In his prophecy in Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah gives four names for the coming Messiah that describe what His ministry would be about. Each of these names is significant. They talk about Jesus' ministry while He was on earth and the way He ministers to us till today.
Wonderful Counsellor
Jesus is the best counsellor we will ever have. He will always know what to say and how to direct us. And His advice will always be the best advice we can take.
Wonderful:
1. excellent, great, marvelous
2. a sort that causes wonder; amazing; astonishing
This first of that definition makes sense to us in this: Jesus is excellent at being a counsellor. But, as I think about it, I realize that the second part of the definition is also true in this: the counsel that Jesus gives may be beyond what we can grasp or be so great we do stop in amazement.
Counsellor:
a person who counsels; advisor
Someone can be a counsellor in the formal sense or in more of an informal manner. Sometimes a mentor, friend, or family member offers counsel in the form of helping us figure out which direction to go. Other times, it may be something more formal in getting help to deal with something going on in our lives.
Jesus does all of these things for us in a manner that no other person ever could. Jesus is our wonderful counsellor.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Coming Messiah
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be upon His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of His government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over His kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
Isaiah 9:6-7
One of the more well-known prophecies of the coming Messiah from the words of the prophet Isaiah. I've heard them often in Christmas performances and songs over the years.
In just a couple of verses, the prophet Isaiah conveys amazing truth about the Messiah. Isaiah declared that Jesus would come from the line of David and that His kingdom would never end. Both of these important.
But, in the middle of all of this, Isaiah gives the Messiah some amazing names declaring what He will be.
Wonderful Counsellor.
Mighty God.
Everlasting Father.
Prince of Peace.
In these few words, so much of what Jesus's ministry on earth was is described. And they speak of what His ministry still is in the lives of those who follow His story.
When I read prophecies like this, I often begin to wonder about what thoughts would have gone through people's minds when they first heard those words. When we read them today, we do so with the benefit of history and knowing they were being fulfilled. But, the people Isaiah spoke them to, they didn't know. And that makes me wonder how they would have responded to those words in the moment.
If they truly grasped the reality of the words they were hearing, what would they have been thinking about? Would they have been looking for the Messiah continually then? Or did they get tired of waiting and forget about the words of prophecy?
to us a son is given,
and the government will be upon His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of His government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over His kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
Isaiah 9:6-7
One of the more well-known prophecies of the coming Messiah from the words of the prophet Isaiah. I've heard them often in Christmas performances and songs over the years.
In just a couple of verses, the prophet Isaiah conveys amazing truth about the Messiah. Isaiah declared that Jesus would come from the line of David and that His kingdom would never end. Both of these important.
But, in the middle of all of this, Isaiah gives the Messiah some amazing names declaring what He will be.
Wonderful Counsellor.
Mighty God.
Everlasting Father.
Prince of Peace.
In these few words, so much of what Jesus's ministry on earth was is described. And they speak of what His ministry still is in the lives of those who follow His story.
When I read prophecies like this, I often begin to wonder about what thoughts would have gone through people's minds when they first heard those words. When we read them today, we do so with the benefit of history and knowing they were being fulfilled. But, the people Isaiah spoke them to, they didn't know. And that makes me wonder how they would have responded to those words in the moment.
If they truly grasped the reality of the words they were hearing, what would they have been thinking about? Would they have been looking for the Messiah continually then? Or did they get tired of waiting and forget about the words of prophecy?
Sunday, December 1, 2013
How Many Kings
From the fall to the birth of Jesus, all of Scripture points to a coming Messiah. It points to a promised One who would restore the relationship between God and man. Even all of the Levitical Laws of the Old Testament point towards Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of them all.
And this in the time of year we celebrate that the promised Messiah did come. This is the time of year we celebrate His birth - His miraculous birth to the least likely of people for a king to come from. A birth that many at the time and many today still miss the significance of. Or if we catch the significance, we may have a difficult time keeping that our focus in the midst of everything else that happens this time of year.
As Christmas approaches this year, I've been feeling personally challenged to spend more time that I usually would digging into what Scripture shares with us regarding the birth of the Messiah.
That's where this blog will be going for the coming weeks - at least most of the time.
Right now, a favourite Christmas song of mine.
And this in the time of year we celebrate that the promised Messiah did come. This is the time of year we celebrate His birth - His miraculous birth to the least likely of people for a king to come from. A birth that many at the time and many today still miss the significance of. Or if we catch the significance, we may have a difficult time keeping that our focus in the midst of everything else that happens this time of year.
As Christmas approaches this year, I've been feeling personally challenged to spend more time that I usually would digging into what Scripture shares with us regarding the birth of the Messiah.
That's where this blog will be going for the coming weeks - at least most of the time.
Right now, a favourite Christmas song of mine.
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