Jesus Was Not an Afterthought!
Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7
December 18, 2005
Introduction
Well, here we are, one week from Christmas, and if you’re anything like me (and God help you if you are…), then the anticipation is beginning to build.
The presents are starting to pile up under the tree, and the wondering of just what’s in them is starting to get a bit intense.
I can’t wait for my kids to open all their gifts and find all the socks and underwear that Deb and I got for them!
Today I want to discuss something that maybe isn’t in the forefront of most people’s thinking I guess, but may be in the back of some people’s minds as we go through the season.
And it’s the idea that maybe Jesus was just the “final solution” for the world’s problems.
“God tried giving the law, but that didn’t work, so he sent prophets, but that didn’t work, either, neither did war and famine. So maybe he just kinda looked around heaven, and saw Jesus wandering around with nothing do to, so he said, “Son, I need you do something for me.”
“I need you to go down to earth as a baby, grow up, be ridiculed, mocked, and finally killed, but then I’ll raise you up, okay?
“I need you to do this, because I’ve run out of other ideas to bring people to myself. Whattya say?”
Nope – Jesus wasn’t an afterthought. I want to explore that a bit as we spend a few minutes together today, okay?
I’d ask you to turn with me in your Bibles to Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7 (page 489)–
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan--
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
My plan for today is to not just put to rest a myth, but also to give you something that you can use to build your faith in God and in his purposes.
Something that helps you appreciate the love God has for you, and that helps you fall in love with him all the more.
Let’s get started by looking first at the fact that…
Jesus was the plan from the beginning!
The plan that was put into motion at the first Christmas was always the plan, right from the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:15 –
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
This “seed,” which is the first reference to the Messiah in Scripture, would come in the form of a baby from Galilee.
And this baby would be referred to in Scripture by four titles as seen by our passage in Isaiah:
* Wonderful Counselor.
“Counselor” here is used in the sense of someone who gives direction, specifically in the ways of God.
This Wonderful Counselor would be characterized by authoritatively teaching God’s ways.
His would be the final authority. And as we look at the life of Jesus while he was on earth, he did this all the time.
People were constantly amazed at not just the content of his messages, but also by the authority he had in proclaiming them.
And when he comes again, his word will not be challenged, but rather recognized as the authoritative truth of God Almighty.
And this leads to the second title used of the Messiah here in Isaiah, and that is…
* Mighty God.
Not just a “mighty person” or “mighty ruler.” Mighty God.
The Messiah was also God. This is a great reference to the fact that there is a “son” and that he is a part of the Trinity – One God.
The Messiah would do things no mere human could do – it would take God himself.
God, in the form of a human – Jesus.
One of these days, we’ll explore the whole issue of Jesus and the fact that he was not only human, but divine as well. We don’t have time today, but let me just say that the Bible is very clear that Jesus was eternal like the Father, and has the divine authority given to him by the Father, according to Matthew 28.
He is the Mighty God. He is also called…
* Everlasting Father
Huh? How could the Father also be the Son? And how could the Father be born as a human baby?
The best explanation, in my opinion, is that his kingdom will be characterized by a “fatherly rule.” It will be caring, firm, loving, and all that it entails.
He is not saying that the Son is the Father – he is saying that the rule of the Son reflects that of the Father.
But the key part of this term is “everlasting.” His kingdom didn’t end at the cross. It was purchased there.
And one day, he’s coming back, and his kingdom will never end. And the good news is that if you are a follower of Jesus, then you’re part of that kingdom. How’s that for cool?
And then we have the last of the divine titles given to the Messiah, the baby who would come out of Galilee…
* Prince of Peace
Is there anyone here who wouldn’t want peace on earth?
Last year we looked at the Christmas story in Luke 2, and noted the words of the angels –
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
I mentioned the fact that it was erroneous to say, “Peace on earth, good will toward men,” because the peace of God is for those on whom his favor rests.
And that is all who call on Christ for forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven. In other words, those who have called on Christ to bring them peace with God through the blood of Jesus.
But a time is coming, when Jesus will rule the earth, and when he does, he will be bringing and maintaining peace with God and peace with each other, all living in the peace of God.
No more wars, no more despotic dictators, no more political parties, and greatest of all, no more political advertisements!
His kingdom will be one of peace.
Can you imagine the newscasts then?
“Well, it’s been another day of peace today. No wars broke out between anybody. Nobody sued anybody today. In a related note, the renovations of the world’s courtrooms was completed today as the last of them was opened as the newest church in New York City…”
Folks, this could not be done through just a small baby picked out arbitrarily by God.
No, this could only happen by the Son of God, present with the Father from all eternity, sent into the confines of time by living as a human on earth.
Three major lessons we can learn:
* God is never off the job, and never will be.
He’s constantly doing the business of redeeming people from what they deserve and giving them new lives to be lived for him.
Specifically, his plan to redeem us has been in place and active from the very beginning.
The words from Genesis were penned about 1700 years before the birth of Jesus. These words from Isaiah were penned about 1000 years later. Seven hundred years after that, the Messiah was born.
We read in Galatians 4:4 –
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law…
Two thousand years after that, we await the final fulfillment of the Messiah bringing His perfect kingdom to earth.
And as wait, we watch God working, one day at a time, one person at a time, anticipating the day when it all comes together.
Here’s the second major lesson we can learn:
* One day, Jesus himself will rule the earth.
The perfect ruler – perfectly just, benevolent, merciful, wise.
And here’s the really cool part: No more elections! No more politicians! No more political advertisements! And no more phone calls from candidates who conveniently voted to exclude themselves from having to abide by the “Do not call” laws!
Man, you gotta like that, right?
And here’s the third lesson we can learn from our time in Isaiah this morning, and that is that…
* God is excited to accomplish this!
Really!
God’s not up there going, “Well, I guess I’d better get going and get this “redemption” thing into motion.
“Man, why do I have to do this, anyway? Why can’t they just obey me and this wouldn’t be such a big deal.
“I’ve got a whole universe to run. I’ve got things to do. But nooooooo! I’ve gotta take care of these people.
“Okay, Jesus, get on down there, okay? Let’s get this over with.”
Sounds like a lot of us as we go to work in the morning, huh?
Folks, God is excited about what is happening through Jesus, through that first Christmas, and even now.
He’s up there going, “This is going to be great! Aren’t they going to be surprised when they see just I’ve got in mind for them. They have NO idea how awesome this is going to be!”
We can look with anticipation on the coming of these things, we can have a deep longing for it to all come about, and we can try to imagine how wonderful it’s going to be. And we can get excited about that.
But God’s excited for three quick reasons:
First, because he knows everything about what’s going to happen, because it’s all his doing.
Second, I think he’s excited about it because he knows how it will bless us.
I talked last week about the fact that we like to give gifts to our kids, and one of the reasons for that is that we want to bless our kids, and to see their faces when they open the gifts they get from us.
And we hope that the response will be good, right? You don’t want one of these kinds of responses: “Okayyyyy…thanks a lot…”
We want our kiddos to enjoy the gifts we get them!
I remember one year at Christmas. I think I was about 10 years old. That Christmas, all I got was books. No toys. Just books.
I loved to read, and still do, but when you’re a kid, you don’t want just books, you want toys!
I tried to trade with my younger brother and sister, but they were too busy enjoying their toys to bother with my books.
My reaction to getting them was, “Okayyyyy…thanks a lot….” The only book I remember from the bunch was Tom Sawyer. And I don’t know if that Christmas had anything to do with it, but I never read that book until I was married and had kids of my own.
Well, when Jesus comes again, and he takes his place as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace, no one’s going to be going, “Okayyyyy…thanks a lot…”
We’re going to be glad and joyous beyond measure.
And the last reason I think God is zealous and excited about bringing this altogether is because it will vindicate him completely. Everyone at long last will know and understand his plan, and no one will be able to question him. It will all be made clear.
I also think there’s going to be a lot of head-slappin’ going on. “Oh, THAT’s what that meant! Doh!”
So Now What?
Here are three things I think we should do, in light of what we’ve seen today:
1. Remember that there was never a time when God’s agenda wasn’t on pace.
We have a sovereign God. That means that he is in control, no matter how it looks to us.
He’s not a slave to human circumstances and he’s not a slave to human understanding.
He stands outside of all that. And the Bible is very clear that he’s got in all under control.
Second,
2. Rejoice that God holds all of time in his hand. The past, present, and the future.
This includes your past, present, and future.
You see, God wasn’t just thinking of the nation of Israel. He wasn’t just thinking of the Christian church. He was thinking of each of us individually.
He was thinking of you. No matter who you are, no matter what your background, God had you in mind as he set his plans in place.
You might have some things in your past that you’re not particularly proud of. Join the club.
But the Bible says that God’s mercies are new everyday. You don’t have to live in the past, but you can turn it over to God.
But the point here is that even in the grand scheme of things, the focus of that scheme is you – the individual.
And here’s the last thing I’d suggest you do:
3. Return the favor by sharing the hope of God in Christ all year long.
Folks, Christmas isn’t just a holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus. It’s a yearly reminder that the purposes of God are still intact and that one day there really will be peace on earth.
That one day, there really will be harmony among the people in the world, and that one day, everyone on the earth will acknowledge and believe in God’s one and only Son, because only they will be left to inhabit it.
And our responsibility, if we call ourselves Christians, is to show the way through Christ to as many as we can.
Don’t hoard the free gift of eternal life for yourself. Spread it around, all year ‘round.
Conclusion
Folks, I just want to say a few more words, and then we’re done.
Jesus wasn’t an afterthought. And neither were you.
Jesus was the plan from the beginning. And so were you. God knew you were going to be alive – in fact, it was his idea. From the beginning.
And God the Father loved you so much that he wanted you to have the greatest gift of all – eternal life in heaven.
He sent Jesus so you and I could have that gift.
So let me ask one more time: have you taken that gift for yourself?
Have you said to the Father, “I want that gift. I want my sins to be forgiven, and I want to spend eternity in heaven when I leave this life. I’m sorry for turning my back on you. But I’m yours now.”
Please don’t take this lightly. You never know if you’ll get another opportunity to respond to God’s love by taking Jesus for yourself.
So don’t go another day without Jesus. Don’t go another day without the assurance of forgiveness and a home in heaven.
You won’t regret it, and one day you’ll personally experience the great things described in the Bible – those great and wonderful things reserved for the children of God who come to him in faith through Jesus.
Let’s pray.
