Our Eternal Father Series

Our Eternal Father

Three weeks ago we started a series of sermons based on Isaiah chapter nine and verse six. Let’s go ahead and read our focal passage at this time.

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (NASV)

This prophecy of the coming Christ was given hundreds of years before his birth. This prophecy of this child’s birth tells us that this child would be special – that the child would be unique. Of course the One that Isaiah is speaking of is Jesus. According to Isaiah chapter nine, He would be called:

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Eternal Father

The Prince of Peace

Today we will look at Christ as our Eternal Father.

To tell you the truth I have some trouble when it comes to useing this term for Jesus. I have no problem believing that Jesus is eternal but I do have some trouble calling Him – Father. Here’s the reason – there are three persons in the trinity. There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three in one – three persons yet one God. Now I’m not going to discuss the trinity in depth in this sermon – we will save that for another time – but if I call Jesus our Eternal Father it creates a dilemma in my mind because we already have God the Father. There is but one Father in the Godhead. There is but one Father in the trinity. The Holy Spirit is not the Father – Jesus is not the Father – the Father is the Father. This troubles my mind. So why does Isaiah call Jesus – Eternal Father?

I did some study and this is what I have come up with. Here is an option.

What title do we as Americans give to George Washington? We call him the Father of Our Nation. In fact we call those people who were here as our nation was being formed – Our Founding Fathers. We have no problem calling them “fathers” of our nation because they were involved in its conception. They were there as our nation was being formed. Interesting! Could that be what the title – Eternal Father – is referring to?

I dug a little deeper and here is what I found. Some of the every early translations of the Bible rendered the title Eternal Father as: “Father of the future age.” (Vulgate) It could also be translated, “The Father of eternity.” (Gill)

When I understand Christ’s title in this sense – it is much less puzzling to me and much less uncomfortable to call Jesus my Eternal Father. I know that Christ has and will live forever. I know that it is Christ who will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords in eternity. I know it is Christ who has given us the ability to have eternal life. In this sense He is truly the Father of Eternity. It is through His sacrifice that I will be able to live forever. He is the Father of Eternity.

I find in the scripture that Christ has always existed. Forever! Look with me at John chapter one.

“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” … “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4; 14 (NKJV)

What the Bible teaches is that Jesus is eternal. He was in the beginning. He was involved in the creation of all things – in fact nothing exists that He did not create. He was with God. He is God – yet He became man. He is the Father of Creation. He is truly our Eternal Father.

Today as we look at Jesus being our Eternal Father we are going to look at three qualities of what Eternal Father means for us. The first is:

1. Christ’s CHARACTER does not change.

The contemporary Christian composer and artist Chris Tomlin’s song “Forever” is right on target in praising God as our Eternal Father for His goodness, faithfulness, love, and mercy. The words found in that song are:

Give thanks to the Lord

Our God and King

His love endures forever.

For He is good, He is above all things

His love endures forever.

From the rising to the setting sun