God’s extraordinary prophecy in Isaiah 9:6(KJV) proclaims, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Undoubtedly, many of God’s people were taught this Old Testament scripture as it was passed down from generation to generation. The manifestation of it then landed in the Gospels, as the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, finally came! Mary, the woman who was engaged to Joseph, was a willing vessel. The angel, Gabriel, gave her the Good News that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her. She would give birth to a son named Jesus, who would be very great and the Son of God. Luke 1:38(NLT) tells us that her response was, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
In Luke 1:28, the angel, Gabriel, called Mary, highly favored one, blessed among women. Our Heavenly Father knew every detail of Mary’s and Joseph’s lives and future. He knew they would be good parents for His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and He chose them for this esteemed honor. Our precious Lord and Savior left the throne of God to come to earth, and although he is deity, Jesus came as a human being. If our all-powerful, all-knowing God had wanted Jesus Christ to come to earth as a fully-grown man, then it would have been done this way, but that was not the case. Jesus was born from a mother’s womb like us. As a baby, he allowed himself to be one of the most vulnerable creatures on earth, and with a watchful eye, God entrusted his care to Mary and Joseph.
A Son is given
Before he left the throne of the Most High, Our blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, had not taken human form. He was indeed God’s Son, but our Heavenly Father’s plan for the redemption of humanity meant that His Son had to be given. He had to take on the form of a human being and become like us in order to save us. Hebrews 9:22(NLT) says, “In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” According to God’s Law, our sin makes us guilty, because our sin is rebellion against God and His Word. Romans 6:23 tells us that the penalty or cost of sin is death, and this was the weight and curse we carried before Christ came to the earth.
Romans 5:12(NLT) says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” Our sin made us enemies of God, and we desperately needed a Savior to restore our friendship with Heavenly Father and to rescue us from sin and death. We couldn’t do this for ourselves, so God sent His Son. 1John 4:10(NLT) declares, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” Jesus came to the earth not as an angel, but as a man who shed his blood and died an agonizing death on the cross so that we could be made righteous and live eternally with God.
The government shall be upon his shoulder
When Adam sinned against God, he transferred everything God had given him to satan, including his dominion and authority in the earth. Ephesians 6:11-12(NLT) tells us, “11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Wars, rumors of wars, poverty, violence, wickedness, crime, chaos, confusion, and cruelty, these and all other remnants of darkness and destruction are a result of satan’s influence over our world. Right now, the government isn’t upon the shoulder of our King, Jesus Christ, but one day it will be.
Philippians 2:10-11(NLT) proclaims, “10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In the world today, every knee has not bowed, and every tongue has not confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, quite the contrary. In these modern times, people are finding new ways to rebel and reject God and His Word, but one day this will all cease. On that glorious day when our Lord and Master returns to the earth, he will set up his Kingdom, a Kingdom that will never end. The government will be on his shoulder, and it will be a government of his peace, love, joy, and power.
Wonderful, Counsellor
Jesus Christ is our wonderful counsellor, and he is so deserving of this title. There isn’t a detail about any aspect of our lives that he doesn’t know, and he wants to help us with any problems or obstacles we may face. Hebrews 4:14-15(NLT) tells us, “14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” Jesus Christ is our Mediator and Advocate, and he’s a member of the Most Holy Council of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
So often we face situations in life that confound us. It seems that there isn’t a solution, but that is never the case. Jesus is the answer to all our problems. He invites us in Matthew 11:28-30(NLT), “28 Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Jesus paid the price for our sins because he loves us so much. He deserves to be the first resource we turn to, not the last. Whether it’s mental, emotional, physical or spiritual, through our faith in him, he will help us to overcome.
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace
Romans 5:1(NLT) tells us, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” We grossly underestimate the level of gratitude that our God deserves for rescuing us from death and darkness through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. No one could do for us what God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to accomplish on the earth. The awe, majesty, honor, praise, and glory that we should have for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should far exceed the adoration and devotion we have for any other person or thing. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and because he is, our hope in him will never disappoint us, because he has all power and authority. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and one day the whole world will know it!■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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