All right, well, would you take the Word of God with me and go to Isaiah chapter 9?
We are going to continue on in our series called His Name Will Be, an Advent series
from Isaiah 9-6.
By way of review, a couple of weeks ago, when Jared preached, he told us that Jesus is our
wonderful counselor.
And of course, we read that in the scriptures, and the takeaway is that Jesus is our living
hope because in our living, we can turn to our wonderful counselor.
And then last Sunday, we talked about how Jesus is our mighty God.
And the takeaway is the question, who is the hero of your stories?
We see that those words, mighty God, literally mean hero.
Jesus is called our hero, so is He the hero of our story, or are we saving that for ourselves?
And then today, we're going to be looking at the next item.
You've heard about it some in our music.
You've heard about it in our children's time with Sarah.
And that is that Jesus is the everlasting Father, the everlasting Father.
I know you've been up and down a good bit.
I'm going to let you keep your seats today.
But we're going to read together Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6.
Let's look at it together, Isaiah 9 and verse 6.
I've got it on the screens if you don't have it in front of you.
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Everlasting Father is the subject matter for today's message.
And I pray that you come away having had an encounter with the Father, the Father himself.
Now, that's an interesting thought.
We're talking about Jesus, aren't we?
This whole passage is called a Christological passage.
That means it has to do with the Christ, Jesus himself.
So if we're talking about Jesus, who is called the what of God?
Jesus is the blank of God.
What is he?
Son.
There we go.
Somebody said lamb, and that's true.
He is also called the Lamb of God.
But right now we're looking at son.
So if the son of God is Jesus, then how is he called the Everlasting Father?
Make it make sense, right?
Well, let's dive into it today.
Let's look at it and see what we learn from the scriptures.
Let's back up a little bit to chapter 9 and verse 3.
Chapter 9 and verse 3.
We read here,
You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy.
The people have rejoiced before you as they rejoiced at harvest time,
and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.
Do you understand what it's talking about there?
It says,
You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice.
Well, that is a prophecy.
That is a foretelling of how God would enlarge his people.
What did he mean by that?
You see, when Isaiah wrote down this prophecy,
and it was read throughout synagogues for many generations of Israelites,
the Hebrew people would latch on to that,
and they would think,
Man, our kingdom is going to be the world's greatest someday.
The people of Israel, long the oppressed,
maybe some of them interpreted that as,
We're going to be in charge.
We're going to be maybe the oppressors.
We're going to be the ones calling the shots,
ruling the world for once.
Now, I don't know if they all thought that.
You can see that some of them could have.
But the actual unfolding of how God enlarged his people,
his nation of Israel,
was by bringing in the Gentiles,
bringing in the non-Jews.
When Jesus died on the cross,
and then we see later in the book of Ephesians,
there's now no longer Jew or Gentile,
no longer Jew or Greek,
no longer male or female.
We are all one under the blood of Christ.
Now, this nation has been enlarged.
So the reality of it is,
when he said that he would enlarge the nation of Israel
and its people would rejoice,
Jesus enlarged the nation of Israel
by opening it up,
opening up God's kingdom.
Now God's people are all of us.
And you and I are direct beneficiaries of that.
I praise God that he enlarged his people.
Warren Wiersbe, one of my favorite Bible teachers,
said it this way,
instead of protecting a small remnant of just the Jews,
God would enlarge the whole nation
by grafting in, the Bible teaches us,
bringing in those who were before on the outside.
He did that through his son, Jesus Christ,
and his sacrifice.
What an incredible thought.
Now, we read about Jesus the king here.
We read about it last Sunday.
We talked about how he was the mighty king
or the mighty hero.
Well, contrast this king
with the kings of Judah at the time.
The king, the series of kings that Judah had had,
had been poorly advised by their counselor.
But Jesus is called the wonderful counselor.
So wise.
They had been unsuccessful in battle,
but Jesus is now the mighty hero God.
Their, Judah's kings,
had largely treated their people poorly
during their short reigns,
but Jesus is called the everlasting father to his people.
And then they, Judah's kings,
had never been able to achieve peace,
lasting peace for their people.
But Jesus is called what?
The prince of peace.
So we've got a stark contrast here
between who Judah is used to,
who God's people are used to in their leadership,
and then this coming king,
this coming Jesus,
who is called the everlasting father.
So let's dive into Jesus,
the everlasting father.
Truth number one,
what does a father do?
A father protects and provides.
Provides and protects.
This father king would provide for
and protect his people during his reign.
And guess what?
His reign would never end.
It was eternal.
It was everlasting.
And Jesus' reign is still going on
and will never end.
Jesus is the king.
He is the father king.
Last Sunday,
we looked at him as the hero slash God.
And now he is the father slash king.
The father provides and protects.
You see,
Old Testament patriarchy,
looked very different.
There's a buzzword out there in culture today,
and it's patriarchy.
But the Old Testament patriarchy
was something established by God,
and it looked very different
than the self-serving patriarchy movement
that we can find in today's culture.
It's not what God set up.
Jesus gave us the picture
of what the ultimate patriarch would be.
Of course,
that word patriarch just means
the male head figure
of a group of people.
And Jesus would be that ultimate patriarch.
The one who protects and provides.
The one full of justice,
self-sacrifice,
guidance,
and unending love.
That is Jesus,
the everlasting father.
That is Jesus,
the patriarch.
Jesus shows us
what a leader should be.
I love that Sarah talked with the children
just a little bit ago
about the male figureheads in their lives.
What are some good things they love about them?
Well,
every one of us,
and I got a couple of shout-outs in there.
The coffee one,
I don't know about,
but
every one of us,
the male figureheads in our lives,
myself included,
as one in my family,
are flawed.
Oftentimes,
we do our best,
we try,
and so often,
we fail
in what we are trying to achieve,
what we're trying to live up to,
this standard of what a father
or a patriarch
should be.
And as I said before,
that word,
like so many other words,
can be misused,
can be bent
and put toward a self-serving purpose,
and that should never be the case
in God's people.
Real patriarchs,
according to what God established
in the Bible,
should always be men of justice,
should always be men of self-sacrifice,
should be men willing
to lend a guiding hand or ear
and always full
of undying love.
That's what Jesus
portrayed himself.
That's who he was
and who he still is today.
So the father provides
and protects.
Let's look in Isaiah chapter 40.
It's on the screen
if you don't have time
to turn there,
but he protects his flock
like a shepherd.
He gathers the lambs
in his arms
and carries them
in the fold of his garment.
He gently leads
those that are nursing.
That's what an everlasting father
looks like.
That's what a good father
looks like,
and that's who Jesus is.
Isaiah 64 and verse 8.
Lord,
you are our father.
We are the clay,
and you are our potter.
We are all the work
of your hands.
This is the picture
of Jesus,
the everlasting father.
Psalm 103.
As a father has compassion
on his children,
so the Lord has compassion
on those who fear him.
And we try to have compassion
on our children,
don't we?
We want to be men
of compassion, fathers.
Sometimes we have
a short fuse,
don't we?
Sometimes we feel like
we've got to bring
the hammer down.
And sometimes,
of course,
stern discipline is necessary,
but it should always
still come from
a place of compassion.
That's how God treats us.
The Lord has compassion
on those who fear him.
And then in Matthew,
going to the Gospels,
we see more pictures
of Jesus,
God as the father.
All things have been
entrusted to me
by my father,
Jesus says.
No one knows the son
except the father,
and no one knows
the father,
watch this,
except the son,
and anyone to whom
the son desires
to reveal him.
Do you see how the son
and the father
are inextricably linked?
You can't separate them.
The son and the father
in this picture
of the Trinity
are absolutely inseparable.
And he can reveal
the father
through himself
to us.
Jesus is portrayed
as our everlasting father
because he knows
the father so well.
And then what does he say?
In the very next verses,
he says,
come to me.
I'll show you the father.
All of you who are weary
and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me
because I am lowly
and humble in heart.
Man,
would God give us
fathers
and men
who would be lowly
and humble
in heart,
in spirit.
You will find rest
for your souls.
It should be
that when we run
to our fathers,
we find rest
for our souls.
That's what we find
when we run to Jesus.
That's what we find
when we run to God.
Why?
Because his yoke
is easy
and his burden
is light.
And as a father,
that's my prayer
that God would make me
more of a man
of compassion,
that God would make me
someone
that people can run to
for rest
for their souls.
A little bit later
in the Gospel of Matthew,
we read in chapter 23,
Do not call anyone
on earth your father.
Boy, that's interesting.
Do not call anyone
on earth your father
because you have
one father
who is in heaven.
Now, of course,
we're not going to say
that it's wrong
to children
to call your dads fathers,
but we're recognizing
that we're not allowing
anyone to take
that place
that God has
as our one
true father.
You are not
to be called
instructors either
because you have
one instructor,
the Messiah.
Who was the Messiah?
Quick quiz, everybody.
It's Christmas time.
Who was the Messiah?
Jesus.
That's right.
So we see
that Jesus
and the Father
are inseparable.
And then in Romans
chapter 8,
you did not receive
a spirit of slavery
to fall back into fear.
Instead,
you receive the spirit
of, what's that word?
Adoption.
By whom we cry out,
Abba,
Father.
This is an endearing term,
kind of like daddy.
Dad.
For a father.
So this is the relationship
that we can have.
The Spirit Himself
testifies together
with our spirit
that we are
God's children.
2 Corinthians chapter 5,
our last one
in this section here.
Everything is from God
who has reconciled us
to Himself
through Christ
and has given us
the ministry
of reconciliation.
Do you understand
that the Father
provides for us?
Everything we have
is from God.
Now, we don't always
give Him the credit
for it.
Sometimes we like to think
that we earned it ourselves.
Sometimes we like to think
that we've gone out
and done the hard work
and pulled ourselves up
by our bootstraps
and then sometimes
God has to remind us
that we are in the palm
of His hand.
Everything we have
comes from Him.
So, Jesus
is cast
as our everlasting Father.
Now,
let's look for a moment.
at these two concepts here.
We have the Father of Israel
and the Father of us all.
The Father of Israel
and the Father of us all.
Now,
Genesis 49
is where we're going to go
for the Father of Israel.
You don't have to turn there
right now.
If you want to mark it down
and look at it later,
you absolutely can.
But Genesis 49,
verse 10,
the scepter
will not depart
from Judah.
What are we talking about
when we say
the scepter
will not depart
from Judah?
It's that Jesus
would be seen
as the Father
of Israel.
Why?
Because Jesus
is called
the Lion
of the Tribe
of Judah.
Some of y'all
would know that.
It's okay if you didn't.
But Jesus
is the Father
of Israel.
He comes from
the line of Judah.
He is cast
as the everlasting
Father.
And we'll get to
what that means
in just a moment.
But I want to let you know
that Jesus
is the scepter.
What was the scepter?
What is a scepter?
Something that a
king would hold.
Right?
A scepter
is something that
the reigning
monarch
would hold.
So the scepter,
the royal scepter,
would not depart
from the tribe
of Judah.
That was the prophecy
all the way back
in Genesis 49.
And then we get to
read throughout.
That was smack dab
in the middle
of the story of Joseph
that we just covered
a little bit ago.
And Judah
was one of those
brothers of Joseph
and the one,
the tribe
that God chose
for the line
of Jesus
to produce.
Jesus came
from the line
of Judah
and the scepter
as father
of Israel
or patriarch
of Israel
did not depart
from the tribe
of Judah.
But then he is
not just the father
of Israel.
Remember,
God expanded
his people.
He expanded
his nation.
Now we get
to be
God's children
too.
We get to be
God's people
too.
So he is seen
as the father
of us all.
Ephesians chapter
four teaches us
that there is
one God
and father
of all.
So,
let's look
at what this
word father
means.
Back in Isaiah
chapter nine
and verse six,
we read that
he is the
everlasting
or eternal
father.
What are we
talking about?
I swear we're
not going to do
a language lesson
every time I preach
from now on,
alright?
Because we did
one last Sunday
and I'm just
sharing this
with you again.
Again,
I'm not a
Hebrew scholar
but there are
plenty of them
out there
and I've
learned a lot
from them.
So,
this word
av-iad,
the Hebrew
word av
means father.
What does it
mean?
We think of
father one way
in our culture,
in our society,
but when the
Hebrews would
have read this
word,
they would
have seen
this as the
originator and
source.
So,
father meant
the originator
and source
of a group
of people.
Y'all,
this is wild.
Jesus,
you ready for
this,
is our originator
and source.
You could say
that Jesus
is our founding
father.
Now,
that means
something to
Americans,
doesn't it?
Hashtag
marka.
We love to
think back to
our founding
fathers.
We see
God's hand
instrumental
in how this
nation came
to be.
These great
men that he
used to see
our country
founded,
were they
flawed?
Absolutely.
But,
of course,
God used
them mightily
to see this
nation founded
where there
could be
freedom of
religion,
etc.
So,
we love to
look back
and study
the lives
of our
founding fathers,
but listen,
there is a
far,
far greater
founding father
out there.
And lest we
ever get
confused and
think that our
allegiance is
to America
first.
May I
remind you
that our
allegiance is
not of this
world.
It is to a
kingdom that
is not of this
world.
It's to a
kingdom that
is heavenly.
Our
allegiance is
to God
first.
We're
thankful that
he allowed
us to be
born into
this country,
many of us,
there may be
some today who
were not born
in this country,
and we're
thankful that
this country is
here to serve
you as much
as we can
with freedom
of religion and
freedom of
speech,
etc.
But God
has used
America,
to a
point,
but there
will come
a day
when America
ends.
But God's
kingdom is
everlasting.
He is our
everlasting
father.
He is the
originator and
source of
his everlasting
kingdom,
of which you
and I get
to be a part.
We get to be
people in
that kingdom.
We get to be
citizens of
that kingdom.
Jesus is the
founding father
of the heavenly
kingdom.
He is our
founding father.
Ephesians,
I'm sorry,
Hebrews,
the book of
Hebrews,
chapter 12,
the writer
says,
let us run
with endurance
the race set
before us,
looking to
Jesus,
the founder
and protector,
perfecter,
I'm sorry,
of our faith.
Jesus is the
founder of all
of this.
He started
it way back
before any
of us
ever came
around,
way back
before America,
way back
before any
of this that
we know in
our world
to be,
Jesus started
it all.
It all comes
from him.
Now,
the Jews
saw this
term
father
of
as
originator
or source.
It was used
for the head
of a household,
the head
of a people
group,
so we can
see this
word founder
as a synonym.
You see,
Satan is
called the
father of
lies.
You could
look at him
as the
founder
of lies,
but Jesus
is the
father,
the source,
the originator
or the
founder
of eternity.
He is the
founding father
of all
that is
eternal.
If you want
something that
is temporary,
look elsewhere,
but if you
want something
that is
eternal,
look to
Jesus.
And that's
what the
writer of
Hebrews is
encouraging us
to do.
Run this
race set
before you
looking unto
Jesus.
He's the
founder of
our faith.
Now,
there's another
word I'd like
to introduce
in here.
It's the
word pioneer.
Pioneer
means something
out here in
this neck of
the woods,
doesn't it?
Pioneer is a
key part of
this society,
of this
community.
Clay County
Pioneer Union
and Rodeo.
How many
Clay County
pioneers do
we have in
the room
today?
Anybody by
lifted hand?
We actually
have plenty
of pioneers
in here.
I thought
we would.
Somebody
explain to
me what it
takes to
be a pioneer.
I know
you've got
to be born
here and
lived here
for a certain
amount of
time.
So we
take pioneers
seriously here
in Clay
County.
Can I
use that
term then
and explain
to you
what Hebrews
12.2
says in
the Christian
Standard
Bible?
It uses
this word
instead when
the translators
did their
work and
they came up
with this
word,
keeping our
eyes on
Jesus,
the pioneer
and perfecter
of our
faith.
What does
a pioneer
do?
Am I
correct in
saying that
a pioneer
walks the
road that
others are
meant to
follow?
That he
goes first
and blazes
the trail
and a
pioneer is
the one
who sets
the standard
that others
can then
follow?
Jesus did
exactly that
for you
and for me.
So we are
challenged to
keep our
eyes on
the pioneer.
You can't
be a pioneer
of the
Christian faith.
You might
be a pioneer
of Clay
County and
I applaud
you for
that.
But you
cannot be
a pioneer
of the
Christian
faith.
There was
only one
and he
is the
one we
are all
meant to
follow.
Jesus
is the
founder.
He is
the pioneer
of our
faith.
Now,
let's look
just a little
bit back
in Hebrews.
We were in
Hebrews 12.
Let's go to
Hebrews 2.
In bringing
many sons
and daughters
to glory,
it was fitting
that God,
for whom
and through
whom
everything
exists,
just as a
reminder,
all of it
came from
God,
right?
It exists
for him,
it exists
by him,
through him.
And so,
in bringing
many sons
and daughters
to glory,
it was fitting
that God
should make
the pioneer
of their
salvation
perfect
through what
he suffered.
I thought
Jesus was
already perfect.
Yes,
but this word
perfect,
when it's read
like this
in the
scriptures,
means complete.
that this
would complete
the story,
that it
would bring
it all
to an end.
Jesus
completed
the salvation
story.
Jesus
completed
all of it.
He was
the pioneer,
he started
it,
he said,
I am the
alpha,
the beginning,
and he said,
I am the
omega,
the end.
Jesus
was the
beginning
and the
end
of our
faith.
He is
our pioneer,
he is the
one we have
to follow.
He is the
founder,
he is the
pioneer,
and then let
me assure
you and
give you
comfort with
this last
truth,
the father
king's reign
will never
end.
He is not
just called
the father,
he is called
the everlasting
father.
It will never
end.
What does that
have to do
with us?
Revelation
22,
13 reminds
us,
Jesus said,
I am the
alpha and
omega,
the first
and the
last,
the beginning
and the
end.
Let me
explain something
to you.
God's
eternality,
God's
eternality,
what do we
mean?
The fact
that he
is eternal,
the fact
that he
has no
end,
affirms
his
divinity.
That means
the fact
that he
is divine,
the fact
that he
is God.
So the
fact that
he is
eternal
brings us
to the
fact that
he is
God.
God,
so we
can get
behind
somebody
like that.
We can
trust
somebody
like that.
We can
put our
faith in
somebody
like that
because he's
the founder
of it.
He's the
pioneer
of it
in Philippians
1 and
verse 6
tells us
this.
Before we
get to the
takeaway,
here we
go.
Are we
there?
There we
are.
I am
certain
that God,
here we
go,
who began
the good
work within
you,
will continue
his work
until it
is finally
finished on
the day
when Christ
Jesus returns.
He's still
working on
me.
He started
it.
He started
it.
He's going
to finish
it.
He's going
to finish
it.
He's the
founder.
He's the
pioneer.
And he's
everlasting.
He's
eternal.
This is
our
everlasting
father,
our
protector,
our
provider,
the
founder,
the
pioneer
of our
faith.
So our
takeaway this
morning is
this.
Until his
work in us
is complete,
until his
work in us
is complete,
do we
find ourselves
in obedience
to the
founding
father
of our
faith?
What do
mean by
this?
It means
making
Jesus the
hero of
our story.
It means
submitting to
his role
and his
authority.
It means
saying,
God, I
know I've
got a lot
of preconceived
notions on
how I ought to
live this
life.
I know I
was brought
up a certain
way.
I've heard a
lot of things
taught to me
and I've
learned a lot
of things
in this
life.
But I'm
not going
to lean
on my
own
understanding,
Proverbs
3, 5,
and 6.
Instead, I'm
going to
trust in
the founder.
I'm going
to trust in
the pioneer.
I'm going
to trust in
my father.
I'm going
to trust in
the Lord
to direct
my steps,
to direct
my decision
making,
to tell me
how I
ought to
think,
to tell
me what
I ought
to do.
I'm going
to give
up control.
Boy, that's
a scary
thing, isn't
it?
We don't
like giving
up control.
But we've
got to
recognize that
our father
knows what
he's talking
about.
Our father
is the one
to whom
all this
belongs.
Our father
is the one
who's in
control of
it all.
And say,
okay, God,
it's yours.
Maybe this
story is not
playing out
how I thought
it would.
Maybe things
aren't necessarily
going how I
thought it
would.
But God,
you're my
father.
So I'm
going to
obey you.
Whatever you
tell me to
do, that's
what I'll
do.
Whatever door
you open, I'll
walk through
it.
Whatever door
you close, I'm
not going to
try to force
it open.
Whatever hard
truth you
want me to
accept,
God, teach
me.
Teach me
as a
father.
You'll
always do
it gently.
You'll
always do
it compassionately.
You'll
always do
it full
of love.
In spite
of all
those things
lacking so
much in
this world
around us,
we have a
father who
will always
be a good,
perfect,
everlasting
father to
us.
Would you
bow your
heads and
pray with
me?
God, I
pray right
now for
our church.
I pray for
our people.
I pray for
your children.
I'm not
going to
assume that
every person
in this
room is
your child.
Showing up
to church
doesn't
guarantee us
a place in
your family,
but repenting
of our sin,
turning to
Jesus,
letting go
of control
and placing
all of our
faith in
you is
what grants
us the
privilege of
being your
children.
So if
there's
anybody in
the room
today that
says, I
need to
do that,
I need to
make that
decision, I
need to
place my
faith in
Jesus right
now before
I leave
this room,
would you
slip your
hand up and
I'll pray
for you?
Pray for
you first.
Thank you.
You can put
your hand down.
God, I pray
for the one
who's thinking
right now that
they need to
put their faith
in Jesus and
become your
child.
I pray that
you would
give them
the understanding,
give them the
grace to be
able to say,
yes, I know
I'm a sinner.
I repent of
my sin.
I know Jesus
died for that
sin.
He rose from
the dead.
He can hear
me.
He's alive.
He hears me
when I pray.
And right now
I'm going to
ask him to
cleanse me from
my sin,
wash him
clean forever.
Make me
your child.
And then be
that good
father to us.
The son of
God and
God the
father cannot
be separated.
And Jesus
knows how to
be the father
to his people.
We get to
be his people.
God, I thank
you for that
privilege.
Thank you for
that truth that
we can take
through the
Christmas time
and say,
God, I give
up.
I surrender.
I let go.
You be my
father.
You make the
decisions.
Church, how
many of you
would by lifted
hands say,
would you pray
for me?
I've got something
on my heart
this morning I
need prayer for.
You slip your
hand up right
now and pray
for you.
Thank you.
God, I pray
for those that
raised their
hand and many
others who are
in the midst
of prayer right
now.
And I just
ask that you
would step in,
that you would
reveal your truth
in our minds.
Our minds are
so weak.
We think
sometimes we've
got it all
figured out and
we don't.
help us to
remember that
we are the
children, you
are the
father.
Help us to
submit to
your authority,
your leadership
in our lives.
It's in Jesus'
name we pray.
Amen.
Church, would
you join us in
standing if you're
able to?
If you'd like to
keep your seats
and be in
prayer, that's
absolutely fine.
If you'd like to
come down here and
use these steps to
kneel and just do
some private prayer,
that's absolutely
fine.
If you'd like to
come talk to me
down front, I'm
available for that.
If you'd like to
think about joining
this church or
placing your faith
in Jesus, being
baptized, whatever
God's put on your
heart, let's just
spend a couple of
minutes before we
dismiss this morning
doing business with
God.