Jesus Who Has Come to Us (Part II) Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase 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. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Sermon starts) Hallelujah! Let us greet each other, saying, “Good things will happen to you in Jesus Christ.” I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Jesus Who Has Come to Us, (Part II),” based on Isaiah 9:6-7. Our God whom we serve and believe is the God of love. Surely, God is love. While I was deeply meditating on the love of God, I realized one thing. The greatest characteristic of God’s love shown to us is His long?suffering. God endures us over and over again, even when we commit sin and go against Him, being unrighteous and corrupt. How wonderful is His love for us! If God punished us every time we commit sin, human history would have been severed thousands of times. However, God has endured humankind over and over again. In the Old Testament days, the Israelites, the chosen people of God, turned against Him and committed sin. They worshipped idols, which were strictly forbidden by God. As a result, Israel was divided into two: the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. Not long after that, both kingdoms were destroyed. Many Israelites were taken captive. They had to live as slaves, being badly mistreated as if they were beasts. Even though God had warned them by sending many prophets to them, they did not give up idol worship. They failed to live in accordance with God’s will but lived in pursuit of their own will and desires. That was why God had to punish them. However, God did not leave them to suffer but promised to send the Messiah who would save them from despair. Hallelujah! They held on to God’s word of promise and rose up again from despair. No matter what kind of problems or trouble you may be in, God loves you and gives hope to you. He will give you holy dreams. God gives you the power to overcome all the problems around you. God promised to send the Messiah to the Israelites while they were captives. What would the Messiah be like? What kind of person would the Messiah be when He comes to them? Isaiah introduced the Messiah, who would come, as follows. 1. He is Wonderful. First, the Messiah will be called Wonderful. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The Scripture says, “For to us a child is born.” This signifies that God himself will come to earth in the flesh. Jesus is God himself but was born on earth in the flesh to bring us forgiveness of sin. As described here, Jesus has wonderful power. The wonderful Lord Jesus is perfect God and perfect man at the same time. Only Jesus Christ, who is the true God and true man at the same time, can save us from sin and despair. What kind of work did Jesus do while He was on earth? Matthew 4:23-24 says, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.” He healed them! Jesus Christ is truly wonderful. He resolved all the problems that people brought to Him. He healed all the diseases. He gave hope to the hopeless. He opened the eyes of the blind. He went to a lady who was crying for her dead son and raised him from the dead. He is wonderful. All problems were resolved when people brought them to Him. Since Jesus is wonderful, when we meet Him, when we accept Him as Savior, He will perform miracles in our lives, too. He will bless us. A boy was born in a poor British home. He was the youngest child among three daughters and one son. His father was a comedian at a circus. Later, he collected money and started a business when the boy was in his teens, but the business sank down. (failed?) The whole family lived in a two-bedroom home in a slum area. They were so poor and never had enough to eat. When he went to middle school, they could not afford to buy new uniforms. He had to wear second-hand uniforms. Since he was an adolescent and sensitive, he felt embarrassed. However, as a faithful Christian, he never gave up hope. He was always faithful about two things: one was observing the Lord’s Day, worshipping and serving God, and the other was doing the best in his tasks, studying hard and working a part-time job to help his family’s tight budget. Since he faithfully worshipped God and worked hard, God blessed him abundantly. He became the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and later, the British Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher. He is John Major. He is well known as a prominent Prime Minister who made a great achievement as such. He once said, “God raises me up. What I do is focus on Him, worship Him, and work hard.” Hallelujah! When we have Jesus in our hearts, living for the glory of God, the wonderful Lord Jesus will do great work in our lives. Although we may be poor, although we may not be acknowledged by others, although we may suffer in pain, if we trust in the Lord, marching forward with faith, the Lord Jesus will do great work in our lives. It is He who does the work, not we. I pray that you will accept the wonderful Lord Jesus in your hearts and walk with Him throughout your lives. 2. He is Counselor. Second, the Lord Jesus is called Counselor. Jesus, who is Wonderful is our Counselor. A counselor is a person who teaches, helps, defends, and gives advice. Jesus is our counselor. Since He is full of wisdom, He leads us to truth. The word ‘Counselor’ means more than who gives counseling. Zhuge Liang of China was one of the great counselors we know. A counselor helps the leader or the king with his wisdom to gain victory and to rule the country. Being a counselor himself, Jesus is far wiser than anyone. He brings God’s grace and blessing to us every day. After Jesus was taken up to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to us as another Counselor so that the Spirit may lead us into truth. John 16:13 says, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” The Spirit comes to us as a counselor, advisor, and helper. He pours the grace of God on us. Jesus, our Counselor, fills us with joy and peace. He also comforts us when we suffer from sorrow, without knowing what to do. Recently someone sent me a book, I Love You, Hyun-Jin. I read the quick overview and found out that it was a book written by a father, missing his son who died at fourteen. I read through the book. Hyun-Jin went on a short-term summer missionary trip to Thailand with his church members. He taught Thai children at the summer camp in the country and boarded a canoe on the Mekong River. The canoe capsized, however, killing two people. Hyun-Jin’s father heard about it at 1:00 AM and took the first flight to Thailand. The current was so strong that the people could not find them. Taking a small canoe in such a strong current looked absurd. Even the natives are very careful about canoeing, but the leader misjudged it, taking the members into the river in a canoe. The father cried in his prayer to God. He asked God to save his only son. Sometime later, he changed his prayer, saying, “God, help me find the body of my son. If so, I will believe that You are living and I will become Your servant.” The probability of finding the body in such a strong current was almost zero. The body might rise to the surface after three days, but the water would be too strong to take out the body. On the third day, however, Hyun-Jin’s cross necklace was found. The next day, they found the body. Since Hyun-Jin, his only son, whom he cherished so much, was dead, the father’s agony must have been beyond description. The book was filled with the sorrow and tears of the father. The father cried and cried, and cried even more. He could not help crying when he thought about his son. Since his fourteen-year old son had died on a missionary trip, preaching the Gospel to people in a remote area, the father also wanted to be a servant of the Lord and do God’s work like his son. His plan is to build a memorial where his son died, and to use it to spread the Gospel. The Lord Jesus went to the father as a counselor while he was in the middle of sorrow and despair. Jesus comforted him as a counselor. In his dream, he saw his son in Jesus’ arms. The son comforted his father, saying, “Daddy, I am well here with the Lord Jesus. Do not be too sad, Dad.” Many times, Jesus showed his son in dreams joyously dwelling with Him in heaven, also letting him hear the voice of his son. No one can possibly comfort the parents who mourn for their child. However, the Lord Jesus went to him as the Comforter. Jesus went to him, comforted him with His Word, and gave him the courage to come out of such pain and agony. He graduated from seminary and is now studying for his PhD. When the Lord Jesus comes, even when we are lonely or in pain, He becomes our counselor and walks with us. When we are hurt, depressed, and lonely, He comes to us and takes us in His arms, saying, “I love you. It is for you that I died on the Cross.” Do not be dismayed. Accept the Lord Jesus, the counselor and comforter, into your lives. The moment you accept the Lord Jesus, your life will be changed. Your destiny will be changed. How did Saul, persecutor of Jesus, become Paul the saint? It was because Paul met Jesus and accepted Him as the counselor of his life. When Paul met the Lord Jesus, Saul the persecutor changed and became a martyr. When Mary Magdalene, who had been possessed by seven demons, met the Lord Jesus, she changed to become the Lord’s most faithful worshipper. A corrupt person will change into a disciple. A well-known Indian saint, Sundar Singh, was not a Christian. One day he saw Jesus shining in a cloud. Jesus said to him, “Why are you opposing me? I am your Savior. I died for you on the Cross.” He changed in that instant and became a follower of Jesus. O. Henry was a famous writer. His original name was Sydney Porter. While he was in prison, a faithful Christian guard named Oren Henry told him about the Gospel. Touched by him, Porter became a Christian and used O. Henry as his pen name, after the guard who introduced him to the Lord Jesus. A worldwide televangelist and preacher, Rev. James Kennedy, the former senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida, was a dance instructor. Listening to a sermon on the radio by Rev. Donald Grey Barnhouse, he accepted Jesus as Savior and decided to enter the ministry. A dance instructor changed into a great preacher. Christianity is a religion of change. When we have Jesus in our lives, our thoughts, our language, and our acts will change. We need to be renewed in the Lord Jesus. People are afraid of change. Professor Ken Blanchard once said that by nature, people are afraid of change. He pointed out that people are curious about change but they fear change, although they want to change. They are afraid of (1) changes in knowledge, (2) changes in attitude, (3) changes in action, and (4) changes in formation (information?). Man is a self-contradictory being, wanting change but fearing change. The problem is this: what needs to change does not change, while what should not change changes. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is?his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Colossians 3:10 says, “And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” When we have Jesus in our hearts, we will be renewed and, as the precious children of God, we will give glory to God with the wisdom and grace given by the Lord. When we have the Lord Jesus in our hearts, our feelings change, too. We will be filled with overflowing joy and thanksgiving whenever we think about the Lord Jesus. We will shed tears when we praise or when we pray, even though we used to be quite cold-hearted. Hallelujah! When we have Jesus in our hearts, we also have changes in our love. We can now love those we used to hate. We will become generous. We used to keep things to ourselves but now we are willing to share with others. We used to indulge in collecting riches, but now we love to share and freely give. I pray that you will be filled with the wisdom of the Lord Jesus and be changed the way the Lord wants you to change. 3. He is the Mighty God. Third, Jesus is called the Mighty God. Jesus is Wonderful Counselor and the Mighty God. As the Mighty God, He will help us achieve the final victory in the battle of history. John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus said, “I have overcome the world.” The Lord Jesus, who has overcome the world, is with us now. We are great victors in the Lord. There is nothing impossible in the Lord Jesus. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” I can do everything through him who gives me strength! Hallelujah! Never forget that you are great victors in the Lord. Jesus Christ, the Mighty God, will be with us throughout our lives, showing the glory of God to us. We may be weak, stumbling, falling, and hurting. However, when we trust in the Lord our Mighty God, He will raise us up and give us the power to fight and win. He will pour wonderful grace and blessing upon us. The Psalmist confessed in Psalm 18:1, “I love you, O LORD, my strength.” He was confessing, “Only the Lord is my strength. He is my power. He is everything to me.” When we march forward, trusting in the Lord, we will always win. The Scripture says so. God was with David and he always gained victory. 2 Samuel 8:6 says, “He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.” Hallelujah! The Lord gave David victory wherever he went! That Almighty God is with us right now. We need to live as victors in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must take off our old, weak, resentful, and negative self, defeating worry, care, sin, and evil power. Let us give glory to God through our victory. God is Almighty. Jesus came to us as the Mighty God. 4. He is the Everlasting Father. Fourth, the Lord Jesus is called the Everlasting Father. He is not only the Mighty God but also the Everlasting Father. This means that Jesus Christ exists through all eternity with love like the Father. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” He is the same forever! The Lord Jesus, who is the same yesterday and today and forever, comes to us and does his wonderful works. In Isaiah 9:6, “Father” means a life-giver. Just as a father gives life to his child, Jesus has come to us as the Everlasting Father and has given eternal life to human nature. We were dead because of sin, but we are now born again through the life of the Everlasting Father and have become new creations of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The new has come! The life that the Everlasting Father gives is not an ordinary life but an eternal life. We are given eternal life. We begin to possess eternal life when we first believe in Jesus. Therefore, we are not afraid of death, because death is only a new beginning. Death is only a description of a new beginning in an eternal world. We often see a banner, “Farewell worship service to heaven,” at some funeral services. They worship the Lord in memory of and saying farewell to the person who went to heaven to be with the Lord. The Lord Jesus comes into our lives as the Everlasting Father so that we will live eternally with Him. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We already have eternal life. We will live with the Lord forever. Romans 5:21 says, “So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Let us give thanks, praise, honor, and glory to God who has given us eternal life and to the Lord Jesus who is the Everlasting Father. 5. He is the Prince of Peace. Last, the Lord Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. He is called the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. The Lord Jesus came as the Prince of Peace to a place filled with conflict, confrontation, pain, hatred, fighting, and sorrow. We used to be God’s enemies but, as the Prince of Peace, Jesus reconciled us to God. Even though the world is full of war and conflict, the moment we accept Jesus Christ as the Master, all problems will be resolved, and peace will prevail. The new heaven and the new earth that the Lord Jesus will bring us is a place of eternal peace, where there is no worry, care, pain, hatred, fighting, or sorrow. This kingdom of peace will soon come. Romans 5:10 says, “For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Now that we are saved, having peace with God, let us focus on eternal heaven in the Lord, living thankfully and joyfully. Professor Henri Nouwen said that forgiveness is like glue to the church, the community of forgiveness. Forgiveness holds us together at good times or bad, helping our faith to grow in love. Our faith grows as we understand and forgive one another. We need to forgive and be forgiven. We will experience the love and healing of the Lord when we forgive one another. People have psychosomatic diseases, because they cannot forgive. They live with hatred and hurt throughout their lives. They live with vengeance and resentment. We must put down such feelings. Since Jesus came as the Prince of Peace, we need to leave our entire heavy load with Him so that we can enjoy true peace. We need peace in our homes. Husbands and wives should not be like enemies but must live in peace. We need peace between parents and children. We need peace in our workplaces and in the whole community. When the Lord Jesus comes as the master of our community, the whole community will enjoy peace. We must actively make peace. As Christians, we should never make ourselves a laughingstock. Let us be apostles of peace, healing hurts and bringing reconciliation and forgiveness where there is conflict and confrontation. May the peace and grace of the Lord prevail in our districts and in our community. We need peace in the Congress. Lawmakers brought international shame on themselves by fighting with sledgehammers and saws. I felt ashamed. Lord, bring peace among the legislators. Call the legislators to repentance and make them Christians, and change them to become apostles of peace. We need peace between workers and employers. The labor union must stop protesting and fighting and seek peace. We need peace between South Korea and North Korea. I certainly believe that the Cho Yonggi Heart Hospital in Pyongyang will help initiate peace between South Korea and North Korea. Hallelujah! Let us give glory to God. Only Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, can resolve all problems?the problems in our families, in our workplaces, in our community, and political and financial problems. When the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus, comes, all problems will be resolved. God’s miracles will be performed. Therefore, we must have Jesus in our hearts and preach the peace, love, and forgiveness of the Lord as apostles of peace. When the Prince of Peace comes, we can live victoriously even in the most devastating situations by trusting in Him. A few days ago, a jet fighter crashed into a house in San Diego, California, and killed four members of a family?everybody in the household except the husband. They were Korean immigrants. It happened only a few weeks after they had moved into the house and their second baby was born. They had two daughters: Grace, signifying the grace of God, and Rachel, signifying the glory of God. The F-18 jet plane had engine failure, and the pilot ejected before the jet crashed. The pilot prayed that no one would be injured, but the jet crashed into a house. It killed a wife, two daughters of fifteen months and two months old, and a mother-in-law who came to the States to help her daughter after the birth of the baby. In such a tragic situation, Mr. Yoon said to the press, sobbing, “I pray for him (the pilot) not to suffer for this action. I do not have any hard feelings.” His words touched not only the people who were there but also all Americans. It was not a prepared speech. Being overwhelmed by the peace of the Lord Jesus, the words were spoken spontaneously. Since the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace came to his heart and comforted him, he thought about the pilot who must be suffering from the death of innocent people. Jesus must have moved his heart to want to pray for the pilot. He indeed set a fine example of an apostle of peace who has accepted the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, in his heart. Is the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, your Master? I pray that you will accept the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, in the center of your heart, living for the glory of God throughout your life. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love and grace, we give glory to You. Why should You love us so much that You sent the Lord Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty King, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace? Why should You love us so much to renew us through the Lord Jesus? We cannot thank You enough, even if we had ten thousand tongues. Pour Your grace upon us so that we may accept the Lord Jesus as our Master, loving and forgiving one another. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.