We continue with our third sermon in this series, the music of Christmas.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that hope is being able to see that there is light, no matter how dark it is.
And I believe that that is what we experience when we read these words in Isaiah 9 and 6.
This verse is really a coronation psalm. A coronation psalm was sung in the ancient world
whenever a new king would come to power. A coronation psalm would sing in anticipation,
in expectation of the attributes and abilities of a coming king. Before the king would come to power,
they would sing with expectancy that this king would do a great work. It is very dark when
Isaiah gives this prophetic witness because the people were in the midst of oppression.
There were two superior armies that were threatening to annihilate the people of Judah.
And the people were overwhelmed with anxiety about what the future would hold.
And Isaiah breaks in with this word of hope and affirmation and encouragement to share with them
that the best is yet to come. Isaiah starts singing this coronation psalm.
For unto us a child will be born. Unto us a son will be given and the government will rest upon
his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful. Counselor, mighty God, everlasting
father and prince of peace. Our pastor has masterfully shared with us the first two titles in this
series when he says to them that his name shall be called wonderful counselor. That literally
suggests that his name will speak of his ability to predict the future. His name will speak to the
fact that this child that is born, this son that is given will be able to predict perfect outcomes.
It's really a forecasting of his omniscience. That is this son that is given and this child
that is born will have perfect wisdom. He will know everything about everything. And all wisdom
and depth of knowledge will simply be a derivative of who he is because he will be a wonderful
counselor. Not only that, he says he will also be a mighty God. That idea of him being a mighty
God is a forecasting of his omnipotence. That is not only will he be able to predict perfect outcomes,
but he will have the power to bring it to pass. He is the omnipotent one. That is he's got all
power, all strength, all might, and all ability. There is nothing he won't be able to do. No
enemy he will not be able to defeat because he is the mighty God. One of the overlooked derivatives
of this idea of divine omnipotence is the fact that omnipotence also means potential. So when we
say the Lord is omnipotent, we're not just claiming that he's got all power. We're also claiming
that he's got all potential. That is if you think he's done great things before, you ain't
seen nothing yet. Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard. Neither has it entered into the hearts
of men the good things that the Lord has in store for you. Can I tell you this morning that God
can blow your mind? He can do what you never imagined. He can do what you never expected
because he is a mighty God. Isaiah starts to sing this coronation song, the church. He sings this
coronation to people who needed hope so desperately that they missed what he was saying because those
in Isaiah's day thought that he was singing about the birth of the son of Ahaz. They thought he was
talking about the birth of King Hezekiah. Oh, but you and I have the benefit of being able to look
back at what they were looking forward to. And this morning we know who he was talking about. He
was not talking about King Hezekiah because King Hezekiah was a mere mortal king. But the king
that we're talking about this morning is not a mere mortal king. He is the eternal king. The king
that we're talking about this morning is the king of kings and the Lord of lords. No, you can't lay
these titles to some human king because no human king has perfect wisdom. No human king has omnipotent
power. No human king is everlasting, but the Lord Jesus Christ is in a class all by himself. There
is none like him. If you give me about 15 minutes of your time, I want to unravel for you this
morning the idea of him, our Lord, our savior, our master, our redeemer, our hope, our go-al, our
go-between. I want to talk to you this morning about the fact that he is the everlasting father.
Now the distinction of him as everlasting father is this, is that his rule will never end. When
Isaiah says he is the everlasting father, Isaiah is not claiming that the Lord Jesus is father in
the same sense that the Lord God Jehovah is the father of the triune Godhead. Now Jesus is the son
of the triune Godhead and Jehovah God is the father of the triune Godhead. But what Isaiah
is claiming about Jesus is that Jesus is in a seat of authority that will last forever because in
the ancient world the king was known as the federal head of the kingdom and they would refer to the
king who was the head over the kingdom as the father of the kingdom. They would call him the father
king or daddy king or Abba king. They would look to the king as the overseer of the entire kingdom
and they would honor him as their father of the kingdom. Not in a literal sense father, not in a
biological sense father, but as it related to his seat of authority. But the distinction of this
king that Isaiah is describing is that this king will never cease to rule. He is the everlasting
father and he will reign forever and forever. As a matter of fact he is going to reign forever
because his character says so. He is known as the eternal immutable one. That simply means church
that he is going to be who he's always been forever and ever because he cannot change. He will not
change because he cannot change and he cannot change because he promised they would not change.
He is the eternal immutable lord because he has linked his promise to be with who he is and if he
would ever cease to be who he is then that would mean he would not be lord ever again. But because
he is who he was and he was who he is and he will be who he will be forever and ever you can trust
that he will keep his word. Is there anybody here who know what I'm talking about that you can trust
him based on who he is because he's not a man that he should lie. Neither is he the son of man
that he's got to repent. If he said he's going to be lord then you can go on to sleep tonight and
turn your pillow to the cold side of the pillow and go to sleep because he says that he's the same
yesterday today and forevermore and the reason I worship him and honor him and adore him is because
he is the everlasting father. He's my everlasting portion. He's my everlasting strength. He's my
everlasting guide. It is in him that we live. It's in him that we move. It is in him that we have our
very being. Sun trust in the horses. Sun trust in chariots. But I hope it's in the name of the
Lord and the name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run into him and they are safe.
And because of who he is, he is for us an everlasting father. You ought to sing to yourself
sometimes about the attributes of the Lord. You ought to sing to yourself sometimes that the Lord
Jesus Christ is on the throne in charge and in control and the reason I worship him beloved is
because he is never up for reelection. He is Lord. Forevermore. I trust him because of his
character. But not only that, I trust him because of his capacity. The reason church he is Lord forever
is because he's made of the right stuff. When you see Jesus, you see the human God man. The man who
is God and the God who is man and because he's made of the right stuff, you can trust him forever.
If Jesus was just a man, we would have no hope. If Jesus was just a man, there would be no need
for us to keep coming to church every Sunday morning. But Jesus is not just a man. No,
he is God and very God. He is God enough to step outside of himself and get into our existence
so that he could be like us for us. Because in order for there to be eternal redemption,
God had to become the thing that he was to redeem. And so the eternal Son of God became the
sinless Son of man so that sinful sons of men might become beloved sons of God. Oh church,
can I tell you the reason I worship the Lord Jesus Christ is because the Lord Jesus Christ
did for us what we could not do for ourselves. In Matthew 1, 21, the angel Gabriel goes to Joseph
and says to him that that which is conceived in Mary is of the Holy Ghost. And she's going to bring
forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.
The name Jesus church literally means Jehovah is salvation. Jehovah is our salvation. That word
Jehovah is our salvation is not merely a title or a tag or a theological term. But that name Jehovah
is our salvation is really a testimony. And here's the testimony church. God was in Christ Jesus
was reconciling the world that unto himself simply church. God had to offer up himself
unto himself so that you and I could be recipients of a grace wherein we bestowed no labor. No one
that Jonah says that salvation is of the Lord. All it means church is God had the capacity to take
your place because you couldn't do it yourself. He was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised
for our iniquity and the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him and by his stripes we are healed.
Here is why he had to do it for us church because nobody else could do it. No one else could go our
bond. No one else could be our goel. No one else could be our redeemer. Abraham couldn't do it.
Isaac couldn't do it. Jacob couldn't do it. Ezziel couldn't do it. Daniel couldn't do it.
Hosea could't do it. Jonah couldn't do it. Micah couldn't do it. Nah fon couldn't do
it. Habeta could not do it. Hagroy could not do it. Zechariah
couldn't not do it. Zechariah couldn't not do it. John the Baptist
could not do it. Peter could not do it. Matthew could not do it. Mark could not do it. Luke
could not do it. John could not do it. Paul could not do it. So God had to do it himself.
He got on the nine month training of nature, leaped into the womb of the Virgin Mary,
came out doing good, healing the sick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind. One dark Friday,
he went out to Calvary. They hung him high, they stretched him wide, and he bowed his head, and he
died. Oh, but church, can I tell you, he didn't stay there. Early Sunday morning, God raised him up
from the dead. And right now church, he's still alive. He's been exalted to the place of highest
honor. And right now he's seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. And can I give you his job
description? If you don't mind, he ever lived to make intercession for you and I. Oh, you don't know
when to shop church. You don't know when to celebrate church because there are some people who don't
even think you're worthy to be in church this morning. There are some people who don't think
that you even qualify for them to call your name to the father. But right now, every morning, every
noon, every night, season, the Lord Jesus Christ is saying, Father, give him a little more grace.
Father, give him a little more strength. Father, give him a little more power. Father, give him a
little more wisdom. He's made of the right stuff. And he ever lives to make intercession for us.
Yes. The other day, the other day, my daughter, Mackenzie, got herself into trouble. She did
something that her mama disapproved of. And so her mama sent her up to her room.
And I think it hurt my feelings more than it bothered her because she just went on up
to her room and asked her father. I knew that her punishment was right and just.
And so as her father, I could not overrule her mother's judgment. I couldn't get my baby
out of the trouble she had gotten herself into.
But as her daddy, though I couldn't get her out of her punishment, I did go into the room with her
to share in her punishment because my love for her went beyond her infraction. Come see
child of God. We have somebody. We have a high priest who can be touched by the feeling of our
infamilies. And we have a savior who didn't just come into our trouble with us, but he took it on for us.
I'm done church. May the Lord bless you real good, but he's the everlasting father
because of his character, because of his capacity. And then finally there ought to be a celebration
because these these coronation lyrics were sung in a coronation processional.
The people would line the streets of Judea and they would get palm branches and they would sing
about the attributes and abilities of their king that would come. He had not become king yet,
but they were in the streets dancing and singing and shouting in anticipation. He had not even been
born yet, but they were already lining the streets with palm branches singing,
shouting. Shouting unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government will
rest upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful. Counselor, mighty God, everlasting
father. Now church, they were singing and nothing happened yet. And we got to come to church on
Sunday morning and pump you up and prime you and tell you you got to shake somebody's hand and
turn around and touch somebody. And we've got to tell you it's time to praise the Lord when you have
reasonable evidence to shout right now because of who's already come because of what he's already done.
And that's what that is for the church. That is for the church. You and I singing and shouting
in anticipation of what he's going to do next because of what he's already done.
Can I ask you a question this morning? Have you ever tried him? Has he ever come through for you?
Has he ever made a way for you? Has he ever been your strength in weakness? Has he ever been your
joy and sorrow? Has he ever been your hope for tomorrow? Well if he's been good to you, you
will not need anybody to pump you up. You will not need anybody to choreograph your worship.
You will not need anybody to tell you to get on your feet and clap your hands when I think about
the goodness of Jesus and all he's done for me. My soul cries out. Hallelujah. Thank God
for saving me. I'm done for real this time. But can I tell you I love the Christmas season.
I love Christmas because Christmas is essential to our Christian hope.
For if there would be no Christmas, there could be no Palm Sunday. If there were no Christmas,
there could be no Good Friday. If there were no Christmas, there could be no Easter Sunday
Resurrection Day. And if there were no Easter Sunday Resurrection Day, there would be no hope.
So without Christmas, Thanksgiving would not be so thankful. New Year's Eve would not be so festive.
If there were no Christmas, then no other Holy Day would even make sense. Also this morning I've
come to sing the sweet music of Christmas. Are y'all going to help me sing just a little bit?
Just sing the sweet music of Christmas. Come on, help me go. Tell it on the mountain. Over the hills
and everywhere. Go. Tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. Are y'all going to help me
sing the sweet music of Christmas? Oh come, let us adore him. Oh come, let us adore him Christ the Lord.
But can I tell you this morning we're not just singing because of the baby that was born in
Bethlehem. We're singing this morning because the baby became a man. And the man took my sins
and carried them to a hill called Calvary. He died as a man. He was buried as a man. But early
Sunday morning the man got up with all power in his hands. And is there anybody here who loves his
name? His name sues my doubts. His name calms my fears. Is there anybody here who loves his name?
His name is above every name. And at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Every tongue
has to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. You can have Buddha but he ain't the Lord.
You can have Mohammed but he ain't the Lord. You can have Zoroastrian but he ain't the Lord.
You can have Charles Taze Russell but he ain't the Lord. Can I tell you who the Lord is? His name
is a rock in a weary land. His name is Shelton in the time of a storm. Can't nobody do me like Jesus.
Can't nobody do me like the Lord. Time can't measure him. Water can't drown him. Fire can't burn him.
Death could not destroy him. The Pharisees couldn't confuse him. New age can't replace him.
Jesus Jesus Jesus Christ is Lord. Are y'all going to help me call his name before I sit down?
For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. And the government shall rest upon his
shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting father,
prince of peace. Do you know him? Have you tried him? Ain't he alright? If you know he's alright,
then say yes. Say yes. Say yes. That's not a friend.