"THE PROPHECY OF THE MESSIAH" Week # 4

[Evangelist]

Bible Study: Christmas “The Prophecy of the Messiah”
Date: 1/8/16
Week # 4
Prayer:
Father God, we are so honored to know You as a Wonderful Counselor. You are magnificent! You are King of kings and Lord of lords. There is none like You, Lord. The praises of Your honor is forever known to Your people. We gladly give it to You. We thank You for Your wise counselling in our everyday life. Your Word counsel our hearts as we read it and study it. In this lesson teach us to receive Your wonderful counseling, so we can live a holy life unto You. Let the words of our mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our strength, and our Redeemer. AMEN.

God is with us: Immanuel: Matthew 1:23
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Printed Text: (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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Subject: Wonderful and Counselor:

When Isaiah wrote his prediction of the coming of the “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6), he was spurring Israel to remember their Messiah was indeed coming to establish His Kingdom (Isaiah 9:7). Isaiah was writing nearly 800 years before Christ. This period of history was tumultuous as the Assyrians were on the march, taking people into captivity by droves. Isaiah’s prophecy gave the people of God a hope they so desperately needed: a Child would be born to fulfill the Davidic Covenant, and He would bear the titles “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The Child was Christ; the prophecy will reach its consummation at Christ’s second coming.

That Isaiah calls the Messiah the “Wonderful Counselor” indicates the kind of character this coming King has. The word wonderful in this passage literally means “incomprehensible.” The Messiah will cause us to be “full of wonder.” The word is much weightier than the way it’s used in normal conversation today—we say things are “wonderful” if they are pleasant, lovely, or the least bit likable. Jesus is wonderful in a way that is boggling to the mind. The same word for “wonderful” is used in Judges 13:18 when Manoah, Samson’s father, asked the LORD (in a theophany) what His name was. The angel of the LORD responded, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” In other words, “Why do you ask my name, since it is beyond your understanding?”

Jesus demonstrated His wonderfulness in various ways when He was on the earth, beginning with His conception in the womb of a virgin (Matthew 1:23). He showed He is the “wonderful” One in His power to heal (Matthew 4:23), His amazing teaching (Mark 1:22), His perfect life (Hebrews 4:15), and His resurrection from the dead (Mark 16:6). Jesus taught many wonderful things that are counterintuitive to the human mind: “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). “Rejoice and be glad” in persecution” (Matthew 5:11–12). “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Jesus’ kind of wonderful is awe-inspiring and superior to any other kind, for He is perfect in every way (Matthew 5:48).

The second part of the Messiah’s title is the word Counselor. In ancient Israel, a counselor was portrayed as a wise king, such as Solomon, giving guidance to his people (1 Kings 4:34; Micah 4:9). Isaiah uses this word again in 28:29 to describe the LORD: “This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.” Jesus is a wise counselor. “He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person” (John 2:25). He is able to advise His people thoroughly because He is qualified in ways no human counselor is. In Christ is “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3), including the knowledge of all human nature (Psalm 139:1–2). Jesus always knows what we are going through, and He always knows the right course of action (Hebrews 4:15–16).

Christ’s position as our Wonderful Counselor means we can trust Him to listen to our problems and guide us in the right direction (Proverbs 3:6). We can be sure He is listening because He told us to pray to Him about our worries (Philippians 4:6; James 1:5). We can be certain He has our best interests at heart because He loves us (1 John 4:19). And His love is so wide and deep (and wonderful) that we cannot fully understand it (Romans 5:8).

Jesus as our Counselor:
There are examples of a number of poor counselors in the Bible. In the Garden of Eden Satan acted as a Counselor and told Eve to eat what God had forbidden. He counseled Jesus to make stones in to bread and to test God’s love. The wife of Job told him to Curse God and die! Job’s friends told him to repent because he must have done something wrong if bad things were happening to him. All were foolish counselors giving bad advice.

We also see several examples of good counsel. Jethro advised Moses to delegate authority. The prophets were constantly advising the Kings to trust God; And then there is this great story about Solomon,

1 Kings 3:16-27
Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.

The other woman said, No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours. But the first one insisted, No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine. And so they argued before the king.
The king said, This one says, My son is alive and your son is dead, while that one says, No! Your son is dead and mine is alive. Then the king said, Bring me a sword, so they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other. The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him! But the other said, Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!
Then the king gave his ruling: Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother. This is wise counsel. Solomon read the situation correctly and found a way to bring the best resolution.

Jesus is the wisest Counselor because His wisdom is from the throne room of Heaven.

He never sought the counsel of man, and He never asked for the advice of man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counsellor? (Romans. 11:34). God has no counsellor. The Lord Jesus Christ never called His disciples together and said, “Now, fellows, what do you think I ought to do”? You don’t read anything like that in Scripture. The Lord called them together and said, This is what I am going to do, because this is My Father’s will. And Christ has been made unto us wisdom (see 1 Cor. 1:30). Most of us are not very smart. We must go to Him for help.

Our Lord does several things when we turn to Him. First, He tells us the truth. He tells us what is really wrong with our lives. He points out that we are rebelling against God. We are like sheep who have gone astray. He tells us that we need to repent of our sin.

He is like a Doctor who tells someone suffering from emphysema that they need to stop smoking cigarettes and stop hanging around with people who smoke. Understanding what is causing the problem is essential before you can solve the problem.

Second, Jesus tells us to trust what He has done for us. In Matthew 20:28 we read,
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus understood that we could not save ourselves, something needed to be done for us. Jesus didn’t just tell us that we needed help. He provided the help we need.

Did you see the story on television recently about the young girl who received two organ transplants at once? She received a liver and a kidney. Her father and her Grandmother both willingly provided for this girl they loved. Without their provision, without their sacrifice, this girl was going to die. All the good intentions in the world could not change the disease that was inside of her.

It is somewhat like that for us. We can want to be forgiven but we can’t do anything about defeating the disease of sin that stalks us and enslaves us. Jesus provided what we could not provide for ourselves. He gave His life as payment for our sin. The prescription of our wonderful counselor is “Trust me and take what I have provided.”

Third, our Counselor gives us a prescription for life that will help us continue to live a spiritually healthy life. This prescription is found in the Bible. In John 14:21,23-24 Jesus said,
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.. . .“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

People who have had heart surgery are given a prescription. They are told to walk regularly, to watch their diet, to take their medicine and to get their regular check-ups. If you do those things, you will get better and be able to enjoy your life. But if you ignore those prescriptions you will not regain your strength or vitality and will probably die much sooner.

Our Lord has given us His prescription for joyful living. He told us to resist the morality and advice of the world and to follow God’s directions. Practically, that means
We are to trust Him rather than trusting ourselves
We are to love rather than take advantage of one another
We are to forgive rather than be bitter
We are to be holy rather than profane
We are to store up treasures in Heaven rather than on earth
We are to be generous rather than selfish
We are to seek to serve rather than be served

The counsel of Jesus is superb. He understands our situation and has addressed with love and wisdom. However, most people don’t know this because they haven’t given His counsel a chance.

Background Scripture: Jeremiah 32:19
“Great in counsel; and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings;"


Scriptures References: Matthew 5:11-12; 5:48; 20:28, Romans 11:34, I Corinthians 1:30, I Kings 4:34, Micah 4:9, Isaiah 28:29, Hebrews 4:15-16, Colossians 2:3

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[Evangelist]

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Questions:
1). Describe Jesus in a wonderful way.
2). What did Jesus come to do on earth?
3). What did the prophecy of Jesus give the people of Isaiah’s time?
4). What do the word wonderful means in Judges 13:18?
5). Name some of the ways Jesus demonstrated His wonderfulness.
6). In ancient Israel a counselor was portrayed as who?
7). In Proverbs 3:6 is it referring to Jesus’ counselling, explain?
8). In the Garden of Eden Satan act as what to Eve, and instructed her how?
9). Job wife and friends were good or bad counseling?
10). Jethro’s counseling to Moses was good or bad?
11). Explain Solomon’s counseling to the two mothers claiming the same baby.
12). Why is Jesus’ counseling is the wisest counsel?
13). Name several things our Lord does when we turn to Him for counseling.
14). Concerning counseling what prescription has the Lord given to us?
15). Most people don’t know of Jesus’ counseling because of what?

Application Question: Give a testimony of Jesus’ wonderfulness in your life.

Who Prophesied This? Week # 4
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Please share a short Review:

Reading Assignment: Week # 4 Isaiah 26-33 Monday through Sunday

Sharing: Christmas Songs Week # 4 Angels we have heard on high
Angels We Have Heard On High Angels we have heard on high Sweetly swinging o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply Echoing their joyous strains.
Chorus:
Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Shepherds why this jubilee Why your joyous strains prolong Say what may the tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Chorus
Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Come to Bethlehem and see Him Whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Chorus
Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Gloria In Excelsis Deo
See within in a manger laid Jesus Lord of heav'n and earth Mary, Joseph lend your aid
With us sing our Savior's birth

[Evangelist]

Scriptures References:

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 20:28
“. . . Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Romans 11:34
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

I Corinthians 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

I Kings 4:34
And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

Micah 4:9
Now why dost thou cry out aloud? Is there no king in thee? Is thy counsellor perished? For pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.

Isaiah 28:29
“This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.”

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Colossians 2:3
“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Questions:
1). Describe Jesus in a wonderful way.

Wow, this is exciting to do! Describe Jesus in a wonderful way is my pleasure. Jesus is awesome to me! Jesus was there when God created the heaven and earth, and before that. Jesus was the power that God used to create all things, the very POWER, amen. He was called wonderful because He is wonderful. Jesus came into my life and changed me from the insider out; I am not boasting, but just telling the truth about His wonderful ways; I was a mess, but did that stop Him, no it didn’t! I call that wonderful!!!

2). What did Jesus come to do on earth?

Isaiah 9:7 says, Jesus was coming to establish His Kingdom here on earth. Also Isaiah said in other verses that Jesus came to set the captive free; Jesus made that statement once He arrived and started His ministry on earth.

3). What did the prophecy of Jesus give the people of Isaiah’s time?

Isaiah’s prophecy gave the people of God a hope they so desperately needed: a Child would be born to fulfill the Davidic Covenant, and He would bear the titles “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The Child was Christ; the prophecy will reach its consummation at Christ’s second coming. AMEN.

4). What do the word wonderful means in Judges 13:18?

Beyond our understanding, way pass finding out through human knowledge. That wonderful is beyond the human mind.

5). Name some of the ways Jesus demonstrated His wonderfulness.

(a) Conception through a virgin mother (Matthew 1:23)

(b) Wonderful healer (Matthew 4:23)

(c) His amazing teaching (Mark 1:22)

(d) His perfect life (Hebrews 4:15)

(e) His resurrection from the dead (Mark 16:6)

6). In ancient Israel a counselor was portrayed as who?

In ancient Israel, a counselor was portrayed as a wise king, such as Solomon, giving guidance to his people (1 Kings 4:34; Micah 4:9). Isaiah uses this word again in 28:29 to describe the LORD: “This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

7). In Proverbs 3:6 is it referring to Jesus’ counselling, explain?

Yes it does! Christ’s position as our Wonderful Counselor means we can trust Him to listen to our problems and guide us in the right direction (Proverbs 3:6).

8). In the Garden of Eden Satan act as what to Eve, and instructed her how?

In the Garden of Eden Satan acted as a Counselor and told Eve to eat what God had forbidden. This is what you would call poor counselling, because it was against God’s will.

9). Job wife and friends were good or bad counseling?

The wife of Job told him to Curse God and die! Job’s friends told him to repent because he must have done something wrong if bad things were happening to him. All were foolish counselors giving bad advice.

10). Jethro’s counseling to Moses was good or bad?

This counselling was good. Jethro advised Moses to delegate authority, so others could release him from a great burden, wise counsel, amen.

11). Explain Solomon’s counseling to the two mothers claiming the same baby.

He then gave an order: Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other. The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him! But the other said, Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two! Then the king gave his ruling: Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother. This is wise counsel. Solomon read the situation correctly and found a way to bring the best resolution. AMEN.

12). Why is Jesus’ counseling is the wisest counsel?

Jesus is the wisest Counselor because His wisdom is from the throne room of Heaven. We should seek God’s wisdom when we counsel at any time.

13). Name several things our Lord does when we turn to Him for counseling.

I) He tells us the truth. He tells us what is really wrong with our lives. He points out that we are rebelling against God. We are like sheep who have gone astray. He tells us that we need to repent of our sin. II) Jesus tells us to trust what He has done for us. In Matthew 20:28. III) Our Counselor gives us a prescription for life that will help us continue to live a spiritually healthy life. This prescription is found in the Bible.

14). Concerning counseling what prescription has the Lord given to us?

We are to trust Him rather than trusting ourselves. We are to love rather than take advantage of one another. We are to forgive rather than be bitter. We are to be holy rather than profane

We are to store up treasures in Heaven rather than on earth. We are to be generous rather than selfish. We are to seek to serve rather than be served

15). Most people don’t know of Jesus’ counseling because of what?

Most people don’t know this because they haven’t given His counsel a chance. As we read the Word it counsel us to do what is right and holy before God. Jesus will counsel us through prayer too. We must pray for a hearing ear.

Application Question: Give a testimony of Jesus’ wonderfulness in your life.

It is always a pleasure to give my testimony of what God has done in my life. There are times when I can just sense His wonderfulness in my heart and mind. I just cry! Before my mother went to be with the Lord, I was living so far from her and God knew I needed to be home. His mercy and grace blessed my mind to accept the fact I had to leave a good job and move back home where she was; we had a few good years before she passed. God knew this! All the time Jesus was counselling my heart in this situation, but my flesh and the enemy had me thinking at time it was a mistake, but God saw me through it; His wonderfulness and counseling brought me through this with peace in my heart. I love the song “Your Grace and Mercy” It reminds me of His wonderful grace and mercy through the Holy Spirit. Let me share this song now. . .
Your grace and mercy, brought me through
I'm living this moment because of You
I want to thank You, and praise You too
Your grace and mercy, brought me through
Verse 1
Thank You, for saving a sinner like me
To tell the world salvation is free
There were times when I just didn’t do right
But You watched over me
All day and night

Repeat chorus

Verse 2
Justice demanded, that I should die
But grace and mercy said oh, no, oh, no, oh no, we've already paid the price
I once was blind, but thank God I can see
It was because grace and mercy came along and rescued me

Your grace and mercy brought me through
I'm living this moment because of You
I want to thank You and praise You too
Your grace and mercy
Your grace and mercy
Your grace and mercy
Brought me through

He is wonderful counselor!!!

Who Prophesied This? Week # 4
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Zechariah prophesied this prophecy, and he was one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament after they returned from captivity to rebuild the Temple.

Please share a short Review:

Jesus is Wonderful, He is a great Counselor, and to me He is a wonderful counselor. Isaiah 9:7 says, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Jesus’ wonderfulness is mind boggling to the human, but once you receive Him and His Holy Spirit, then you will understand and accept that wonderfulness about Him. Jesus demonstrated that wonderfulness in various ways while here on earth. The most wonderful amazing one is the virgin birth. There is a number of good counseling in the Bible, but also bad/poor counseling too. We should seek God’s counseling through the Holy Spirit at all time, which is good counseling. Amen. Good counseling is to know that it takes understanding what causes the problem before you can solve the problem. Jesus’ position as our wonderful counselor means we can trust Him to listen to our problems, and guide us in the right path as Proverbs 3:6 says. God has given us a good prescription for a joyful life. Through this lesson I have learned that I must resist the morality and advice of this world, and follow God’s advice, directions, and guidance, which is wonderful counseling from a Wonderful Almighty God, who is soon to come and establish His Kingdom right here on earth.

Reading Assignment: Week # 4 Isaiah 26-33 Monday through Sunday

I am finished with my assignment!