NAMES OF JESUS: Our Wonderful Counselor

Our Wonderful Counselor
Ideas taken from Tom Shepard…

Text: Isaiah 9:6
"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” (NIV).

This prophecy of the coming Christ that was given hundreds of years before his birth tells us that the child that was to be born would have some very amazing names. Of course the one that Isaiah is speaking of is Jesus. According to Isaiah he would be called:

Wonderful Counselor

The Mighty God

The Everlasting Father

The Prince of Peace

Christ as our Wonderful Counselor.

Two preliminary thoughts –
First, the idea of whether the titles Wonderful and Counselor are separate or intended to be together…
Let me say right up front that in some translations this title is separated with a comma – Wonderful and Counselor. The translators believe that each title should be looked at separately. Some translations put both words together to come up with one title – Wonderful Counselor. It is important to know that in the original Hebrew there were no punctuation marks. I do believe that Jesus is wonderful. He is Lord of lords and King of kings. He is the creator of the universe. His name is above every name – and at his name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess – that Jesus Christ is Lord. I know that he is wonderful, but for today I want to examine Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor.

The second preliminary thought is that the title Counselor – carries with it two meanings to us…one is the legal advocate who gives us counsel in how we are to proceed and then guides us through the legal quandary in helping us through a particular problem from a legal perspective…this would certainly have been the perspective of Scripture…In our culture, people seek counselors to help them through emotional or psychological issues…

As we unfold the thoughts behind the title, Wonderful Counselor, we will blend both perspectives…

In the book of Isaiah we find that the author speaks of Jesus again when he says:“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2, NIV).The Bible places a high premium on wise counsel. Wisdom and counsel are important. Let’s quickly look at two verses that talk about wise counsel.

“A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel” (Proverbs 1:5, NKJV).“The counsel of the Lord stands forever; the plans of His heart from generation to generation” (Psalms 33:11, HCSB).

Counseling today is at an all time high in our society. From Dr. Phil, to David Ramsey, to Oprah Winfrey, people are seeking advice. There’s certainly nothing wrong with seeking advice and counseling when you have a particular need in your life. In fact, the Bible encourages it. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that we, as believers, have access to most wonderful counselor imaginable – Jesus Christ.What makes him a Wonderful Counselor? I could list characteristics all morning, but let me give you three.

I. He UNDERSTANDS Your Struggles

In Hebrews chapter four we find:“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, NIV).Jesus gets it. He understands it. He can relate to you. Sometimes when we are going through a difficult situation and someone says, “I understand what you are going through…” it seems empty because unless they have been through the same situation, how can they possibly understand our problems? But Jesus does understand. He knows exactly what you are going through. When you come to him in need of counsel, he knows your situation. He knows your heart and he knows your mind. Because of this fact, verse sixteen of Hebrews chapter four tells us that we should: “approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (Hebrews 4:16, HCSB).Have you ever been betrayed? He has. Have you ever been wrongly accused? He has. Have people ever gossiped about you? Have you ever suffered physical pain? Have you ever been in physical need? Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever suffered loss? Have you ever been afraid? Have you ever felt that you have reached the bottom and there is no way up? He understands.The Bible tells us that: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14, NIV). Jesus was fully human like you and me. He knows how mean people can be. He knows how rough life can get. He understands your struggles.

Another characteristic that makes Jesus a Wonderful Counselor is…

II. He CARES For You

1 Peter 5:7 (CEV) says, “God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.”Some counselors only care as long as you can pay the bill. Not Jesus! He cares about you as a person. He cares about your character. He cares about your spiritual growth and emotional welfare. He cares about the pain you suffer. He considers you of value and of worth. Look at what it says in Matthew 6:26. Jesus is speaking and he says:“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26, HCSB).Aren’t you worth more then the birds that fly around? God thinks so! He thinks you have value. He thinks that you have worth—he thinks that you are worth a lot. He thinks so much of you that he sent his son to die for you – to rescue you from your pain and suffering – to give you new hope, new life and salvation. God cares for YOU!He cares so much that he will help you with your problems. He will help you deal with them. That’s why he is called Wonderful Counselor. He’s not going to leave us to fend for ourselves. You have probably heard it said, "God helps those who help themselves."
The truth of the matter is when you have reached the bottom, "God helps those who can’t help themselves." When you see no way out, God steps in—if you call on him. Here is another of his promises:“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV).Folks that is a promise! He will not turn his back on us. He will not abandon us. God cares for us.

Another characteristic of Jesus our Wonderful Counselor is:
III. He COMMITS Himself to You

Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with each of us. Look at what the Bible says in John 10:27:“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27, NIV).This verse tells me that Jesus speaks to us. If we have a personal relationship with Jesus, he is committed to us and he talks to us. How does Jesus speak to us today?

A. Through the BIBLE

Look at what it says in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalms 119:105, NIV).God speaks to us through his written word.

B. Through the HOLY SPIRIT

Jesus says in John, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13, NIV).You say, "Well I have never heard the Holy Spirit talk to me." Let me ask you, have you ever done something wrong and felt guilty about it? Good! That’s the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Part of his job is to keep us on track. He does that sometimes with conviction. Have you ever had a verse of scripture come to you out of the blue? That may be the Holy Spirit trying to teach you something.Have you ever thought about a friend or family member and wondered how they were doing? That may just be the Holy Spirit prompting you to send a card, make a call or write a letter. You see, the Holy Spirit still speaks today.

The third way God speaks today is:

C. Through the CHURCH

The church is the world’s largest support group. Every single person reading this room has problems.

We are all just fellow struggles trying to make it through and give God glory in the process. The church is to be a community where people can be open and honest about their struggles, where we can work together to overcome our problems.You’ve got people in this very room who have indured incredible trials…some of the trials you are facing now AND God has brought them through. Jesus the Wonderful Counselor has helped them and now wants to help you through these people …we are so hungry for help, but so unwilling to take a risk and get some help.

Proverbs has this to say about advice:“Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed” (Proverbs 15:22, MSG).When someone gives you good advice, take it! Seek out good sound advice. Find a fellow Christian who is wise; who is living a life to honor God. Ask them what they think. Ask two or three strong Christians. Seek out wise counsel. The church is here to help you be successful. God can use other believers to speak to you—so listen! I want to return to the thought that God is committed to you. We started reading from John chapter ten a minute ago. Let’s continue on:“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:27-28, NIV).Did you know that when you commit yourself to God, he commits himself to you? When you give yourself to him, he promises to hold on to you. Look at John 10:28 again, and circle the words: “No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” When God says “no one,” he means “NO ONE!” God will not allow anyone to keep you away from his love.

Paul understood this fact when he wrote in the book of Romans:“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NIV).

Folks, nothing can separate us from the love of God, because if you have committed yourself to him, he has committed himself to you.Let me give you a challenge this week: make an appointment this week with the Wonderful Counselor. Sit down with him. Open your heart up to him. Tell him what is going on in your life. Believe me—there is no heartache that he can’t mend. There is no problem he can’t solve. Why? Because he is our Wonderful Counselor.