Christmas in a Verse: A Look at Isaiah 9:6 - Part 2

This verse from Isaiah 9 rests in the midst of a description of the reign of a coming prince. We believe this passage is a Messianic passage and prophetic of the coming of Jesus and his future reign. He is the child referred to in this verse and the descriptors that follow are describing him.

Since the days are flying by, this week I am going to cover Mighty God, and Eternal Father. Once again let me reiterate these words translated from Hebrew and are as close to the correct meanings as the translators could be. I decided to lump these together since there are some characteristics in common between these names.

Mighty God

While Thor is a mighty god, he is both a small “g” and a fictional character. He cannot help us at all other than to be eye candy for those of us who like to see a muscular man with long blonde hair and a beard, swinging a hammer. Ha, ha. Even Thor had his limitations. He was bound by his flesh, at least when he was on earth, and while he could bring lightning from heaven, and fight without tiring, he wasn’t everywhere present and could not save people from the greatest enemy of all, sin. Move over Thanos, sin is responsible for wiping out entire populations due to its end result, death.

BUT JESUS! Jesus is the great warrior prince. He has a legion of warriors at his right hand and he merely needs to think and it will be done. He is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. He met the enemy head on when He died on the cross, walked into hell and took the keys of death away from Satan, then He came out of the grave. He didn’t need a hammer, or a staff, or a spear. He worked in tandem with His Father and the Holy Spirit to give every single soul on this planet the ability to live…eternally. Not only is He God with a big “G”, but He is the Mighty God.

“The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.”

— Psalm 50:1 (NASB 1995)

“Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.””

— Isaiah 63:1 (NASB 1995)

Eternal Father

Image by Sandra Hak from Pixabay (AI Generated)

Most of you are probably familiar with the term Father Christmas as a reference to Santa Claus. Father Christmas started in the English tradition in the 15th century and was a personification of the Christmas spirit. This eventually became what we now know today as Santa Claus. Once again we have a fictional being who embodies the ideal of a father who cares for and tends to his children. While Father Christmas has been around for a long time, he is not eternal. Even if we push the boundaries and say he is spirit, his formation has a place in history. In addition, Father Christmas, or Santa Claus might have a pure heart wanting to promote the ideas of love and generosity all throughout the year, he is still limited. He cannot change a person’s heart. He cannot take the addict and make them clean. He can give money, toys, clothes, food and more, but still the darkness of poverty, despair and loss continues.

Our Eternal Father is just that. He had no beginning and will have no end. In the book of Revelation, the final book, and the final word on what God’s judgement will look like for this world, we see God proclaim of Himself:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

— Revelation 1:8 (NASB 1995)

“Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”

— Revelation 21:6 (NASB 1995)

“ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

— Revelation 22:13 (NASB 1995)

Remember our series in Romans 8, where we discussed verses 15 - 17?

“15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

— Romans 8:15 -17 (NASB 1995)

Our adoption into the family of God made us His children. We are no longer slaves to sin, and death. Remember, Jesus walked into hell and took the keys? Our Eternal Father gives us access to everything in His kingdom. He’s not only the best dad ever, He’s there forever.

I hope you are enjoying this look at the names of Jesus as seen in Isaiah 9. Next week, even though it is after Christmas I will discuss the Prince of Peace, and why it is even better to meditate on this name after the holidays are over.

Merry Christmas!

Thinking About Christmas - A Closer Look at Scripture: Part 3

I had a bit of a busy week last week and was unable to get this faith post written. I apologize for my lack of consistency. The holidays are always busier and even in the midst of a pandemic, that is still true. This week is going to go by in a flash and I really can’t believe Christmas is on Friday. Where does the time go?

Image by anncapictures from Pixabay

This speedy passage of time can be overwhelming and it can be very hard to find the time to take a breath and truly think about or dwell on the real meaning of Christmas. It is easy to lose Jesus in the midst of buying presents, baking cookies, decorating and planning family gatherings. I know they are saying to not gather, but I think most of us are going to still have at least a small get together. My daughter’s and I are already very regularly around each other, so it will be the six of us on Christmas morning for brunch.

Let’s take a final look at Isaiah 9:6-7.

“6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

— Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)

Today we are going to look at the final two names for this Child who is born to us; this Son who is given to us.

If you don’t remember we had been looking at how each of these names reveals the fully God, fully man characteristics of Jesus. We looked at Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God last time. If you need a refresher you can go back to that post here.

Image by 4144132 from Pixabay

“…Everlasting Father…”

The word everlasting is fairly easy to define. It means, lasting forever. Webster’s Online Dictionary defines it as, “…lasting or enduring through all time.” Other words that mean the same thing include, ceaseless, eternal, dateless, deathless, immortal, timeless and imperishable.

The word father is also fairly self explanatory; it means, “…a man who has begotten a child, one who originates or institutes, or to care or look after…”

We probably can easily understand the God aspect of Jesus as everlasting, since He Himself is part of the Godhead and the triune God has no beginning or end. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are timeless and eternal. The thing that might stump us a little bit is the human concept of fatherhood, when it comes to our Savior. Jesus never married, or had relations that would have produced a physical offspring. How, then, can we call Him father?

Jesus exemplifies the concept of fatherhood in three ways:

1 - He has begotten children through His work, death and resurrection. Those of us who believe in His person and what He did are spiritually His children. We are called the sons of God and since Jesus is God, we are His sons and daughters.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

— Romans 8:14 (ESV)

2 - Jesus instituted the way of salvation. He originated our rebirth. Once we become a Christ follower we are part of the family of Christ followers.

“18 So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. ”

— Romans 5:18-19 (NASB)

3 - Jesus cares for us, just as a father cares for his child. Obviously, earthly fathers can fall far short of what a father should be. Earthly fathers can be neglectful, removed, uncaring and abusive. How good to know, our Lord Jesus is not that kind of parent. Our Everlasting Father is one that cares for our good and desires only what is best for us. He makes the tough calls to sometimes let us wander in our own selfishness for the purpose of directing us back to Him. He protects and He offers guidance, and it is only our choice that keeps us from His gentle and loving arms.

“16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.”

— 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NASB)

Image by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ from Pixabay

“…Prince of Peace…”

In a world divided by hatred and marred by sin, it is good to know that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The word prince is a title given to one of royal blood. Webster’s defines the word as, “…monarch, king, ruler of a principality or state, member of a royal family - especially the son of a sovereign…” Jesus is all this and more. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the ruler over all creation. He is the Son of God.

The word peace is defined by Webster’s as, “…a state of tranquility or quiet; a state of security; freedom from disquieting thoughts or oppressive emotions; harmony in personal relations…” Are you living in a state of tranquility? Are you hounded by oppressive thoughts and emotions? Are you experiencing harmony in your relationships?

The phrase says that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is the ruler of peace. He is the one who is able to bring about complete harmony, quiet and tranquility, even in the midst of the most turbulent storms of life.

“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB)

Jesus knew we would have tribulation. He knew this life would be hard. When sin entered the world it completely changed the relationship we were supposed to have with our creator. It changed our relationship with creation itself. That is why Jesus came. To reunite us to the Almighty and right our relationship with what He created. Only Jesus can give us this peace. Only the prince of peace can calm the torrential storms of life.

Looking quickly at verse 7 of Isaiah 9, we can see that this Child; this Son’s kingdom will never end. He will rule over all, and His kingdom will be one of peace. While this kingdom is not established yet on this earth, we know a day is coming, when all will come under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be established and it will be upheld forever, because of the zeal of the Lord. This is something God is excited about, and we can be too.

The baby child that we celebrate on Christmas day is this King. The Wonderful Counselor. The Mighty God. The Everlasting Father. The Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone!

The Light of Joy

One of the things about the Christmas season that I get very excited about is lights. I love the look of houses outlined in tiny specks of shimmering light, whether they are white, green, red or blue, I love them all. I enjoy driving home from somewhere and seeing how many houses are embellished with twinkling splendor. Now don’t judge me, but I also enjoy seeing Christmas trees inside people’s homes. It’s not that I am being nosy. After all, don’t we put our trees in windows for that purpose, so the outside world can see our beautiful displays of light?

Pixabay

What is it about light that we so enjoy? I know that most of us would rather be out and about when it is day time. We enjoy when morning comes and feel loss at the slipping away of light as night time takes over. I personally have to convince myself that darkness is good and God allows the darkness so that we may rest. What I find fascinating about this God of ours is that He didn’t leave us in total darkness. He provided, even before sin became a reality, He provided the moon and the stars to rule the night, so even in darkness the light is still meant to preside.

Pixabay

There is a lesson here for us, if we are willing to see it. Light is always present even in the darkness. Darkness is, for lack of a better definition, the absence of light. But even in the deepest and darkest dark, somewhere there is still light. If we lost all electricity, the sun would still rule the sky by day and the moon and stars by night. As long as God allows the planets, stars, moons and sun to hang in space, there will always be light. What if those things disappear, or burn out? What if there is nothing left, but darkness? That will never be the case, because God is light and in Him there is no darkness.

Pixabay

When we think of Christmas we often have images of children playing, laughing and looking with awe and wonder at the lights and decorations. Can you even imagine a Christmas without the idea of child like joy being a part of it? I realize, not everyone grew up with wonder filled Christmases like many of us did. Some of you may not even celebrate Christmas or may think of it as merely an overly commercialized holiday meant to line the pockets of corporate America. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I think most of us can relate to the idea of joy.

Pixabay

Joy is often misunderstood. It is regularly mistaken for happiness, but joy is eternal, whereas happiness is temporary. Let me see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense. Joy is light. Joy comes out in dazzling displays like fireworks and rocket launches, but it also twinkles like Christmas lights and candle flames. The difference is that when the fireworks and rockets are burned out and the Christmas lights break and the flame smokes, joy still shines. The reason for this came in the form of a bundled baby boy, born in a stable over two thousand years ago.

Pixabay

No matter how deep the darkness is, joy still shines. There is no darkness or evil thorough enough to overcome joy. You might not feel like you have joy right now. Maybe you feel like you have never had joy, but you know those moments that bring tears to your eyes; those moments are shimmers of joy. You experience them when a movie has a happy ending or a musical movement runs together into a river of sound so beautiful it sweeps you along with it. You experience it when you come upon a breathtaking view or stand at the water’s edge when the sun begins its descent into a cloudless sea. This is joy.

Then when life tries to break you and you cannot hear the music or see the sunset, that is when you must reach back and in, deeper and deeper, to the event where joy first burst onto the scene of humanity. A virgin birth. Shepherds watching their flocks. Animals in the stable. A straw filled manger. This event was and is and evermore shall be the birth of joy. At that moment joy moved from happiness to an eternal possibility. Joy became the essence of bliss.

If you believe in that light, then even when all is dark, all you have to do is call his name. Jesus. And that light of joy will explode, once again in your soul and the darkness will scatter.

Preparing for Christ

The holiday of Thanksgiving is the perfect spring board for our leap into the Christmas season. It seems rather odd that we celebrate a day of giving thanks and then scramble to find the perfect gifts for those we love, as if they don't have enough already. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and one of my love languages is gifts. I love to find gifts for people and I also love to receive gifts from others. Especially, when the person doing the giving has really thought about the person receiving the gift. 

In my last few posts I referred to giving thanks as that which brings us back to center, or back to where God wants us to be in our relationship with Him. What better thing to do before we enter into the hectic mayhem of the holidays. It is often hard to keep our focus on the reason for the season, which as most of you know is the birth of Jesus. 

Pixabay

It seems in our society today belief in God is a common occurrence. If you ask someone if they believe in a higher power or an intelligent designer, many will say yes. They also will tell you that this being is good and would never condemn people to a place  ofeternal damnation. What has become lost in the chaos of our daily lives is the need for a Savior. 

What did Jesus come for? Did He come, so that we might have a holiday to celebrate? Did the shepherds leave their flocks to come see where the baby Jesus was born, so we could have colored lights in the windows and pretty trees in our living rooms? Did the three wisemen leave their homes and travel for months to give gifts to the Christ child so we could give gifts to each other? No. They came because He was and is the Son of God. 

Jesus came so that we might have life and life more abundantly. The book of Romans in the New Testament explains:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

— Romans 3:23 (NASB)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

— Romans 6:23 (NASB)

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

— Romans 5:8 (NASB)

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

— Romans 10:9 (NASB)

The holiday of Christmas must lead to the holiday of Easter. The manger makes way for a cross. We cannot have one without the other. So you see, Jesus really is the reason for this season; a season of love, giving and caring.

In the words of Jesus Himself, 

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

— John 14:6 (NASB)

As we begin our Christmas preparations, I pray we will not lose sight of the one who prepared the way for each one of us.