Grace for the Race

Trust . . . Delight . . . Commit . . . Be Still . . . (Psalm 37:3, 4, 5, 7)

Psalm 37 is filled with words of inspired instruction, teaching us how we can rise above our natural tendency to fret.

There are many ways to define the word fret: to worry; to eat away at; to gnaw at. Fretfulness is something that plagues every one of us from time to time, and the results can be devastating in the life of the Christian believer — emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Fretting starts as an infection and winds up a disease if we do not heed the exhortation set before us in Psalm 37.

The first command is to trust. To trust is to simply place your problem in the hands of your Savior. Give it all over to your Lord . . . all of it — your problems, your worries, your sorrows, and your fears. You might well express this trust with a prayer which leads you to cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

The second inspired instruction is to delight. To delight is to enjoy the Lord — not because of what He has done for you, but simply because He is God. True delight is to focus on the Giver of every good and perfect gift, not the gift itself. Gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and delight in Him!

The third instruction is to commit. To commit to the Lord is to be “all in” with God in every aspect of your life. Do not withhold anything from Him as you surrender yourself to His wisdom, will, and way. We know that God holds our very breath in His hand and owns all our ways (Daniel 5:18 NKJV). Why would we not willingly and delightedly commit all that we have and all that we are to Him?

Finally, the fourth instruction is to be still. To be still is to center your heart on home. By home I mean the eternal dwelling that God has prepared for you in the light of His presence and His love — and remember who is in charge of everything. God is on the throne of your life every moment of every day. He is in complete control of the entire universe, and that includes whatever it is you are currently experiencing.

Many have been blessed over the years by following these inspired instructions. What about you? Are you ready to forsake fretting? Regardless of what it is you are facing, are you ready to trust, delight, commit, and be still, knowing that He is not just God, but your God? He has promised to bring you safely through any storm you are facing . . . now or in the future.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

In Wednesday’s article, I suggested that you take a “Backward Glance” to ponder the wonders of all that God has done in your life throughout 2020. Today I’d like to encourage you to consider how you will “forward march” as we launch out into 2021.

I’m sure that in recent days many of the people you came in contact with have greeted you with, “Happy New Year!” However, if that was all we had as believers to begin a new year, it would be a scant portion indeed. But thanks be to God, Christians have a great deal more than a mere “hopeful greeting” given to us by the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Today’s verse records the promise given to Joshua by God: I will be with you wherever you go.

You probably remember that Joshua was preparing to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land after Moses had completed his ministry of service to God. Joshua knew quite well the challenges he would inevitably face in leading God’s people. He had learned from Moses just how difficult the task would be. But he also knew, just as Moses had, that he would not be alone in the work God had called him to. And the same is true for you and me today as we begin our forward march into the new year.

To be sure, the new year brings with it both questions and concerns . . . doubts and fears . . . obstacles and opportunities. Will we hear a less than positive report on our health from the doctor? Will we find ourselves facing professional challenges? Will our marriage of many years march on for many more? Will we suffer the loss of a loved one? Will life ever return to normal after the onslaught of the coronavirus?

The list of uncertainties is long indeed. Yet we can hold on to something far greater than a hope for a “Happy New Year.” Why? Because we have God’s sure and certain promise that wherever we go, He goes with us. “Surely I am with you always,” Jesus says to His followers, “to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “I will strengthen you and help you,” our Lord has promised us; “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”: (Isaiah 41:10).

In that promise, I want you to remember something. “Going with God” is not a going by chance. It is not a random roll of the dice. God is guiding, governing, and directing your every step. He is in sovereign control of everything; nothing is left to chance or whim. So do not be discouraged! His promise to us — and it is impossible for God to go back on a promise (Romans 11:29) — empowers us to set aside every fear as we “forward march” into God perfect plan and purpose for our lives.

One final point: as we took a backward glance at the year of 2020, I made mention of the fact that it was a very difficult year, an unprecedented year in many ways. And for some of you reading these words, it may well have been the most awful year you can remember. You may have been battered by the loss of your job and resulting financial hardship; you may have lost a loved one. Your heart may still be aching from 2020, and the “march” forward I speak of here may feel like little more than a dismal “trudge.” I know this is true for some; I’ve spoken to some of you and prayed with you.

Just know that your loving Lord has not turned away from you, and He never will. Scripture tells us that, during His time on earth, Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). We know too from Scripture that He was “tempted in every way” (Hebrews 4:15), which means that he was tempted to give in to discouragement and despair, just as you may be tempted to do this day.

But our Lord is not disinterested in your plight! “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). He is ready, willing, and more than able to lift you up when you feel that your strength is at an end. In fact, He wants you to live in His strength, not yours, because His supernatural strength is infinitely and eternally greater than our own puny, human strength.

“Let us go over to the other side,” He said to His disciples (Luke 8:22), knowing that they would encounter a terrible storm on the way. But He also knew He would take them through that storm and past it. He stands ready to do the same for you.

“Forward . . . March!” Christian. Your Master is at your side!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. (Psalm 105:4-5)

Today and Friday we will close out yet another year of Grace for the Race articles. I want to encourage you today to take a backward glance at this year that is coming to an end to remember and reflect on the many and multiplied wonders God has done in your life. On Friday we will stand at the starting line of another new year and discuss how to begin from a spiritually strong foundation . . . and, Lord willing, cross the finish line even stronger than when we started.

Someone wisely said, “It is difficult to climb to the summit of the mountain when you are always looking over your shoulder.” True indeed, and yet a backward glance is beneficial for believers so that we can be reminded of all that God has done on our behalf. To be sure, a “glance,” by definition, is brief, and it must be so if we are to make forward progress throughout 2021. But make no mistake, taking a backward glance is the best way to close out another year of blessings that God has bestowed upon us. 

Please understand that a backward glance is not the same as walking backward. We cannot go back, nor should we want to. God is moving us forward into His perfect plan and purpose for our lives, inasmuch as we live it out that plan imperfectly. It is vitally important to remember that we must always treat the past as a school; I often tell our congregation that we are to learn the lessons from our past but not live in our past. Far too many live in the past, dwelling on past triumphs or tragedies, which prohibits any measurable forward progress. But this is not for you!

Take some time during the next few days to reflect on the past year, and make sure that backward glance includes recalling both your successes and your storms. There is much to glean from both life experiences, because God has delivered both to us in order to conform us into the image and likeness of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Let your “backward glance” bring to mind our Lord’s . . .

• Faithfulness and Friendship
• Discipline and Devotion
• Mercy and Ministry
• Love and Leading

I will be the first to acknowledge that the year 2020, with COVID-19, all the bitter political turmoil, and even violence in our cities, has been deeply distressing and discouraging. But know that the God of grace is still in complete, sovereign control of all things; not a bird falls to the ground apart from His perfect will (Matthew 10:29). We are not to be afraid, but trust in Him with all our hearts and ackowledge Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6). If you take your brief “backward glance” from that vantage point of faith, you will be encouraged and strengthened to launch out into 2021 with Jesus sitting upon the throne of your life, guiding you and growing you through every twist and turn, every up and down, and always walking by your side every step of the way.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

 Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). (John 1:42)                        

What a word of encouragement we have before us today! Jesus is so unlike us. Here in today’s verse, He gave Simon son of John His Almighty Affirmation – affirming not what Simon was that day, but what He would one day become: Peter, the Rock.

The name Simon meant “reed,” something that would easily be blown and tossed about by whatever wind was blowing at the time. By changing Simon’s name to Peter, Jesus was affirming him ahead of time and telling Simon what He was going to make him, by grace through faith: a rock, which is a symbol of stability.

It is very important to notice that Jesus did not withhold this name from Simon until he had gone about doing good works and proving himself. Jesus was not waiting for Simon to do more and try harder; no, Jesus simply declared that Simon’s new name would be Peter; in time, he would grow into his new name. Jesus does not merely see people exactly as we are at present (as he saw the Samaritan woman in John 4:18, for example); He also sees what we will become by trusting in Him and looking to Him for the strength to live out life.

How do you see others? Do you see their potential and their possibilities? Do you affirm them as the Almighty affirmed Peter . . . and as He affirms you? Remember, when you trusted in Christ alone for your salvation and Jesus raised you from death to life, your name was changed to Christian, which means Christ-follower. None of us will ever follow Christ perfectly on this side of the grave; Peter certainly did not, and neither will you and I. But in receiving the name Christian, we receive the promise that one day, when we cross the Jordan, we shall actually be perfect followers of Christ. May that Almighty Affirmation both comfort and challenge you this day.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11 KJV)

Today is Christmas day, and one of the most oft-asked questions on this day is, “What did you get?” What would your answer be? Never forget that the most important gift you can ever receive is Christ the Lord. So my question to you is this: Has this Savior been born to you? If He has, you are born again and have eternal life. If He has not, let’s take care of that right now. You need only to place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. He died on a cruel cross and endured God’s righteous wrath to pay the penalty for your sins, and He rose from the dead on that first Easter morning, providing proof positive that His perfect, sinless sacrifice on your behalf was acceptable to God the Father.

You can pray a simple prayer, such as the one that was uttered by the tax collector who simply cried out to God, “Be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). Confess that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and ackowledge that you cannot save yourself. Repent of your sins and surrender control of your life to Jesus this day. If that prayer reflects the desire of your heart, salvation is yours!

Now, here is a question I want to ask all of you who already have, by grace through faith, placed your trust in the Babe in a manger for eternal life: Do you look upon that Babe with astonishment? There are so many reasons that we should “stand in awe” of the Lord Jesus Christ, as as pastor and songwriter Mark Altrogge wrote in the 1980s. We shake our heads in wonder as we consider how He holds all things together by the power of His word (Hebrews 1:3). We might raise our hands in worship as we meditate on the truth that in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3), and we rejoice that He is the Author and the Perfecter of the faith that equips us to accept that truth (Hebrews 12:2). We could struggle to comprehend the compassion and love of a Savior who hung on a cruel cross, no doubt shuddering in agony every time He had to push up on the spikes driven through His feet to draw each tortured breath of air, yet looked down on those who had nailed Him there and prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

I could fill several months’ worth of blog posts with reasons why we should behold Jesus Christ with wonder and adoration and awe. But on this Christmas day, let us look at the words of one who was given a vision of the splendor and glory of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, in all His heavenly glory:

I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:11-14)

Angels and other supernatural beings stand before Jesus and offer their praise and adoration. In his great High Priestly Prayer to His Father, Jesus made mention of “the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5). Consider this, Christian, if our finite minds can even begin to wrap around this truth: From all eternity, Jesus Christ has existed in inexpressible and unimaginable glory and splendor in heaven. You sometimes hear it said that a particular person “has it all.” That worldly phrase speaks to possessions and creature comforts. But Jesus Christ really did have it all! He had perfect fellowship within the Godhead — perfect love, perfect wisdom, perfect glory, perfect peace.

And that is why you and I should stand in awe of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day: He didn’t have to leave that. He was and is “in very nature God” (Philippians 2:6); He was and is all-sustaining, all-powerful, all-sufficient, and in need of absolutely nothing. He certainly doesn’t need you or me or anyone else to make Him happier or more fulfilled. But He wanted us to be with Him! He loves you and me that much!!

Is it stunning and remarkable that this great, heavenly King left the splendor of heaven to be born in the filth of a stable? Yes, it certainlly is! But there is something that I find even more incomprehensible than the King of Glory lying in a stable. It is the fact that Jesus Christ chose to take up residence in a place more dreadfully dark and filthy than any stable; He has chosen to live in my heart. And in yours.

And so I join with Mark Altrogge this Christmas morning and sing to the precious Christ child:

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty, enthroned above.

I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God, to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You.

From the Boland family to yours: May this day be filled with the joy and wonder and the glorious promise of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

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. (Isaiah 9:6)

Today we will close out our month-long study on the four names given by the prophet Isaiah to this child who was to be born, this son who was given to us.

Prince of Peace – I have been saying throught this series that the four names given to the Cosmic Christ Child were intended to describe his rule, his reign, and the scope of his kingdom, but this fourth and final name bestowed on the coming King perhaps best sums up the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a world filled with confusion and chaos, we are first to recognize Jesus as the Prince of Peace, not chaos, regardless of what we see going on in the world around us. Jesus is still on His throne, and He is in complete, sovereign, purposeful control of all things.

God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

The very next thing we are to recognize in Jesus as the Prince of Peace is that, apart from Him, there is absolutely no peace available to us through anything else in this world.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Only with the Prince of Peace can we have the confident assurance that, no matter what circumstances we are facing, Jesus is with us to get us through them. With the Prince of Peace by our side, we need not fear today or tomorrow, for greater is the power that is in us than any power will ever come against us. Jesus has conquered sin, Satan, and the final enemy, death, which means that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37).

In looking back at the words Isaiah penned for our Prince of Peace (The original Hebrew for the name is Sar Shalom) at the deepest level, we are to see our Lord Jesus as the one who will sustain us through every peace-disturbing circumstance we face in this life. So now, like Peter, we are to step out of our own little boat, regardless of the storm winds that may be howling around us, and walk upon the water with confident assurance that our Prince of Peace has called us to do so. But we also must remember to keep our eyes fixed on the Prize, so as not to be overwhelmed by the winds and the waves. If we shift our focus away from Christ and look anxiously around at our circumstances, we will sink, just as Peter did (Matthew 14:22-33).

But don’t forget the rest of the story! When Peter began to sink below the waves, he cried out to Jesus, who immediately reached out His hand and lifted Peter back to safety. Even when we look away from our Prince of Peace, He will never look away from us. Now, that is a peace worth living for, wouldn’t you agree?

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I’m going to do something a little unusual this week and post a fourlth message here for you, one that I hope will help you prepare your heart to joyfully celebrate the birth of the Child who was born, the Son of God who was given to us and for us. He truly is our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. May we lay aside the cares of this life on Christmas Day, no matter how serious and pressing they may be, and give thanks and praise to God for His indescribable gift!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

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. (Isaiah 9:6)

Yesterday we looked at the first half of the fourth name that the prophet Isaiah gave to the Cosmic Christ Child: “Prince of Peace.” Today we will briefly unpack the second half of this glorious name that Isaiah bestowed upon this child that was born, this son who was given to us.

Peace – Entire books have been written about the peace our Lord Jesus Christ brings to this world and His people. In today’s brief article, I will identify two points that I am sure will prove profitable in your life right now, regardless of where this message finds you.

You know that the Hebrew word for peace is shalom, but many people do not know that shalom means much more than an absence of conflict. The full sense of shalom communicates harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, and welfare. When the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:14 that Jesus is “our peace,” he was reminding us that prior to Jesus showing up in our lives, we were at war with God; we were His enemies (Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21). This rebellion began, of course, all the way back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve thumbed their noses at God and went their own way. God underscored this awful estrangement in His first Gospel proclamation in Genesis 3:15, but He also promised He would supply the remedy for this dreadful state of affairs.

I will put enmity between [Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

In saying He will put enmity (that is, hostility) between sinners and the serpent, God was making it clear that sinners are friends with Satan and at enmity with God. Before Jesus changes our hearts, we God’s enemies, whether we acknowledge it or not; but when Jesus enters into our lives, He becomes our peace, reconciling us back into a right, harmonious relationship with God.

But that’s not all! After the fall in the Garden, we see that we are not only alienated in our vertical relationship with God, but we are also alienated in our horizontal relationships with each other.

The man said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it,” Then the Lord said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12-13)

After their appalling act of cosmic treason against God, we see the stranglehold that sin had on both Adam and Eve. The man blamed the woman and God for his own sin, the woman blamed the serpent for her sin, and we have been blaming each other ever since. Apart from the Prince of Peace, both our vertical and horizontal relationships are fractured and filled with blame and shame, enmity and hostility. I often tell married couples that your enemy is not the person sleeping next to you every night. No, the enemy is within you; our bitter, deadly enemy is the sin that always crouches at our door, seeking to dominate us (Genesis 4:7).

Here is what we must remember regarding peace as it is set forth in sacred Scripture. True, biblical peace is peace is the presence of Christ. He is our peace, and through our intimate, personal relationship with Him, we receive the first fruit of our justification: peace with God. That peace opens the doorway for us to begin to experience peace with others–all others–by living out the truths of the good news of the Gospel.

Tomorrow, we will bring both names back together to complete our Christmas season study of these four magnificent names for our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

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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. (Isaiah 9:6)

As we all prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this Friday, I am going to devote three articles to the fourth and final name bestwoed upon the Cosmic Christ Child through the the prophet Isaiah. I have been saying thoughout this series that in ancient times names were bestowed upon a king to describe his rule, his reign, and the scope of his kingdom, and that is exactly what Isaiah was doing when he announced the coming of King Jesus.

The prophet’s fourth title that finds its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ is “Prince of Peace.” Since Christmas falls on Friday, I am going to break the normal Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule of articles for “Grace for the Race” and post four article here this week. We will look at the first half of the name on Monday, the second half of the name on Tuesday, and both combined on Wednesday. Then on Friday I will post a special Christmas Day word of encouragement for you.

Prince – Moses was a prince for a season in Egypt, but Jesus Christ, the Greater Moses, is a Prince for all eternity. We saw this last week when we looked at the title “Everlasting.” For Isaiah’s original audience, who received this prophecy more than 700 years before the birth of the Cosmic Christ Child, the title “Prince” was easily and clearly understood. A prince was a person of great prominence and nobility who was responsible for leading his people–providing protection for them and caring for their needs. This perfectly describes the role of our Lord Jesus in the life of His people. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day understood Him to be a prince, but nothing like the one Isaiah was talking about! The Pharisees grumbled, “By the prince of demon [Jesus] is driving out demons” (Mark 3:22).

It is important to note just how intentional Isaiah was in giving the title “Prince of Peace” to the coming Messiah, rather than “King of Peace.” As we have seen throughout our study of these four magnificent titles for Jesus, Jesus is fully God, co-eternal and co-equal with the Father. Yet, it is instructive to see how a Prince submits to the authority of His Father and acts according to the Father’s will and not His own.

Our Prince was sent by His Father (1 John 4:9), and aligned His will perfectly with His Father’s will by becoming obedient through His death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Time and again, our Lord declared His submission to His Father’s will:

• By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)
• I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. (John 12:49)
• The world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. (John 14:31)
• I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (John 15:10)

And then, of course, there is the most remarkable example of the complete submission of the Prince of Peace to His Father’s will: As Jesus knelt in the Garden of Gesthemane, sweating blood in utter anguish as He anticipated taking on the terrible wrath of God for the sin of all of His subjects, He simply prayed:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

One final point about the title “Prince.” As a child of nobility in the house of the current earthly king, the prince would one day rise to the position of being king Himself, but he did not yet hold that position. In the very same way, while Jesus walked this earth and lived out the ministry for which He came, He was our Prince. But on that first Easter morning, after being crucified, dead, and buried, when Jesus walked out of His tomb alive and well, He now bore the title King of kings and Lord of lords. Praise His mighty names!

Tomorrow we will look at the second half of this amazing title.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

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. (Isaiah 9:6)

Today we will close out our study on the third name given by the prophet Isaiah to this child who was to be born to us, this son who would be given.

Everlasting Father – It should be no surprise to see Jesus described as our Everlasting Father, especially in light of the fact that He also demonstrated the qualities of a mother.  

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37).

Is it not staggering to see the depths of the love of our God as it is expressed to us in Christ Jesus? He loves us as a father and as a mother. I want to show you what I consider the most amazing picture of the Everlasting Father’s love for us, His children, which was expressed in His High Priestly Prayer, uttered just a few hours before His crucifixion. Reflecting on His care for His disciples, Jesus prayed, “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me” (John 17:12). Such is the heart of our Everlasting Father toward His children. He does not leave us to face life’s difficulties and tragedies all alone; He protects us and keeps us safe.

Before we close out our examination of this amazing name for our Lord Jesus Christ, “Everlasting Father,” let me say a few words to those for whom the name “Father” stirs memories that are anything but fond and happy. As a pastor I have counseled many people who had dreadful experiences with their earthly father. Some fathers were absent . . . some were aloof . . . some were angry . . . some were abusive. Most of us sustained what I call “father wounds” at some point during our upbringing, and those wounds stay with us throughout life.

To be sure, every earthly father falls woefully short of the biblical model and godly goal set before us in Scripture. I know I did; just ask our four children. I say all this to say that, regardless of our experiences with our earthly father, we must always look to our heavenly Father, who has planend from all eternity to prosper us and not to harm us, who loves us unconditionally, and who has promised never to leave or forsake us.

Regardless of where this message may find you regarding your experiences with your earthly father, keep looking to your Everlasting Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Jesus is everlastingly a father to those who trust in him.” The life of Jesus lays bare the heart of His Father in heaven — a love that our Lord has experienced for all eternity, a love that He demonstrted by dying in our place and on our behalf. It is a love that He now offers to us as our Savior, our Husband, our Friend, our Brother, and our Everlasting Father.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

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. (Isaiah 9:6)

Throughout this week we are looking at the third name that Isaiah gave to Jesus: “Everlasting Father.” On Monday we looked at “Everlasting,” the first half of the name; today we will briefly unpack the second half . . .

Father – The symbolic use of the Hebrew word Ab, translated in our English Bibles as Father, had the express meaning of “possessor of.” This child born, this son given as the Everlasting Father (or “Father of Eternity”) is the Father and possessor of both time and eternity.

We see this clearly stated in the Gospel of John, as well as in Paul’s epistle to the Colossians:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)

By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17)

It is important to address two common questions that arise regarding applying this title of “Father” to Jesus:

• “Doesn’t this confuse the roles within the Trinity between the Father and the Son?”
• “Doesn’t this mean that God the Father and God the Son are one and the same person?”

The answer to both questions is “No, not at all.” In my view, Isaiah did not have the Trinity in mind when he wrote these words, nor was he describing the roles within the Godhead. Rather, Isaiah was setting forth the character of Jesus Christ in His relationship toward His people: Father to children. This child born and this son given is to be the King of Israel, and also King of all those Gentiles who have been and will be grafted into His kingdom. And as King, Jesus will be Father to all His children.

• Jesus will pay the penalty for the sins of all of His children.
• Jesus will protect all of His children.
• Jesus will provide for all of His children.

We see in Jesus’ own words how He applied the title “Father” to Himself as the One who is able to reveal the fatherly character of God to His children.

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

“The Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:38)

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:10)

Again, Jesus and the Father are not the same person, but they are one in both essence and nature. As we read about the life and ministry of Jesus in the gospel accounts, we are also reading about the Father, who Jesus precisely represented, just as this prophesied name reveals. The writer of Hebrews explained, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3), and the apostle John taught that “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18).

One Sabbath day, Jesus healed a lame man by the pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda, and the religious leaders once again questioned Jesus’ authority. His response to these self-righteous religious leaders was as clear tot hem then as it is comforting to us today: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19). Here we see how beautifully the Son and the Father are one in their ministry toward man.

Remember, it was Jesus who said, “Let the little children come to me” (Matthew 19:14). Have you come to Jesus by grace through faith? Have you trusted in Him to pay the penalty for all your sins, to protect you, and to provide for you?

On Friday we will look at both parts of this name, “Everlasting Father,” together.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!