Well, good morning. My name is John Most. I'm one of the pastoral residents here at Grace and Peace, and I have the pleasure this morning of continuing our series through Isaiah chapter 9. Our series is called Christmas in Isaiah, and we are surveying, going through these four names of the Messiah that this prophecy gives to us. In our first week, Pastor Fee, he went over the name Wonderful Counselor, and he showed us that this Messiah, this Wonderful Counselor, that He knows where we are in life. He knows where we need to be, where we need to go, and that He has the power to take us there. And last week, we heard from Pastor Shane as he talked about the Mighty God. the mighty God who is mighty in our weakness and who wins through weakness, that the moment of greatest weakness, the cross, was the source of the greatest victory, and that His power is made perfect in our weakness. And this week, we're going to unpack the next of these names, the Everlasting Father. And so I want you to join me as I turn to Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 through 7. It's the same passage we've been reading each week and we're going to read it again. And so if you would please give your attention to it. Hear the word of the Lord. But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the latter time, he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shown. You have multiplied the nation. you have increased its joy. They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 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. of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. This is the word of the Lord. So, this week we are covering this third name of Christ, Everlasting Father. Now, this can be a little confusing for us as we think about the Trinity, right? The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And so I want to take a moment and just kind of note that this passage is not confusing the persons of the Trinity. It's actually telling us about the nature of this promised child. It's also telling us about his role in relation to us. And it's also giving us the length of his rule and reign. You know, when we think of the word everlasting or eternal, some translations will say eternal, this is talking about somebody who transcends time and space. It's talking about somebody who's eternal, who's infinite. The alpha and omega. The beginning and the end. The one who was and is and is to come. The creator, the very creator of time itself. And the author of all things. And so it gives us this term that expresses transcendence and eternality, everlasting. And then it also pairs that with this word father. The word father is personal. It's not a transcendent term, it's a personal term, a familial term. It's also an ancestral term. And it also paints this picture of him as the originator, the first cause. And as we will see as we examine what this means for us, this passage shows us that the son, the child who's born in the manger, the son came to show us who his father is and indeed to become a father to us. The Hebrew just to unpack the the phrase here. The Hebrew is Avi odd and it means father of eternity So it's expressing that this child who's born in this manger is the father of eternity the very origin of time itself that He existed before time was, unlike what Arius, the early heretic who thought that Jesus was a created being, that no, no, no, this child has no beginning and no end. He is eternal. He always has been, and He always will be. In the Septuagint, it renders this as the father of the age to come. that this, this child born in this manger, he is the father of all ages past, he is the father of our present, and he is the father of the great eternal age to come. And so what we see here is that this eternal God who created all things, indeed time itself, that this, this God, he enters into time. He subjects Himself to the limitations of frail humanity. He enters into time and reveals to us the very nature of our Father, the very nature of God Himself, and He grants us adoption so that the Father becomes our Father. And so first we see that God, eternal God, beyond time, enters time as a baby. You couldn't write a better story. The eternal God, as Shane preached last week, the mighty God, the God who created galaxies and planets, who created every living thing, everything from the biggest star in the universe to the tiniest microorganism, the God who created both of those and everything in between. And it talks in Scripture about how He lays out the balances of the earth and that He stretches the line upon it. This God who holds all of creation in His hands becomes a baby. How do we measure babies? In inches and in ounces. This great, eternal, almighty God becomes a frail baby. You know, in Colossians, or Philippians rather, chapter 2, it says that, that Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not account equality with God a thing to be grasped. but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men. And further, Paul writes in Galatians that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, under the law. And so we see this creator of all time and space, the one who didn't need anything, he wasn't dependent on anything, that he subjects himself to a manger. to the frailty of humanity, that He embraces total dependence. Think about this, the One who holds all things together, as it says in Colossians, that all things are held together through Him, He is held in Mary's arms. That the very Father of eternity subjects Himself to an earthly adoptive Father. Now, the word father means a lot of things to many of us, very different things. Some of us have had good fathers, and some of us have lost those fathers and we miss them dearly. Some of us have had horrible, overbearing, or abusive fathers. The word father can be such a loaded term. And we assume that Joseph was a good father, but I can tell you from experience, there's no such thing as a perfect one. and the perfect eternal father of time came and subjected himself to being raised and taught by an earthly father. And this eternally omniscient son of God, he has to grow. It tells us in Luke chapter two that he grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men. The eternal God who is omniscient, he emptied himself and had to learn. He had to learn how to read and write. He had to be potty trained. He had to be taught how to eat, how to walk, how to speak. The very Word of God, who authored Scripture, had to be taught how to read. He emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And then this king of the universe, he establishes his throne, not made out of gold. He's not crowned with a crown of gold. His coronation is a cross. And his crown is one of thorns. But this passage tells us that his reign is everlasting. Just as he reigned in heaven from all eternity, He comes to earth. You know, it's interesting. When we think about kingship and reigning, we think about these monarchs throughout history, who reigned through conquering different territories and establishing their dominance and their domain, who reigned often with an iron fist, subjecting those they ruled over. We have Jesus come. the very king of creation, and we watch how he interacts with his creation. He heals the sick. He cleanses lepers, the untouchables. He is kind and lowly and gentle. We only ever see him rebuke the proud, but he's gracious towards all who are humble. And we hear His words, words that had eternal wisdom in them. He doesn't issue these spectacular decrees that bring Him glory. He lives a life that shows us the glory of the Father. In John chapter 1, it tells us at the very beginning that in the beginning was the Word. and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And that this Word created all things, that everything was made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made, and that in Him was life, and that that life was the light of men. You know, this passage talks about this people who dwelt in deep darkness, and then the light shows up. The light comes and dwells among them, and they behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And how do people respond? The light enters the darkness, and the darkness could not comprehend it. You know, Jesus said in John chapter 12, You know, he's talking to a crowd and he says, I have come into the world as light so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. He's quoting this very passage. The light came in the world. He brought light to the darkness. You know, we all have this short-sightedness to us by nature. We're short-sighted. We have, you know, people talk about starting a five-year plan. We have trouble starting a five-minute plan. At least I do. It's so difficult to plan for life with so many uncertainties. It's so difficult to walk Through this world of darkness, with any kind of foreknowledge, any kind of real sense of being prepared for what's coming next, life continuously throws us challenges and unexpected shortcomings and unexpected consequences and unexpected difficulties. But Jesus comes into the world as the light. You know, I heard somebody say years ago, you can drive all the way from New York to Los Angeles, all the way across the country, in pitch black darkness, if you just have a set of headlights that can see the road a few feet in front of you. And Jesus comes, as Fee preached the first week of this series, as this wonderful counselor who knows where you are, who knows where we need to go, and who has the power to get us there, and he illuminates the way. Jesus' disciples on the night before he was betrayed, they asked him, what's the way? Jesus had said, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. Nobody comes to the Father but by me. And so Jesus, he comes and he reveals to us, he enlightens for us who the eternal father is. The eternal son comes and reveals to us the eternal father. You know, it's interesting, throughout human history you have two kinds of religion. You have those who worship an invisible God, like the ancient Israelites. Those who worship this invisible God you can't see, but he's the creator, he's the all-powerful one. And then you have everybody else who worships idols they made out of stone or wood And you know, I think the reason that people fell into this idolatry where they make a god of their own hands They make a god out of stone or wood that they can see is because we have this this desire to see god We have this innate desire in us to have a God we can touch and see. And our expression of that has always been idolatry, because God is Spirit, He's invisible. But it's like this innate need, and I think it comes from the garden itself, because Adam walked in the garden. Before he fell, he walked in the garden with God. He saw God. ever since the fall, we've been blind. We can't see Him. John says in John chapter 1 that we could not see God, but that Jesus has come and made the Father known to us. And so God's response to our idolatry was to put on flesh, to come and dwell among us. to show us who God is. In Christ, we receive a God we can see, in spite of the fact that we're in this dark world that has blinded us. Because since we dwell in darkness, we can't see. But the light comes into the world and shows us who God is. You know, Christ, it says in Colossians chapter one, He perfectly images the Father. He is the image of the invisible God. It says that in Him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. So in Jesus, this man who walked the earth, who really lived, He is the image of the invisible God, that the fullness of the Godhood dwelled in Him. And in John 118, it says that He has made the Father known. You know, I got the opportunity to preach to the RUF students a couple months ago, and the passage that I was assigned was John chapter 12, and it was very fitting, because I got to preach about the Father then, and I get to preach somewhat about the Father today. And in that passage, Jesus said, whoever sees me, sees him who sent me. That what I say, I say as the Father has told me. And so, how do you get to know the Father? You get to know Him by examining the works of the Son, and by hearing what the Son had to say. Because in those works and in those words, we actually get to see the heart of the Father. We get to see who God is. Because Jesus has come and made the Father known. You know, prior to the coming of Christ and His ushering in of this new covenant, Paul said in Romans that we were under this curse brought about by Adam, our first father. That Adam, who sinned and fell short, and because of his sin, all creation fell into sin with him. And because of his sin, we are born in sin. Because of his fallenness, we become fallen. And then we have the second Adam, Jesus. And he comes into the world and ushers in a new family. He establishes a new humanity. And he establishes a new and better covenant. Not a covenant of works that is dependent on our obedience, but a covenant of grace that is completely dependent on his obedience. You know, this eternal God, He came and subjected Himself to the human life, and it required of Him obedience. You know, can you imagine knowing better than Joseph and still having to obey Him? You know, Jesus perfectly fulfilled all of the commandments, the positive ones and the negative ones. So He never did something He wasn't supposed to do, and He always did exactly what He was supposed to do. He obeyed perfectly. It says that He was born under the law, and He perfectly obeyed God's commandments. And in doing so, and in then going to the cross and taking the punishment that was due to our sins, He became a Father for us. An everlasting Father of our faith, an everlasting Father of a new creation. You know, it should not surprise us. If you're a father and you have sons, one day you know your sons are going to become fathers too. That's the nature of ancestry and descendants. And the eternal son comes and shows us who the eternal father is, and then he becomes a father for us. The author and finisher of our faith, who brings in a new covenant. and who establishes a new family, a new humanity. As it says in John 1, 12 through 13, but to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. You know, in our passage it says that this whole thing would be accomplished by the zeal of the Lord. It is the will of God that accomplishes this work. This baby being born in a manger, subjecting himself to time and space and to the law and to all the frailty and suffering of humanity and to the suffering of the cross in order to establish this new covenant. to give us the right, as it says in John chapter 1, to become children of God. And in Romans 8, 14 to 17, it says, for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs. So this everlasting Father who comes into the world as an infant and grows in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men. and then through whose words we come to know the character of God, and through His works we get to observe the character of God. Then through His suffering, His obedience, and His death, we receive this right to become sons of God, to experience the spirit of adoption. And so through Christ, we become children of God. The everlasting Father grants us Eternal adoption. You know, think about what a good father does for his children. A good father, he protects, he provides, he teaches, he disciplines when necessary, and he also leaves his children with an inheritance. You know, that's something that's talked about in the Old Testament. It says a good father leaves his children with an inheritance. You know, and most of the time when we think of inheritance, we think of money, we think of possessions. I'll tell you though, there are plenty of children who have received a large inheritance from their parents, and it didn't actually lead to any kind of happiness or thriving. And so to the fathers who are here, as you're raising your children, it is good to leave an inheritance, but the best inheritance you can leave your children with is Christ. And what Jesus gives us as an inheritance is the fruits of the Spirit. And what He gives us as an inheritance is Himself. Something that, you know, the stock market can't take away from you. You know, all it takes is an economy collapsing and your inheritance, a physical inheritance, it can evaporate. But Jesus gives to us an inheritance that moth and rust can't destroy. That no king or country can take away from you, that nobody can strip from you, that you can't lose, that you can't tarnish, that can't be destroyed. He gives you an eternal inheritance. He gives you himself. A good father also leaves you with a legacy. And this is what Jesus has given to his people, a legacy. For 2,000 years, his people have continued in faith on this planet. We've continued in faith. His people have weathered storms and disease and famine and war and persecution. and still meet on Sundays to hear His words and to receive of His body and blood. He's left a legacy. Jesus makes us sons of God, and He shows us the loving character of God, and He gives us an inheritance that is a relationship with God. and he secures our eternal standing. You know, one thing that a good father gives you is security. You know, if you've had a good father, you know you're safe with your father. And the scriptures tell us nobody can snatch us out of the father's hand. He has a tight grip on us. And Charles Spurgeon, he said this about this passage. He said that Jesus is an everlasting father. He said he is everlastingly a father to those who trust in him. You know, our fathers, our physical fathers, one day we all have to bury them. We have to say goodbye. But Jesus for us is everlastingly a father if our trust is in him. So we've seen that So we've seen that the God of time, beyond time, enters into time as a baby. That this eternal Son revealed to us the eternal Father, His character, His love, His grace, His kindness, His strength, and that He has granted us eternal adoption. So what does this mean for us in our daily lives? What does this mean for us in this Advent season? Well, I think in times, you know, we go through different times in life. Sometimes we go through a time of waiting. And if the eternal God subjected Himself to days and hours and seasons, He subjected Himself to nine months in the womb, He subjected Himself to the very time He created. And because of that, He gives us the strength to wait patiently. for Him to fulfill all of His promises to His children. We all go through times of weakness. And in times of weakness, we can be confident. Because the Eternal Father embraced helplessness. He became dependent. And so we don't need to despair in weaknesses and in limitations. We can embrace those, knowing that God's power is made perfect in weakness, just as we heard Shane preach last week. When we struggle with sin or doubt, we can run to the Father. You know, in the garden, Adam and Eve sinned, and they ran away from the Father. They hid. They had to cover it up. But we have a loving Father who's not going to throw us away. and we can run to Him. You know, we have this great example of this parable that Jesus told about the prodigal son. And when the prodigal son came to repentance as he's sitting in the pigsty, so hungry that he's longing to eat the pods that had been fed to the pigs. He says he came to himself and thought, you know, my father, his servants eat better than this. And so he got up and he went to the father. And it says that when he was still far off, the father saw him coming. And the father ran to greet him. Because in Christ, we have a father who's not withdrawn from us. He draws near to us, even when we smell terrible like a pig's die. Even when we're covered in the filth of our sins and the rags of our mistakes, he comes and he puts a robe on our shoulders. And a ring on our finger. And he kills the fatted calf and rejoices because that's the father. He loves his children. And this should speak to us in how we should conduct ourselves in our relationships with one another. If the eternal God humbled himself in order to restore our relationship with him, we should humble ourselves and seek restoration in our relationships with one another. And lastly, in worship. We serve a God, an eternal Father, who came down and subjected Himself to the limitations and frailty and suffering of this life to draw near to us. We don't have to admire Him from a distance. We can draw near to Christ. because He has first drawn near to us. And so as we go about this holiday season, this Advent season, regardless of what joys or sorrows you carry with, you know this. The Eternal Father, the Creator of time, the King of glory, He is your Father. You can call out to Him and say, Abba, Father. That's a cry of weakness. You know, if you've ever been a kid and fallen off your bike or skinned your knee or had one of those moments where you called out to Dad, that's what we have in Christ, somebody we can call out to. And this eternal Father is everlastingly our Father. And He gives us an inheritance that nobody can spoil, that none can take away. That inheritance is this relationship He calls us into with Himself. So let's worship Him. Let's obey Him. Let's listen to His words and imitate His actions. Jesus said we are to love him with all our heart soul mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves and If the very image of the invisible God Humbled himself and became a servant and he calls his followers to serve as well You know Jesus said the greatest among you will be a servant. I that the greatest among you are not like the worldly kings who lorded over their subjects. We serve an eternal king who came and served. And so this calls us to service, and it calls us to worship and reverence of our eternal father. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we come to you this morning and we are weak. We thank you that you are our mighty God. We are in darkness. We thank you that you have brought light. We thank you, Lord, that you are our eternal father, that you did not leave us as orphans, but you sent us your spirit, the spirit of adoption. And we thank you, Lord, that you are a prince of peace who gives us peace. In a world that is full of war and suffering and strife. Lord, thank you that you have reconciled us to yourself by the cross. You have given us the promise of eternal life through your resurrection. Lord, would you help us to believe it? Would you help us to run to you with our sins and struggles and shortcomings? Would you help us to bring our cares to you, casting them on you, knowing that you care for us? Would you help us to seek restoration and reconciliation in our relationships? Would you help us to be humble? Would you help us to serve? And Lord, would you help us to believe? We thank you for sending your son into the world. To be like us, but perfect. To give us a God we could see and draw near to. A God who isn't far off. A God who isn't just transcendent, but one who is imminent. We thank you for your forgiving us, Emmanuel. God with us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.