Please share with me to Isaiah chapter 9. This Christmas season, we've been going phrase by phrase, word by word through Isaiah 9 and verse 6. We're still only about halfway through. It is such a rich, remarkable prophecy of the Messiah. So, when you're ready, if you would please stand with me, we'll read Isaiah 9, 6. 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, Consular, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. May we pray. God bless every soul that is here with a greater understanding, love, acceptance for all that God has for us today, for all that God is. We ask in Christ's name. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. We find ourselves today on the word consular. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Consular. Jesus Christ is our Consular. The Scripture tells us about the Savior God will send to the world. We find great comfort today in observing that one of his names is Consular. Consular gives advice as far as how to live. Surely all about us is evidence of a need of reliable consul. Don't you agree? We see stewards of our nation's money insanely bent on spending greater amounts than we have or probably can ever repay. We see our culture which has lost sense of eternal values and priorities. We see families in turmoil. We see marriages in upheaval. We see individuals in confusion over purpose and direction. Thank God He has sent us a counselor. Oh, tell us how to live. We are sheep in need of a shepherd. Explain to us what we have done, how to undo the wrong, what to do now. Guide us, O thou great Jehovah. Pilgrims of the barren land. So, what is our Savior's counsel to us? I find that that verb or as it now appears a number of times in scripture. I think one of the most profound for us is in Revelation 3.18. So I'd like to ask you to turn with me there to a familiar text about the Laodicean church where Jesus Christ gives his counsel. This is one of his names. This is one of the reasons we worship him in a chaotic, confused, darkened world. He who trusts his own heart is a fool. We have been given a perfect, wonderful consular. So, we'll take an illustration of this consul. Revelation 3.18, I consul thee, this is Jesus speaking, to buy of me gold, pride in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. Here Jesus gives us three essential counsels. It is in essence that the poor become rich, the naked be clothed, and the ignorant be enlightened. We know that this consul is to the loudest sea in church. We'll start reading in verse 15 to get a little of the background. In this book of Revelation there are letters to seven churches, all of which existed at the time that John wrote the book of Revelation. But we believe there's good cause to see that not only are they written directly to those churches, but there seems to be a characterization of different ages. This last seventh letter to the Laodicean church is thought to be perhaps most germane to the church in the last days, which might well be us. It is a church that is noted as the lukewarm church. I know thy works, he says, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I, whether thou art cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Behold, thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." So here we find a church that considers themselves, and they may not say this vocally, but God is looking on their hearts, as those who have become rich. Well, we live in one of the richest cultures ever, and we may measure our status in terms of our bank accounts or what we have stored up in our basements or in our billfolds. Here's the people who consider themselves to be wealthy. Why? Because they've increased in goods. Therefore, they have security. don't have anything that they need. So they are evaluating themselves in terms of fiscal security, and yet they are ignorant of God's perspective on them, that they are indeed wretched. That's an extreme word, wretched. Hard to look upon. I'm reminded once when I was in high school and was helping my dad farm, was disking down a field, and across the open field came this wretched dog. It was a dog that was skin and bones, like a skeleton moving across the land. And the fur, chunks of fur were off his body. You could see bone along his tail. He had cuts. and bruises and scabs and pus and eyes, large bugs. It was an odd sight. Before I could do whatever I thought would be a good thing to do for the dog, it had kind of moved on. But it was wretched. God says, you feel you're secure, you're rich, you're doing well. From my point of view, you are wretched. Wretched. Pitiable. Which is what the next word means. That word in the Greek appears one other time in the New Testament. You might recall it in 1 Corinthians 15, that word miserable. That's where we read that if Christ is not risen from the dead, then there is no hope. No hope for us past death. And if that's the case, if in this life only we have hope, we are of all people most miserable. And the word in today's English would be something more like, most to be pitied. And that's what he's saying here, same Greek word here in Revelation 3.17. You think you're in this condition, but I tell you what, you are wretched and to be pitied, because you are poor and blind and naked. The different words to translate it, poor, and this is the one which is the most extreme. poor, it means decrepit, dust, dirt, poor, nothing, barren, bankrupt, a mendicant, nothing at all, absolutely devoid of anything of value. You are poor and you are blind, you don't see, you don't know, you don't comprehend, you're in darkness and you are naked. That's to communicate the humiliation, unpreparedness to appear before the presence of the King of Glory. I have heard of people who have had this nightmare of a dream that they find themselves unclothed in a public place. That's the sort of shock that the Lord is delivering to this church that as far as they know, things are going well. What a gap between their perception of themselves and God's declaration of themselves. So, that leads us up to our verse for today. Now here's the counsel of the Lord based on what he has apprised them of the situation. Verse 18. And I'd like to organize this counsel under three categories. Gold, guilt, and getting it. First, gold. He says, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. Let's observe first who is being counseled. It's the ones he's vomiting out of his mouth. He says, you make me sick. I skew you out. You're just what I don't want. Nevertheless, he does not say, therefore I forsake you. In fact, look how this letter ends. He says, well, verse 19, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Here's an encouragement. One can be just way off course from what God wants to a point where God says, you make me sick. But he says, nevertheless, I counsel you. I'm still riding this through with you. I still care about you. There's still hope for you. You can go from this to there. I give you counsel. I, the Lord Jesus, counsel thee." And what does He counsel him of? To buy gold. Well, we hear that counsel today, don't we? Buy gold, buy gold. Now, for some of us, we appreciate that might be a good thing to do if we could. See, what is it, $1,300 an ounce, or whatever it is today? How many pounds? That's not even the right wording. You just can't buy it, so it kind of goes by. I mean, it's the oddest thing here, too. I mean, that's a good thing. Those who are buying it and able to, probably a good idea. But there's some who just have no capability to buy gold. And if anybody, it's the Laodiceans. He just told them, you guys are poor. poor to the nth degree poor, my counsel to you is to buy gold that you'll be rich." What in the world does that mean? You just told us we are bankrupt and now you're saying go buy gold that we'll be rich. So what we clearly have here is a riddle. And may I say this is an extremely important riddle for anybody who knows the gospel, for anybody who wants to know the gospel to comprehend. In fact, this might be the determiner whether or not you do know the gospel, whether you comprehend The riddle. Jesus has just said that they are poor. The word, the root word is actually like cringing, like a cringing beggar with nothing. But he says, buy gold. Would you turn with me to Isaiah 55, please? Doesn't this bring back other verses in mind? The same sort of thing occurs? I mean, what's the idea of buying anyway? Are we not told? throughout the Scriptures that what we need is free. Anybody come, come, come. For by grace you are saved through faith and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Well, you don't buy a gift. Which is it? You're telling me I have to buy when in other places I'm told, receive. Don't buy. Don't need any money. It has nothing to do with you. It has to be what I freely give you. Well, this isn't the only place. As I said in Isaiah 55, 1, you have a very similar consul. Oh, everyone that thirsteth, come into the waters. And he that has no money, come ye by. That's the riddle. No money, but come and buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. The riddle could be said this way. What must be bought, but is always free. That's what's being presented here. What must be bought, but is always free. If I could say it another way, what is totally a gift, but will cost you everything. That's the riddle of Christmas. what is totally a gift, but will cost you everything. To know the answer is to know the gospel. And perhaps Matthew 16, 24 is the key. That's where Jesus said, if any man would come after me, let him, what's the next word? Deny himself. If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. What we must do is look at all that we have and see it for the value that it has. And we must let go of it all unconditionally. Not that our possessions can buy heaven. So let's go home, empty the bank account. We have one. Tally up our cars and our couches and our carpets and everything we have and say, all right, here it all is. What do I get? How much gold can I buy this? No, no. There's no exchange. Christ doesn't need any of this stuff. Well, let's see. What do I want to sell this gold? What's the price? It's free. But in order to purchase it, we must release our grip. on all that we have. That's the truth. It is not that our possessions can buy heaven, but holding on to our possessions impedes the free gift of heaven. I'll give it to you freely, but you're not going to take my gift and continue to hold on to your stuff also. Get rid of your stuff, go and sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and you can receive the gold. That's the deal. There's an old saying, he is no fool who lets go what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. That's what this verse is about. Well, I'm reminded of what we read in Matthew 13, 44. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field, for which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth, and what does he do? all that he has and buys that field. Or I think of what Paul says in Philippians 3, Yea, doubtless, and I count all things as loss for the surpassing excellence of knowing Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering. It says, For Christ, Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dumb. Paul could have held on to this, this, this, this, and this at the expense of receiving the gold. Not that this stuff buys it, but you can't have both. Let go of that and you can have this. Letting go. Jesus' counsel is to let go. Let go of your pride. Do not make it a demand on the Lord where, well, I always say Christ is my Savior. I want the gold. let me keep a good reputation. I want a good name in the public. I don't want people to mock me. Or give me 70, 80, whatever good years. Or I'll feel robbed if you don't. I want to hold on to this. I've always wanted to be, name your profession. I've always wanted to have this kind of a family. Name that. The whole 35 years here, I need so many years. I need so much possession. I need this level of health. No? I said, look, if I want you to die at 17, then that's the deal. If you can't take that, you don't get the gold. You have to let go. Let go of your pride. Let go of your plans. Let go of your possessions. Let go of your peculiarities. Let go of your preferences. Let go of your prejudices. Let them go. Now, it's not that the Lord may take all of them away. He usually doesn't. But if you're not willing to let go, then there goes the deal. That is the deal. I counsel thee, buy of me gold. Try it in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. Buy? I've got nothing. Yes, I'm poor. Yes. But what you have that you thought was riches, release your grip on them all. And come on in. Harder for a rich man to enter in. No, how does it go? A camel going through the eye of a needle? That's easier than a rich man going to the kingdom of heaven. Because he won't let go. Are you willing to let go of everything? That's the counsel. Paul says in Galatians 2.20 what? I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I. I am let go. I live to be a hundred, I live to be fifty. I have pains over my body, I live a healthy life. I marry, I don't marry. I lose my wife, I'm married and she dies. Whatever it is, it's in your hands. If you say that, you're home free. But Jesus says, I counsel thee, buy gold. Really, that's kind of a neat counsel. And you can be rich. Buy gold and be rich. Who doesn't want to get gold and be rich? You can do it. But as gold as I define it, it's rich as I define it. And trust me, it's true gold to riches. But let's return to that verse. It says, I counsel thee to buy of me. Jesus is the gold dealer. Buy of me gold. He is the source. Very important ordering of the wording here. Jesus says there's gold to be obtained. Pure gold. And he is the source. Here is wisdom. Recognizing that all is in Christ. And that Christ is all. Beware lest any man take you captive. Spoil you. Through philosophy and vain deceit. Under the traditions of the world. Tradition of the man. Rudiments of the world. But not after Christ, Christ is all and in all. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1.30, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1.24, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Colossians 2, 3, Jesus Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Buy it of me. Anything you want, he says, I console thee. Come to me. Everything is there. You can buy of me gold, gold tried in a fire. Tried in a fire is an expression as if it's just coming out. The gold coming out of the furnace and it is in absolute purified, perfect form. No impurities. The best of gold you can get. I've got it here. It's free for the taking. Come buy it at me without price. Take it. But what is the gold? I think we can say the gold is the gospel. The gold is the kingdom. Gold is life. It is peace that passes understanding. It is living water. Once you drink of it, you never thirst again. It is the bread come down from heaven such that you will never hunger again. It is milk. It is honey. It is fullness of joy. It is everything that your soul longs for. That's the gold. And he says, you're in this condition, I counsel, I counsel thee, even in your condition, to buy without price, gold, tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. Second word we're using is guilt. We're looking at his guilt. I counsel thee to buy me gold, tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. What we have here is one verb, buy, and two direct objects. Buy gold, buy white raiment. Buy two things. Jesus' counsel is that currently you are totally unprepared to enter into the presence of the King of Glory. You're improperly clothed. People don't go into his presence dressed like that. You need to buy a different raiment, put it on, then you can enter into his presence. I remember a few years back, maybe you do too, There was some girls' athletic team that was to have an audience with the President of the United States. And they were maybe college-age young ladies, and some of them had on sort of flip-flop sort of shoes. And there's a photograph taken showing the shoes, and then there's a public debate over whether this was fitting attire when you go to the White House to appear before the President. People have any sense of decorum, appropriate attire for the occasion. So there's still somewhat of a feel for that. That's what the question is here, big time. Do you understand you're going to enter into the presence of the King of Glory? And you can't go in just dressed however you want to. In fact, there's only one acceptable garment you must have on, white raiment. I counsel thee by white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. Any other way, they're just considered naked. So, here's the flow of thought in this verse. Buy gold. Gold, yes. Everything your soul longs for, it is yours. You can have it. Buy, I don't have anything. Okay, but what you do have, release your grip on. Come just poor and blind and naked to me, confessing this. And you're going to have gold, which is life, eternal life, knowing God. All of it yours. But, There's an issue. You can't come with it with guilt. God does not put gold in the guilty hands. You've got to deal with the guilt. And there's only one way to deal with the guilt, and that is not say you're not guilty, not do other sorts of deeds to balance off the guilty ones, and so you feel your present come in. No, you must put on something which is not intrinsic. This is in essence, this is putting on something from the outward, something which was not yours at one time. What does white represent in the scripture? Well, purity. This is white as you've never seen white. This is whiter than snow white. This is 100% purity. No darkness, no sin. This is a picture of righteousness. And it's called raiment because it is procured. It's not naturally ours and it is put on us. Now, how do we procure this white raiment? How do we get it on us so we can go in the presence of our God and receive the gold? Well, there's only one place, and that is the righteousness of Christ. He became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. In fact, on the verse, yes, would you turn to Daniel, please? Chapter 9, verse 24. The wonderful expression of that truth there. I cannot stress this enough, that anybody who goes to heaven isn't just a forgiven sinner. God does not look at you and me just as forgiven sinners, but he looks at us as sons of God. We are getting beloved. It does not yet appear we shall be, but the fact is We are the sons of God, we are the children of God, with all the righteousness of Jesus, all the righteousness of the Holy Spirit, all the righteousness of God the Father. This is not irreverent, this is not blasphemy when I'm saying this, because we are given the very righteousness of God. Recognize this. If you accept Christ as Savior, the negative is sin, shame is taken away. Positive is you're given the very righteousness of Christ. We go up to glory in Christ. It's like we're inside of Him, and God looks at us through Christ. That is our position in Christ. Even now, we're told in Ephesians, we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. It is a mystery. It is almost beyond comprehension, but by, of course, by the Holy Spirit's power. But we have a hint of it here in Daniel 9, 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in, for the next two words, everlasting righteousness. When one is clothed with the righteousness of Christ, this is an on-again, off-again thing. You're everlastingly righteous. And even if one were to die performing sin down here, They practically have sinned, but positionally, we have been placed in Christ, we are there. And when we appear before the Lord, even as the Bible says, when Jesus comes back, He'll appear without reference to sin. Sin's gone. The moment that we have on will fight Raymond. Isn't that an incredible phrase? Everlasting, eternal, unending, righteousness. That's the reconciliation for iniquity, that's the negative, Eternal righteousness, that's the positive. So, it says, if you want the gold, we can get you the gold. But we've got to deal with the guilt. Now there's a third issue, that's the final one. I call it getting it. It has to do with seeing what before we were blind to. Let's go back to Revelation 3.18 and we can close looking at that last phrase. Jesus is writing to the weakest and most cumbersome and distasteful, causes you to vomit, collection of so-called Christians. Well, they are Christians, at least some of them in there. Because he has some that he loves and he's rebuking, chasing them that they might come out and do the right thing now. And he gives them counsel to buy gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. And white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And now thirdly, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve. that thou mayest see. The Bible says in John 1-5, The light shineth in darkness, the darkness comprehendeth it not. Oh, the depth of a soul's ignorance that does not know God. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. How many smart people do we have about us in our time who are utterly ignorant of the things of God? Just don't see. They are blind. Now this is a judicial blindness. Would you turn with me to Psalm 69, 23. Here is an expression of the judicial blindness that has fallen upon all who have rebelled against the Holy God. Let their eyes be darkened that they see not, and make their loins continually to shake. Let their eyes be darkened. Let their eyes be darkened. Now, in John 8 and verse 12, we are told that Christ was appointed to remove it. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. And this is how Jesus describes a disciple's calling. Acts 26, 18. If you would turn with me, please. I think about this man who was blind and Jesus applied something to his eyes and told him what to do. He came back and could see a little and then he went back a second time. Now he can see clearly. Kind of a description of our life, isn't it? The Lord is opening our eyes to see more and more and you start recognizing what life is about. Acts 26 and verse 18, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. This is the Lord's assignment to Paul. by the grace of God to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light. I think of the former blind man, John 9.25, who said, one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. Well, I know this is rather a simple message today, but it is a joy to think through all that the Lord Jesus Christ is for us, he who was born today. The world doesn't understand it. I think our own comprehension of it could be heightened greatly. See what we've seen so far. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. We know that those two sides are the riddle of the dual nature of Christ, humanity and divinity. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. We have discussed that. We'll discuss that more this afternoon. That the authority to govern this earth was lost through Adam, regained through Christ, who will reign physically on the earth from the throne of David, and that those Christians who have lived well, rightly for the Lord in this dispensation, will rule with Him. We'll cover that more after lunch. The government shall be upon His shoulders, and He shall be called Wonderful. And we spent a time speaking of that. As people were introduced to the reality of Christ, and the power that he has to command the seas to be still, to walk on the water, to turn water into wine, to command dead people to live. People were astonished. They marveled. They had no idea such power existed. He is wonderful, astonishing. And now his second name, he shall be called Consular. I've done a meager job, I feel, today, but I'd like to communicate this, that in all sorts of troubles, whether it's national, or whether it's within a culture locally, or it's a family, or it's a marriage, or it's an individual, there is one consular who stands above all, whose consular is perfect. He is THE consular. He says, I consul thee to buy of me gold. We can get that gold and it is life itself. It is the gospel. It is the bread. Once we eat of it, we never hunger again. It is the water. Once we drink of it, we never thirst again. It is life. It is the kingdom. But the way to receive that, you've got to release your grip on other things. The way to purchase this is not to hold on to this and that. If any man would come after me, let him deny himself. That's the price. If we do that, then we get the gold if we're not guilty. We are all guilty by nature. We can do nothing to remediate or to remove our guilt. We must purchase through faith a raiment that is white, which represents the righteousness of Christ applied to us, applied by faith. You see, Christ is Savior, forgiven the sins, given the righteousness of Christ. Then our eyes are opened by the power of God so that we're no longer in darkness. And as life goes on, we see more and more and more clearly what life is about. And what life isn't about, and we live as those who see that two things last forever, souls and the Word of God, and we invest ourselves in them. And that, I think, is the meaning of Christmas.