As we continue to celebrate the birth of King Jesus, I want to wish you and your family a Christmas filled with the joy of knowing who Jesus is and what he came to do for us 2,000 years ago.
Isaiah 9:6 enables us to do that, so this week we’re focusing on the third title given to the Lord Jesus Christ in this verse:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
I have always found this name to be confusing. How about you?
Why is Jesus called “Father”?
Scripture repeatedly teaches that Jesus is God the Son. So why is he called “Everlasting Father”?
Dr. Joel Beeke’s sermon, “Jesus, Our Everlasting Father,” provides an insightful answer to this question. (See below for a link to access the sermon. It’s sermon #4 in the 5-sermon series.)
He explains that the phrase “everlasting Father” can be translated four different ways:
Everlasting Father
Father of eternity
Father forever
Father of the ages to come
“All four of those translations are accurate . . . true to the original” – i.e. true to the Hebrew text.
These four renderings have a common thread: they each emphasize that Jesus is eternal. He has always existed and he will always exist, because he is, and always has been, eternally self-existent. Because he is God, he has no beginning and no end.
Because we are finite creatures with pea-sized brains, the eternality of God is a hard concept to grasp. It is mind-blowing, breathtaking, and incredible! As you read these words and meditate on this truth, go ahead and let your mind be blown away; let your breath be taken away; let your head spin and make you dizzy with delight – this is who Jesus is – the one and only forever God. Along with God the Father and God the Spirit, God the Son was, is, and always will be Life.
In light of these truths, let’s bow down and worship this Jesus! Because he is the One who said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), he is worthy of our praise, adoration, and exaltation – today, tomorrow, and forever.
And to further amaze us, this eternal Jesus came down from heaven to give us what we don’t have: spiritual life.
It’s easy to overlook and even forget this profound truth: we are born physically alive but spiritually dead. We are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2:13).
After a good night’s sleep and a hot cup of coffee, we may look fine and feel great, ready to tackle our to-do list and start a productive day. Yet all the while, we are dead, and within a matter of decades, our bodies will follow suit and take us to the grave.
Because we are spiritually dead, we will end up physically dead, and there is nothing we can do to stop death from conquering us.
Dr. Beeke paints the picture accurately and realistically:
“Every one of us, if the Lord tarries, will face death. Death is no respecter of time or place. It strikes every minute of the day, every minute of the night.
“It claims its victims on land and on the sea; in the air, in the hospital bed, in the office; on the open road, on the sports field, even in the study.
“And every cutting edge of science is unable to deny it. Wonder drugs, intensive care, heroic measures, and organ transplants, must all give way to the demands of death. Our last appointment in life is one that we have not made and yet we cannot avoid, but God knows the date, God knows the time, and God knows the way.
“We can exercise regularly, we can eat nothing but health food, we can swallow vitamin pills and other food supplements daily, we can have regular medical check-ups, we can follow the best possible advice in micromanaging our lifestyle, yet the best we can do is maybe postpone a little while the inevitable.
“But the truth of the matter is, every 24 hours we live, we’re 24 hours closer to our appointment on God’s calendar book.”
He speaks the truth, does he not?
You and I have an appointment with death.
What are we going to do to prepare for that day? What is the solution to the inevitability and unavoidability of both spiritual and physical death?
Jesus is the only solution to our #1 problem: our sin and its devastating consequences of death and the judgment that is sure to follow.
Jesus can solve our death problem because he is the everlasting Father, the Father of eternity, the Father forever, and the Father of the ages to come.
He is the everlasting Father because, from eternity past, “In him was life” (John 1:4).
He is the Father of eternity because, as he said, “I am the life” (John 14:6).
He is the Father forever and the Father of the ages to come because “He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
Jesus can solve the problem of death because he is “the Author of life” (Acts 3:15).
Do you “know” this Jesus and his life-saving, life-giving power? If you “know” him as Savior and Lord, Redeemer and Treasure, you have eternal life, because “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
Do you “have” this Jesus? I pray that you do, for if you have Jesus, you have life and an eternally bright future, because “Whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12a). Should this be your situation, may the truth of having Jesus bring you much joy today and every day!
And if you don’t “have” Jesus, you don’t have life. You are still dead in your sins, and only God’s wrath and the eternal darkness of hell await you, for “Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12b). Should this be your situation, may the truth of not having Jesus bring you to your senses, to your knees, and to the throne of God’s grace.
NOTE: A 5-Sermon Series on Isaiah 9:6, by Dr. Joel Beeke, is available for free in audio, video, and written (PDF) formats. NOTE: The sermon quoted above is sermon #4, “Jesus, Our Everlasting Father.”
https://www.sermonaudio.com/series/142382
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