Transcript

One of the familiar carols we hear during Christmas is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” The story behind the song, based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is fascinating.

One writer described it this way: “In 1860, Longfellow was at the peak of his success as a poet. Abraham Lincoln had just been elected President, giving hope to many in the nation. But things soon turned dark for America and for Longfellow, personally.

The Civil War began the following year, and Longfellow’s wife died of severe burns after her dress caught fire. In 1862, the Civil War escalated and the death toll from the war began to mount. In his diary for that year, Longfellow wrote of Christmas, “‘A merry Christmas,’ say the children, but that is no more for me.”

In 1863, Longfellow’s son, who had run away to join the Union Army, was severely wounded and returned home in December.

“…Longfellow wanted to pull out of his despair, so he decided to try to capture the joy of Christmas. He began: ‘I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old familiar carols play, / And wild and sweet / The words repeat / Of peace on earth, good-will to men.’

“As Longfellow came to the sixth stanza, he was stopped by the thought of the condition of his beloved country.

The Battle of Gettysburg was not long past. Days looked dark…And he kept writing…‘And in despair I bowed my head; / There is no peace on earth, I said; / For hate is strong, / And mocks the song / Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

“…But then, catching an eternal perspective and the real message of Christmas and Christ Himself, he wrote:

‘Then pealed the bells more loud and deep; / God is not dead; nor doth He sleep! / The Wrong shall fail, / The Right prevail, / With peace on earth, good-will to men!’”

With every year that passes, we see a world that continually lacks peace, in which despair and hate are and remain strong. But like Longfellow wrote, God is not dead and He does not sleep, and one day the wrong will fail and the right will prevail.

God is always aware of what is going on in the world and in our lives individually. For the believer, we rest in God’s control.

And we rest in God’s Word and His promises. And by God’s Son, the One whose coming into the world we remember at this time of year, as the days are dark and getting darker, we know there is a day coming when Christ will return to this world to catch the Church to heaven to forever be with Him in the glory and peace of heaven.

And we further know there is a day coming for this world when Christ will return to and for Israel when Christ establishes His earthly kingdom and reigns for 1000 years, and at that time there will truly be peace on earth, good will to men.

Isaiah 9:6 states, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder…”

Some birth announcements go out soon after the baby is born, and others a bit later, depending on the organization and sleep levels and fatigue of the parents. But birth announcements are typically sent AFTER the baby was born.

This one is different. It was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and was sent BEFORE the birth: seven hundred years before. To give God’s people the hope of their future, glorious Messiah to sustain them through dark times, the prophet Isaiah wrote “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”

The word “For” points us to the context and first 5 verses of chapter 9. And the reason why those who walked in darkness will see a great light, why there will be rejoicing and joy will be increased, why there will be a removal of burden, and war garments and equipment will no longer be needed and can be burned is that “unto us a child is born.”

Because of the coming of a Person, of this Child that will be born and Son that will be given, there will be divine deliverance from oppression, peace on earth, and overflowing joy.

A couple of chapters earlier, Isaiah wrote in 7:14 that “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 9:6 is an expansion on the meaning of Immanuel from that verse. And Immanuel, of course, means “God with us.”

When Isaiah wrote “Unto US” in Isaiah 9:6, the “us” is the nation of Israel. And it reminds us how the Lord stated that He was “not sent” by the Father “but UNTO the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24).

“Unto us a child is born,” teaches the incarnation of Christ Who was born of the virgin, so that He might become Emmanuel, God WITH US, God in human flesh.

The Son of God came from heaven and took on flesh and became the Son of man, thus, “unto us a Child is born.” As Hebrews 2:14 reads, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same…”

Christ was a partaker with the children of flesh and blood, and He is fully man.

But because this Child is also the Son of God, the prophecy further states, “unto us a Son is given.” By first describing Him as a child and then the same Person, as a Son, Isaiah is using the Hebrew literary tool of repetition for emphasis and to teach us further truth about His Person, because this was no ordinary child that was born. He is extraordinary.

The Son had to be given, because the Second Person of the Trinity is eternal. He preexisted Bethlehem and has existed eternally as the Son of God.

“Unto us a child is born” reminds us that the humanity of Christ had a beginning, a starting point. But “unto us a Son is given” reminds us that His deity, Him being the Son of God, that had no beginning, that has no starting point. And that can make your mind explode. From eternity past, He has been and is God, the Son of God.

Thus, while “a child is born” teaches the Lord’s full humanity, “a Son is given” reminds us of His full Deity, that He is fully God. The “child” that was born of the virgin and placed in Bethlehem’s manger was given by God the Father and is the “Son” of God.

As John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son…” The description of “unto us a Son is given” emphasizes that this Child is a gift. As a Son who was given by God, He was and is unique above all others, He is the only begotten Son of God. Christ is a gift-Child.

And He is a gift of grace. Israel, the world, and we did not deserve His coming, but God gave His only begotten Son as the manifestation of His love for every person.

In Hebrews 1:8, God the Father speaks to the Son and He calls Him God. “But unto THE SON He saith, Thy throne, O GOD, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.” The Lord Jesus Christ is truly Emmanuel, GOD with us.

And we praise God that He is, because if Christ were not fully man, He could not stand in the place of sinful man and be our substitute for the punishment we and all mankind deserves for our sins. And if He were not fully God, His sacrifice would be insufficient.

But because He IS both fully man and fully God, He could be our perfect Substitute, and take all our sins on Himself and take our punishment and pay the price we deserve for our sins. And as God, His sacrifice was all-sufficient and perfect.

While it is good for us to remember the birth of Christ which brought God to man, it is even more important to remember the Cross of Christ which brings man to God.

This Son, this Child, Isaiah prophecies, is also royal, He is the Son of David, with the rights to David’s throne as King over Israel.

And “the government would be on His shoulder,” as He will govern the nation, and rule and reign over both Israel and the world in His kingdom.

As the angel Gabriel told Mary when informing her that she would bring forth a son, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David…And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32-33).

And the following verse here in Isaiah 9 gives a similar description of the kingdom that will be upon Christ’s shoulder: “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.”

Christ would be Israel’s final and greatest king whose reign would never end and would result in peace forever for Israel.

The government being upon His shoulder teaches that the earthly kingdom will be vested completely in Christ. He will shoulder it all. And this statement in this prophecy has always given me the visual of the statue of Atlas with the world on his shoulders. Because like this image, Christ’s kingdom will be a worldwide kingdom.

He will be King over all the earth and His reign will bring true peace, justice, and righteousness to all the earth.

One man tells the story of how he spent Christmas on the road. He stopped into a little diner for breakfast, and ordered the Christmas Eggs Benedict with its hollandaise sauce.

The waitress came and delivered it on a shiny metal plate. He said, “Boy, this is fancy.” She replied, “Well, you know there’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise!”

For both Israel in the kingdom on the earth, and for us the Body of Christ in the heavenlies, in both of these glorious places, those who reside there will say there’s no place like home. And it is all due to Christ that believers will live in these places eternally.

Isaiah 9:6 continues, “…and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

The evangelist Billy Sunday once said, “There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.” And that’s very true.

In the Old Testament names were a commentary on one’s character, and they gave traits and characteristics of a person. And so, we are given insights and a multi-faceted picture of the Messiah, the glorious Son of God, Who will one day reign over all the earth.

Isaiah gives five names and titles that are aspects of the Messiah’s character, nature, and relationship to mankind.

First, His name is “Wonderful.” Later in Isaiah, the prophet wrote, “O LORD, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things…”

Christ is wonderful in His Person in all ways. He is wonderful in all that He does.

Everything about Christ is wonderful. He is worthy of this name. In wonderful love and grace, He came to this world to save sinners.

His birth was wonderful. Conceived through the power and working of the Holy Spirit. Born of a virgin, born sinless, so that He could be the sinner’s Savior.

Because we are all children of Adam (a sinner), every normal, human birth produces another sinner. Our Savior had to be both genuinely human and truly sinless in order to be our substitute at the Cross and pay the just penalty for our sins. And God accomplished this by the “wonder” of the virgin birth.

The night of Christ’s birth was wonderful as well. He, the Greatest of all, born humbly in a stable, laid in a manger.

His birth was marked by an extraordinary star in the night sky, and a throng of angels appearing to the shepherds in the field praising God, which then sent the shepherds all around Bethlehem searching for a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.

After the shepherds found Him, they then went all over telling others about this Child.

Christ birth was wonderful. His life, with His teachings and amazing miracles, His words and works, was all wonderful. His death and resurrection are full of wonder.

And His working among the nations under grace today is wonderful. And the glory of Who He is and what He has done for us should fill each of us with wonder.

Mark Lowry wrote these powerful lyrics, which reveal the wonder of this One Mary gave birth to: “Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water? Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

“Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you. Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary did you know your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?

“Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

“The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lamb.

“Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb? This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I AM.”

Second, His name is “Counsellor.” Christ is worthy of our praise because He is Wonderful, and He is worthy to be followed because He is the Counselor. He, as the Son of God, sits in the High Counsel of the Godhead with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Thus, He is the only One fit to guide our lives. Sometimes people need a financial counselor, a legal counselor, a career counselor, or a marriage counselor.

But Christ is the ultimate and greatest Counselor. In Romans 11:34, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?” No one is the obvious answer to this question.

He counsels us. No one counsels God. No one can counsel Him, because He is all-knowing and has all wisdom. Christ is the Omniscient One, and in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” In the tiny baby in Bethlehem’s manger, we find all the wisdom of God wrapped in swaddling clothes.

A couple chapters later, Isaiah prophesied again of this Counselor: “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” (11:2).

In His earthly ministry, Christ unfailingly counseled all in Israel who came to Him by His perfect wisdom, and this foreshadows how He as Israel’s Messiah and the Counselor of His people will do the same in His earthly kingdom.

In verse 2, we read that “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Christ is the Light and those who follow Him will not walk in darkness but in the blazing light of truth and righteousness. Christ gives clear, perfect direction, and guidance to His people as their Counselor.

And out of His care for us, today under grace, He teaches and counsels us through the true wisdom of the Scriptures, rightly divided. As the Psalmist wrote of God’s Word: “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.”

Third, His name is “The mighty God.” As the Counselor, Christ is all-knowing. As the mighty God, He is all-powerful. This is a straightforward declaration of the deity of the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the mighty God.

There is nothing weaker, more helpless, more dependent than a baby, and yet the infant lying in a manger was and is mighty, the Mighty God.

Warren Wiersbe says this of Christ’s birth: “What a paradox that a babe in a manger should be called mighty! Yet even as a baby, Jesus Christ revealed power. His birth affected the heavens as that star appeared.

“The star affected the Magi, and they left their homes and made that long journey to Jerusalem. Their announcement shook King Herod and his court.

“Jesus’ birth brought angels from heaven and simple shepherds from their flocks on the hillside. Midnight became midday as the glory of the Lord appeared to men.”

In verse 4 of this chapter, the prophet gave Israel the hope of the breaking of the yoke of her burden of bondage and the rod of her oppressor. And it is the mighty God who will accomplish this deliverance for Israel at His Second Coming as He brings in His kingdom.

And He also did the same by the Cross. The Mighty God, by His death for us, has broken the burden, the bondage, and the oppression of our sins, and He has set us free!

Jeremiah prophesied of the mighty God: “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands…the Great, THE MIGHTY GOD, the LORD of hosts, is His name, Great in counsel, and MIGHTY in work…” (32:17-19).

Nothing is too hard for the Lord Jesus Christ. And by His great power and stretched out arm, Christ created all things, and the Creator came to this world to be our Savior. He was born to die, to die the death of the Cross.

The real message of Christmas is Christ Himself and what He came to do. And He, the mighty God, came to save sinners by His cross and resurrection.

Fourth, His name is “The everlasting Father.” Christ is eternal and “from everlasting.” He is before time, above time, and beyond time. He is the Author and Creator of time.

Micah 5:2 prophesies of Christ, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from EVERLASTING.”

Calling Christ “Father” does not mean that the Son is also the Father. The Father and Son are two distinct Persons of the Godhead.

This verse is not a statement about the Trinity, but rather it is a statement about the character of the Lord and the purpose of His coming.

It means the Messiah will eternally treat His children, the children of Israel, like a loving, devoted father. All that a good father is, Christ will be to His people.

He will always be present and ever caring. And in His earthly kingdom, He will lovingly provide, fiercely protect, and wisely guide them.

After proclaiming the glory and might of the coming One, Isaiah then brings the Messiah nearer and closer, speaking of a tender, compassionate father-like relationship that Christ will have with believers. He will show believers endless kindness and love.

Earthly kings leave their people after a short reign; but Christ will reign over and bless Israel forever. As the EVERLASTING Father, Israel’s Messiah, will establish a kingdom of which there will be “no end.”

Fifth, His name is “The Prince of Peace.” At the birth of the Prince of Peace, the angelic host appeared to the shepherds and praised God, “saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

All over the world, there are conflicts and wars. Closer to home, not a day goes by without word of murder and violent crime. It’s so common, it no longer surprises us. We become almost immune to violence because we live in such a violent world.

But Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us that God has a plan to bring peace to this troubled earth, and it is focused on a Person: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the embodiment of peace.

In His earthly ministry, when Christ calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee, He stood in the boat during the storm and said, “Peace, be still,” and the wind ceased and the water was like glass. Christ will bring peace to the world like that.

Also, like the demon-possessed man called Legion, who before Christ came to him was out of control, wild, and restless, but after Christ cast those demons into a herd of swine, Mark 5:15 says, “And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind….”

The man was completely calm and at peace. And like that man, Christ will bring perfect peace to people in His earthly kingdom.

As “the Prince of Peace,” Israel’s King will establish a kingdom of peace on the earth, which will perpetuate peace throughout the world. And for our hope, heaven will also be a place of total and utter peace, and we too will experience Christ’s perfect peace eternally.

One writer put this way about Christ being the Prince of Peace: “The methods of Christ are methods of peace…The kingdom of Christ is a kingdom of peace. The principles of Christ are principles of peace. To know Him is to know blessing and happiness. To live without Him is to be restless and miserable. He came to bring peace. He did. He does. He will.”

And so these five names and titles reveal a beautiful, manifold picture of the One whose coming to this world we remember at this season of the year.

And what these names mean to us is that: If you are ever confused…He is the Counselor.

If you are weak and need strength…He is the Mighty God. If you are fearful or insecure…He is the Everlasting Father. If you are restless…He is the Prince of Peace.

Christ is the Answer. He is the Answer to all the chaos, complexities, and conflicts of life.

And like the lyrics in the song, “I heard the bells on Christmas day,” one day, there will be peace on earth and good will toward men, when the Prince of peace returns to reign on the earth.

And the bells can peal “more loud and deep” because God is not dead and He never sleeps; He is in control and He is faithful to His Word.

And one day the wrong shall fail and the right will prevail through the One who is Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.