December 08, 2024

                                                                              THE COMING KING: WHO HE IS
December 08, 2024

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Are there ways people treat Jesus that send pain through your heart and disgust through your soul for the flippancy with which they refer to our God? For instance, it seems everyone, even Christians, constantly use His name in vain: their exclamations are so often “O L…d!” or “Oh my g..d!” Does this feel like a knife to your stomach? Some refer to Him as “the man upstairs,” as if He is no more than someone in a penthouse. God says in Exo. 20:7: “The Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” And Paul writes in Col. 1:15ff: “He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of Creation, by Him all things were created…He holds them all together…” Reading all of this passage puts God higher than any man can imagine. With Abraham we would say “I am but dust!” He deserves all honor and glory, power and wisdom, thanksgiving and blessing and praise!

Focal Passages: Isaiah 9:6-7.

The wonder of  Christ:                                                                                                                              

  • Read Isaiah 9:6b. When we read the word “wonderful” what are some of the meanings we attribute to it? What was the meaning of wonderful as used by Isaiah?
  • Have you ever seen something so unbelievable you could hardly put it into words? Read Judges 13:17-18. Who was Manoa talking to? What did Christ say about His name? Was it the same word used in Isaiah?
  • What do you think of when you hear these adjectives—Remarkable, Secret, Incomprehensible, Extraordinary, Astonishing? Does the grandeur of His name bring Him to a different level than ‘wonderful’? Why do we lose some of the wonder or awe of Christ when we say ‘wonderful’?
  • Read Col. 1:15-20. Do these verses put some of the amazement back into the reality that Christ is truly God Himself?

The inspiration of Christ:

  • What is the second designation of His name? What do we normally think of when we think of a counselor? Why is it so vital that a counselor knows intimately what he/she is talking about? What kind of guidance do they give? Have you had guidance from someone giving counsel—but no experience of your problem?
  • What was the difference in the coming Babe who would be a Counselor? Who made man? Who better to know everything about him than the One who made him?
  • What is the difference between someone you pay to talk to you for an hour, and someone who will be with you day and night forever? What are ways in which He instructs us in the way we should go?

The power of Christ:

  • Has there been anyone in your life who stood up for you during a conflict in which you were terrified? What did you feel when they came to your aid? How do you think the Philistines felt when Goliath would go out every day and taunt the Israelites? Did they feel the same fear when David came out? Were they impressed?
  • When we are at the end of our strength, money, etc. why should we not worry? Are we so tight with Jesus that we see the problem as solved? Does He want us to be?

Everlasting Father:

  • Many of us had a dad who was so much less than he should have been—and we may be scarred. What is the difference between our earthly dad and God our Father? The Everlasting Father may be paraphrased “One who is eternally a Father.”* Can we conceive such a thing? Read Ps. 103:13. How is God like a Father?
  • What does God say of Himself in John 10:11, 14? What is a good Shepherd?
  • Read Ps. 68:5. How can we get into a Father-child relationship with God?

The Prince of Peace:

  • Why have people always conquered by war? Have you ever known someone who conquers by peace? How will Anti-Christ conquer? How will the Millennial Kingdom be a kingdom of peace?
  • Read Rom. 14:17. Explain this verse. What is the root cause of war? How, then, will peace be established? Must sin be removed for peace to reign? How will that be?

TAKE AWAYS:

  • Never lose sight of the goodness of God!
  • When everything seems difficult, trust His power.
  • When everything seems out of control, trust His peace.

Close:

It’s amazing how different Christianity is from other religions. Jesus Christ was/is/and always will be God—the eternal One, forever in the past and forever in the future, God the Son. He is the only one who can claim He spoke creation into existence. He alone made man in His own image. And when man chose to disobey and sin entered his DNA, God Himself became flesh and came to this earth as a human Baby, 100% man and 100% God, living a life just as we live, but without sin. By doing so, He became the sacrifice that was perfect. He died upon the cross for our sins—no other religion has someone who has done this for mankind. He rose again and went back to heaven, where He waits until it is time to come for His children. He is the only one who ever rose from the dead under His own power, ascended back to heaven, and will come again a Second time. Such a story has never been told before. No other religion can last centuries and bring change to the worst sinner who can become a saint. How could anyone ever turn from Him when He calls?

By Sandy Day
December 08, 2024
*Young, E.J., The Book of Isaiah, Eerdmans, 1983, page 338.

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