A Wonderful Christmas

Isaiah chapter 9 verse 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 counselor the Mighty God the Everlasting father the Prince of Peace I want to preach on a wonderful Christmas God bless you please be seated the Wednesdays of this month I've been speaking about the various aspects of Christmas the Miracles the message and this coming Wednesday the mission but on December 7th I taught on the Miracles of Christmas and the first miracle I addressed was the miracle of Bible prophecy and especially pointed to the birth of Jesus Christ prophecy is God's way of preparing us for the future God knows the end from the beginning and he writes history before it even happens Isaiah said Remember the former things of old for I am God and there is none else I am God and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure Isaiah 9 and 6 is a prophecy of the coming Messiah and we know that was Jesus Christ 700 years before the Virgin birth Isaiah wrote as he was moved by the Holy Ghost the Lord himself shall give you a sign Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel and then a couple chapters later Isaiah describes the nature of the one who would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem Isaiah 9 and 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 counselor wonderful counselor we'll get into a wonderful counselor in this message the Mighty God the Everlasting father the Prince of Peace the government of God's Eternal Kingdom will rest on his shoulder he will bear that entire burden and power of the kingdom of God Jesus Christ will be an awesome ruler Isaiah 9 and 7 of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon the kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with Justice from henceforth or from that time even forever the Zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary the mother of Jesus about the kingdom of God in Luke chapter 1 beginning at verse 30 and the angel said unto her fear not Mary for thou Hast found favor with God and behold Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth the son and shall call his name Jesus his name is now for the first time revealed to her and all the world his name Shall be Called Jesus he shall be called great and shall be called the son of the highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne own of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end the government of God shall be upon his shoulder now his name was revealed to Mary but his nature was revealed in Isaiah 9 and 6. this child that would be born would be a wonderful counselor a wise counselor who is full of Wonders he would be the Mighty God who has all power in heaven and in Earth in the flesh Jesus Christ the mediator between God and man would embody the Everlasting father who has no beginning no ending and is the father of his Saul Isaiah in chapter 40 wrote hath thou not known hast thou not heard the Everlasting God the Lord the creator of the ends of the Earth he goes on to talk about his nature that he doesn't get weary and he doesn't faint and there is no searching his understanding this child that would be born would be the Prince of Peace Jesus Christ would bring peace on Earth by the blood of his cross and he would make peace between man and God he would reconcile us to God by his blood on the cross I'm thankful that we know that Jesus Christ was God in flesh in the Old Testament of the Bible Isaiah described the Messiah as Emmanuel in the New Testament Matthew interpreted the meaning of Emmanuel in Matthew 1 23 the angel Gabriel to Joseph Behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth the son and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God With Us God Almighty on Earth in flesh amen Paul would write of it in Colossians 2 9 for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily he would write in second Corinthians 5 19 to with that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Jesus said I am in the father and the father is in me it is a father that dwells in me who does the works believe me that I am in the father and the father is in me a couple of weeks ago we sung it as a song The Mighty God is Jesus the prince of peace is he the Everlasting father the king eternally the wonderful and wisdom in whom all things were made the fullness of the godhead in Jesus is displaying I'm glad I know that it's all in him amen the fullness of of the godhead it's all in him the Mighty God is Jesus and it's all in him and all you need you find in his name and in the power of His person amen he is a wonderful counselor [Applause] Jesus Christ is a wonderful counselor Mighty God the Everlasting father and the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9 and 6 wonderful and counselor joined together five descriptions of him and in the Hebrew and in some Modern translations wonderful counselor are joined together he is a wonderful counselor that's who Jesus is Isaiah 11 and 2 spoke of the Messiah and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly wonderful and he is a wonderful counselor now the word wonderful has its own depth of meaning in Isaiah 9 and 6 as it describes Jesus Christ in our modern usage of the word wonderful it can mean excellent great or marvelous to say that something is wonderful causes us to be amazed or astonished whether it is good or bad whether it is beautiful or ugly the natural world that God created is certainly a a Wonderful World the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork God speaks to us of his reality through creation the Lord asked job job where were you when I created this world who do you think you are to question my work in your life Seven Wonders of the World reflect the glory of God the greatness and the creative genius of God they Inspire and have captivated the fascination of millions of people for Generations Majestic Mount Everest the Magnificent Grand Canyon thunderous Victoria Falls in Africa the Intriguing and biodiverse Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia fascinating Northern Lights that I've had the privilege to see one time and I couldn't figure out what it was the gorgeous natural Harbor of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil and the pair cuten volcano in Mexico those wonders and many many others capture our Fascination and we might say that they are the wonders of the world we say that they are excellent they are great they are marvelous they bring us amazement and astonishment but in Isaiah 9 and 6 the original Hebrew written in that passage contains something even more impressive that word means that it is a miracle a Marvel and a wonder it is something that is extraordinary incomprehensible and inexplicable there are no human words there is no human understanding that can describe what God is and who God is he is beyond explanation wonderful is uncommon it is out of the ordinary it is a phenomenon lying outside the realm of human explanation when we say that he is wonderful we mean that it is separated from the course of normal events it cannot be explained you cannot explain the Virgin birth you cannot explain the miraculous in human terms but our God is a wonderful God who defies all understanding and all explanation Hallelujah the miraculous and Majestic king of kings and Lord of lords are Jesus Christ is truly more than wonderful praise God he came into his own country he taught them in their synagogues they were astonished and they said where did this man get this wisdom and these Mighty Works they said isn't this the carpenter signing here's his mom and his brothers and sisters half-brothers and half sisters and where did this man they asked in Matthew 13 where did he get all these things amen his birth was wonderful his words were wonderful his Works were wonderful his death was truly wonderful his resurrection was wonderful he has given us a wonderful so great salvation and I look forward to his wonderful return amen [Applause] Jesus Christ in his birth was wonderful conceived when the holy spirit of God overshadowed the Virgin Mary his conception is beyond explanation in human terms it defies all biology it never happened before and it's never happened again he is the only begotten Son of God Behold a virgin shall conceive John said that in 318 that he is the only begotten son of God Mary and Joseph forced to relocate from Nazareth to Bethlehem by a census and Taxation decreed by the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus the angel Gabriel appearing to Joseph and Mary to confirm the wonderful arrival of Jesus an Angelic announcement of his birth to Shepherds keeping their flocks By Night telling them that they would find this baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a Manger God gave the guiding star to three Gentile Magi wise men living hundreds of miles away they would make their long Trek to worship and bless the one who was born King of the Jews Jesus was No Ordinary Baby the Angels told the Shepherds fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you this born this day in the city of David a savior not just another baby but a wonderful savior who is Christ the lord in his ministry his words were wonderful he taught with spiritual Insight understanding and Authority leaving people astonished at his Doctrine when he concluded The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 they were astonished at his Doctrine he taught as one having Authority and not as the scribes his words the Apostle Peter said were the words of eternal life they said no man ever spoke like this man amen he spoke in wonderful words that brought eternal life Jesus said the words that I speak unto you they are Spirit they are life they are wonderful words but those words were backed up by wonderful Works he ministered in ways that defied human explanation he was a a wonder worker who let people astonish at the inexplicable works that he did Amen in Matthew 5 42 when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead the Bible said they were astonished with a great astonishment observers saw him cast out devils and wondered how he did that that with authority and power he commanded the unclean spirits and they came out the gospels record 34 specific Miracles performed by Jesus but John would write at the conclusion of his book that many other things Jesus did and he said I suppose if they were written everyone that the world itself could not contain the books that should be written amen the miracle ministry of Jesus was truly wonderful yeah it's hard to speak about death is wonderful but his death was beyond explanation sounds morbid but he was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world it was before determined of God he was born to die the Bible said that he gave himself a ransom for all Jesus Christ died and excruciating painful death on the cross but through death Paul wrote he delivered us from so great a death and does deliver the Bible said that he took our sins away nailing them to his cross the writer of Hebrews would tell us that we are Sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all amen as he hung dying on the cross for three hours from noon till three in the afternoon Darkness Luke wrote covered the entire Earth it was a wonderful death because in his death he gave us life and in his death as weak as he was as the blood left his body the Bible is clear to point out in John 19 30 that he cried with the loud voice and the Greek it is a like a megaphone megaphone he spoke with a loud voice a voice of Triumph it is finished God's plan from the foundation of the world has been completed in the blood and the death of Jesus Christ the Roman Centurion and the soldier standing by looked at him and said truly this was the son of God was a wonderful horrible death Paul wrote in Romans 5 and 6 for when we were without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly for scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet per adventure for a good man someone even Dare To Die but God commendeth or demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us it was a wonderful horrible death that defies human explanation a predetermined sacrificial death but that wonderful death led to a wonderful Resurrection died and buried in a tomb but on the third day resurrected from the dead Peter came to the tomb and found it empty wondering in himself at that which had come to pass and it was the angel that said he is not here for He Is Risen as he said come see the place where the Lord lay Jesus would declare in the Book of Revelation I am he that liveth and was dead someone noted that the only thing God ever was that Jesus was dead amen everything else he is amen one Eternal now I am he that was dead and I Am Alive forevermore amen and have the keys of death and Hell his resurrection was wonderful and because he lives we shall live also because he resurrected from the dead in that wonderful Resurrection has given us a wonderful salvation the Apostle Paul wrote that this wonderful salvation that it we've turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God he has delivered us from Wrath to come he wrote in Colossians that he's delivered us from the power of Darkness and translated or transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son our Salvation is called righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Paul described the Holy Spirit as the Unspeakable gift and Peter would write that even in sorrow we can Rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory amen this salvation defies explanation it is beyond human understanding and that's why when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all in one Accord in one place and suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing Mighty Wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting and they appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire and it sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as a spirit gave them utterance but it defied explanation they were dwelling in Jerusalem devout Jews out of every nation under Heaven they came together they heard this it was a multitude of people and they said we don't get this how are we hearing every man speak in our own language Acts 2 and 7 they were amazed and marveled and said are all these tongue Tuckers Galilean Jews and how are we hearing them talk in the languages where we were born these dispersed Jews that had come back for the Feast of Pentecost they name off about 18 countries and people groups and they said we do hear them speak in our tongues our languages the wonderful works of God the Apostle Peter Luke writing this about this day says that they were amazed they were in doubt they said what meaneth this others mocking said these people are drunk with new wine but the Apostle Peter would say these men are not drunk as you suppose it's only nine o'clock in the morning but this wonderful thing that you see right now was spoken by the prophet Joel in the last day saith God that I will pour out my spirit upon All Flesh it is a wonderful salvation they hear us asked that day men and Brethren what shall we do and the Apostle Peter in Acts chapter 2 verse 38 said then Peter said unto them repent and he baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ father remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost it's not in my nose but he said for the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are far off even as many as the Lord Our God shall call it is a wonderful salvation that is available to you today the writer of Hebrews called it so great salvation [Applause] and all of that will lead to a wonderful return and Resurrection and Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you and if I go away I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also as Jesus ascended up into heaven acts 1 11. the angel looked down and said to those bystanders watching this wonderful miraculous inexplicable event amen of Galilee why stand you gazing up into heaven this same Jesus I like that this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3 wrote that our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly the King James says our vile body that may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself amen the Apostle Paul would write in Titus that we are looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God God and Savior Jesus Christ this same Jesus and Paul would write in Colossians 3 and 4 that when he shall appear when Christ shall appear then we also shall appear with him in glory he would write to the Thessalonian Thessalonians who are worried about the dead in Christ and about the resurrection first Thessalonians 4 15. for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with the Shout with the voice of the Archangel and the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord wherefore Comfort one another with these words we are living a great salvation provided by a wonderful Savior and we live and look for a glorious wonderful return When people standing by those who are caught up together to meet him in the clouds will wonder and and may be amazed where did that person go they were working just beside me they were sleeping just beside me but I thank God that is a wonderful savior who is beyond explained nation and description amen he came by a wonderful birth he ministered with wonderful words he performed wonderful Works he was wonderful in death more wonderful in Resurrection he gave us a wonderful salvation and we look forward to a wonderful return of Jesus Christ For unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor the Mighty God the Everlasting father and the Prince of Peace if you know him would you shout to him and praise him and give him glory in this Christmas season Hallelujah what a wonderful What a Wonder you are What a Wonder You Are [Applause] praise God he's seated just a moment please it is wonderful that Jesus came it is wonderful how he came but it is even more wonderful why Jesus came Jesus came to save us from our sins and give us hope of eternal life if the pressures of life have you stuck in a rut today I wanted to I wanted to encourage you by the word of the Lord to look to our wonderful savior and renew your sense of wonder of him if you're perplexed in life lost in a fog of confusion not sure which way to turn let me assure you today that the Lord Jesus Christ is a wonderful counselor he will give you clarity and guidance find your way out of that fog if you need a miracle at Christmas time a miracle in your family Jesus Christ is the Mighty God the one who defies human explanation if he feel abandoned or alone Jesus Christ is the Everlasting father who will adopt you as his own and set you in the family of God if you're filled with anxiety and turmoil Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace if you're stricken by grief he still is the wonderful comforter and I pray that Jesus Christ would give you the gift of wonder at Christmas time this year for he is a wonderful Mighty God