WE CELEBRATE HIS BIRTH!

“For to us a Child is born,
      to us a Son is given;
      and the government shall be upon His shoulder,
      and His name will be called
      Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
      Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV).

This prophecy, written 700 years before the birth of Jesus, is the most well-known and most repeated Bible verse about the birth of our Lord and Savior. Somehow the powerful truth of this verse has become all tangled up with pageants, nativity scenes and the commercialism of the “holiday season.”

Isaiah’s prophecy was looking forward to the climactic moment in history when our world would be changed forever. When a baby is born, the structure and makeup of the family is forever changed to include the new arrival, and so it would be when the Child was born.

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given.” Everything changed when deity took on a human form and came as a baby. “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV).

Jesus came to institute a new kingdom that would be called “the kingdom of God.” One of the first public statements Jesus made is found in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” This beginning of ministry statement underscores its importance to Him, to His mission, and to us.

“And the government shall be upon His shoulder.” The kingdom that would be birthed with the Messiah would be like none other ever seen on this earth. The rule and dominion of the kingdom of God would rest on His shoulder, and not an earthly monarch’s, not on earthly leaders. An old religious system was passing away and the new was coming.

The prophesy of Isaiah then presents five attributes of the Son of God who would rule His everlasting kingdom, five attributes of the Christ of Christmas.

Wonderful—this word is speaking of the miraculous nature of Christ’s life and ministry. Everything about His life, His ministry, would have a manifestation of the miraculous in it. I believe in miracles and I believe that miracles have a place in our life in Him. He is a “wonderful” Savior and I believe that we are to expect and anticipate His miracle-working power in our lives, too. Carol and I have seen His miracle power at work on our behalf in past years and we joyously look forward to His miracle power being manifest in the days ahead! Truly He is a “wonderful” Savior!

Counselor—in some translations the words wonderful and counselor are put together as in “wonderful counselor.” The word counselor is expressive of great wisdom and the qualifications available to guide and direct all men’s lives. He invites all of us to “come to Me” and “learn from Me” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Mighty God—the term “mighty God” refers to a king, a conqueror, a hero. We know that Jesus was all of those and more. He is a king, a conqueror, and to all of us who love Him, He is a hero. There is no problem, no dilemma, no issue we will ever face that He cannot conquer!

No one else could ever claim they were the fulfillment of this prophecy except Jesus. He displayed His “almightiness” when He rose from the dead in resurrection power and “was declared to be the Son of God in power” (Romans 1:4).

Everlasting Father—the term “everlasting Father” has been somewhat controversial. Some have said, “No one is to be called Father except God and therefore it is wrong for Isaiah to have applied this title to the coming Messiah.” Those who said that are right except for one thing: Isaiah was not presenting this as a title for the Messiah, he was describing the fatherly nature that the Messiah would manifest throughout His life and throughout His eternal reign.

Prince of Peace—this is possibly the most recognizable term for the Christ of Christmas. Someday all the wars, all the pain, and all the tears of humanity will cease and there truly will be peace on earth. That won’t happen until Christ’s eternal kingdom is manifest on this earth, the devil is bound, sin is judged, the earth is swept clean of all evil, and the redeemed of God are the only inhabitants of this world. In the meantime, however, the Prince of Peace comes and establishes His reign in our hearts and lives. We can know His peace because it dwells in us.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27).

The world around us may be in turmoil but to the redeemed He is the Prince of Peace.

Have a happy and blessed Christmas. This is a season to celebrate! We celebrate the passing of the old and the birthing of the new! We celebrate the gift of God by giving back to Him through our gifts of praise and worship and by giving to others! 

Merry Christmas!