Love Worth Finding

Guest (Male): What is the singular greatest event in human history? Listen to Adrian Rogers.

Adrian Rogers: History's greatest happening was when God came to earth in the form of a baby boy named Jesus. And may I say with all due respect to all of the learned people of this world, and all of those who worship at the shrine of their computers and are involved with their cyclotrons, and their dusty tomes of history, if you do not understand this event, you don't have the golden key of all history. You do not have the key to knowledge.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Love Worth Finding. Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers said the greatest event in human history was not when man first put his feet upon the moon, but when Almighty God came down and walked upon this earth. No amount of secular knowledge compares to the vital knowledge of Jesus Christ. If you have your Bible, turn to Isaiah chapter 9. We'll begin in verse 6 as Adrian Rogers presents three thoughts about history's greatest happening.

Adrian Rogers: Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 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, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 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 shall perform this. That is Almighty God has put all of His divine energy in seeing that this is done. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall perform this.

The three major thoughts in that brief passage that I want us to look at, all of them cohere around the Lord Jesus Christ that we've been talking about this morning. All of them are the story of Jesus. And I don't know about you, but I never get tired of thinking about Christmas. I never get tired of preaching or hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ. And I want to say with a songwriter, tell me the story of Jesus. Write on my heart every word. Tell me the story. Most precious, sweetest that ever was heard. Chapter 1 in that story is what I want to call His supernatural nature.

Look at it. Look at verse 6. And you see His supernatural nature. Do you see it? Unto us a child is born. And then unto us a son is given. Now that's not just a repeat of the same thought. There are two thoughts there. Unto us a child is born. That speaks of the humanity of Jesus. Unto us a son is given. That speaks of the deity of Jesus, Heaven's son given to earth. And there you have His supernatural nature.

When God sent His Christmas gift to this earth, what was God's Christmas gift? It was the gift of Himself. It was deity wrapped in humanity. That was the first Christmas gift. Deity, God of very God, a son given wrapped in humanity, a child born.

Now, my dear friend, Jesus Christ did not have His beginning in Bethlehem. Now, take your Bibles and put your bookmark there in Isaiah chapter 9, then turn over to John chapter 1. John chapter 1. And let's think for a moment about the majesty of His deity. John chapter 1 and beginning in verse 1. The Apostle John says, "In the beginning was the Word." Do you see that Word? Word? W-O-R-D. In the beginning was the Word. Underscore that.

Now you say, what does that mean? Well, it's a translation of the Greek word Logos. In the beginning was the Logos, the Word. And the Logos, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Now wait a minute. Was He with God or was He God? The answer is yes. Yes. He was with God and He was God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God, back before history was. Just simply call the beginning. He was with God. All things were made by Him, by whom? By the Word. And without Him was not anything made that was made. Everything that you see has the stamp, "Made by the Word." The Word, the Logos.

Now, what does John mean when he says, "In the beginning was the Word?" Well, the Word, a word is an expression of a thought. The expression of an idea. Jesus Christ is called the Word of God because He is the expression of God. Jesus Christ articulates God. And therefore, He is called the Word of God, the expression of God. As my words are expressing my ideas and thoughts and concepts, Jesus Christ coming in the flesh is the Word who articulates God.

Now learn this about Jesus Christ, and if you don't hear anything else that I say today, I want to say what I've said, I guess, thousands of times since I've been preaching. I want to say it one more time. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is God. He is fully God. Remember that John the apostle now is writing as an older man. He has 50 or 60 years to think it over. He has an ingrained horror against blasphemy.

And yet the Apostle John writes down, "The Word was God." Everything that God is, Jesus is. Everything that God has, Jesus has. Everything that God does, Jesus does. The Word was with God and the Word is God. The Word, Jesus, was the one who spoke the world into existence. Look in verse 3, "All things were made by Him, by the Word, and without Him was not anything made that was made."

And so you have, dear friend, what I want to call the majesty of His deity, a son is given. But also I want you to see the mystery of His humanity, a child is born. Go back to Isaiah 9:6. A child is born. A son is given. That's His deity. A child is born, that is His humanity. Now you see, the Word was translated into a language we could understand. Have you ever been to a foreign country and heard people speak languages you couldn't understand?

Well, you see, God exists in a realm that we can't understand. So God translated Himself into a word that we could understand. And the name of that word is Jesus. And so God took deity and translated deity into humanity. My dear friend, God became flesh. You say, "I don't think I understand that." Well, I'd be ashamed of you if you said you did understand it.

None of us understand it. First Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. Paul says, "And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh." No argument about that, friend. We're talking here about a great mystery. This is what God has done. You see, the miracle of the ages is the virgin conception of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 9:6 tells about His coming, but Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14 tells about His conception. You remember that?

Therefore, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and be with child. Well, you say, "How can a virgin conceive? That's an impossibility." Well, that's exactly what Mary said when the angel came to her. And Mary said, "This is going to happen to you." And Mary said, "How can this be?" And the angel said in Luke 1, verse 37, "With God nothing shall be impossible." Say amen.

Friend, don't tell me you have difficulty with the virgin birth. When you tell me that you have difficulty believing the virgin birth, you know what you're really telling me? You have difficulty believing in God. That's it. I mean, why do you have difficulty believing that God could cause a woman to conceive in her womb a child and still be a virgin, when God made the first woman and the first man out of nothing? Out of nothing. Because, my dear friend, the deity of Christ is wrapped up in His virgin birth. "A child is born, a son is given."

You see, Jesus came as He did, virgin born, to be what He was, sinless. He was what He was, sinless, to do what He did, die for our sins as a sinless substitute. He did what He did that we might be what we are, sons and daughters of God by faith in what He did upon the cross. You see, my dear friend, no virgin birth, no sinless Christ. No sinless Christ, no atonement. No atonement, no forgiveness. No forgiveness, no hope of Heaven. No hope of Heaven, my dear friend, you die and go to hell. Thank God for the virgin birth. Thank God for the virgin birth.

You see, you take away the virgin birth and the whole house of Christianity collapses like a house of cards. Unto us, a child is born. But unto us, a son is given. What do we have here? We have His supernatural nature. Thank God for such a dear, wonderful Savior. But now here's the second thing I want you to see. Not only His supernatural nature, but I want you to see His sovereign nobility. Look at it. Verse 6, "And the government shall be upon His shoulder." He's also a noble. He is the ruler. He is the sovereign. He came not only to redeem, He has come to reign. He was born a king. The government will be upon His shoulder.

Look in verse 7, "And 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 shall perform this." That, my dear friend, is His sovereign nobility. Now He came the first time to redeem us. He's coming the second time to rule and to reign over us. And His second coming is just as certain as His first coming. He came the first time according to prophecy, and He's coming the second time according to prophecy. He came the first time in the fullness of time. He's coming the second time in the fullness of time. But when He comes the second time, He's coming not as a little baby, but as a mighty monarch, and the government will be upon His shoulder.

Every now and then some preacher will be preaching and stretch out his hands to the congregation and say, "Will you make Him Lord?" Now I know what they mean by that, and I've said that myself, but in the strictest sense, you can't make Him Lord. You're too late for that. He is already Lord. He's already Lord. The only thing you can do, my dear friend, is recognize His Lordship and bow before His Lordship. You see, the cradle, the cross, and the crown are inseparably, inextricably woven together. Now any people can dance, a giddy crowd can dance around a manger and love a little baby, but my dear friend, we're not just called to be giddy about a little baby, but to bow before Him and to crown Him Lord of Lords and King of Kings because the government shall be upon His shoulder.

Now here's a third thing and final thing I want you to notice. Not only His supernatural nature, not only His sovereign nobility, but I want you to notice His saving name. His saving name. Look again in verse 6, "And His name shall be called Wonderful." What's so wonderful about His name? Well, what is His name? Matthew chapter 1 and verse 21. He was named by God the Father. The angel came to Mary and said, "Mary, you're going to have a baby." And this is His wonderful name. Are you ready for that name? The angel said, "And thou shalt call His name what? Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Thou shalt call His name Jesus."

Now Mary didn't think up the name. The name was given to Mary. And what does the name Jesus mean? This wonderful name. It is a saving name. It is a saving name. Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. It is a compound name. And it literally means, are you ready for this? Jehovah saves. That's what the name Jesus means. Jehovah saves. Now Jehovah is the most sacred name for God that the Old Testament Jews knew. And it means the great I Am. Never was a time when I was not, never will be a time when I will not be. Not I was, not I shall be, but I am. That's the name Jehovah, Jehovah, the great I Am.

And now Jesus takes that name. I Am. I Am. Jehovah saves. Jesus said to His detractors and critics, "Before Abraham was, I Am." It's then they took up stones to stone Him. They didn't like Him calling Himself the great I Am, the Jehovah who saves. In His birth, He was wonderful. In His life, He was wonderful. In His works, He was wonderful. In His words, He was wonderful. In His death, He was wonderful. In His resurrection, He is wonderful. In His ascension, He is wonderful. In His intercession, He is wonderful. And when He comes again, wonder of wonders, He is coming again.

And so, first of all, my dear friend, His name is Wonderful. And there is wonder in that name. But also His name is Counselor. Do you see it? Look at it. Thou shalt call His name Wonderful and then Counselor. And not only is there wonder in that name, but there's wisdom in that name. You see, He is the Counselor. He's the one who gives you wisdom. How are you supposed to live? How are you supposed to learn? What are you supposed to do? It's all wrapped up in Jesus. Colossians chapter 2 and verse 3, the Bible says, "In Jesus are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

There's wonder in His name. There is wisdom in His name. But further He's called the Mighty God. Look at it. Jesus, this child is called the Mighty God. And may I tell you, there's wealth in this name. He is the Mighty God. It all belongs to Him. Jesus has been given all power on Heaven and in earth. Jesus is the one who made it all as the Mighty God, who created everything, and billions of suns came from His hand, and oceans dripped from His fingers. Think of all of this universe.

I am telling you, friend, there is wonder in that name. I am telling you, there is wisdom in that name. I am telling you, there is wealth in that name. He is the Mighty God. I am telling you, there is worship in that name, for He is the Everlasting Father. He is the Everlasting Father. He is the one who can say, "I and My Father are one." He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father. Suppose you said, "Adrian, I'd like to see the President of the United States. Can you show him to me?" And I just said, "Well, you're looking at him." You'd say, "Get the butterfly net." They said, "Show us the Father." He said, "Philip, have I been with you this long? You've not known Me?"

This little baby is the Everlasting Father. The Everlasting Father. And because of that, we worship Him. My dear friend, you listen to me. If Jesus is not God, you have no business worshipping Him at all because that is idolatry if you worship more than one God. "I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other God before Me." There is wonder in that name. There is wisdom in that name. There is wealth in that name. My dear friend, there is worship in that name. And oh, He's the Prince of Peace. There's welcome in that name. He's saying, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you peace."

Well, you say, "Didn't the Bible say peace on earth?" There's no peace on earth. Not yet, there will be. We rejected the Prince of Peace, and that's the reason there'll be no peace till there's peace in Jerusalem. And there'll be no peace in Jerusalem until Jerusalem crowns her King, the Lord Jesus Christ. But oh, my dear friend, there can be that personal peace, that peace with God. Peace like a river, Isaiah called it. A river comes from a higher source. It's beautiful. It overflows. It just keeps on coming. I've got peace like a river. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. There is, my friend, welcome in that name.

Wonderful name. I am speaking to some today. Oh, you're wondering, "What is it all about?" Let me just sum it up. Oh, listen to me, please. Let me just tell you what Christmas is all about. It is this, "Unto us a child is born, a son is given." That is His supernatural nature. God came to this earth to live, breathe, work, laugh, cry, weep, and teach, then carry our sins to the cross and die. His supernatural nature, His sovereign nobility. He is Lord. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And His saving name. Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.

Pastor, would Jesus save me? Oh, He will. He will if you'll trust Him. If you'll trust Him. If you'll say, "Come into my heart, forgive my sins, save me, Lord Jesus." I promise you on the authority of the Word of God, if you will trust Him, if you will repent of your sin and trust Christ, He'll save you.

Guest (Male): And if you prayed to receive Jesus just now, we would love to celebrate with you and invite you to our Find God's Love page at the website. There you'll discover more insights about your newfound faith, and you'll see the opportunity to take the next step in your walk with God. Go to LWF.org/radio and click on the tab that says Find God's Love. Welcome to His forever family. We can't wait to hear from you today.

Well, Jesus is the key to all knowledge and true wisdom. He is the source of ultimate peace. Recognize Him as your sovereign Lord. Accept Him as your savior. We're so glad you joined us for this study in God's Word. At Love Worth Finding Ministries, we operate solely on the generous gifts of individual supporters like you. And we hope you'll prayerfully consider making a calendar year-end donation. To give a gift today, call us at 1-877-LOVE-GOD. You can also connect online at LWF.org/radio or write with a gift to Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee, 38183. Thanks so much for studying in God's Word. Be sure to join us next time for more profound truth simply stated right here on Love Worth Finding.

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