Our Counselor

OUR COUNSELOR

“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.” - Isaiah 9:6

Into a world of pain, hopelessness and confusion, a Savior came. He arrived as a child, fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament. There had been a gap of silence from the days of Malachi until John the Baptist. There was no word from heaven. John's arrival prepared the way for the coming Messiah.

The Messiah's arrival was unobserved by most at the time. Lowly shepherds were told of the King's birth. How fitting it was for shepherds to be witnesses to the arrival of the Good Shepherd. With a mixture of curiosity and excitement, they came to where the little child was. They found Him in a manger, which seems to be an appropriate place to find a Lamb.

The prophet wrote, “... unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Not just any child. Not just any son. He is the Son of God. While the world wishes to keep Jesus in the manger, we know that the child became a man. He came into the world as the spotless Lamb of God, not contaminated with sinful impurities. While He came from the womb of a woman, His Father is divine. God came to earth as a man. This man would walk the shores of Galilee. He would teach words that we still cherish today. He performed miracles that changed lives. He would ultimately die as a sacrificial Lamb, giving His life for our sins.

Isaiah wrote, “... his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor.” His Name is very special. Human lips are not worthy to speak His hallowed Name. Yet we have been given the privilege of accessing the Father through that Name. I have a hard time remembering all the passwords that web sites require. Without the correct password, I can't access my account on a web site. When it comes to accessing the Father, we don't have to memorize a series of letters and numbers. We just to remember one Name. We come to the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called, “Wonderful, Counselor.” A truly converted person will testify that He is wonderful. Words cannot convey how magnificent He is. His glory illuminates all of heaven. His mighty deeds testify of His greatness. We stand in awe of His eternal perfections. Yet know such a glorious God is also tenderhearted and compassionate. He cares about our suffering and tears. He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He has provided the grace we need in our time of need. He hears and answers our feeble prayers. He touches us and restores our health. He performs miracles that bring glory to His Name. He still saves sinners. He loves His enemies and works within them, making them His friends. He takes a poor beggar and robes him with royalty, adopting him into His family. Our Lord is truly wonderful!

Our text also says that He will be called, “Counselor.” Much is said about counseling these days. It isn't uncommon for someone to share that they are going to counseling. There are traumatic episodes that may lead us to seek outside help for our personal problems. Yet all of us have issues of the heart that require help. We must begin on our knees with the Lord. He is the counselor that we need. Every day, we need a counseling session with the Lord. 

HE DIRECTS US

With the Lord as our counselor, we can take our deepest pain and most private problems to Him and get the help we need. He provides the help and healing that we need so much. We don't need to make an appointment to meet with Him. He is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He cares about our burdens. He understands the challenges we face. Let's go to Him every day that we live. He will give us the direction and wisdom that we desperately need.

HE DEFENDS US

The Lord is a counselor in a different way. A lawyer is consider to be a legal counselor. Although we have an enemy who wishes to press charges against us, we have an attorney with great experience as a defender. Our enemy is the accuser of the brethren. We need a lawyer to defend us against his accusations. 1 John 2:1 tells us, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” We have an advocate with the Father. Jesus is our advocate. He is our counselor. He's our attorney. He's never lost a case.

The Son of God came to earth to make us children of God. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, let us thank God that we were on His mind. He gave the very best of heaven for the very worst of humanity. He is wonderful. He is our counselor.

Have you had your counseling session with the Lord today?

The Name Of The Lord

 THE NAME OF THE LORD

“And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” - John 17:26

When I hear the names given to children these days, I am rather amazed. Parents must think there is a special prize given for a child with the most unique name. What they fail to think about is the fact that the child will grow to become an adult --- with an unusual name. I once worked with a woman who despised her name because it was so unusual.

In Biblical times, there were instances when names had special, even prophetic meaning. The name, “Moses,” for instance, was given to him by Pharoah's daughter after she retrieved him from the river. His name means, “drawn from the water.” The name, “Abraham,” means, “father of many nations.” This is a great description of the legacy he would leave behind.

As Jesus concludes his prayer in John 17, He said, “And I have declared unto them thy name.” There is no name that compares to the Name of the Lord. The personal name for God, in Hebrew, is YHWH. Notice that there are no vowels in the Name. Most scholars translate this as Yahweh or Jehovah. Most of the time, the Bible uses, the LORD, as His Name.

Many Jews would omit a letter of His Name when writing it down … out of fear that they would make a mistake. That is how holy they considered His Name to be.

When providing the ten commandments, God said, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Using the Lord's Name in vain is very common today, even among church members. Any time we use His Name lightly, we are taking His Name in vain.

The devil has been very successful in getting people to misuse the Name of the Lord. Rather than considering His Name sacred, holy and powerful, most people are apathetic about His Name. Many people in America, including many in the church, treat His Name casually and carelessly. Some even use His Name when cursing or swearing. This blasphemous use of His Name is a very serious sin.

Obviously, the devil has a devious reason for his actions. The Name of the Lord brings fear and torment to himself and his demons. So, the devil has led mankind to dishonor God by desecrating His Name. In the sight of the world, the Name of the Lord is treated with disdain and hate.

Ray Comfort has shed light on this issue. When witnessing on the streets, he would often ask a person if they used the Name of the Lord in vain. Most of the people honestly answered that they had. Ray would further ask them, “Would you take your mother's name in vain?” Most thought such an act would be unthinkable. Who would disrespect a loving mother like that? Yet Ray would further state, “It is the Lord who gave you a mother. He loves you even more than your mother does.”

The Name of the Lord should be treated with the deepest respect. Here's why the Lord's Name is so important.

First of all, how we treat God's Name is a reflection of how we treat Him. If we love and worship Him, we will treat His Name with the great honor. We will not just flaunt His Name around carelessly or use His Name as a curse word. It is time that we have a revival of holiness among God's people. We need to treat sacred things in a holy way. A great place to start is with our reverence for God's Name.

Secondly, the Name of the Lord is a powerful name. When David faced Goliath, he said, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” At the mention of this Name, demons flee. Ultimately, it will be at His Name that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

As God said in Exodus 20:7, “... the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Your misuse of His Name will be brought up on judgment day. It is a serious matter.

As Jesus closed His prayer in John 17, He specifies that He has declared the Name of the Father so that we may experience and enjoy His love. Now we should declare the Name of the Lord, too.

Let me be a name dropper … I know Someone in high places. His Name is Jesus.

Do you know Him?

Knowing God

 KNOWING GOD

“O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.” - John 17:25

In a world of confusion, it is important for God's people to know certain things. Our faith needs to grow from “believing,” to “knowing.” It is good to believe certain things, but it is better when we know them.

It is important to be critical in your thinking. We are living in the “information age.” The problem is that such information may be incomplete, tainted or completely wrong. Just because something is taught in a book doesn't make that information correct. Even text books can have flaws and mistakes. Thus, modern education must be examined properly through the lens of truth.

There is only one Book that is perfect with knowledge and wisdom, and that Book is the Bible. The Bible doesn't have all the information available. For instance, it isn't a science text book, although it has scientific facts in its pages. The Bible is not a complete history book. It does have critical historical data, yet it doesn't have all the history of the world recorded. Although it isn't primarily a science or history book, it has the most important information of all. It tells us about God, the human condition and God's plan of redemption.

The Bible leads a person to genuine faith. As we continue to read and study the Word, our faith deepens. We go from “believing,” to “knowing.” We know we are saved. We know that Jesus is Lord. We know He is faithful.

When Jesus prayed to His Father in John 17, the Lord said, “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.” Notice the words, “know,” and “known,” in this verse. The world does NOT know Him. Yes Jesus DOES know the Father. Now, the followers of Jesus KNOW that Jesus was sent from the Father.

Many argue that Jesus was just a good man. Others think He was a great philosopher. It is obvious that they don't know Him. The Christian KNOWS that He is the Son of God. What a blessing to know this. I may not know a lot of things in life, but I do know the most important thing. I know who Jesus is. I know Him personally. He knows me.

Jesus was sent by the Father. He came to earth on a rescue mission. Because of love, the Son of God came and dwelt among men. Jesus put it this way, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In this famous verse, Jesus declared that He was sent by the Father. Furthermore, He tells us why He came, “... that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The Father sent His Son so that men would receive eternal life by trusting in Him.

Through Jesus Christ, we can know the Father and be known by Him. There are many people I do not know. I have never met most of the people on this planet. I have never met or talked with celebrities, the wealthy or the powerful. Yet I know One who is greater than them all. He knows me.

Knowing the situation we were in, God got personally involved and made a way for us to be saved from the penalty of sin (which we deserved). At the same time, we have the blessing of knowing Him on a personal level. We can know God. We can love Him. We can serve Him. We can walk with Him every day. What a blessing to know Him!

I know the Father sent Jesus to earth. Those of us who know Him are now being sent by Him to share this message with others. We are sent to tell the thirsty about the living water. We are commissioned to share the Living Bread with hungry souls. We are to take the light into the world of darkness, so others may begin to see.

Yes, we know that Jesus was sent by the Father. As we approach the Christmas holiday, we rejoice that a Savior was sent to redeem us. We owe everything to Him.

Do you know Him?