There are four weeks between now and Christmas. During these four weeks I am going to be using one verse of scripture to guide our thoughts. The verse is Is. 9:6. Look at the verse. “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. ” (Is. 9:6 NASV) Jesus is identified by four titles in this verse. I want to take one title each week and consider its meaning as we move toward Christmas.
The first title is Wonderful Counselor. I went to Webster for insight about this term. The dictionary tells us a counselor is someone who counsels. Duh! That definition makes me feel like I am going around in circles. More specifically a counselor is someone who advises. This person will help you sort through issues in your life. Sometimes that may not be pleasant but it is for your own good.
Joke: A counselor from a seventh grade camp was talking with Scott, a twelve year old boy, about Scott’s experience with ’snuff’ the night before. Two of Scott’s friends enticed him to take a dip. The snuff made the boys really sick. The Counselor asked Scott what he thought about the whole experience. Scott replied, "I won’t ever try it again and I’ve already told God I’m sorry, but please don’t tell my teacher Mr. Johnston." The counselor informed Scott that God already knew what he had done. The counselor asked the difference between God’s knowing and Mr Johnston (the teacher) knowing?" Scott explained, "God won’t tell my parents."
(Contributed to Sermon Central by David Elvery) A counselor will help you sort through things.
Over the years Judy and I have been blessed to have two wonderful friends who were Christian counselors. These men helped us through some challenging times. They helped us walk through Judy’s depression so that she has been made whole. They helped me walk through a period of burn out and helped me stay in the ministry. These men offered encouragement, affirmation, challenge and support when we desperately needed it.
Let me offer a word of encouragement. If any of you are struggling with marital problems, emotional problems (such as depression, burn out or grief), financial problems or other problems you cannot overcome, don’t suffer alone. There are a lot of wonderful Christian counselors out there who can help you find wholeness and healing. Some people act like it is a sin to go to a counselor when you are struggling. The worst thing you can do is to struggle alone when there are people available who can help.
What I wish to do today is amplify the positive benefits Jesus brings into our lives when we allow Him to be a counselor to us. I want to take these benefits and turn them like a shining jewel so that all of us might enjoy the beauty of Jesus. What are the benefits we get from a counselor?
1. The first benefit that Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, provides is a compassionate friend. When you go to a Godly counselor you will be assured of several things. You will be assured that what you say is kept in strictest confidence. You will be assured that the counselor will understand and support you no matter what you may say. You will be assured that the counselor has your highest good in mind.
Jesus listens to our hurts and pains because he understands. He created us and he understands the deepest needs of our hearts. There is a verse in Hebrews that speaks to this point. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are yet without sin.” (HCSB)
Illustration: We have a creature in our homes that is called man’s best friend. The creature is the dog. Why do we call a dog man’s best friend? I believe it is because your dog is always eager to see you. It does not matter the kind of day you have experienced. It does not matter the kind of mood you are in. It does not matter how you feel. It does not matter what your hair looks like. Your dog is always glad to see you. If dogs were eternal that would be a partial answer to man’s needs but they are not. Jesus is the only eternal friend. Because of this we need his support. We need Him to be our counselor. Jesus is a compassionate friend who loves us unconditionally. Unconditional love is such a hard thing to find.
Illustration: Pastor Lee Strobel shares this account:
We were doing a baptism service. We asked people who were coming to be baptized to take a piece of paper, write down a few of the sins they had committed, and fold the paper. We encouraged them to pin the piece of paper to the cross. They were reminded that their sins are nailed to the cross with Jesus Christ, and fully paid for by his death. After pining the paper to the cross they were to come to the pastor to be baptized.
At a later date Lee Strobel read one ladies letter. She said: I remember my fear. In fact, it was the most fear I remember in my life. I wrote as tiny as I could on that piece of paper the word abortion. I was so scared someone would open the paper and read it and find out it was me. I wanted to get up and walk out of the auditorium during the service, the guilt and fear were that strong. When my turn came, I walked toward the cross, and I pinned the paper to the cross. I was directed to a pastor to be baptized. He looked me straight in the eyes. I thought for sure that he was going to read this terrible secret I kept from everybody for so long. But instead, I felt like God was telling me, I love you. It’s okay. You’ve been forgiven. I felt so much love for me, a terrible sinner. It’s the first time I ever really felt forgiveness and unconditional love. It was unbelievable, indescribable. Do you have a secret sin that you wouldn’t want to write down? Not only does Jesus want to adopt you as his child, he wants to lift the weight of guilt off your shoulders.
[Abortion Guilt Removed, Citation: Lee Strobel, "Meet the Jesus I Know," Preaching Today tape no. 211]
(Contributed to Sermon Central by A. Todd Coget)
2. The second benefit that Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, provides is wholeness. Sometimes the pain and pressure of life will tear you down. You come away lacking confidence. It is a common thing for people who have been through trials to feel beat up.
We need the confidence displayed by the little guy who pulled a corn stalk out by its roots. When his father congratulated him, he beamed. “And just think,” he said, “the whole world had hold of the other end of it!”
Are you feeling less than whole today? Jesus wants to help you feel whole again.
In John 8 we find the account of a lady who was caught committing adultery. The religious Pharisees wanted to stone her, which was common in that day. Such drastic practices still occur in some Middle Eastern countries. Jesus, on the other hand displayed grace and compassion. He did not condone the woman’s sin. However, he helped her to be made whole. After dispensing the crowd, Jesus encouraged the woman to “go and sin no more.” Jesus desired to help her find wholeness. If a person remains in their sin they are not whole. Jesus is concerned with helping restore wholeness.
3. The third benefit that Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, provides is the truth. The truth is something we do not want to hear but we need to hear. Unless we hear the truth we might persist in living in our blindness. “The Bible says you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32) Someone has added to that statement. “The truth will set us free but it will make you uncomfortable in the process.”
A little girl was observed by her pastor standing outside the preschool Sunday school classroom between Sunday school and worship, waiting for her parents to come and pick her up for "big church." The pastor noticed that she clutched a big storybook under her arms with the obvious title, "Jonah and the Whale."
Feeling a little playful, he knelt down beside the little girl and began a conversation. "What’s that you have in your hand?” he asked.
"This is my storybook about Jonah and the Whale," she answered.
"Tell me something," he continued, "do you believe that story about Jonah and the whale to be the truth?"
The little girl implored, "Why of course I believe this story to be the truth!"
He inquired further, "you really believe that a man can be swallowed up by a big whale, stay inside him for three days, and come out still alive and OK? Do you really believe all that can be true?"
She declared, "Absolutely, this story is in the Bible and we studied about it in Sunday school today!"
Then the pastor asked, "Well can you prove to me that this story is the truth?"
She thought for a moment and then said, "Well, when I get to Heaven, I’ll ask Jonah."
The pastor then asked, "Well, what if Jonah’s not in Heaven?"
She then put her hands on her little hips and sternly declared, "Then YOU can ask him!"
(Sermon Central)
Remember the story of Snow White. The old witch looked at the mirror and asked this question, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all.” Did she want to hear the truth?
We are in the middle of the Christmas season. One of the movies that is played over and over is Scrooge. In that fictitious movie Scrooge is visited by three unwelcome spirits. The three spirits shared truth that Scrooge did not want to hear.
However, Scrooge needed to hear it.
Jesus Christ will reveal things to you that you do not want to hear but you need to hear. We need to hear truth.
• Suppose someone has a problem with anger. This person’s anger is causing him to have high blood pressure and relational problems with those around him. Does he need to hear the truth?
• Suppose someone has a problem with alcohol. His problem is causing him to lose his family and be unable to hold a job. Does he need to hear the truth?
• Suppose a teenager or young adult is playing around with premarital or extramarital sex. They might be facing an unwanted pregnancy. They might be facing a marriage to someone they do not respect. Do they need to hear the truth?
• Suppose a man is tempted by dishonest activities at his job. He might be facing a possible prison sentence. Does he need to hear the truth?
This is why people reject the Bible and reject Jesus Christ. He represents truth. It is easier to reject the message than to accept the truth.
4. The fourth benefit that Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, provides is a call for responsibility. A good counselor expects you to be responsible. He will not allow you to stay in your misery. He expects you to face your pain head on. That requires a willingness to change. Many times we see change as a bad thing. That is not necessarily the case.
• Let’s suppose you are in a car wreck and suffer severe injuries that cause distortions to your face. You go to a plastic surgeon and he tells you he can repair the problem. However, it requires some pain, surgery. It requires that he change the bad things which have caused you to suffer. That change is not bad!
• Let’s suppose you own and old house. The shingles are curling up on top of the house. The paint is cracking and peeling. The windows sweat during the cold of winter. However, money becomes available so that you can make all of the necessary repairs. Is change bad?
Change is not bad but we must be willing to take responsibility for it. We tend to live in a society that wants to avoid responsibility. We want to pass the buck to someone else.
The sheriff’s office in a Texas city once distributed a list of rules entitled "How to Raise a Juvenile Delinquent in Your Own Family":
Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. This will insure his believing that the world owes him a living.
Pick up everything he leaves lying around. This will teach him he can always throw off responsibility on others.
Take his part against neighbors, teachers and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child. He is a "free spirit" and never wrong.
Finally, prepare yourself for a life of grief. You’re going to have it.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Norman Lawrence)
I have elaborated four benefits that Jesus will bring into our lives. Before that can occur it requires that we admit that we need help. It requires that we admit we do not have it all together. Jesus can make a difference in your life but you must admit your need. You must confess your sin. You must confess your shortcomings. Jesus Christ is a Wonderful Counselor!
