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Wonderful Counselor . . .
A Sermon Preached
by Dr. James Flamming
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia
December 11, 2005
Audio file
Scripture: Isaiah 9:6
What an attractive piece of jewelry Annette Hall wore
around her neck when she spoke to us at our annual Foreign Mission Breakfast.
She explained that it stood for the hand of Fatima, who was the daughter of
Mohammed. In the belief system of the folk-religion of the people she works
with, it is thought to get the respect of God so that God won’t do something bad
to them. I suspect it is like baseball players who wear crosses around their
necks as if to bring them good luck.
Annette serves as one of our missionaries among the 3
million Islamic people who have settled in the greater Paris, France area. She
loves those people. What grieves her most is how fear-bound so many are in the
area she works and serves. Her mission is to try to get across to them that God
is love and that his Son and our Savior, Jesus came to prove God’s love to all
of the world.
Suppose you were parachuted down into a culture where they
were always trying to appease God, trying to satisfy God so that God would not
do something fearful to them? How would you begin to get the truth across “that
God so loved the world that he gave his only son?”
Now, friends, listen to me. This is what Christmas is all
about. God fleshed out his love for all of the world to see. Listen again to
the Scripture: “Unto us a son is born, unto us a child is given. The government
will be upon his shoulders. And his name shall be called wonderful counselor,
mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace.”
What utterly fascinates me is that Isaiah saw this eight
centuries before Jesus was born. This prophecy is awesome. It describes what
Jesus will be like in four bold, breathtaking strokes: wonderful counselor,
mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace.
I will be dealing with each of these four portraits of our
Lord during these Sundays just ahead:
This Sunday, Wonderful Counselor.
December 18, Mighty God
December 25, Christmas Sunday,
Everlasting Father,
January 1, Prince of Peace.
Look with me this Sunday at the awesome title, Wonderful
Counselor.
Through the week I have thought of all of the counselors I
have known and have admired and what made them wonderful. I have thought of the
ones who have counseled me at critical times in my life, particularly after we
lost our son. In my best analytical self I listed the top four characteristics I
have experienced through counselors. After I had listed them, I was spellbound.
Each one was a picture of who Jesus was and the kind of person he was. A
wonderful counselor is:
Approachable;
Listens;
Is smarter
than we are;
Asks the
tough questions.
Look at them with me and sense the wonder and power in what
God was about.
Jesus was Approachable
Jesus was like a magnet that drew people to him. They came
from everywhere and from every walk of life. Some friends had a friend who
needed help and they tore out a ceiling to let him down at the feet of the
Savior. When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration a parent was
waiting for him with his son. Approachable. A lawyer came to him from which came
the parable of the Good Samaritan. Even a Pharisee invited him to dinner.
And what of the children. The young ones were the truly
marginal little people of the first century. They had no rights, no place, no
stature. So the disciples tried to push them out of the way. But Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me, of such is the Kingdom of heaven.” Approachable.
Now friends, that Jesus is approachable is crucial if you
are ever going to learn how to pray. Deep down in your soul you have to believe
that the Lord receives you, where you are, what your situation is, and what your
emotions are doing to you. The letter to the Hebrews puts it like this: walk
boldly before his throne of grace.
Jesus was a Listener
A wonderful counselor is a listener. In Mark 10 is a
wonderful story about a Blind man from Jericho named Bartemaeus. Mark must have
known the family for he identifies not only the beggar but his family – son of
Timaeus. Timaeus could have been an early believer and came to know Mark and
told him this story about his son. Bartemaeus was blind and survived by begging.
When Jesus was leaving Jericho, Bartemaeus screamed out, “Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me.” Shhhh said the crowd. Shut up said the onlookers. Keep quiet
said the more polite ones. But old Bart kept crying out the same prayer, “Jesus,
Son of David, have mercy on me.” It came to be known as the Jesus prayer and is
a favorite of mine.
The point is, Jesus heard him.
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In the tumult of the procession, Jesus heard
him.
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Amidst all of the rebuke and confusion, Jesus
heard him.
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In the distress of his heart, Jesus heard him.
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In the push and shove of the crowd, Jesus
heard him.
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Wonderful counselor. Jesus heard him.
What about you? Amidst all of the many noises of your life,
when the emotional crowd inside of you is clamoring for attention, you are
heard. Can you bear a miracle thought? He hears you as if you were the only one.
yet he does not hear you more than another. You and I can only truly listen to
one person at a time. But God is God, not us. He hears you as if you were the
only one, yet he hears everyone else as if they were the only one.
When you and I cry out in distress like the blind one, it
may not feel like we have been heard.
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Your many anxious thoughts may seem to block
any communication between you and God. But you are heard.
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The answer may not come when you want it, or
how you want it. But be patient because you have been heard!
If our Lord could hear the blind one amidst the tumult of
that crowd at Jericho, he can hear you right where you are.
Wonderful Counselor. You are heard.
A Wonderful Counselor is Smarter than We
Are
We go to another for counsel because that one is smarter
than we are. We do not go to a counselor who is dumber than we are. We do not go
to “dumb down.”
One night a man who had lots of status and knowledge came
to see Jesus. He sought out Jesus because he knew that Jesus had something he
was missing and he wanted it. There was a hole in his heart and he knew it. The
story is found in John 3. Nicodemus was like an empty shell.
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He was going through the motions and he knew
it.
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He had little excitement about anything and
he knew it.
Why would he seek out Jesus for council? He had every
status position a person might want. I’ll tell you why. Because he knew Jesus
had answers he did not have. Notice the way he began the conversation with
Jesus. He said, “Rabbi we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no
one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus went right to the point. He told Brother Nick that he
had his religion locked up his head and locked out of his heart. He knew all of
the right answers, but he had never asked any of the right questions. Instead of
religion he needed a living, vital relationship with God.
A wonderful counselor is one who is smarter than we are.
A Wonderful Counselor Asks All the Hard
Questions
Everyone needs a vacation from stress once in a while. So
Jesus took his disciples to a beautiful place at the foothills of snowcapped Mt.
Hermon, called Caesarea Philippi. It was named after Philip of Macedon, the
father of Alexander the great. The story is in Matthew 16:13.
When they were together he asked them, “Who are they saying
that I am?” They gave various answers all of them flattering. Some say he was
Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets who had come back to life.” That is
heavy stuff to be compared to those two guys. That is like comparing a musician
to Mozart or Beethoven. Jesus might have said, “Hey, guys, that’s nice. Thanks
for noticing me.”
But the best kind of counselor is not there to receive
admiration or commendation. He or she is there to ask the hard questions. Jesus
asks two that are zingers. But what about you? Who do you say that I am?
Have you ever thought of the power of the right question at
the right time? And the powerless impact of the wrong word at the wrong time.
Steve Stephens brought together a group and came up with 27
Things Not to Say to your Spouse.
The first was, “I told you so.” The second was, “You’re
just like your mother.” Another was, “It’s all your fault.” And another, “I
don’t know why I put up with you.”
You know there is nothing like that in the teachings of
Jesus. But he was a master at asking questions that force us to face ourselves
and to face ourselves in the presence of God. He knows the most basic spiritual
question of all is, “Who do you say that I am?”
You say, “I don’t need that question, I’ve been a Christian
twenty years.” Well, are you overcome with anxiety and fear and wonder what is
going to happen next. In the midst of your anxiety, who do you think Jesus is?
If he is really God, where is your trust?”
You say, “I’ve thought about that question a lot. But I’ve
never been able to really say, “I believe Jesus is God’s Son and my Savior and I
want to surrender my life to him.” I respect your honesty and your integrity.
But why would you postpone linking up with the Eternal Friend who promised never
to leave you nor forsake you?”
You say, “I am a Christian but I need spiritual strength
for my family, for my job, for my decisions. Maybe I’ve forgotten who Jesus
really is and the powerful experience I used to have with him.” Maybe so. And
Jesus gets to the heart of it all, doesn’t he, when he asks, “Who do you say
that I am?” What a better time to return to spiritual home than at Christmas
time.
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