by Leigh Ann Dilley on December 25, 2023
Our Advent journey ends this fourth week as we prepare to welcome our Messiah! Let's review: Week one — Jesus taught us to re-posture our hearts towards Him. Week two — Jesus demonstrated how He fulfilled all of God's promises. Week three — As God's children, knowing God's promises, we were created to respond to Him. In this final week, we remember who the Messiah is and why we can trust Him.
Isaiah 9:6, paraphrased, says for unto us a Child is born, a Son is given...and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. These are the names that describe Jesus; along with Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, and Messiah.
Wonderful Counselor — When we encounter difficulties, they're difficult because we lack wisdom and struggle with unknowns. Jesus is the wonderful counselor. He is our hope, He guides, He directs, He helps, He truly satisfies all we wrestle with, and He backs it up with perfect wisdom and love.
Mighty God — Jesus did not enter this world in grandeur with pomp and circumstance, although He could have. "God chose to display His might through humility and wonder in the ordinary." By doing this, He redefined salvation and deliverance, for He lifts up the humble, and His mercy is great! He is the true gift of Christmas.
Israel expected their Messiah to be a mighty warrior, a political savior, and it's true: He is mighty in faithfulness, mighty in love, and mighty in rescue. Because of His power and might, we can be quieted by His love.
Everlasting Father — Jesus is an everlasting Father, present at the creation through eternity. Jesus was walking proof that God's ways will last forever. When Jesus ascended, God sent the Holy Spirit to keep God's presence with us forever. Jesus is in us; that means we don't have to wait to enjoy eternal life, nor do we ever have to be without Him. We will never be separated, lost, alienated, or alone. We are forever sons and daughters of God.
Prince of Peace — Peace seems like an impossibility at times, but can you imagine life without Jesus' sacrifice? Without the peace of Christ offered through His sacrifice, we would still be enemies of God. The cross was the bridge through which Jesus removed the separation caused by sin. Jesus' peace filters every area of our lives: thoughts, relationships, labors, and trials. Look for the peace of God, not peace offered by the world.
Advent ends proclaiming Jesus as Lord of lords! Jesus is Lord, meaning He is sovereign and has authority over everything! So often we put ourselves in this role, but whether we choose to submit to His Lordship or not, Christ is the master over everything.
On Christmas Day, we celebrate the Messiah. No other word describes God's desire for us and His plan for us better than the name Immanuel, "God with us." When we broke fellowship through sin, God created the way back to Himself through Jesus. God's presence has remained with us, through the Holy Spirit, ever since. The evil one wants us to believe we have been abandoned by God, but Jesus says in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always."
I'll close with a quote from the author, Ruth Chou Simons:
Without God with us, we would not celebrate Christmas. Without Christmas, we would not celebrate the resurrection. Without the resurrection, we would not have the hope of eternity with God. Redemption — God's rescue from sin — has always been about being with our God, our Father, forever-unhindered, unashamed, unafraid, undone by the greatness and great love of God. God with us is the true gift of Christmas. He came to us first!
Have a Merry Christmas!
