LEARNING DAILY

 

Isaiah 9:6-7, “For a child is born to us, a Son is given to us.  And the government will rest on His shoulders.  These will be His royal titles: Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end.  He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor, David.  The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!”  (From the New Living Translation)

 

Christmas is truly a wonderful time of year for me.  There are so many memories I have of the years growing up as a child; I remember finding hidden presents, opening them, getting caught, and blaming my sister.  Tee hee hee – I do not think anyone believed me!  I remember the many nights trying to put our daughters presents together.  Of course, those were the ones from Santa.  And what memories I have of grandkids sitting on my lap as Santa came to the house to bring each of them a present.  I remember Santa wearing jeans one Christmas and the grandkids noticing my name on the belt. 

 

But as the story about the true meaning of Christmas reminded us, Christmas is much more than all of this!  Isaiah speaks of a coming deliverer who would one day lead God’s people to joy, peace, righteousness and justice; this person is the Messiah – Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  His birth would be at a definite time and place in history, and He would be born in a unique and marvelous way.  Perhaps by looking at the five words that describe the “child born to us” we can understand what Christmas is about. 

 

The first title given is Wonderful.  The Messiah Himself would be a supernatural wonder.  According to Strong’s Concordance the Hebrew word for wonderful is pele’.  It is always used of God, never of humans or human work.  The child would show His character by His deeds and miracles.

 

He would also be called Counselor.  The Messiah would be the incarnation of perfect wisdom and have the words of eternal life.  As Counselor He would disclose the perfect plan of salvation. 

 

He was also given the title of Mighty God.  In the Messiah all the fullness of Diety would exist in the form of man.  The Son of God took on human nature but did so without sin. Christ left heaven and entered into human life through human birth (by a virgin) and became the God-man.

 

He is the Everlasting Father.  He would not only come to reveal the heavenly Father, He would act with compassion toward His people as a father who loves, protects, and supplies the needs of his children.

 

And the last title is Prince of Peace.  His rule would bring peace with God for humankind through deliverance from sin and death.

 

“His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end.”  In this prophetic statement concerning the establishment of Christ’s reign, there is no distinction between His first and second coming.  Does that indicate that Christ’s plan for redemption and His rule begins with one distinct coming?  I have tried to think if there is any Old or New Testament teaching that His rule on earth revolves a first and second advent in history.  Because of that I believe that the Christmas story is so important for us to understand.  In his Sunday message, Manual Magana said, “Christmas is heaven’s rescue story.”  I had to sit and consider just how important that statement is.  In a miraculous act, God gave His Son to all whosoever would believe in Him; their sins will be forgiven and His kingdom is established in his heart.  His rule in our lives begin when we give our lives to Him – one distinct coming.  But there is a second advent coming!

 

 

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