Wonderful Counselor

Merry Christmas UPChurch! We kicked off the season with a new series “He shall be called..”. Our God is so great that just one name doesn’t fit all that He is!

Have you ever heard of a celebrity using a completely different name than that which they were born with? Or someone changing their name to fit who they think they are? This shows that we are all looking for meaning, purpose, and to be known. And we all carry certain insecurities with who we truly are.
We are all looking for meaning in life. And this is the reason why Jesus cannot just have one name attached to him. He is truly all we will ever need and becomes the solution.

Are you are looking for guidance/direction? Strength and empowerment? Are you looking for meaning or peace? God has got you!!
Isaiah 9:6 says,
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah wrote this prophecy at least a hundred years before Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity. That’s nearly 600 years before the birth of the Savior! Looking at the history of failed rulers, and sitting in the rubble of Israel’s kingdom, Isaiah looked across the centuries to a time when God would rule on earth through His Son.

We can sit just like Isaiah, in the list of failed politics, failed legislation, failed policies, the rubble of a great nation and look across to the future promise that Jesus will come again!! But he won’t come as baby in a manger, but as a king on His throne! And he will make all things new!
Christmas is the promise that there is more to this world that we can see or touch. There is more to the name of Jesus!
HE is our WONDERFUL COUNSELOR!
Wonderful means Supernatural or Beyond comprehension and a Counselor is an Advisor (a person who helps layout and execute a strategy or a plan)
A wonderful counselor is a supernatural heart changer!

You can’t change your life until you change the matters of your heart. And you can’t do that unless Jesus is your wonderful counselor.

Harvard professor, Harold J. Berman said:
“Our whole society seems to be facing the possibility of a nervous breakdown.”

We are a frustrated society. We want to find direction, strength, meaning, and peace in the wrong places. And it shows!
Where do you turn for your strategy, your advice? Who is your counselor when things are going upside down in your life?

WHERE DO YOU TURN TO?
There are two places where people usually turn to for Counsel.

The first is Ungodly Friends. We need to pay attention to the people we talk to. We often go to them because they are assessable and they will agree with us but real friends only agree when there’s something to agree about. A real friend will tell you that your bad decision is going to hurt you and those around you.

Here’s the bibles advise on where not to receive advise: Psalms 1:1-3 “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. 2 But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.”

Direction comes from Jesus and walking with Him closely. Get close to people who are close to God. Look at the fruit in the lives of the people around you and aim for godliness.

Another place we turn to is Social Media.
Social media gives a false perception of life and bad advice.
Proverbs 14:7-9 (MSG) says, “7 Escape quickly from the company of fools; they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.8 The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track; the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch.

We need to stop getting our advice from people on facebook, and start putting our face in God’s Book.
The average person has five social media accounts and spends around 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing. How much are we spending praying, reading scripture, or even going to LG or church? We don’t need more time, we need better time management.

Here’s the bottom line… As a society we are hurting, and we need a counselog. We need someone that cares enough to tell us what we need to hear, not necessarily what we want to hear.

We can BE BRUTALLY HONEST WITH THE COUNSELOR.
Do you realize that you cannot hide anything from God?
See Psalms 55:22

We need to LISTEN TO THE COUNSELOR’S VOICE.
Jesus took his 3 closest friends to a high mountain to be alone where God Himself spoke and said, “This is my Son, Listen to Him.”
John 10:17 says, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

And Third, we need to DO WHAT THE COUNSELOR TELLS US TO DO.
In the story of the RICH YOUNG RULER, he asks, “teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life?
And Jesus listed the commandments in Mark 10 which the ruler had kept.
Then Jesus says,
“… go sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” Mark 10:21
The bible says that the young ruler’s face fell, and he went away sad…
Jesus was testing his love and commitment to God. And money won!

Some people sit with the counselor and they want change without being honest to the counselor, listening to the counselor and doing what the counselor tells them to do.

We need to start letting Jesus into our lives to guide, and layout a strategy for life.
Don’t walk aimless when you have a wonderful counselor.
Not just a counselor, but a supernatural, heart changing counselor!!

Join us tomorrow for the next chapter in “He shall be called...” and bring a friend!!