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The greatest revelation of our Infinite God’s nature, character, and personhood comes through His Name.

Theologians have classified all the different names, ascriptions, and titles of our Triune: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

In Theology (or the study of God), we find there are no less than 420 names, titles, and ascriptions of God in three persons, contained in the Scriptures. In the Old Testament, there are 225 of them, and in the New Testament, there are 195.

Once a year, at Christmas, we mostly hear the sound of that incredible river, of the mighty names of God come down to man, revealed from Heaven through the inspired Word.

God revealed Himself to mankind as a man.

God used human terms so we could understand Him.

God gave incredible access to know Him, and understand His power and love, by way of a series of names, titles, and ascriptions to His Majesty.

To the Old Testament saints the name of the Lord was a strong tower.

In the New Testament, Jesus became God with us!

Isaiah wrote at a dark hour in Israel’s history. It was about 730 years before Bethlehem’s babe was born. The Northern half of Israel was about to vanish in the Assyrian conquest and deportation.

The countdown to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple had started. In that dark and perilous time for God’s people of promise, THE INCARNATION OF GOD WAS ANNOUNCED! Through a promise in chapter 7 and in chapter 9—four pairs of names, that distilled divinity into a coming person, were revealed.

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Transcript

The greatest revelation of our infinite God’s nature, character and personhood comes through His name. As you see on a slide in front of you, we’re talking about the incarnation as we go through the book of Isaiah. Theologians have classified all the different names and descriptions and titles of our triune God as, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  In theology, we find there are no less than 420 names, titles, and descriptions of our God in three persons. Here in the word of God, the Old Testament has 225, the New Testament has 195. It’s amazing that once a year, and that’s usually at Christmas, we most hear the sound of that incredible river of the mighty names of God. As God has revealed Himself to mankind as a man, God used human terms so that we could understand Him. God gave us incredible access to know Him and to understand His power and love, by way of that series of names, those titles, and those descriptions in the Old Testament. The name of the Lord was a strong tower.  In the New Testament, Jesus becomes God with us. That event took place, as Isaiah wrote, during the darkest hour of Israel’s history. It was 730 years before Bethlehem’s baby would be born. The northern half of Israel was just about to vanish in the Assyrian conquest, the countdown to the day, the destruction of Jerusalem had begun at that very moment. The current incarnation of God was announced. Jesus is unlike anyone who was ever born, whoever lived or whoever died.

Welcome as we begin this fourth class. The fourth class, as you see in front of you, we’re Exploring Isaiah and we’re exploring the doctrine of the incarnation. This is so vital, that God became man.  We’re looking at the glory and the power of His name. Now, there are two passages that I’d like you to open with in your Bible.  If you’re just joining us, this class right now, I’m looking right out at a group of Asians who are training in a Bible Institute to give their lives to reach other Asians. Those of you that are in the wider group, I invite you to do the very same things we’re doing. Take your Bible, mark your Bible as we go through, take notes, and learn together with us.

In chapter 9 of Isaiah, verse 6, this is a theme of this fourth hour. It says, “for unto us a Child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name…” See, we’re looking at the glory and power of His name. So, here’s the beginning of that, “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Now, what is going on here? In John 14, Jesus explains this. So, turn over with me to John 14, because for centuries the people of Israel, as they had learned about their infinite God who delivered them from Egypt in the Exodus, and who revealed Himself on Sinai through Moses, and wrote down His word in John 14 and verse 9, the Lord Jesus Christ is talking with Phillip who begins asking Him in verse 8; Lord, “show us the Father.” That’s the reason for the incarnation, to show us the Father.  Look what Jesus says in John 14, in verse 9. “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Your next slide, if you look down at it, after we cover those key chapters, we’re looking specifically at the incarnation Christ described, and 17 times in Isaiah.

Chapter 7, verse 14, “His name Immanuel.” Chapter 9:1-2, His coming into Galilee and His ministry. 9:6, we just read it, as the Wonderful Counselor, all the way through those bold numbers on the screen in front of you, each one of them. Like chapter 40 here, verses 3-5 parallels Matthew 3, the advent of John the Baptist. Chapter 52, verse 14 talks about Christ who was coming, to be exalted but first He humbled Himself. Chapter 53, verse 7, talks about Jesus being smitten. Chapter 61, verse 1 is actually the passage that Jesus read in the synagogue in Nazareth. So, 17 different times in the book of Isaiah, Jesus Christ is described as He came and what the Lord’s plan was for Him.

 

There are also 20 promises in the next slide or prophecies of what Christ would come to do.  These are the most beautiful collection of prophecies.

Number one, that Christ would be incarnated. That’s what we’re studying today. We read about His youth and Nazareth in these passages. In Isaiah, as He’s an anointed servant of the Lord we read about His miracles in Isaiah 35, that He was divine, preexistent, that’s in those chapters and on through you can look at all this. I love this, His mild manner is promised in Isaiah 42.  Jesus said, I am meek and lowly in Matthew 11. Remember, He came to die on the cross and His sufferings are talked about. His Ascension. All of the shame. Number 13 of His being smitten and bruised is prophesied. His death, vicariously on behalf of others. The details of His burial. The promise of His resurrection. Each of these are part of the messianic prophecies that are in Isaiah.

As we dive into them, look at this slide.  I love to pause in this with you. God’s timing is always perfect. Now look at this, just when it was the darkest God announces Jesus.

You can look up, the darkness of the Assyrian empire coming to destroy the northern kingdom was taking place. There was a menace on the horizon. Let me describe it to you. The people who ruled the ancient world with hideous tyranny and violence were the Assyrians. They ruled from the Caucus Mountains, the Caspian Sea, all the way down to the Persian Gulf. They ruled from the Tigris to Asia Minor and to Egypt. The Assyrian kings literally tormented the world. They flung away the bodies of soldiers like clay. They made pyramids of human heads. They sacrificed myriads of the sons and daughters of their enemies. They burned every city in their awake. They filled populated lands with death and devastation. They reddened the broad deserts with the blood of warriors. They scattered whole countries and the corpses of their defenders were like chaff. They impaled heaps of men on stakes. Now, what I just read to you is what historians wrote about the Assyrians. Now, the Assyrians or the first empire that’s coming down to besiege the land of Israel from the north, it’s an empire. They went all the way to what we would call Iran, all the way to Egypt. That arc of geography and right in the middle between Iran and Egypt was the nation of Israel. So, it’s exactly as this group is menacing Israel, on the darkest night, that God announces the incarnation of Christ.

Now look at the next slide. What did these terrorists, Assyrians, look like? This, what you see on that slide is a picture I took from the British museum. This is a wall of reliefs, they’re called. These are beautifully sculpted historic records from the walls of the Assyrian king. Now, right in the middle, what you’re looking at, these hats are the hats of the Assyrian soldiers. These are their poles. Sadly, these are the people that they are impaling. Look up and think of this. What they would do when they were besieging a city is, they would find any of the inhabitants and in the sight of the people that were being besieged, they would set up these poles.  They would bring inhabitants and they would impale them alive and just have them stuck, like you would have a cheese on a toothpick at some kind of reception. They would do that to humans. Now look back at the slide, they did this so much that the entry hall of the king’s palace was decorated with this. By the way, this is a huge picture. If you can imagine this wall over here, the whole wall, the entryway it’s over a hundred feet long, this relief drawing of the Assyrian conquest.  When anyone would come to an audience with the King, they would have to walk down that hallway and look at pictures like I just showed you. What it was supposed to do is provoke fear and terror in the heart of all those, whoever thought they would resist the Assyrians.

So, look at the next slide. These impaled, poor, unfortunate victims were falling to the Assyrian empire. Look how the Assyrian empire, as I said, goes from the Persian Gulf past the Red Sea to the shores of the Mediterranean. This arc was the first huge world empire, the Assyrians.

What did they do? Listen to another historian write. In the areas, the map you’re looking at right now, all of this and look what’s right in the middle, Jerusalem. Now, as you’re thinking about them, arcing across the ancient world, listen. In all the areas indicated on this map, the Assyrians cut off the hands of each king they conquered. They nailed them to the walls of the palace and left their bodies to rot, with bears and dogs at the entrance gates of the cities. They cut down warriors like weeds. They smoked them like wild beasts in the forest. They covered pillars with the skinned alive bodies of rivals. All these things they did without sentiment or compunction. They were feelingless from these details. We see that the Assyrians and the city of Nineveh, their Capitol appeared impregnable and the people unconquerable, because they had exercised such power for nearly a century.

In your slide there you see, here’s their capital Nineveh.  Isn’t it interesting that just at the time that all this is going on, that God sent Jonah to walk up? Either he walked up from the shore here or walked up from the shore here and preached the gospel to these horrible marauders.

The next slide reminds us that we’re looking at this event in chapter 7. So, in your Bibles, look at Isaiah 7. Look at the historic signature, it’s in the days of Ahaz, it’s when Syria and Pekah of the northern kingdom were bothering Israel. Chapter 7 gives us Christ’s birth and glorious reign.

Now I’m going to take you through the slides, and this is now, if you look at the slides, this is actually the page of my Bible I keep holding up.  I want to show you that this unsuccessful invasion of Judah by Syria and Israel, because of the presence of the Assyrians on the northern part of Syria, which is what prompted them to attack. Look at what is right in the middle of this passage. This is one of the greatest prophecies of Jesus Christ’s coming. This is the key verse on the incarnation, and I’m going to read it with you and think about it with you.

“Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” What is that? Look up from this slide and go to Matthew. This is a promise in Matthew chapter 1, in the gospel by Matthew, in verse 23, of the supernatural entrance of Jesus into the world. Do you remember, nobody has ever come into the world like Jesus. Jesus had no human father. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit within Mary, a virgin.  This is what Joseph, who was led by God to shelter Mary and to not know her until after the birth of Jesus even though they were betrothed to be married. He took her as his wife, he did not have any sexual involvement with her because look at this, “Behold, the virgin,” this is Matthew 1:23, “shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” That’s Matthew 1, in verse 23. Now look back at your slide. “Behold,” right there in the center, “a virgin,” that’s Mary, “conceive and bear a son,” that’s Jesus, and “call His name Immanuel.” Which Matthew tells us, which being interpreted as, God with us. That’s chapter 7.

Now, look at the next slide. This is chapter 8, and as we go through this, chapter 8 emphasizes God with us. Look at verse 8 right here. It says, “He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over, He will reach up the neck; and the stretching out his wings will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.” There’s that promise, God with us.

Look at verse 10, it says, “Take council together, but it will come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.” There’s the translation.

Then look at this over here, in verse 19. “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”

Then finally right here in verse 13, it crystallizes what we’re talking about. “The LORD of hosts,” this is chapter 8 of Isaiah, verse 13, “The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear.”

Now look up for a second, what is the context? Remember in our class yesterday, we talked about the primary way to understand the interpretation of any passage of scripture is, the context. What is the context here? Real quickly, we’re looking at Judah. Those are the southern, remember that’s the southern kingdom. Judah is seeing in the distance, the coming of these Assyrians.  I already have described them. How rapacious. How they just came up as terrorists. The historians say the first thing they did in every campaign was, when they would destroy the first city, they would take some of the people that they had destroyed, take their heads, and put them in baskets.  In the next city they were coming to attack. They actually would make a pyramid entrance for them, they’re army going toward the city, like two gates of heads, severed heads of their victims. Then, as the people were watching from the walls, they would take some poor, unfortunate person that they captured from a nearby city and stake them down and began to flay them, and skin them alive. Hopeful that they would scream to even more terrorize the inhabitants of the besieged city. So, that, the Assyrians, have taken city after city, after city. Right here is Jerusalem. Here they are, the army is going from one city, making piles of heads, going to the next city, skinning people alive.  You can just connect the dots. You know they’re coming your way. That’s why, if you look back at this slide, look at verse 13, the Lord says I’m with you. You should trust me instead of verse 19. He says, trust me here, don’t do this. Don’t go the wrong direction and go to these soothsayers and witchcraft.

Now in the next slide, we’re in chapter 9. This is a continuation of this teaching on the incarnation. Here’s the key verse right here, verse 6. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Do you know what else it says in chapter 9? Look at this verse. Do you recognize that it says, “By the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

Now look up from your slide and go back with me to Matthew chapter 4, starting in verse 23. This is what makes Isaiah so significant of all the books of the Old Testament. Look at Matthew 4 and verse 23, it says that “Jesus went about all Galilee,” verse 23, “teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” When did that start? Back up to chapter 4, verse 12. “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,” that’s John the Baptist, “He departed to Galilee.” Which we just read about, for His preaching ministry.  Verse 13, “leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum.” Now, look at verse 14, “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying:’ The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:’ “ Verse 16, ” ‘the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.’ “ Now, that’s Jesus announcing His ministry, but that’s quoting Isaiah. Look back at the slide, that’s quoting, look where we are: Isaiah 9:2. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” That’s talking about Jesus coming with this ministry.

Now, look up and let me show you again on the board. As the Assyrians were coming toward Judah, north of Judah, the capital of the southern kingdom was Jerusalem right here. The capital of the northern kingdom, Israel, was Samaria. This is Samaria right here. Right above Samaria is the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan river went like this, down to the Dead Sea. So, here’s the Sea of Galilee, here’s some area in the mountains, and here are the Assyrians coming.  What is going on as the Assyrians come from far away and as they do their campaign of destroying city after city? They get to this region of Galilee and they start destroying cities around Galilee. So, they have come from Assyria, they’ve conquered every nation, and now they’re in Israel. In the northern half of Israel. The Assyrians go all the way around and finally hit Samaria.  Everywhere they stop as they come around this area, they’re killing people.

Now listen to chapter 4. Looking at this map, think of these words, “the land of Zebulun.” That’s the tribal area that is surrounding the Sea of Galilee. “The land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan.” Here’s the Jordan and the way of the sea. It was a road that went down this way. This prophecy, that’s in chapter 9, is saying everywhere that the Assyrians maraud and killed and destroyed and butchered people, they called it the region of death. Now look back at the slide. “By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,” “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” Those who dwelt in a shadow of death upon them, “a light has shined.” Now look back at my map. Guess what was right in the middle of this region that the Assyrians wiped out? This is the city that Jesus, in the New Testament, centered His ministry on. See, this prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 about the Assyrians destroying all these people, and bringing this to a region of death, and finally conquering Samaria, and hauling away the northern tribes, never to come back, is highlighting that when the Promised One of Isaiah 9:6, when the incarnate, glorious God the son came He, would announce His ministry right there.

So, back to Matthew chapter 4, let me read it again. “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,” Matthew 4:12, “He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum.” Right there, and He quotes from Isaiah and fulfilled, notice what it says in 14, fulfilled what Isaiah said. See, this is why Isaiah is so vital. Isaiah shows the prophecies and their fulfillment, that are tested and verified to the veracity, the inspiration of the scripture. The land of Zebulun, this area around the Sea of Galilee. The land of Naphtali, “by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan”, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And upon those who sat in the region and  shadow of death light has dawned”.  “From that time,” verse 17 of Matthew 4, “Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ “ All of that centered on chapter 9.

Look back down at the slides. Now, we go to chapter 10 and in chapter 10 after we pass this 9th chapter of the Assyrian army bringing darkness and death and that same place would be the place where the rejoicing would come of Christ’s ministry. Chapter 10 takes us into a time of the prophet saying because of all this hope and promise, look at verse 15, “Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?” What is this talking about?  Look back at verse 12. “It shall come to pass, when the LORD has performed all His work on Mount Zion.”

What the Lord is saying is, see verse 21, that there is a promise. See my map up here on the board, after the Assyrians did all this, we’re going to see a little bit later in Isaiah that they come to the border, the Assyrian army, after they destroy and skin and behead and impale and do all their awful stuff, they come down here to the border between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. Right on that border is Jerusalem. That is Jerusalem. The whole army parks right here on the border. 185,000 soldiers. They park on the border and Hezekiah is the king. Hezekiah gets on his face and prays and says, Lord, we’re helpless. We don’t know what to do. Only You can help us. And the Lord said, I will not let them cross the line. He said they will not get into Jerusalem and harm any one of you.  Do you remember what happened? Hezekiah prayed; he went to bed that night. The next morning, he gets up and looks over the wall at this camp where 185,000 Assyrian terrorist we’re getting up to come pillage the city. As he looked out at the camp, there was no movement. Finally, they sent scouts out and they found that every single one of the soldiers had been killed in the night.

Now, look back at the slide. We are tools in God’s hand. That’s what it says right here, in verse 15, we trust His power. The Lord will perform His promise to deliver us and there’s going to be a remnant to return to the Mighty God. What he’s saying is that these people need to trust God. See, trusting Him even though, and look back here, even though such horror took place to the north. Even though they were attacked, and the army was camped on there on their doorstep. God says, this is just a test and that’s when God chose as the time to announce the incarnation, at their time of greatest darkness.

Let’s go back to the slides, chapter 11 and 12 goes on from this scene of the Assyrian attacks to a prophetic picture of the future kingdom.

In chapter 11, which we’ve started in chapter 4 looking at this, do you see this word right here in chapter 11? Stem or “there shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his root. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him.” What we’re seeing here is the promise of Jesus Christ’s coming. Now, remember we looked at chapter 4 and said that this whole idea of the branch speaks of Jesus being lowly and not appearing to be mighty.  That’s the incarnation, that Jesus came into the world humbly. He came as a baby. He didn’t come as a king. He came as a human. He didn’t come as an angel. He came like us, so He could save us. So, chapter 11, as you look at it gives a prophecy again of what Jesus would be like. “That the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”  Then, look what’s down here in verses 5 and 6, we start hearing. Because as I showed you yesterday, there’s this constant and here, I’ll try and draw that for you too, because we don’t have a yesterday’s lesson today but the idea, I want to stay with you. Do you remember that when Isaiah is talking, when he’s writing, he’s looking at the kingdom coming, the future kingdom.  He’s looking at the king’s arrival, what we call the first coming of Christ and then His second coming here, but he’s looking at modern times, where Isaiah was living.  So, what he sees is the Assyrians? This Promised One, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace coming. Then, he sees this huge second coming with all the glory. Then, he sees the establishment of the kingdom with Jesus reigning.  He doesn’t see that there is significant time between each of these events. This time here would be the captivity, the Babylonian captivity. This would be what we call the church age, and this would be what we call the millennium, is right here and the tribulation is right here.

So, in chapter 11, now look back at this slide, this part of chapter 11 is talking about Christ’s birth. This part, look what it’s talking about, Verse 6, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” Now look, verse 6, now look over here, that’s talking about right here. So, verse 1 is talking about right here, Christ’s coming. Verse 6 is talking about the kingdom. That’s what makes Isaiah so challenging. He sees events far and near and doesn’t understand the time that’s between them.

Here’s another one. Look back at the slide. This is talking about when the Messiah comes back at the second coming and “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD. As the waters cover the sea.” That’s talking about the millennium. So, I put an M there, this is talking about the millennium, put an M there. This is talking about the birth of Christ in verses 1 and 2.  Then look right here, this whole section is fascinating.  Chapter 11, “It shall come to pass,” verse 11, “in that day that the LORD shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people.” The second time? What was, what’s the second time?

Here’s another, let me take you to the board. It’s fascinating how Isaiah is such a fountain of information that now, we who have the benefit of hearing Christ teaching in Matthew 24, and all of Paul’s teaching, and the book of Revelation we can sort out all of these events. Isaiah was here and a generation and a half after him, Babylon comes in 586 and destroys Jerusalem and carries away the people. Then, in 516 they return. So, they’re taken away into exile, the children of Israel, and then they return. They’re gone from the land for 70 years. This is the first return.

Look back at your slides, it says, “It shall come to pass in that day,” verse 11, that the second time the remnant of His people who are left are going to come back from “Assyria and Egypt, and Pathros and Cush,” and all that. What does that mean? Look back over here, this is the first return.  What happens is they come back in the land and in 70 AD, this time, the Romans take them out of the land and totally destroyed Jerusalem a second time. See, this is the first destruction of Jerusalem, AD 70 is the second destruction of Jerusalem, and all the Jews are sent into what is called the diaspora. That is where Jews were banned from being in Jerusalem, completely. The Roman emperor said, get out of here and he slaughtered over a million of them in Jerusalem and hundreds of thousands in the land of Egypt.  The rest he just dispersed. That diaspora is still going on. Jews are all over the world, but what we’ve seen in the last, since about 1940’s, it started to pick up speed and by the 80’s they’re coming in so fast from all over Russia and Europe that there is the beginning and right now we’re seeing look, back at your slide, the second time they will come back.  During the tribulation, the Jews are in the land of Israel. So, we are in the midst of this second return of the Jews right now, as they’re coming back to Jerusalem, to Israel. That’s what we’re going to see in a little bit, as we study later on in the book.

Look at the slides and chapter 12, it’s one of the highlights of the study of the book of Isaiah.  It says, “In that day you will say: ‘O LORD, I praise you; though You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away,” this is following that second return. Then verse 2, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘for Yah,” like Jehovah, Yah, “the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ “ Look up, this is what’s the primary interpretation is, this is the children of Israel coming in faith, to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a future event when they see their Messiah return and they’re going to believe on Him.  Zechariah describes it all.

Continue to read, look at verse 3, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say: ‘Praise the LORD, calling His name; declare His deeds among the peoples.’ ” “Sing to the LORD.” Then look at verse 6, “For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!” the Messiah comes to Jerusalem. As you look up, this is what makes Isaiah so fascinating. Isaiah’s talking about from 700 BC, he’s talking about the future destruction of Jerusalem, he’s talking about the return, he’s talking about Christ’s birth, he’s talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, and then he’s even describing the future event of the tribulation.

Let’s go to the next slide. Now, let’s apply what we are reading about in chapter 7. Remember, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, calls name Immanuel. Following that, after that event took place in Matthew 1, look at Matthew 1:21-23, because I want to tie together the coming of Jesus. In verse 23, call His name Immanuel. Back up to verse 21 of Matthew 1, it says “she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call his name,” what? “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Let’s talk about the glory of the name of Jesus before we have to end today. The greatest revelation of our infinite God’s nature and character and personhood came through His name, the name of Jesus.

The next slide, the glory of the name of Jesus reminds us, Jesus was unlike anyone who ever was born, whoever lived, or whoever died. Jesus came into the world in a way that no other human ever could. He was virgin born. He was divinely conceived within the womb of Mary. He was born into a poor family. He lived in an obscure village. He was in one tiny province of the vast Roman empire. He was in obscurity, poverty, and weakness; and yet He touched the world like no one else ever has. No one, no one in history has ever been like Jesus. Jesus is unlike anyone who ever lived. He had no riches, no formal education, yet He amazed all the people that were trained of His day. The most educated people, those scribes and Pharisees and priests were amazed by a 12 year old, when He talked to them and as a man, as He confounded them. Jesus had no wealth yet, He fed tens of thousands. He was by nature meek and lowly yet, He could banish death. Jesus was unlike anyone who has ever lived or died. He walked across raging waters. He could slip through locked doors. He could flatten an army just by saying, I am and yet, He allowed them to bind Him, mock and scourge and crucify Him. And yet, He rose from the dead. Jesus, if you look at your slides, was unlike anyone who was ever born, whoever lived, or whoever died.

Isaiah describes Him, the Coming One in chapter 9, verse 6.

Do you remember the wording? He said, Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. Now think about that, Jesus, he says is what the ultimate king should be. The word for counselor is how a king counsels his people. Jesus is the Wonderful King that councils His people with everything they need.

Back down at the slides. He is not only the Wonderful Counselor. He is the Mighty God. This is very interesting. God, the first part of that title is El like El in Elohim and El in Elion. The second half though, where it says Mighty God is the word gibôr. That’s a Hebrew word, which means mighty strength, mighty power, mighty hero. Now, Jesus is God’s mighty hero for the world. Instead of heroes who are entertainers or athletes, God says I’m sending my son. I want Him to be your hero. I want you to see Him as the Mighty God.

On the slides, He’s not only the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, He’s the Everlasting Father. Now this does puzzle people, Everlasting Father describes Jesus’ relationship to time, not to the other members of the Trinity. Jesus is like the Everlasting Father and He’s like the Everlasting Spirit in relation to time. He is everlasting, but He is, remember what He said in John 10, He said; I am, my Father and I are what? One. So, Jesus is God the Son, He is not God the Father. His person, He is the second person of the Trinity. Here’s the mystery, there’s only one God there aren’t three.  There’s one God, eternally existing in three persons. That’s the Trinity, and if you remember a couple of classes ago, I told you right over here on the chart that we’re going to spend a whole session on that.

Jesus, if you look back at the slides, is not only in relation to the Trinity and the time of the Trinity called Everlasting Father but He’s also the Prince of Peace. Which means that when you come to Him, He is our peace.

The next slide, is what we’re going to close with. The gospel by John illustrates Christ’s work as the Wonderful Counselor.  What I’m going to do for just a moment, if you will take your Bibles, the gospel by John. So, we’re in Matthew, go to the right. Mark, Luke, John. I’m going to give you successive verses in the gospel by John that illustrate Jesus fulfilling this promise from Isaiah 9:6. You remember in John 14, He said, if you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father. It says here that one of the aspects of God the Father, that Jesus fulfills is, He’s the wonderful counselor.

Let’s go through these on your slide. The gospel of John illustrates Christ’s work as Wonderful Counselor.

In John 1:46-49, we see Nathaniel under a tree and Jesus answers his question. Here’s the lesson, you can bring your questions to Jesus, the Counselor.

Attending a wedding, Jesus rescues the servants when the wine runs out in John 2:9. You know what that teaches us? You can bring your emergencies to Jesus, the Counselor, He’ll guide you.

Waiting up, Jesus explained salvation to Nicodemus when he slips to Christ’s side in the darkness of night, that’s chapter 3, verse 2. What does that teach us? You can always bring your struggles to Jesus, the Counselor.

Then sitting on a well in John 4:18-19, Jesus reveals His true identity to a seeking woman overflowing with sins. You can bring your sins to Jesus, the Counselor.

Then in chapter 5, approaching the paralytic lying on the ground, Jesus heals him when he was hopeless and helpless. What’s the lesson? You can bring your limitations to Jesus, don’t let them hold you back. He is the Mighty Counselor.

Coming across the waves to a storm tossed boat, Jesus quieted the fearful disciples in chapter 6. You know what that teaches us? You can bring your fears to Jesus, the Counselor. Jesus wants us to rush to his office at any time when we are limited, when we’re fearful.

Look at the next one, crying out for anyone who thirst, to come to Him. Jesus promised to give rivers of water in John 7:36-38. You know what that means? You can bring your longings. He knows the deepest longings of our heart and we can bring them to Jesus, our Counselor.

Looking into the heart of an adulterous woman who’s who stood stained by her sins, Jesus showed her mercy and forgiveness. You can bring your deepest stains to Jesus, the Counselor.

Finding the blind man in the dark, Jesus opened his eyes. Bring your confusing times to Jesus, the Counselor.

Then opening the door to a safe and secure home for lost sheep, Jesus offered safe pasture in John 10. You can bring your fears about death to Jesus, the Counselor.

This next slide takes us to this passage, and this is what I want to emphasize with you. It’s right over here. It says in Jeremiah 15:16, the most beautiful application for us, of this name. Now, remember this whole class is in Isaiah, we’re looking at the incarnation and at the glorious, powerful names of Jesus; His name, the name that’s above every name, the name of Jesus, His name’s Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.  What does Jeremiah 15:16 say? One of my favorites, I’ll quote it to you. “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was for me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” You know what would be the best way to apply this lesson about the Wonderful Counselor and how we just looked at Jesus? By the way in your notes, all of you that have the classroom notes, I go all the way through the gospel of John in every chapter. Jesus, wonderfully counsels someone with their most desperate need and lovingly, gently helps them. How can we have that in our lives today? “Thy words were found,” read the book of Isaiah. As you’re doing your devotional journal, in each chapter that you study, find the truth about what He’s doing. His plan. His promises. The many names. The powerful names. The glorious names of our God. Find them and then eat them. In other words, say, Lord, I want you to be my counselor. I want to come to you just like I used to run to the guidance counselor in public school. I want to now run to you, as my counselor.

Back to your slides, the Bible is Christ centered. At the incarnation we see Jesus is unlike anyone who’s ever lived, who was ever born, and whoever died. Jesus came to be God with us.

Let’s close our class period today with a word of prayer and especially my prayer is going to be that you will take the truths that we’ve seen in Isaiah and as Jeremiah said, find them yourself in the word, study, ask God to bring them to pass, and you eat them. Chew on them, meditate on them, and then have the joy and rejoicing that He promised. Let’s pray together.

Father in Heaven, I thank you for your word. I thank, that it describes the coming of our Savior at the darkest hour in human history. Jesus came to be born of a woman in that dark night of sin in the Roman empire. When everything seemed to be going the wrong way, you sent forth your Son, made of a woman, to be the sunrise from on high, to die on that cross, and to give each of us everlasting life, who will cling to Him. I pray that we would learn to find your word, eat it, and have it be the joy and rejoicing of our heart. You are the Wonderful Counselor; may we flee to you today and every day of our lives. In the name of Jesus we pray. And all God’s people said, Amen.


Check Out All The Sermons In The Series

You can find all the sermons and short clips from this series, Exploring The Book Of Isaiah here.

Looking To Study The Bible Like Dr. Barnett?

Dr. Barnett has curated an Amazon page with a large collection of resources he uses in his study of God’s Word. You can check it out here.