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December
7-8, 2002, Isaiah
9:6, Selected
JUST
WHAT YOU NEED AT CHRISTMAS! SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTANDS! *** Isaiah 9:6 “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, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.” [New Living
Translation] *** Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the Lord will
rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel
and of power, the Spirit of knowledge….” *** Galatians 4:4 “But when the right time
came, God sent his Son….” [NLT] *** Hebrews 4:15 “We don't have a high priest
[Jesus] who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and
testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.” [The Message] *** Isaiah 47:13 “You have more than enough advisers,
astrologers, and stargazers. Let them stand up and save you from what
the future holds.” [NLT] 1. HOW
IS HE A WONDERFUL COUNSELOR? A. HE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE! *** Psalm 40:17 “I'm a mess. I'm nothing and
have nothing: make something of me. You
can do it; you've got what it takes—but God, don't put it off.” [Msg] *** Psalm 121:2-8 “My help comes from the
Lord…. He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will
not sleep. Indeed, he who watches…
never tires and never sleeps. The Lord
himself watches over you! The Lord
stands beside you as your protective shade.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” [NLT] *** John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and
he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.” [NLT]
B. HE IS ALWAYS UNDERSTANDING! *** Hebrews 2:17-18 “That's why Jesus had to
enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God… he would
have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would
be able to help where help was needed.”
[Msg] *** Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected—a
man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief...” [NLT] *** Psalm 55:22 “Pile your troubles on God's
shoulders—he'll carry your load, he'll help you out.” [Msg] *** Matthew 11:28 “Then Jesus said, "Come
to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you
rest.” [NLT] *** Deut. 32:10-11 “God protected them in the
howling wilderness As though they were the apple of his eye. He spreads his wings over them, Even as an
eagle overspreads her young. She
carries them upon her wings--As does the Lord his people!” [Living Bible] *** Jude 1:24 “God is strong and can help you
not to fall. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and can
give you great joy.” [New
Century Version] *** Romans 16:25 “I commit you to God, who is
able to make you strong and steady in the Lord….” [Living] *** Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you never heard or
understood? Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the
Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can
measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who
are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths
will become exhausted, and young men will give up.
But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will
fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They
will walk and not faint.” [NLT]
E. HE IS ALWAYS CORRECT! *** Job 12:13 “But true wisdom and power are
with God; counsel and understanding are his.” [NLT] $ TRUTH MIXED WITH ERROR! *** 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us
everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who
called us by his own glory and goodness.”
[New International Version] *** Psalm 16:7 “The wise counsel God gives when
I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart.” [Msg] *** John 6:68 “Peter replied, "Master, to
whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life.”
[Msg]
2. HOW
CAN WE BENEFIT FROM HIS WONDERFUL COUNSEL? A. BY SEEING HIS
COUNSELING! *** Isaiah 28:29 “All this also comes from the
Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.” [NIV]
B. BY STUDYING HIS COUNSEL! *** Romans 15:4 “Even if it was written in Scripture
long ago, you can be sure it's written for us. God wants the combination
of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture
to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do
next.” [Msg]
$ IT REQUIRES THAT YOU BE IN YOUR BIBLE AND
YOUR
BIBLE BE IN YOU! *** Psalm 119:99 “I've even become smarter than
my teachers since I've pondered and absorbed your counsel.” [Msg] *** Proverbs 19:20-21 “Listen to counsel and
accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel
of the Lord will stand.” [New
American Standard Bible]
C. BY SEEKING HIS COUNSEL! *** James 1:5 “If you need wisdom—if you want
to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you.”
[NLT] *** Proverbs 2:3 “Beg as loud as you can for
good common sense.” [CEV] *** John 14:26 “But when the Father sends the
Counselor as my representative—and by the Counselor I mean the Holy
Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything
I myself have told you.” [NLT]
D. BY SURRENDERING TO HIS
COUNSEL! *** Proverbs 4:2 “I'm giving you good counsel;
don't let it go in one ear and out the other.” [Msg] *** Proverbs 8:33 “Listen to my counsel and be
wise. Don't ignore it.” [NLT]
E. BY SHARING HIS COUNSEL! *** Psalm 119:13 “I'll transfer to my lips all
the counsel that comes from your mouth….”
[Msg] *** Col. 3:16 “Let the words of Christ, in all
their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach
and counsel each other.” [NLT] *** 2 Cor. 1:3-4 “All praise to the God…of all
healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times,
and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going
through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God
was there for us.” [Msg]
“You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom
and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven!” Psalm 73:24 [LB] |