Isaiah 9:6 Christmas Series: Unto Us Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Intro The single greatest act of God began in a manger in Bethlehem. Peter tells us that the baby that was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger was the culmination of a plan that was in the mind of God from the beginning. o He reminds us that we were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, who was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was finally manifest in these last days, in a manger in Bethlehem. o Since God knew, from the beginning, even as he laid the foundations of the world that there would be a hill called Galgotha and an old rugged cross he sprinkled over 300 prophecies throughout his word allowing us to catch glimpses into his plan for redemption. o Those prophecies tell of the coming of our savior and they identify enough information about him that we can be sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who he is. Perhaps one of the better known prophecies about the birth of Jesus is contained in Isaiah 9:6. o In his own unique way, the prophet Isaiah, under the anointing of God, reveals the powerful attributes of Jesus. o In order to full grasp the significance of the verse you must understand the importance of a name. In Bible times names were very significant. o Names were chosen because they meant something signified a truth, expressed a person s destiny, or captured one s personality or nature. o For instance, Samuel means asked of God, signifying that he was the answer to Hannah s prayer. o Isaiah s name reflected the prevailing theme of his prophetic ministry Jehovah Saves. Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed himself to those that followed him through names that reflected different aspects of his character. o Abraham knew him as Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides. o He was known, in Exodus, as Jehova-rapha, the God that heals. o He was declared by Ezekiel as Jehovah-shammah, the God that is always present.

However, even though these various names revealed the attributes of God, it was understood by all of these Old Testament saints that God had a name that was above every name. o The Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Leaders, and common Hebrew people all longed to know this single great name of God. o It was a name that would not be revealed until an angel told Mary to call her child JESUS which means, God is our savior. o It was this name of which it was said in Acts 4:12 that for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. All through time, men of God longed to know that name, the name of God. o This is one of the reasons why Isaiah 9:6 is so significant to me. o When you read it you can almost hear the excitement in Isaiah s voice as he struggles to grasp that single name. o His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor The mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of Peace. o What Isaiah ends up with is a glimpse into the attributes of Jesus. o Instead of telling us the name, he reveals to us the character of Jesus. o He gives us a very revelatory glimpse into who Jesus is. For several weeks now God has been dealing with my heart about teaching a series of lessons from this single verse. o So, for the next several weeks, perhaps into January, we will be teaching on Sunday mornings from this passage of scripture. o Today we will start with the very beginning of the verse The Mystery of the Incarnation Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: o A child was born, a son was given and God became a man. o In Jesus Christ, God extended Himself into the realm of humanity. Although it seems incredible, God, in all of His fullness, became a man. o And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory (I Timothy 3:16). o It is probably the most misunderstood and controversial pronouncement of the Scriptures, yet it is true. This mystery, it is the heartbeat of the Bible, the central theme of all creation, a truth that every child of God must embrace sincerely. o It startles the mystics, riles the atheists, confounds the Jews, intimidates the devil, perplexes the multitudes, puzzles the scholars, but thrills the true believer. It is more than a mere belief in one God. o The Jews believe in one God; the Bible declares that even the demons believe in one God and tremble (James 2:19). o The New Testament faith, however, goes a step farther in that it embraces

the truth that God stepped out of His royal domain, veiled Himself in a garment of perfect flesh, and shone forth in all of His glorious splendor in the face of Jesus Christ! (See II Corinthians 4:6.) That a little baby could be the almighty God was so astonishing and incredible that the religious leaders of the time found it impossible to comprehend, believe, or accept. o To the Jews it was blasphemy. o Their lofty concept of God could not accommodate this truth, although their Hebrew Scriptures prophesied it. o Their Messiah was coming, yes, but surely not in this manner. o Therefore they violently opposed Jesus Christ. Make no mistake about it this morning, when Isaiah spoke of a child that was born and a son that was given he was declaring that the full, complete expression of Almighty God was made known to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. o It was the greatest event in human history. o God became a man. o The one and only God of the Old Testament incarnated Himself as Jesus Christ. o God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself (II Corinthians 5:19). The truth of the identity of Jesus is foundational to faith and it is the key to unlocking the wonder of Isaiah 9:6 The complete and total basis of our salvation depends solely upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. o We put our faith fully in the fact that Jesus Christ is, indeed, able to redeem us o And he is, for he is God manifest in the flesh o This is why the scripture speaks of the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood! o The blood that flowed down the old rugged cross was God s blood! The wonder of this passage this morning is that a child was born, and a son was given. o God became a man! He is not merely a part of God, but fully God; not partly man, but fully man! He was a man who could feel, taste, smell, hear, and see as a human being yet express precisely the inner heartbeat of the supreme Majesty on high. Everything that God ever was, is, or shall be, every attribute that makes God who He is, was fully expressed and exhibited in the man who walked the shores of Galilee, healed the sick, raised the dead, stilled the tempests, cast out demons, comforted the mourning, and forgave sinners. Isaiah prophesied it and an angel echoed it the child was Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. In Jesus Christ, God became what He had never been before, yet He did not cease

to be what He had always been. God added to himself what he had never had before, a body, so that he could shed his blood to purchase our salvation. Unto Us The incarnation is, without a doubt, one of the greatest wonders of the scripture. o It defies human understanding to think that God became a man. o That the little baby that Mary cradled in her arms was the Ancient of Days, the Almighty God, the Creator of all that ever was. o It is simply mind boggling that the one that holds the universe in orbit was cradled in the arms of a young teenage girl. But I believe that the first passage of Isaiah 9:6 contains an even more wonderful truth in it. o Isaiah gives us more than a glimpse into the incarnation, Isaiah gives us a unique perspective of the reason for the incarnation. o UNTO US a child is born, UNTO US a son is given. It is easy to look at the big picture and draw the conclusion that God became a man to overcome sin. o It is easy to grasp the concept that God became a man in order to defeat the accuser of the brethren, his adversary Satan. o But can I tell you this morning that Isaiah said that a child was born and a son was given, UNTO US o He didn t do it just to overcome sin o He didn t do it just to defeat his enemy o He did it for us. o God became a man for us. I want you to understand this morning that you have a personal savior one that died for your sins, one that came to comfort you. o God became a man for US. o Isaiah tells us in chapter 53 that He came to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. o He was wounded for our trangressions. o He was bruised for our iniquities. o The Chastisement of our Peace was upon him. o By his stripes we are healed. o UNTO US a child is born o He came for our deliverance o He came for our healing o He came for our peace o He came for us. That baby born in a manger in Bethlehem may be one of the greatest wonders of the bible.

o It may boggle minds that God became a man. o But as I take another look at it this morning I stand in awe of the simple fact that he did it all for me! In the person of Jesus Christ, the invincible became vulnerable. o The mighty one relinquished his throne and robed himself in weakness and humility. o And he did it all for me. They beat him, they mocked him, they cursed him and spit upon him and he did it all for me. o He carried a cross of a hill called Galgotha and they nailed him to that torturers rack. o They thrust a crown of thorns on his head and a spear pierced his side. o And he did it all for me. o As he hung on that cross, blood and water flowed. o Sins were atoned for. o My guilt and my shame was upon him. o He did it all for me. My friend the greatest treasure we have is contained in those two seemingly insignificant words at the beginning of this great verse of scripture UNTO US a child is born o He was given unto us! o Everything you need you can find in Jesus this morning. o All the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily in him and he was given unto us! o If all we know is Jesus, we know enough, for when we have Him we have everything that God is. o Jesus is at once the Father, the Son, the Spirit, the Word, our Lord and our savior. He is everything to us! o He s our shelter from every storm, he s our refuge in times of trouble. o He s our way maker when there seems to be no way. o He s our peace speaker in times of trouble. o He s our healer, our deliverer, and our strong tower. o If we fall, he is our advocate. o If we stumble he is our friend that sticks closer than a brother. o If we become weak and weary he s the one that bears our griefs and carries our sorrows. o He is wonderful, he is a counsoler, he is the mighty god, the everlasting father and the prince of peace. o He is all these things for us! On this Sunday afternoon, I want to encourage you with his simple truth o He is your God. o He belongs to you. o He came for you.

o You don t have to struggle alone, you don t have to bear your burdens alone, you don t have to fight your battles by yourself. o The good news this morning is that unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given! The church is Us Charles Spurgeon, the celebrated evangelist of the 19 th century put forth the idea that, in order for the child to be born unto you, then you must be born again. o Therein lies the key to unlocking the wonderful riches of Isaiah 9:6. o The child was born unto us insomuch as we are born unto him. Jesus Christ came for the whole world, he bore the sins of all humanity to the cross of Calvary. o However, my friend, in order to loose the great blessing of that event into our lives, we must first come to him and be born again. o Yes he died for everyone, but his death is only effective for those that are born again. o Yes he came for everyone, but his coming only impacts those that make him their personal savior. o This is the great truth of scripture. In order to reap the benefit of that finished work of Calvary we must each come to the old rugged cross and lay our own lives down. o That child was born unto us but we must be born unto him. Let me tell you today how you are born again o Jesus Christ saved us at the old rugged cross. o It was his death, burial and resurrection that set us free from sin s chains. o In order to be born again we must each identify with his death, burial, and resurrection. o We identify with him in death through repentance. Repentance is where we die out to sin, the old man, the old nature, dies at repentance and we determine to change our direction to live a changed life. o We identify with his burial in baptism, the scripture tells us that we are buried with him in baptism. o And we identify with his resurrection when we receive his spirit into our lives. That same spirit which quickened Christ Jesus, comes to dwell in us when we receive the Holy Ghost. o This is why, when the multitude asked in the second chapter of Acts what to do in order to be saved, Peter responded, Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Unto us a child was born that we might be born again o When you are born again, he becomes your God and your king. o He becomes all things to you.

o Then you can surely join your voice with Isaiah in those triumphant words, UNTO US a child is born! We are the church, my friend, and He came for us. o The promises of the word of God are personal, they are ours, they belong to the church. o We who have been washed in the blood of Jesus and baptized in his glorious name, o We can pray, in Jesus name, and expect things to change. o We can turn to him in times of sorrow and find a comforter. o We can run to him with our doubts and fears and find a counselor. o We can turn to him in the midst of the raging storm and find the prince of peace. o Unto Us, the church, he was born and Unto Us, the promises were given. o Aren t you glad today that you know who Jesus is! Close In one of my favorite classic hymns the old songwriter penned these words, O what fellowship divine, I am his and he is mine. I want you to know, this afternoon that there is no greater comfort than the promise that is contained in those first few words of Isaiah 9:6 o For unto us o I am His and He is mine. o He was born for me that I might be born again! o I am His and He is mine. o Knowing that changes everything in this life. o Hard times become more bearable, difficult trials become less troublesome, sorrow and pain become manageable o In light of the fact that He is mine! This afternoon, I don t know what burdens or problems you might be dealing with but I do know this one thing. o Jesus Christ came for you! o If you ve been born again you can take great comfort this morning in the simple fact that HE is yours! o That the redeemer, the way maker, the one unto whom all power and authority is given was born for you. o Unto us he came and unto us he is still working and moving in this place. Can I encourage you for a few moments this afternoon to cast your cares upon him. o To place your trust and hope in him. o To take comfort from the promise that he is yours. Today, you can find comfort and peace in the presence of the Lord. o Today you can encourage yourself in the knowledge that he came for US. o Today, you can make it personal. Turn your burdens over to him, put your worries and fears on he alter, place your

trust fully in the king of all kings and lord of all lords o The one that was born of a virgin and laid in a manger. o The one that was nailed to an old rugged cross and laid in a borrowed tomb. o The one that overcame the grave and broke the chains of sin. o Today you can put your faith and hope in him. o The one that UNTO US is born.