to raise dad from the grave? Yes or No? Will I ever see him again? Yes or no.
Here is the truth. If the mighty God did not enter the world, if Christmas is nothing more than a cleverly invented story, the best hope out there is darkness. The best hope out there is Collateral Beauty, Manchester by the Sea, or whatever feel good Hollywood hope you can salvage from a cold, dead, brutal universe. Hollywood has a funny way of longing for the narrative of Christmas hope while rejecting the reality of Christmas hope found in Jesus.
But friends! We would do well to “pay attention.” Unto us a child is born, a son is given, a King has come into the world. He is our wonderful counselor, our mighty God, our everlasting father, the prince of peace! On Jesus all hope rests.
In Luke 1:49, in the Christmas story, Mary gets it right when she bursts out in song. “. . .From now on generations will called me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever…” Mary saw what Isaiah saw. Together they saw what the Spirit of Christ, the true Spirit of Christmas, was revealing. But do we see what they saw? A mighty God?
Second, Isaiah tell us this child will be called “Everlasting Father.”
It isn’t just Isaiah’s revelation that Jesus is called Mighty God… its also that Jesus is called “Everlasting Father.” A central theme of the gospel is that God is a “Father.” God is mighty alright, but is he kind, compassionate, caring, loving, forgiving, merciful? Is God tender, nurturing, protective, understanding…. Does God hear me, see me, answer me when I call upon his name? Is God personal?
For Isaiah, God is a Mighty God, but he’s also a Father. For Jeremiah the Prophet, God is great and mighty God, but he’s also filled with lovingkindness. For Mary God has filled the earth with his glory but he has also filled the hungry with good things. Jesus showed us that by faith, we can approach God in the most intimate and personal manner… as children! This is a profound truth.
I want to share an insight I read recently in a book called [The Whole Christ.] In the New Testament, believers cry out to God “Abba! Father!” This verb in the Bible, “krazo”… “cry out” normally refers to a loud or needy cry. In the gospels, the beggar cries out for help. In Revelation the woman in childbirth “cries out.” This verb “cry out” is a word whose pronunciation expresses its meaning. How many time have you cried “OUCH!” When you scream “ouch” no translation is needed, people know exactly what you mean!
The word “Abba” “Daddy” is one of those words we cry out when we’re in distress. When Jesus was in distress he called out to God, “Abba, Daddy, Father…” The sound of the word Abba, Daddy, expresses the sharpness of the cry. In Romans, Paul has this in mind when he describes how we pray in times of great need. We cry out… not to a “generic God” but to “Abba! Father!” “Abba! Father!” is not a restful whisper of contentment and security. It is the distressed cry of a child who has stumbled, tripped, and fallen, and is crying out for his or her father to come help! This cry is the deepest instinct of a child in need…
When we cry, “Abba! Father,” it expresses an instinctual response absent from the lips of unbelievers. At best unbeliever cry out , “O my God!” but in our hour of darkness we know to cry out “Abba, Father.” What’s the difference? The unbeliever may sense God’s power, but they don’t trust him to act. But Isaiah the Prophet is saying that through Jesus, we would know God to be an Everlasting Father, and we’d learn to call out to him as such. For the believer, to cry out to God as Father, is a profound testimony that we know God to be far more than just a transcendent “mighty God”… but that we know him personally, intimately present in our lives… and that we can trust him as children.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. You know what darkness is? It’s the absence of power. It’s the absence of Mighty God. Its not believing there is anything more than a cold, dark, ruthless universe waiting to swallow up the flicker, the vapor, the mist that is your life. Darkness is the absence of love. It’s not knowing whether your cries for help are ever heard, whether God is at all moved…
But real hope is this… 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. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.”