Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

            This time of year we celebrate the birth of the Savior – Jesus Christ. Isaiah has some portraits about Him and I want to look at them now.;

Wonderful Counselor

            Some translations put these two words together – Wonderful Counselor. The Authorized Version makes them two separate names. Either gives us a beautiful picture of Christ.. Wonderful means miracle and this verse speaks of Christ coming in human form in this earth. Christ’s conception was the true miracle but His birth was a natural birth like any other child born – except this Child was the Son of God. He performed many miracles while on earth – you could say He went from one miracle to another.

            If you make wonderful an adjective of Counselor you have a miracle counselor. One who gives guidance or resolve to the problems of people He helped.  We could truly say Jesus’ counsel was miraculous in nature (

1 Samuel 30:1-5   And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

2  And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

3  So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

4  Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5  And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

We’ve all had times when everything that could went wrong. The days we are living in now seem like we are in a tunnel with no light at the end – seems like there is no end. Just when we think things are going to turn around they do a 180 and we’re back in crisis again. The way we handle or

Mark 1:6   And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

Wild man:

            At times we get the impression that John the Baptist was thought of as a “wild man” because how he dressed and the description of his life and diet (Matt 3:4), similar to Elijah (2 Ki 1:8). We think that maybe he was the laughing stock or one that received much ridicule for this lifestyle. But quite the opposite seems to be the case. The people revered him and thought perhaps he might be Elijah (Jn 1:21). Some even thought he was the Messiah or “that prophet” that was prophesied should come (Deut 18:18).

            John’s preaching and baptism of repentance for the remission of sins was not ridiculed or rejected either because we see not only common people coming to him, but also publican, soldiers, priests and Levites as well as Pharisees and Sadducees (Lu 3: 3, 10, 12, 14; Jn 1:19; Matt 3:7). We know many did repent and were baptized.

            Far from lacking a credible

Mark 6:48  And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

 Wind is a part of this life. Jesus used the wind as a symbol of the Spirit’s moving and re-generating those who come to Christ for salvation. Wind was used to symbolize the coming Holy Spirit. But wind is also used in nature as a destructive force – such as in the death of Job’s children. Wind (breath) was used to bring man into a living soul. Wind can be good but if the wind is contrary to us it can make things difficult. The disciples’ experienced contrary winds Just as we do by times. There are things/events in lie that represent contrary winds to our progress.

Betrayal

We have all experienced it – it can be surprising and painful. Jesus was not surprised by Judas’ betrayal, but we're often taken by surprise when we are betrayed by someone. It is most painful when it is someone we love and trusted (Psa 55:12-14). Judas used the symbol of love

2 Corinthians 9:15    Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

 Three terms to be thankful for:

            When we think of being thankful for this great salvation there are three Biblical terms that when we understand, we should become very thankful. Why did Jesus come in the flesh? To teach us? To heal us? Chiefly He came to die for our sins. There are three words that explain this great salvation bought for us by Christ -- propitiation, justification and redemption.

Propitiation:

            The word propitiation is given to us in three passages – Rom 3:25; 1 Jn 2:2; 3:10. (This is a religious term). This is what Jesus did for us in relation to God the Father. It is a term that comes from the pagan world of religion. The pagans recognized that they sinned and that there was a judgment to come.  If they did not appease the anger of the god(s) in some way the gods would get them. So in order to appease the gods, they would offer a sacrifice. If they did something really bad (murder) they would offer a big sacrifice but if it was little then a small sacrifice. This is

Philippians 1:1-7 (KJV)

1  Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

2  Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

3  I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

4  Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

5  For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

7  Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

God initiates the Christian life -- God seeks for the lost.  He calls all to salvation Jn 6:44 John explains that the Father draws all to Christ for salvation. This drawing thru the Holy Spirit is the awakening of our conscience to the fact we are lost sinners

Romans 8:28-29  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Be not conformed:

      One of the greatest dangers facing Christians is the temptation to conform to the world and its image – the things around them, the fades, fashions and mannerisms and language. In Rom 12:2 we are commanded not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In Rom 12:2 the word conformed is similar to the word in Rom 8:29 with the exception it means a “willing and purposeful” act on our part. The word in Rom 8:29 means something that happens in us from outside actions. Being transformed is the word we use for the process that caterpillars go thru when they go from the worm stage to a butterfly or moth. It is a process that occurs within from the outside. In Matt 17:2 this word is used about Jesus being

1 Corinthians 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

 Owning and operating a car is important in our society today. For young people getting that first car is exciting, but then after we buy one we have to pay for it and also pay to keep it running. Then paying for insurance to be legal to operate the car -–all this amounts to money and time, but it is exciting to get that first car. There are principles and laws of operating a car and we can relate them to our spiritual life.

Dependable

Everyone wants a car that is dependable – one that will get you where you’re going and get you back home again. There is nothing more frustrating than a car that you never know if it is going to start or run properly. Christians should be dependable – keep their word, not neglect duty, put God first.

Good steering

            A car that is able to stay on the road – the steering mechanism all in good working roder. You have to be able to keep the

Revelation 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

 Demons have rank and file in their army

            Paul speaks of varying rank and position in the enemy’s host (Eph 6:12) where he mentions principalities rulers (magistrates),  powers (authorities), rulers (worldwide or far reaching) of darkness, shadiness, obscurity; spiritual wickedness in high places – spiritual, religious, in heavenly arenas – over reaching wickedness. These spiritual beings have authority over the influences in this age because the devil is the god of this age and influences all by the fashions, styles and worldly things that capture humans -- saved and unsaved – to conform everyone to his plans and purposes. It appears that the rank or position in authority that they hold whether they are fallen or not are all subject to the other’s authority (Jude 9; Dan 10:12-13, 20-21; Matt 17:18-21). Jesus alluded tothis when He cast out a demon in a boy and then told His disciples that this particular kind goes out only by prayer and fasting. The demon was apparently if higher authority that the rank and file (principalities).

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

 Creation of angels

            God created them before He created the world (Job 38:4-7). The fallen angels sinned sometime after creation and probably before Adam and Eve (Eze 28:13-15); many rebelled against God but we do not know exactly how many (Rev 12:3-4). Fallen angels we call demons while satan is called “devil” (Matt 4:1 – diabolos; Matt 9:32 – daimonizomai

            Satan is the leader of the fallen angels (Matt12:24, 26) and he apparently has a throne (Isa 14:13). The devil works to deceive us thru various ways – lies (Jn 8:44); possession (Matt 12:22); false doctrine that appeals to people as real light (2 Cor 11:14); physical limitations (Lu 13:16); entrapment (1 Tim 3:7; 2 Tim 2:26); fear & force (1 Pet 5:8).

            The devil will use God’s deliverance to entrap people into false doctrine and worship (Col 2:18) causing people to think wrongly about God’s messengers. People do not become angels when they die (Matt

1 Chronicles 12:38  All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. 

After the death of Saul, David reigned over one tribe, Judah, for seven and one-half years. Ishbosheth was made king over Israel by Abner and there was war between David’s men and Abner. Finally, the other eleven tribes were of one heart to unite with David making him king over all twelve tribes. This united kingdom would last thru the remaining of David’s reign and Solomon’s reign.

            The text speaks of men of war who came to David to make him king. These individuals had certain physical characteristics that can be spiritually applied to us today.

Ready armed:

            1 Chron 12:23 tells us they came ready armed for war – to do battle if necessary. Paul tells us to be prepared for battle (Eph 6:10, 11, 13) so we are not taken by surprise. Our strength is in our Commander and not our own because we are not warring with flesh and blood, but

Isaiah 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

  What will the New Year hold? What awaits us in the days and months ahead? As we enter another New Year I would like to suggest several way of looking at it.

Looking backwards

            Looking backwards may bring sorrow or joy over situations, circumstances in life

There may have been family problems, disease, death, disappointments, and discouraging events; there could be good health, family gathering, a marriage or a birth. But looking back often puts things into perspective.

What would we do over? What would be our priorities? Few of us can claim a faultless year, but we should not allow this to keep us from hoping for fewer faults this year. We should keep on in spite of past mistakes. A musician strives to do better; the artist’s best work is the next one. Failure is final only if we lose hope of improving.

Looking forward

            Is future ahead of us or behind us? The American Indians & Hebrews see it different. The word for future is “backward” – we cannot see

Genesis 3:3-6; 13-16, 20

3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

13  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of

Matthew 2:16  Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Christmas is emotional:

            The Christmas season brings many emotions to our lives; it is a highly charged time. There is the excitement of children (and some adults), the busy schedules, challenges, interpersonal exchanged and of course the fatigue tat goes with everything else. Add to that mixture the nostalgia of former Christmas celebrations – we often try to hold onto those past events and redo the past traditions.. Then as your family increase and children get marries, they want to establish their own traditions, their own memories – and so the challenges are present. Grandchildren come into the picture and our lives are rudely shaken. Along with all these we have the death of older family members and our “traditional” celebration had been overturned and we have to change and alter our celebrations.

Our attitudes:

What will our attitudes be? Are they

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Very useful verse:

            This verse has much truth put into a few words and has been used of the Holy Spirit to bring numerous people to the awakening of their conscience to their need of salvation thru Christ.  It presents this gospel very succinctly and plan for all to understand. The key to this may be the use of the small word “but” showing the sharp contrast between being lost and saved.

Wages versus Gift:

            Wages are something that must be earned; the wages of employment follow directly from having performed the work. We expect to be paid for the work we perform for an employer and often seek to receive the highest wages possible for the work performed. The passage says the wages of sin is death and can be related to the pronouncement upon Adam and Eve in the garden – “the day you sin you will surely die”. This death that came upon mankind involved spiritual death first, then physical death and ultimately eternal death. (Gen 3:19; Eph 2:1; Rev 20:14

Zechariah 2:5  For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

Image if God’s protection:

      God is not only our Savior but He is also our protector. The song writer says, A wall of fir about me, I’ve nothing now to fear. God does not save us and make us a part of His family and then let us alone to face the evils and dangers of this life and world. Zechariah says that God will be a wall of fire about Jerusalem and He also protection for us. The safest place for anyone to be is in the will of God – for there we can rest in peace and assurance of God’s protection (Psa 34:7). God is like a fortress mountain about His children (Psa 125:2). In Rev 21:24 we are told of the New Jerusalem and the high walls about her that symbolize protection from adversaries as well as evil. Isaiah probably is speaking of this time in Isa 26:1.

When the enemy came after Elisha God was seen as horses and chariots

1 Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

            Giving thanks is difficult for many today because we have been conditioned to think of giving thanks in the area of “good things” and not all things.  We all have good and bad things hgappen in our life. Some people seem to have more bad things happen to them and others more good. This, however, is a matter of perspective because the one who sees the other having more good may be looking at him and saying he has more good. Our interpretation of “good” is key in this matter. We need to see God’s hand in all events. Even in Job’s situation, God’s hand was evident even though it was the devil who was actually causing the problems – God only permitted it to happen.  When we see God as sovereign in the world and in our life, we can more easily give thanks in all things.

Tribulations:

            Paul made an interesting statement in Rom 5:3 Romans 5:3  we glory in tribulations. How many of us can glory in tribulations? Only those who view them

2 Peter 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 Growing in grace:

      Peter admonishes Christians to grow in grace and knowledge. In 1 Pet 2:2 Peter urges young Christians to feed on the milk of the word in order to grow in grace. The word is our spiritual food to enable us to grow spiritually. The milk of the word is the first principles of doctrine Heb 5:12-6:2 when we become Christian. The writer of Hebrews urges believers to go beyond these into a deeper walk and perfection (completion) of knowledge and understanding. It is unfortunate that many believers do not get beyond the childish stage of Christianity and this is the reason there are so many church splits, squabbles and divisions (1 Cor 3:1-3); many believers want evangelistic preaching most or all the time thinking about people being saved, but it is not the way Jesus taught not the Bible confirms it is to be taught (Isa 28:10; Eze 44:23). The Scripture says that when Jesus was come to the Mount of Olives He sat

2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

It is extremely important in these last days to be diligent in active awareness of our Christian responsibilities. In chapter three, Peter relates four characteristics of “being” Christian.

Four characteristics:

Be mindful (vs 1-2) -- 

When Peter tells us to be mindful of the words of the prophets, he is saying more than just reading or memorizing. When you are mindful of something or someone, you are aware of their presence. So, if we are to be mindful of the words of the prophets then we are to recognize that they have written or instructed about areas that we wrestle and struggle with in life. In this chapter Peter is particularly addressing the second coming of the Lord and the consummation of all things. He would be telling us to be aware of what is happening around us in the world and people and remember that God has spoken to these issues through the prophets in the past -- Romans 15:4   For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that

Matthew 16:18-19   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The rock of foundation:

            Many people thru the years have accepted the teaching that the church was founded upon Peter and this erroneous belief led to the Roman Church and the many fallacies and atrocities performed by men through the years. Jesus asked the disciples who others were thinking He (Jesus) was and is. They told Him Elias, John the Baptist, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets (Deut. 18:18). After they gave Jesus all the other names, He asked them who they thought He was and Peter said, “Thou art the Christi, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus told Peter that God had revealed this to him. Then He told the disciples that He would build His church upon that rock. Many mistakenly thought Jesus