Wonderful Counsellor

Well, good morning everyone. It's great to be back for, as I also said, a little introduction to what we're going to be doing over the next few weeks in church as we build up to the 25th.

But to get us thinking this morning, I wonder if everybody could hold up nine fingers. Nine fingers. Here's the challenge to get us thinking this morning.

I want you to turn to your neighbour, or anybody sitting around you if you're on your own, you can do it yourself.

I want you to try and describe yourself in nine words. Describe yourself in nine words.

Now, let me just clarify the rules so there's no cheating.

Because remember, Santa, he sees if you've been bad or good.

So let me just clarify the rules. If you're Scottish, that is one word.

If you're Northern Irish, that is two words.

If you're from the Democratic Republic of Congo, then all the best.

So have a go, 30 seconds to your neighbour. Can you describe yourself in nine words?

Okay. Are we all set?

So I must say, from the front, from the front, I heard an awful lot of laughing.

So I don't know what you were saying in those nine words, but it was great to hear, just as having some fun,

getting us thinking about how we describe ourselves.

Because here's what we're going to do, is we're going to build up to the 25th over the next few weeks.

We're going to think as a church about nine words.

Nine words, okay. Nine words.

Nine words that we often, frequently, we read and we think about at this time of year.

Nine words that God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to a people in despair and darkness.

Nine words that described the saviour that he would send them.

Nine words that God spoke to a troubled and doubting people about the king who would come.

And these are nine words that if we could grasp them in this time of year, if we could grasp them just that little bit more,

if we can mine the depths of them just that little bit more, it would have the power to radically transform our lives.

Because these are nine words that God uses to describe the bairn who would be born.

These are nine words that God uses to describe who his son, Jesus Christ, is.

Here they are. Let's get them on the screen.

Wonderful counselor.

Mighty God.

Everlasting Father.

And Prince of Peace.

Nine words to describe the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we're going to see over the next few weeks, nine beautiful words.

That help us understand who he is.

So if you've got a Bible there, then Isaiah chapters 8 and 9, this is where we're going to be this morning.

Isaiah 8 · chapter mention

Margo's going to come in a minute and just read the verses to us.

Chapter 8, verse 11 through to verse 7 of chapter 9.

That's going to give us the context that we'll consider this morning in which we find these nine words.

Margo's going to come and read them to us.

The band are going to perform a song to help us think about Jesus.

And then we're going to get thinking about the first couple of these nine words.

So I'll hand over to Margo now.

Well, thank you so much, band.

That's a great modern Christmas carol.

It is.

That's a great one that hopefully we're going to see linked so well with what we're going to be seeing in Isaiah this morning.

But to begin, I had a funny moment a few weeks ago that reminded me of just how brutal it is in Scotland at winter.

So I went to wake my two-year-old daughter from sleep in the morning.

And the first thing that she said to me with all sincerity and with such optimism was,

Daddy, is it summer yet?

And I didn't have the heart to tell her that our one month of summer, June, is an awful long way away.

I mean, it's hard, is it not, to live here in wintertime.

You wake up in the morning, it's dark.

You go to work and it's dark.

You're at work and it's dark.

There's a little bit of sun.

And then you come home and it's dark until it goes round and round again.

It's difficult.

Is it not living in darkness?

But if you find that difficult, if you find it difficult living here,

then thank your lucky stars that you don't live in Reykjavik in Iceland.

Because at this time of year, the sun rises close to half eleven.

Imagine that, half eleven.

And it sets just after half three, which means there are just over four hours of sunlight a day in winter.

That is difficult.

Is it?

Darkness is difficult.

But this morning, as we dive into Isaiah chapters eight and nine, we meet a people who will soon find themselves living,

not just in, well, not in physical darkness, but in spiritual darkness.

Here are Isaiah's words prophesying to this little kingdom of Judah.

The two tribes that are in the south where Jerusalem is located,

who had become distinct from the ten tribes' big brother in the north, Israel.

And these are trying times for the little nation of Judah.

Isaiah eight and nine.

Trying times.

But the thing about Judah is that in their trying times,

and this is what we need to see here, in their trying times,

they're searching for saviors in all the wrong places.

All the wrong places.

And this is the first thing that we see.

Judah are a people, verses 11 to 22 of chapter eight,

they're a people in need of light.

So externally, they're searching for saviors in all the wrong places.

At the time, the king on the throne in Judah, his name is King Ahaz.

Now, he is a young, he's an intelligent king,

but he lacks experience and he lacks wisdom.

And he is being politically bullied by the northern kingdom of Israel and by Syria

to join forces against the superpower of the day,

who is Assyria up, way up in the north.

And Ahaz is making the foolish mistake of thinking that the security of his nation

is to be found in the brokering of a deal.

So this is what he thinks.

That if I can somehow secure an alliance,

if I can do that, then the nation of Judah will be okay.

Now, if you want to turn back to chapter seven and verse nine,

you'll see God's words to this king Ahaz, who's on the throne.

This is what God says, chapter seven and verse nine.

Really simply.

Stand firm in your faith.

Stand firm in your faith.

Ahaz be a king who builds his life on my words

and who leads based on my promises,

especially the ones that I have made to David,

about the king who was set on his throne.

Now, the only reason that you think the political powers of the day,

the only reason you think that they are superpowers

is because you've taken your eyes off me,

who is the superpower of superpowers.

And in case you hadn't noticed, I am your covenant God.

I am for you.

I'm not against you.

I am for you.

You are my people and I am your God.

You see, externally, Judah are all over the place.

They are searching for saviors in all the wrong places.

And internally, Judah are searching for saviors in all the wrong places.

You see it there, verse 19 of chapter eight.

In search of answers, where are the people going?

They are going to mediums.

They are trying to get in contact with the dead

because they think that somehow that will be the channel

that will help me understand and explain the questions of my life.

Judah are a people searching for saviors in all the wrong places.

Here's what they're doing.

They're looking out.

They're looking in.

They're looking down.

Do you know where they're not looking?

They're not looking up.

That is the problem for Judah.

He has his problem.

And the people's problem is that in their minds,

God is too small for this.

He's too small.

As J.B. Phillips once said,

your God is too small.

Your God is too small.

That's Judah.

So let me ask you this morning,

is your God too small?

Is he too small?

Can you fit him in your top pocket?

Can you put him on the dashboard of your car?

Is he simply an icon on the desktop of your life?

I mean,

how big is your God?

If you're struggling with that this morning,

if you're thinking,

I need to get a bigger picture of God,

do you know what I recommend?

I recommend you watch Blue Planet.

Right?

You get yourself down,

you get a cup of coffee,

you get on BBC iPlayer,

and you have a date with Uncle Dave.

At and Brissetta again,

and Blue Planet is absolutely incredible.

I love the show.

Love the show.

And as I watch it,

as I see the glory of the world,

I'm reminded of two things.

Firstly,

isn't God big?

You see it.

Isn't his creation magnificent?

Isn't his design unparalleled?

Isn't God big?

Second thing I think,

I'm an eye small.

As I see Attenborough,

as I see him describe the oceans

that we've not even begun to understand the depths of,

as I see him discovering creatures,

that we're still discovering creatures,

even as I looked at the supermoon the other night,

did you see it?

The supermoon?

I thought,

how big is that moon?

And yet,

how many thousands of miles am I between that and that moon?

How big must that moon be?

And I started thinking,

if that moon's big,

then just think how big the God who created it is.

And you sit there and you think,

wow,

isn't God big?

And am an eye small?

How often is it the other way around in our minds?

And I read in scripture,

the seamless ease at which God spoke

and things just came into being,

they just happened.

You'll see it there as an afterthought.

He created the stars.

It was no problem for him.

And as I read

that the nations

are a drop

in the bucket to him,

then surely we're moved to sing in our hearts,

O Lord my God,

when I am awesome wonder,

consider all the works thy hand have made.

Then sings my soul,

my Saviour God,

to thee,

how great thou art.

As you hear this morning,

and your God is too small.

He's too small.

Do you see,

Judah's problem is that their God,

their view of God,

their grasp of God,

in their minds,

he is too small.

And God gives his opinion

on the nation's Saviour search

at verse 13 of chapter 8.

Here's what he says.

The Lord Almighty

is the one you are to regard as holy.

He is the one you are to fear.

And he is the one you are to dread.

Do you see,

God's summons to the king

and to the people

is trust me.

Trust me that I'm big.

Trust me that I'm bigger

than you think I am.

Trust me.

And God's challenge to the king

and to the people

is will you?

Will you?

Well, some of them will.

But on the whole,

Judah won't.

Israel in the north,

their day will soon come.

Judah's day

will follow not so long after

at the hands of another superpower

called Babylon.

But you'll see it

in verses 21 and 22

describing Judah in exile.

Distress,

gloom,

anguish,

all of this to show

all of this to show

that God,

holy God,

he takes sin and rebellion

against him seriously.

He takes it seriously.

It's a theme that runs

all the way through

the Bible story,

all the way through Scripture,

beginning in the garden

with Adam and Eve.

And since then,

the sin and rebellion

against God

comes all too naturally

to all of us.

And it's the reason behind

not just our own

individual darkness,

our own individual brokenness,

it's the reason behind

the world's brokenness.

See,

Christmas,

as we look at the baby

in the manger,

it screams to us

that we need saving.

We need saving.

And so,

as we look at this

little nation of Judah,

let me ask you,

if you're here this morning

and you're looking for saviors

in all the wrong places,

are you looking for them

in all the wrong places?

Are you just like Judah?

Are you looking out?

Are you looking in?

Are you looking down?

Are you looking up?

Now,

will God do anything

to lift his people

from their sin and darkness?

Will this be the end

of the story for Judah?

No,

it won't be the end

of the story.

Not because they deserve it,

but rather because

he will move to save

simply because of who God is.

Right at the heart

of who he is,

he is gracious

and he is full

of unending

and steadfast love.

We read verses 1 to 5

of chapter 9

of a God who sends light.

You see,

on this people

living in great darkness,

God's great light

is going to supernaturally

and it's going to surprisingly

break in.

And when this light

breaks in,

when God's light

breaks in here,

look at what it will mean

for the faithful people

of Judah

who have put their

lives

in the hands of God

and his promises.

It will mean joy.

It will mean joy.

like when there is

an abundant harvest.

You see him try

to describe it,

Isaiah?

Like when spoil

is divided

after a great victory

over an enemy.

You see,

God's light,

when it comes,

it will cause the people

to rejoice

like they've never

rejoiced before.

The yoke

that burdened them

smashed.

The rod

that we use

to oppress them

broken.

And how will God

do this?

How will God

do this?

Well,

he will do it

like he did

at Midian.

It's a reference

back to the book

of Judges.

We were there

over the summer

to a time

when God's people

were in slavery

to their enemies.

What did God do

out of his grace

and compassion

for his people?

He raised up judges.

Raised up many

saviors,

if you like,

to save his people.

One of which

was Gideon.

It's the story.

Gideon is set

on marching

against the Midianites

with his army.

He's got 32,000 men.

God says,

no,

that's too many.

You make it 10,000 men.

So Gideon

gets 10,000 men.

He's ready to go

and God says,

no,

that's still too many.

You make it 300 men.

And what happens?

Gideon and his army,

they march against

the Midianites.

They win.

Why do they win?

What's the message?

The message is

that the victory

was the Lord's,

not Gideon's.

The message is

that the victory,

the glory,

goes to God

and it doesn't go

to Gideon.

So here is the same promise.

In the same way,

God is going to break in

and he's going to bring you

a quite unexplainable

and a quite unexpected victory.

This is what God's going to do

for his people.

And how is God going to do it?

Verses 6 and 7.

We read of a king

who is light.

Now I love this here.

Will God pick the brightest?

No.

Will God pick,

choose the strongest?

No.

Will God select

the bravest?

No.

Because here's what

I would have done

if I'm God

and that's a phrase

that I use far too often

in my sinful heart.

Here's what I would have done.

I would have fashioned

Superman out of clay.

So I would have done,

there's your saviour.

But here's how God works.

But he doesn't pick

the brightest.

He doesn't pick

the strongest.

He doesn't pick

the bravest.

He gives the smallest.

He gives the smallest.

It's incredible.

His means of salvation

will come in the form

of a helpless baby.

His agent of transformation

will come in the shape

of a son

and he will be a king

who will be the ruler

of all rulers.

He will be a king

whose reign

will be the reign

of all reigns

and this baby

will be the invincible figure

that spans the ages

and his kingdom

that he establishes

will never be toppled

and the throne

that he occupies

will never be vacated.

This is God's king.

An incredible thing

is that Isaiah

is speaking roughly,

give or take,

eight centuries

before Jesus

was even born.

And he's declaring it.

Doesn't he even see it there

like it's already happened?

How does that work?

Well, here's the wonderful truth.

Is that that's what happens

when God speaks.

When God declares

something to be true,

when God says

he will do something,

there is no speculative

word for the future,

it is a cast iron guarantee

for these people

that they can live

in light of

what God has said

is going to happen

and they can live

in light of the fact

that it's a done deal.

800 years

before Jesus

is even on the scene,

these people are told

they can stake

their lives on it.

And what will this

king of light be like?

Well, it states this

to the first few words

that we see in verse 6.

God's king of light

will be called

wonderful counsellor.

Be called

wonderful counsellor.

Now, like me,

I wonder if you've been

to many Christmas services

down the years

and you've heard

these words

read countless times

before.

But have you ever

stopped to ask yourself

why God uses that word,

those two words?

Why does God call

his son

the wonderful counsellor?

But here's two things

that I want us to see

this morning,

two truths

that I think

are so brilliant

for us to see.

Here's the first truth,

that he is a king

in whom you can trust.

He's a king

in whom you can trust.

See, this Judah generation,

what are they doing?

They're searching for saviors

in all the wrong places.

All the wrong places.

Why are they doing that?

Well, a big reason

is because they've got

so many voices

competing for their attention.

So many voices.

Who should they listen to?

Well, here is God saying

that I'm sending you

the wonderful counsellor.

I'm sending you

him

and his words

will be flawless,

his counsel

will be unfailing,

his wisdom

will be perfect

and his judgments

will always be righteous.

And you can confidently

place your hands,

place your life

in the hands

of my wonderful counsellor.

I remember when I was

a young lawyer

and I walked into the office

every morning

to my desk.

One of the things

that put me at ease

every morning

was the fact

that there was a library

just down the corridor.

Now, here's why

that put me at ease

for three reasons.

One, because I knew

people would ask me questions.

Two, because I knew

I didn't have the answers

to those questions.

And three,

I knew that the books

did have the answers

to those questions.

Somewhere,

somehow,

the answer was in the books.

Now, I had that

beautiful plan worked out

until one day

somebody rang me

from another side

and he challenged me

on a point.

So I did my three things.

I thought,

I don't have the answers

but the books are the answers.

I went to get to the books

and it turned out

the guy on the other side

had written the book.

But here's the thing

as we read about Jesus

in the Gospels,

as we encounter him

in the Gospels,

he's never reaching

for the books.

He's never reaching

for the books.

Why is he never reaching

for the books?

Because

there's no problem

that he needs

to study up on.

There is no question

that he needs

to outsource.

There is no issue

in which he needs

to consult an expert.

There is no person

that he does not know.

Why?

Because Jesus

is wisdom personified.

He is wisdom personified.

He is wisdom,

God's wisdom,

in flesh.

Later on in Isaiah,

we'll see Isaiah

speak of him

as the spirit

of wisdom

and understanding

and counsel

is upon him.

Here is Jesus.

That's exactly

what we'd expect

from one

through whom

the cosmos

was created

and in whom

all things hold together

and for whom

all things exist.

Jesus Christ

is wisdom personified

and here's what

that means.

that means

if we're told

in scripture,

if we know

that this wonderful

counselor holds

the world

in his hands,

surely that means

that you and I

can trust our todays

to his hands

and we can trust

our tomorrows

to his hands.

You see,

the baby in the manger,

the arrival of whom

we celebrate at Christmas

doesn't just come

to give us the answers.

He is the answer.

He doesn't just come

to show us grace.

He is grace.

He doesn't just come

to say

that he is the way

and the truth

and the life.

He is the way

and the truth

and the life.

Do you see?

God's wisdom

in flesh.

Jesus Christ.

He is the answer.

Here's the second thing

that he is a king

to whom you can turn.

He's a king

in whom you can trust.

He's a king

to whom you can turn.

When we're going

through difficult times

in our lives,

what is it we pray?

What is it we long

for more than anything else?

We long for somebody

who understands.

We long for someone

who understands

and can do something

about it.

We long for somebody

who can help.

And this takes us

to the staggering truth

right at the heart

of the Christian faith.

And it's a truth

that sets it apart

from all other religions

and it's a truth

that comes into sharp focus

at Christmas time.

And it's this.

That God took on flesh.

That Jesus took on our humanity.

That Jesus,

while not ceasing

to be fully God,

became fully man.

The incarnation,

that's what that's called.

Friends,

if you think the Pacific Ocean

is deep,

get your trunks on

and go swimming

in that truth.

The incarnation

that God became human.

The words of that song

that the band

performed for us,

who would have dreamed

or ever foreseen

that we could hold God

in our hands?

It's incredible.

You see,

Jesus didn't just look on

from a distance

at our darkness.

He didn't just dip a toe

in our brokenness.

He got involved.

I was in Glasgow on Friday

and took a walk down

Buchanan Street.

I wonder if you saw this

in the news the other day.

There's a statue

that's just gone up

by a Canadian Christian

called Timothy Schmaltz

and it's called

The Homeless Jesus.

Basically what it is,

it's just a little bench

and there's a figure

on the bench

in a hood,

cloaked,

shivering away

and you can just see

his feet

and in the feet

are the two holes.

Here is Jesus.

Now it's deliberately

provocative.

It's meant to get us

to think about

how we treat those

who are less fortunate

than us at Christmas time

but it strikes

at the heart

of a wonderful truth

that Jesus knew

the brokenness

of our world

and that's why

we can sing

Yes he walked my road

and he felt my pain

Joys and sorrows

that I know so well.

Later in Isaiah

you see it spelled out

more clearly

that Jesus

he was a man of sorrows

and he was acquainted

with grief.

Now what does that tell us?

As we look at

the baby in the manger

what does that tell us?

It tells us

that Jesus knows

and above all else

it tells us

that God loves

God cares.

Like he knows

Jesus knows

he knows what it's like

to be abandoned

that Jesus knows

what it's like

to be betrayed

by those closest to you

that he knows

what it means

to lose a loved one

that he knows

what it means to suffer

that he knows

what it means to be mocked

that he knows

what it means to die

and notice that

he's not just

a counsellor

he is the wonderful counsellor

he in fact

if you want to put it like this

he is the counsellor

of counsellors

that's what is trying

to be conveyed there

because he is not one

who simply sympathises

with us

in our darkness

you see Jesus

didn't just come

to pat us on the back

and say

there there

keep on going

actually

he is

a counsellor

a wonderful counsellor

who has come

to save us

from our

darkness

his life

his life of service

his life of obedience

that would be

given voluntarily

and freely

would see him

end up where

on a cross

on a cross

because he loved us

too much

to let us wander

in our darkness

that he loved us

too much

to see us stay

in our sin

and he gave his life

his perfect life

so we were singing earlier

he became

a curse for us

so that our curse

he would reverse

to redeem us

from our darkness

friends you see

the wonderful

truth about the baby

in the manger

here it is truly

he is a wonderful counsellor

it's difficult

living in darkness

is it not

it's difficult

living in darkness

Rejavik in winter

no thank you for me

no thank you for me

but

here's the thing

about Rejavik

it's a different story

in June

different story

in June

looked it up

this week

the sun rises

before three

in the morning

three in the morning

and it sets

just after midnight

so in the summer

there are 21 hours

of sunlight

in Iceland

it's incredible

21 hours

I think it's the

coolest thing

I love about living here

in the summers

it's great

but if you think

that is cool

then let me

take you to the city

that John describes

in Revelation 21

just the words

on the screen

don't worry

about looking it up

you can look it up

later

Revelation 21

this is what

John sees

I did not see

a temple

in the city

because the Lord

God Almighty

and the Lamb

are its temple

the city

does not need

the sun

or the moon

to shine in it

why?

for the glory

of God

gives it light

and the Lamb

is its lamp

the nations

will walk

by its light

and the kings

of the earth

will bring

their splendor

into it

on no day

will its gates

ever be shut

for

there will be

no night

there

here is God

dwelling with his people

where?

in the city

of unending light

why?

because the darkness

has been banished

forever

sin is a distant memory

all oppression

has ceased

every tear

has been wiped

from every single eye

and all of it

has been replaced

by all out worship

of the God

who is eternally

worthy of all praise

this is his city

of light

this is God's city

we should read

Isaiah 9

rightly

we should look

back

today

and see its

wonderful fulfillment

in the king of light

who came at Christmas time

Jesus Christ

but we also need

to read Isaiah 9

and look forward

to its complete

fulfillment

on that day

when the rain

of Jesus Christ

the victory

of this returning king

the reign

of this wonderful

counselor

will be seen

by all

and of the greatness

of his government

and peace

there will be

no end

praise God

friends

that God

sent us

the wonderful

counselor

the words

that we're going

to finish with

in a moment

beautiful savior

wonderful counselor

clothed in majesty

lord of history

you're the way

the truth

the life

star of the morning

glorious

in holiness

you are the risen one

heaven's champion

and you reign

you reign

over

all

let me pray

for us

as we close

and maybe

as we've been

hearing God

speak through

his word

this morning

you are here

and you think

I've never really

thought about this

stuff

you're sitting here

aware of your own

darkness

and God

would invite you

to reach out

to the king of light

Jesus Christ

this morning

dear father

thank you

for the privilege

that we get

at this time

of year

to remember

and to thank you

for sending

your son

Jesus

to earth

to be our

savior

and our king

and to be our

wonderful

counselor

father

and so dear

lord

whatever we are

at this morning

with you

we ask

that you would

help us

to leave here

this morning

and to walk

in light of

a bigger picture

of who you are

and a more

beautiful picture

of who your

son Jesus

Christ really

is

father thank you

that you are

the god of all

grace

and we pray

these things

through Jesus

name

amen

T

so

thank you