One of my favorite editorial cartoons ran a number of years ago during the last recession.  Like many cartoons, it appeared in two parts.  The first showed a man sitting in front of a Christmas tree that was packed underneath with presents.  In the next, there were not nearly as many presents – and there is a newspaper on the floor with the headline, “Leaner Sales”.  But with the absence of the presents, now you could see that there was a Nativity Scene under the tree!  The man says: “Where did that come from?”  And his wife replies: “It’s been there all along” – the implication being, it had been crowded out by all of the presents which were under the tree during the more prosperous times.  I love that cartoon, because it portrays so vividly how we often let materialism crowd out what this season should really be about: the birth of the Child Whom we need much more than any other gift. 

     On this Christmas morning we will finish our series, “Heralds of the Advent” by turning to Isaiah 9, where we find that God’s great gift to us would be a Child, a Son.  We have seen the past couple of weeks that these prophets, Isaiah and Micah, wrote 700-750 years before Christ was born, and predicted things about Him which would come to pass in the birth of Jesus Christ.  Micah predicted in Micah 5:2 that He would be born inBethlehem. Isaiah predicted in 7:14 that He would be born of a virgin.  Both of them indicated that He would be much more than a “mere” child, but that He would be God Himself who would come to earth to save us.  Today we turn back to the Book of Isaiah, chapter 9, where we find that God’s answer for man’s problems would indeed come in the form of a Child – a very special Child – and he describes for us in this verse what this One would be like, and what He would accomplish for us.  He is truly the Greatest Christmas Gift.  I don’t know what kind of gifts you opened up for Christmas last night, or this morning – but this gift is greater; this is the One you need more than anything else!  Let’s look together at Isaiah 9:6, and the Gift God gave us in His Son:

I.  The Solution of the Child

     If we look at this verse in its context in scripture (which we should always do with every verse) we see that it is in the context of a time of darkness and gloom.  God’s people have sinned, judgment is coming.  Armies from the east are on their way; Chapter 8:9 says that they are going to be “shattered”, and 8:22 closes with “distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish.”   But then the tone changes in Chapter 9: “There will be no more gloom” – the Bible says that things are going to change!  :2 says the people who walk in darkness will see a great light!  :4 says that God will break the yoke of their burden, and the rod of the oppressors will be broken.  So darkness is going to turn to light; bad times are going to better – the big question is: HOW is this going to happen?  What is going to make the difference?

     Verse 6 gives the answer: “For a Child will be born to us; a son will be given to us.” It is this Child who was going to come who would make the difference – who would make darkness turn to light, and despair to joy.  It was a very surprising solution: the answer forIsraelwas not a great military leader; it was not a store of money; the answer was not economic prosperity, or a political leader.  The answer that would dispel darkness and break the yoke was of all things — a CHILD!  Of course, this “child” was not just any child, but the promised Messiah who would be born to grow up to save us, and bring us back to God, and who would make the difference in our lives. 

     But we need this reminder today: the answer for the darkness and despair and difficulties that we face, is found in the Messiah that Isaiah promised, NOT in political or military or material solutions. 

     I was disappointed a few months ago, when one of the candidates for president, who I know claims to be a Christian, came out with his platform to getAmericaback on track.  Everything he spoke about in his speeches and commercials and in the debates had to do with the economy, and jobs, and money.  And I know that we do have economic problems, and we do need more jobs in our country –all of these things are true.  But I was disappointed that he never mentioned that the real answer toAmerica’s problems is not going to be found in any economic or jobs plan.  We have turned away from God!  And whatAmericaneeds more than any political or economic solution is to turn back to God through the Messiah that Isaiah prophesied in this verse.          

     And what is true for our nation is true for you and I individually too.  We each face a number of problems and difficulties; but your problems are not all going to be solved by getting a new job, or more money, or a better education, or a different social status, or a new house, or a new car – or anything else.  Some of you are thinking that if you just had those things, everything would be ok for you – but it wouldn’t!  What you’ve got to realize is that there are people who have every one of those things that you are hoping will change your life, but they aren’t happy; they are still in darkness, they are still in gloom and despair – because the answer to your problems is not found in those things – the answer is found in the Jesus who was born as that Child in Bethlehem.  HE is the One you need; HE is the answer to your problems; HE is the greatest Gift!  

     Now, some of you “know” that – but the problem is, you aren’t living like it.  Just like the man in the cartoon I talked about earlier, you have let a focus on material things “crowd out” the place Jesus should have in your life.  And like in that cartoon, maybe God has allowed some leaner finances, or some other difficulties in your life, to get you pointed back to Him, and remind you that you are only ever going to find real happiness and fulfillment in life as you live for HIM.  On this Christmas Sunday, remember that this Child, who grew up to be Jesus our Savior, is the real gift; He is solution you are looking for!

 II.  The Person of the Child

     Every one of these prophecies tells us some vital things about the Person of the Child who would come to save us.  They all tell us that He would be a Man; but each of them also reveals a clue that He would be MORE than just a Man; that He would be God who came to save us. 

     As Christians, we believe the orthodox Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Man.  He wasn’t just a man, and He wasn’t just God.  And He wasn’t “half-man and half-God.”  He was 100% God, and 100% Man; fully human, and fully Divine.  Now, there are always those who accuse the Christian church of reading things into the person of Jesus Christ which they say the Bible never teaches.  They claim, for example, that the Bible doesn’t teach that Jesus is Divine, or that He was “fully God and fully man”.  They claim that these things are “later developments” or Greek philosophical influences which were read back into Christianity.  But that is far from the truth!  The fact is, we find these truths about the Person of Jesus taught not only in the New Testament — not only from the lips of apostles, and from the mouth of Jesus Himself – but also from the prophets who prophesied hundreds of years in advance just what the coming Messiah would be like.  Isaiah and Micah, writing 750 years before Jesus was ever born, gave us great insights to His Person, that He would fully man, and fully God.

— We see that here in Isaiah 9:6:  It says “A child will be born to us, a son will given to us”.  Here we see the two aspects of Jesus’ nature predicted: He will be a real human “child”, who would be “born” – fully man, in a real human birth.  But it also says that He would also be “a SON” who would be “given.”  Jesus was not only a fully human child born of a woman, but He was also the Son whom God had given – the “Son of God” Himself!  And lest there be any question about that, later on in the verse, it says that His name would be called “Wonderful Counselor, MIGHTY GOD”!  And when it describes Him as being like a “father” for us, it calls Him “everlasting” or “eternal” Father!  This was no mere human baby ONLY – He WAS a fully human child, but He was also MORE than a fully human child; He was also a fully DIVINE child: “Fully God, and fully Man: “a child born … a Son given.”  Thus through Isaiah the prophet, God showed us 700 years in advance – before Jesus was ever born; before the Apostle Paul ever taught; before Greek philosophers ever speculated — that the Messiah would be both fully Divine and fully Human. 

     And this is not the only place where we find that, either: 

— We saw this same thing a couple of weeks ago in Micah 5: Of this real Child who would be born in Bethlehem it says: “His goings forth are from eternity”!  Here is a fully human child who would be born in Bethlehem, but “His goings forth from eternity” – as John 1 says, “He was in the beginning with God” and is God.  So Micah also prophesies that the Messiah would be fully God, and fully Man.

— We saw this last week in Isaiah 7:14 also.  “A Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call His name Immanuel.”  There Isaiah prophesied that there would be a real “son” born to the virgin, a real flesh and blood child – but He would also be miraculously conceived; born of a virgin!  And He would be “Immanuel”, which translated means: “GOD with us.”  So Isaiah 7:14 also proclaimed, over 700 years before Jesus was born, that the Messiah would be “fully God and fully man.” 

     No, this was not a “later addition”; it was not added by the Church; it was not a product of later Greek philosophy.  The Old Testament made it clear that the Person of the Messiah would be “fully God and fully Man.”  It is just like the great hymn says: “Fairest Lord Jesus, Lord of Creation: Son of God and Son of Man”.  This Child who came was not “just” a Child; He is the Son of God; God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, fully God.  But He also came as fully Man, a real, 100% flesh and blood man, who would be “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin”, who could die on the cross as our Substitute, “bearing our sins in His body on the cross.”  Hebrews says, “He had to made like His brethren … to make propitiation for sins.”  And that is indeed who He was: fully man to be our substitute on the cross – and fully, perfect God to save us.

     But listen: you can KNOW all of the intricate details of these doctrines, and still not be saved!  Saving faith is NOT just knowing about Jesus; it is knowing HIM in a personal, committed relationship with Him.  James chapter 2 says, “You believe that God is One?  You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder!”  The Bible makes it clear there – you are not saved by “knowing” some details of doctrine.  The devil and his demons “know” the right doctrines about Jesus!  You must personally receive Him as YOUR Savior; you must trust Him as YOUR Lord!  Have you ever done that?  For some of you, this “fully God, fully Man” Jesus is like an unopened gift under the Christmas tree.  You need to unwrap this Gift, and receive Him as your own Lord & Savior today!    

 III.  The Ministry of the Child

     We could spend several weeks looking at the treasures of this verse, but let’s look near the end, as it describes in some more detail the kind of gift that God gave us when He gave us this saving Child.  It says that He would be called: “Wonderful Counselor …” Sometimes we hear this verse translated, “Wonderful, Counselor” – as if they were two different titles.  But what we really have here is 4 pairs of words: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Each of these pairs of words tells us something about God’s gift to us through Him, and what His ministry would be for us:

 A. “Wonderful Counselor”

     This is literally that He would be “a wonder of a Counselor.”  When Jesus came, He would give counsel like no man has ever given before.  And God has given Him to us, to lead and guide our lives into the best plans that God has for us. 

     I read a survey some time ago in which people were asked, “If you could have lunch with any one person from all of history, who would that be?”  The number one answer, by a large margin, was Jesus Christ!  And you can understand why: you’d want to hear what He had to say to you, what advice He had to share with you; His wise counsel and comfort.  The ironic thing is, YOU CAN have lunch with Jesus every day – and breakfast and dinner as well!  He will speak to you through His word; He will lead you through His Holy Spirit who is in you.  That is what God sent Him for – He came to be “God with us” – God in you – a “wonder of a counselor” who will guide you step-by-step through your life! 

 B. “Mighty God”

     We spoke about this a few minutes ago, when we were talking about His Person.  This was not a mere human Child God gave us; it was His “only begotten Son.”  He is “Immanuel”, as we saw last week in Isaiah 7; Jesus is “God with us” – He was God with us when He walked on earth; and now that He has ascended back into heaven, He sends His Spirit to be with us, and in us, walking with us, helping us, teaching us, giving us His power.  He is “God with us”! 

     And notice that is says “Mighty God”!  Because God is with us, we can do “mighty” things; things that are beyond ourselves.  Jesus said that greater things than He did, can we do, because He will be in us.  That is a wonderful and challenging word!  It ought to cause some of us to raise our sights for this coming year!  God is with us; God is in us!  What can we accomplish if we know that!  “Mighty God” is with us!  Let us attempt and achieve great things this year, knowing that He is with us!  Is there something you are facing right now, that would be different if you knew that God was with you?  If you are a follower of Jesus; He IS!  “Mighty God” is with God – not to “name and claim” anything you want to do – but to give you the power to do everything that He has called you to do.  Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses” – to the most remote parts of the earth.  You have every power you need to serve God in ministry: “Mighty God” is with you! 

 C. Everlasting Father

     The Bible tells us here that He would be like a “father” to us; that is, He would love us, care for us, provide for us, direct us.  It is speaking about the relationship with can have with Him.  Real Christianity does not consist of just doing routine “acts” or “rituals” – it is a relationship with God which we have through Jesus.  It is knowing and loving a God who loves us.  This is the great gift He came to give us – a restored relationship with the God who wants to love us.  That is what God made us for – to know and love Him.  But we separated ourselves from Him by our sin. Isaiah says, “Your iniquities have caused a separation between you and your God.  Jesus came to die on the cross and pay for our sins, so that if we would turn from our sins we could come back to that relationship with God which He desires to have with us.  He will be our Father, and love us, and lead us every day, through the gift of His Son.  (And again, the word “everlasting” here refers to the fact that this is no mere man the Bible is speaking of; He is “everlasting” – and reminds us that He is God.)    

 D. Prince of Peace

     This is where Jesus came in a different manner than many expected Him. He did not come as a Prince of War; but as a Prince of Peace.  He didn’t come to kill the Romans; He came to be crucified by the Romans – that by His death He might make peace with God for us by dying for our sins.  Ephesians 2 says, “He Himself IS our peace”.  He made peace for us with God, if we would turn from our sins and receive the forgiveness He bought for us; He came to make peace between us and others – for all those who bow at His feet are to be at peace with each other.  And He gives peace in our individual hearts as well – “My peace, not as the world gives, do I give to you”, Jesus said.  He came to bring us:

— Peace with God

— Peace with others

— Peace in our hearts.

— and ultimately, when He returns, He will bring peace to this world as every knee bows and every tongue confesses that He is Lord!

     Among the many gifts He brought us, Jesus came to bring us peace – of every kind!  He truly is “The Prince of Peace.” 

 CONCLUSION

     A few weeks ago, I read one of the best little books I have ever read; it was called The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer.  I was wanting to read that book, as it is about the attributes of God, which is what I am going to be preaching on as we start 2012, so I was going to order it.  Well, as I was going through my library, looking for another book, I found that I already HAD The Knowledge of the Holy.  I opened up the cover, and inside, it had a note written: it was from my Aunt Betty, who led me to the Lord in Vacation Bible School when I was 7 years old.  She had given it to me as a gift in 1982, and I had had it this whole time, and had never read it.  Here it was, a gift which I now consider one of the best I have received – but it sat unopened for almost 30 years!

     You know, unfortunately, that is how we often treat God’s gifts to us.  God sent His Son, the “Child born to us”; the “Son given for us” – over 2000 years ago.  But some of you have still not opened that gift.  And some of you may have received Jesus as your Savior & Lord, but the truth is, that a lot of the gifts He came to give you: His daily counsel through His word, His powerful presence, His peace – you have left unopened.  And God is saying to you today, on this Christmas Sunday: I have given you a Child; I have given you my very Son.  It is time to open your Gift!