Advent 2018: Wonderful Counselor

He Shall Be Called… Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 9:1-7

9 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 nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2  The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

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 greatness 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.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent simply refers to the arrival of a notable thing or person, and when we speak of Advent in the church, there is only one person notable enough to be celebrated this way. Advent is the church preparing for Jesus — preparing to celebrate his birth and preparing for his return!

One of the notable Scriptures that Christians use to prepare for Jesus is 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. 

This scripture will guide us in these four weeks of Advent. We will be looking at the names that Isaiah’s prophecy ascribed to Jesus well before his birth. Our first phrase is “Wonderful Counselor.” 

Isaiah is prophesying that a child will be born, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor. Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor! It is important therefore, that we know what this means. 

If Jesus is to be the Wonderful Counselor, what does a counselor do? Counselors offer guidance to people who are dealing with issues that affect their mental health and well-being. Many counselors use a “wellness” model, to highlight and encourage a client’s strengths.

A mental health counselor helps people deal with difficult emotions, mental health disorders and trauma.In other words, a counselor helps you determine the right way to go and steps to take to get you on that right way.

With that in mind, here is the context of the passage I read from Isaiah 9. In Isaiah 8:19-22, we read this: When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

Did you hear the words there? “They have no light of dawn.” “Distressed and hungry.” “They will see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.” Does this sound positive at all? It sounds terrible. But I can imagine that I am not the only one who has ever felt like this. There are times when our lives have not gone the way we hoped, and we grasp at straws. Some people will tell us, “God isn’t listening. Go to the sangoma or witch doctor.” In Bible words, consult a medium or spiritist. 

Instead, consult God.

Here is the thing. We often try to do everything on our own, but we have been provided with a Wonderful Counselor. He gives us the words we really need to hear. He reveals truth in 9:1: there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress

9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

9:3 Joy. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice.

9:4 You have shattered the yoke that burdens them.

It is only Jesus who can give guidance to us and lead us like a shepherd leads his flock. And it is Jesus who said this (in Matthew 11:28-30) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This is truly our Wonderful Counselor. Now understand this: a counselor is not one who just tells us what our itching ears want to hear. A counselor does not tell us “You are OK” when you aren’t ok! Some of my hardest moments are when I’m meeting with my counselor. Why? A good counselor will accept you just as you are, but is never satisfied to leave you there. A good counselor will deal with your junk. A good counselor will deal with your darkness. Many times we just want to deal with what is on the surface. We try to change our behaviors without ever touching what is under the surface. And our behaviors are kind of like icebergs. An iceberg looks like a floating island of ice, but in reality, for every small piece of ice above the surface, there can be kilometers of ice underneath the water. 

To truly counsel for change and transformation, a counselor has to help us deal with what is underneath. The motives. The deeply felt hurts and burdens. This is why Jesus’ words are so special, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

If our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we have to recognize that this transformation only happens when Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, digs up all of the “stuff” that is under the surface.

And know that dealing with all of this is hard. It requires new eyes to see things differently. If we are to be transformed, that comes, as we read in Romans 12:2, by the renewing of the mind. This is the realm and the job of our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ!