Traci and I have three adult children. We named them at birth, but we have them nicknames through the years. I will share one. When our children were little, we watched our fair share of the cartoon, SpongeBob Squarepants. There are a number of characters on the show, but one stuck out. The owner of the Crusty Crab is Mr. Krabs, who is a red crab, and lives in an anchor-shaped house. I love this description of him: “He tends to worry much more about his riches than about the needs of his employees. Having served in the navy, he speaks like a stereotypical pirate.”
Now, one of our boys loves to save money. On occasion, his mother and I borrowed money from him as a teenager because he just saved money like no one else. So, he got the nickname, Mr. Krabs.
When the angel, Gabriel, told Mary she was going to have a baby, the angel even went so far as to name her child. Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31). And countless people find hope to this day in the name of Jesus. But, He was also given titles. Now, hundreds of years before Jesus appeared, the prophet Isaiah predicted the Messiah would come. Find Isaiah 9 in your Bibles as I want you to lay eyes on this prediction.
Background to Isaiah 9
As you’re turning, the year was approximately 725 B.C. Isaiah makes a prediction of hope to the people of Judah.
It’s here, some 700 years before the Wisemen gave, the Angels sang, or the Shepherds came, Isaiah explains what Christmas is all about.1 The prophet gives us 8 Hebrew words that are really four titles for the child we celebrate at Christmas.
Let’s look at the first two together this morning.
Today’s Scripture
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
One pastor called this predicted child to come the infinite Infant.
Naming a Child
Have you ever had the privilege of naming a child? Some people are better at naming children than others. I remember Traci, and I differed on one of our children’s names, and somehow I was outvoted even though it was one-to-one ?.
Here are actual names parents gave their children:
Robin Banks
Dee Zaster
Hazel Nut
Lowden Clear
Artie Chock
Rusty Nails
Justin Case
Stan Stil2
But I have saved one of the best for last. A woman named Helen married a man with the last name Back.
And her married name was Helen Back (like Hell ‘n Back) ?. I really hope that didn’t describe her marriage! I love the titles Isaiah gives so much more.
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1. For the Confused, He is The Wonderful Counselor
2. For the Overwhelmed, He is the Mighty God
1. For the Confused, He is The Wonderful Counselor
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Seven hundred years before Jesus Christ was even born, this prophet explained Christmas before anyone had even experienced Christmas.
1.1 Titles Not Names
When the Bible says the child’s name, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to call the child “Wonderful Counselor.” As if his mother Mary might have said: “Go tell ‘Wonderful Counselor’ that dinner is ready!” No, these names or titles describe His character and personality.3 When the New Testament calls Jesus “Immanuel,” it means that it is a title for Jesus. Now, why did Jesus deserve all these titles?
In other words, the wonder of Christmas is not just how this baby was conceived or even where this baby was born. The wonder of Christmas is who this baby was.
1.2 A Wonder of a Counselor
Isaiah tells us that this child shall be called a Wonderful Counselor. He literally is a wonder of a counselor. You can say that this child will grow up to be a wonderful planner.4 Isaiah says this child will know what to plan, and He will carry out that plan. His counsel will go beyond the human norm.
1.3 Come See a Man
When I think of Jesus’ wise counsel, I think of the time He spoke to the Woman at the Well (John 4). Jesus and this woman had a lengthy conversation where Jesus accused her of being an adulteress in not-so-many words.
“The woman answered [Jesus], “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” (John 4:17-18).
“So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’ They went out of the town and were coming to him (John 4:28-30).
She runs off, but she doesn’t tell her friends, “Come read a book.”5 She runs off, and what does she say? “Come, see a moral code that has changed me.” “Come to a seminar, Ten Steps to a New You,” or “Here’s self-improvement.” No. “Come and look at Him.”
She says, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.” Number one, He means everything to her. She says, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did” and she’s happy about this. Normally, when you tell a woman she has the morals of an alley cat, it won’t turn out that good. But Jesus has such incredible wisdom that He can tell you’re far worse than you imagine.
He uncovers the sin so He can lift your burden. He reveals your past so He can rewrite your future. And that’s why this woman runs back into town with joy. Not because she was scolded. Not because she was humiliated. She runs back because she met Someone whose counsel is so wonderful, so truthful, so piercing, and so full of grace that for the first time in her life she felt fully known and fully loved. And when you meet that kind of Counselor, you don’t say, “Go read a book.” You say, “Come and see Him for yourself.”
1.4 Mental Health Today
There are an estimated 60,000 practicing psychiatrists in the United States.6 Texas has around 3,500 psychiatrists alone. I think you’d agree with me that we have never had more counselors. And we’d never had more people with problems either. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly 23% of U.S. adults live with some form of mental illness. About 6% of adults are estimated to have a serious mental illness.7
Psychiatrists today treat us for
Depression
Anxiety disorders
Bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Substance use disorders
ADHD
and OCD
Some years ago, one of the officers who works security at our church was about to retire. He had worked as a police officer for around twenty plus years. So, one of our pastors asked the officer, “In all your years as a police officer, what is the biggest difference between when you started and now?” The officer didn’t blink an eye to say, “Mental health issues.” So many people have mental health issues in America.
Do you know what makes Jesus’ counsel such a wonder? He is uniquely qualified to counsel anybody about anything, because He knows us better than anybody else, including ourselves.
1.5 Jesus, the Wonder of a Counselor
“And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2).
No matter what you are going through, He knows exactly what you are going through.
He knows exactly how you feel. And He knows exactly how to get you through it. To be a true professional counselor, you have to be qualified. Jesus is imminently and preeminently qualified to be anybody's counselor. Unlike any other counselor, He already knows what you need before you walk into His office. He already knows what your problem is before you ask Him to solve it, and there is no problem He can't solve.
1.6 He’s the Gift We Need
Many people reject Jesus because they expect something different. He’s not the gift we expected, but He’s the gift we need. After all, Jesus did His public ministry for more than three years, and He only had 120 followers on earth when He ascended into heaven.
Why so few?
Because Jesus wasn’t the gift they wanted, every Jew was expecting the Messiah to come to destroy evil on the earth. Instead of coming in power, Jesus came as a baby. They wanted a political leader but got a wandering teacher for Christmas. Even today, we all believe our problems are caused by people out there. We expect Jesus to come to vanquish all my problems out there. He isn’t the gift we expected.
“The problem is my parents.”
“The problem is my children.”
“The problem is my boss.”
“That problem is the fact that, in my field, I just haven’t had a break.”
“The problem is that I don’t know the right people.”
“The problem is, I just don’t have the money.”
“That’s my problem, and if God were to come into my life and give me the gift I need, He would come and fix my problems so I am not so miserable.”8
Again, He’s not the gift we expected, but He’s the gift we need.
Jesus’ counsel is that you are the problem. The problem is not out there. It’s in here. The problem is not that other people are making you miserable, but primarily, you’re a sinner.
Primarily, you’re self-centered. Primarily, your big problem is the problem is inside. What you want and what you need is someone who will come and deal with your sin, who will show you your sin, who will die for your sin. One of the first steps to becoming a believer is to see your real problem. “Now I see the real problem is I am not so much a sufferer who needs a heavenly sugar daddy, but I’m a sinner who needs a Savior.” “I’m not somebody who just needs someone to deal with the problems out there. I need someone in here.”
1. For the Confused, He is The Wonderful Counselor
2. For the Overwhelmed, He is the Mighty God
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
2.1 He Enables What He Advises
Seven centuries before the star was shining, and the cradle was rocking, and the wise men were
giving, and the angels were singing, God revealed to Isaiah exactly what this baby, who was born in Bethlehem, was to be called.
Isaiah dipped his prophetic pen into inspired ink and wrote what would become a centerpiece of Christmas prophecy.9 Isaiah gives us this title for Jesus – Mighty God. What does that do for you? Jesus is not only able to give perfect advice; He is also able to supply us with the power to heed it. Because He is a Mighty God, Jesus is able to enable you to achieve what He advises! Jesus can energize your will or empower your hearts to do the very thing He advises. He can stir their souls to act on what He just told you to be.10
2.2 How Could God Become Human?
By the way, how could a child be called Mighty God?
Notice the child is a Mighty God.
Every time this title appears in the Bible, it always refers to God.
Now, this title puts Jesus in a class by Himself.
And it shakes every good Jewish person at their core.
Remember, the Bible says He is a son who is given and a child who is to be born. How could a child be called Mighty God? Every good Jewish boy and girl knows you can’t just run around and call people God, right?
2.3 You Can Call Me Elizabeth?
A robber broke into a home, thinking that nobody was there, only to find a husband and a wife in
bed watching TV. He pulled out his gun and said to the wife, “What is your name?” Shaking like a leaf, the wife said, “Uhhhh, Elizabeth.” He said, “Well, this is your lucky day. I can’t shoot anybody named Elizabeth, because my mother’s name was Elizabeth.” He turned to the husband, pointed his gun at him, and said, “What is your name?” The man, also shaking like a leaf, said, “My name is Harry, but everybody calls me ‘Elizabeth.’”
2.4 Deuteronomy 6:4
Every good Jewish boy and girl knows you can’t just run around and call people God. The Shema of Israel is “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Deuteronomy 6:4 is John 3:16 of the Old Testament. You cannot just call anyone God. Every good Jew knew there was one God and one God only. How could this predicted Child of Isaiah be called Mighty God?
2.5 Jesus Asks the Questions
I love the story of Jesus with the Pharisees when Jesus asks them a question, “‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:41-46).
In verse 42, Jesus asks the first of two questions. The religious leaders of His day answered the first question but were unable or unwilling to answer the second. “Whose Son is He?” This was an easy question for the Pharisees. Notice the end of verse 42: “They said to him, ‘The son of David.’” For hundreds of years, the rabbis of Israel during Jesus’ day had taught the people of God in Israel that the Messiah was to be the son of David. This was common knowledge to Jews in Jesus’ day.
Jesus keeps the conversation lively as He builds on the previous question: He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matthew 22:43-46).
Jesus points back to Psalm 110 in Matthew 22:44.
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” (Psalm 110:1) David uses two names in Psalm 110:1 for God, and both are common in the Old Testament. The first name he uses is Yahweh. The second name he uses is Adonai. Putting the two questions together, David, the author of Psalm 110:1, calls the future Messiah both his Son and his Lord. Because the Scripture said this (Psalm 110:1) and both the Pharisees and Jesus accepted every word of the Old Testament as breathed out of the larynx of God Himself (note the words in verse 43, “in the Spirit”). Because these words are Scripture, there could be no mistakes here. Jesus is asking how David’s son could be called Lord? The Pharisees were silenced, but they were not convinced. How could this predicted Child of Isaiah be called Mighty God? Surely, Isaiah, the inspired seer of Messianic prophecy, wrote words he may not have fully understood, but words that were completely true.
2.6 Clark Kent and Superman
Now, let’s be clear: Jesus was not a man who became God - that is impossible. He was God who became a man. A human baby cannot become the Divine Creator, but the Divine Creator can become a human baby. For you DC Comic fans, let me put it to you this way. Clark Kent cannot become Superman, but Superman can become Clark Kent.11
“The great mystery of the manger is that God should be able to translate deity into humanity without discarding the deity or distorting the humanity.”12
“Jesus is the only one born with no earthly Father but an earthly mother. He had no heavenly mother but a heavenly Father. He was older than His mother and yet as old as His Father.”13
What does this do for you? Jesus is the counselor who can not only tell you what is the right thing to do, but He also can empower you to do the right thing. Jesus cannot only tell you in any situation exactly what to do, but He can also energize you and empower you to do it! All this is because He is the Mighty God.
2.7 Handel’s Messiah
Like no other piece of music, Handel’s Messiah is everywhere you look. But you wouldn’t have thought that in the beginning. Trends in entertainment changed by 1741. Handel was aging, and he was struggling with his health. He was out of fashion, burdened with debt, and staring down the possibility of debtor’s prison when an opportunity for his greatest work appeared out of nowhere.14
Handel wrote the three-hour piece called “Messiah” (for chorus, soloists, and nine-piece orchestra) in 24 days … 260 pages of music! Some say that he pulled from music he had previously written. Still, organizing this much music is amazing.
The “Messiah” was created in the kind of dark shadows of the Enlightenment. Great Britain was at war. The infant mortality rate in London at the time was 75%. And so, 'Messiah' is a kind of piece of art that brings hope when you have all the despair all around. It's probably the most-heard piece of classical music on Earth, the most sung, and the most recorded. The “Messiah” is based on Isaiah 9:6 and has been in near-continuous performance since its premiere in 1742, continuing to the present. The baby gives us hope, whether it’s ancient Israel, Britain 300 hundred years ago, or even now in America. This baby will have God’s very might.
1. For the Confused, He is The Wonderful Counselor
2. For the Overwhelmed, He is the Mighty God
Endnotes
1 https://www.danielakin.com/wp-content/uploads/old/Resource_463/Isaiah%209.6-7%20The%20King%20with%20Four%20Names%20Sermon.pdf; accessed December 9, 2025.
2 I am thankful to Pastor James Merritt for this idea in his sermon. https://parade.com/living/funny-names; accessed December 9, 2025. See also, https://www.funny-jokes.com/funny-names.htm
3 https://www.samstorms.org/all-articles/post/six-gifts-from-god--isaiah-9:6-; accessed December 9, 2025.
4 Paul R. House, Isaiah: A Mentor Commentary, Mentor Commentary, vol. 1 (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2018), 271.
5 Timothy J. Keller, “The Living Water, January 10, 1999,” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013.
6 https://www.beckersbehavioralhealth.com/behavioral-health-news/all-50-states-ranked-by-psychiatrists-per-capita/; accessed December 9, 2025.
7 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
8 Timothy J. Keller, “His Names Shall be Called,” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).
9 https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-outlines/132001/divinely-human-1-of-3/; accessed December 9, 2025.
10 I am indebted to Sam Storms for these few sentences. https://www.samstorms.org/all-articles/post/six-gifts-from-god--isaiah-9:6-; accessed December 9, 2025.
11 I am indebted to James Merrit for this analogy. https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-outlines/132001/divinely-human-1-of-3/; accessed December 9, 2025.
12 Statement attributed to John Phillips. https://www.danielakin.com/wp-content/uploads/old/Resource_463/Isaiah%209.6-7%20The%20King%20with%20Four%20Names%20Sermon.pdf; accessed December 9, 2025.
13 Statement attributed to RG Lee. https://www.danielakin.com/wp-content/uploads/old/Resource_463/Isaiah%209.6-7%20The%20King%20with%20Four%20Names%20Sermon.pdf; accessed December 9, 2025.
14 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-story-of-handels-messiah/; accessed December 14, 2025.
