What is the Best Gift We Could Receive?
Isaiah 8:11 – 9:7

It was the day after Christmas.
An Elder of the church was looking over the manager display when he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing.
Immediately he turned and saw a little boy with a red wagon, and in the wagon was the figure of the little infant, Jesus.
So the Elder walked up to the boy and asked, “Hey there! Where did you happen to find this baby figure?”
The little boy replied, “I got him from the church.”
“And why did you take him?”
To which the boy quickly answered, “Well, about a week before Christmas I prayed to the little Lord Jesus and I told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas I would give him a ride around the block in it.

This time of year brings the question:
WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR?
We ask children, grandchildren, spouses, and friends to give us a list of items they might like for Christmas.
I would like to start my lesson this morning by asking you ….
if you could ask for just one thing this year …
no matter the cost…
what would it be?

I’m sure that as you look around this week you will see signs of Christmas rapidly approaching.
And what I want us to consider this morning is–
“Signs sent by God.”
The Bible contains numerous passages that are signs from God. These signs can take various forms and are often seen as a means through which God communicates with humanity.

Here are some examples:
The Bible describes instances where God uses natural events to convey messages.

For example, the parting of the Red Sea during the exodus of the Israelites is seen as a miraculous sign. (Exodus 14:21-22).

Miracles, such as the healing of the sick, raising the dead, and turning water into wine, are often considered signs of God's intervention.

The fulfillment of prophecies is often seen as a sign of God's guidance and involvement.
The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.
God was in the business of providing signs from the very beginning.
After the flood, when the rainbow appeared, God told Noah it was a sign that He would not flood the entire earth like that again.
So, whenever we see a rainbow, that sign reminds us of His promise.

Through Moses & Aaron God gave very dramatic signs to Pharaoh to force him to set the Israelites free.
And in the wilderness during the next 40 years God provided multiple signs of His power and His guidance & of His love for His people.

Isaiah 7:14 says, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
A prophecy is a foretelling of a future event.
The Prophet was given insight regarding something previously unknown.
The fulfillment of prophecy would be proof & a sign that God could be believed & trusted.
Sometimes a prophecy was fulfilled soon after it was made.
Sometimes the fulfillment was hundreds of years later, like this one.

This prophecy was written 700 years before it was fulfilled.
Matt. 1:21-23 tells us the angel told Joseph,
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus,
   for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what
   the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall call his name Immanuel”  (which means, God with us).

So, both Mary & Joseph received signs that confirmed what they were told.
Jesus’ birth was not his beginning.
It was his beginning in human form, but Jesus existed long prior - from the very beginning.

In the year 1809 the world was in an upheaval.
Napoleon was sweeping through Austria and soldiers from many countries were dying on the battlefield.
The fate of entire kingdoms and nations hung in the balance and the world seemed on the very edge of collapse.

It was 1809...
And in that same year several significant people were born.
In Britain, there was William Gladstone born to become one of England’s finest statesmen.
And Alfred Lord Tennyson, born to be a great author of his day.

In the US - Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge.
In Boston, Edgar Allen Poe began his eventful, albeit tragic, life.
It was also in that same year that Charles Darwin was born.
And in a rugged cabin in Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln was born.

If there had been a news broadcast back in 1809
I am sure that these words would have been heard:
“The destiny of the world is being shaped
on an Austrian battlefield today.”

But, history was actually being shaped in the cradles of England and America.
Every age has its dangers.
Eventually every nation faces difficulties.

Even today in the US we’re concerned with financial troubles, international terrorism, and political uncertainty.
Every nation, sooner or later, will face threats and perils that will make them believe that the destiny of the world is being shaped by that day’s events. And they will see their future as bleak, dark, and hopeless.
And yet, in every age, the birth of a child can make a significant impact on their destiny.
Back in the days of Isaiah, the world looked dark, and bleak, and hopeless.
The nation of Israel had turned their back on God and God, in His turn, had turned His back on them.

It was going to be a time of darkness.
A time of hopelessness.
But… just a few verses later, God said there will be a time of hope and light – hope and light brought by the birth of a child.

Look at Isaiah 9:2
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
   on them has light shone.
Yes, Israel, you have walked in darkness.
Yes, Israel you have been living in the land of the shadow of death.
But there will be hope.

And then in verse 6 He tells them why.
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.

A counselor is someone you listen to.
Someone who gives you guidance or advice on things you think are important.
Newspaper columnist and counselor George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband.
"I not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him,
I want to hurt him as much as he has me."

Dr. Crane thought about that for a couple of moments and then suggested an ingenious plan.
"Go home and act as if you really love your husband,” He told her. “Tell him how much he means to you.
Praise him for every decent trait.
Go out of your way to be as kind and considerate and generous as possible.
Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him.
After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him… then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce.
That will really hurt him."

With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!"
And she did it with enthusiasm.
For two months she acted "as if," she loved him.
She was kind to him; she listened to him.
She was constantly giving, reinforcing, sharing.
Two months went by…
and she didn’t return to her counselor, so Crane called her.

"Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?"
"Divorce?" she exclaimed. "Never!
I discovered I really do love him."
A counselor is someone you listen to.
Someone you accept advice from.

The problem for Israel is that they had gotten into the habit
of listening to the wrong counselors.
Look with me at Isaiah 9:19
Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
   the land is scorched,
and the people are like fuel for the fire;
   no one spares another.
There were men in Israel who were giving the people bad advice.

These men were advising Israelites to listen to someone other than God –
mediums and spiritists and folks that said they talked to the dead.
Apparently, these men were trusted enough by the people to be taken seriously.
And because Israel listened to these counselors, their nation was going to suffer terribly.

And so, God was telling His people: You’re walking in darkness, in the shadow of death, because you’ve listened to the wrong counselors.

BUT REJOICE because unto you a child is born, unto you a son is given and He’s going to be a wonderful counselor. He’s going to be someone you can listen to and know His advice is right.
You’ll be able to stake your life on what He tells you.
No mortal man or woman is going to be able to be capable of giving you advice that will be anywhere as good as His.

Now, I don’t want you to get the impression that I’m saying we are not to take advice.
Proverbs 15:21-22 tells us,
Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
   but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.
Without counsel plans fail,
   but with many advisers they succeed.
A wise person heeds the advice of people he can trust.
A wise Christian seeks the advice of his elders.
A wise child looks to his parents for advice.
A wise husband talks things over with his wife
And a wise women listens to the counsel of her husband.

There are many skilled and trained counselors that can help you with your finances, marriage, guilt, etc..
No matter what issue you need help with, there are people out there who are trained to help you. Counselors who sincerely want to help you.

You see there are many “Good” counselors in this world.
But none can compare with the “Wonderful counselor.
That’s because - when Jesus came – He came fully understanding the basic problem we face.

Matthew 1:21-22 says Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
   but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.
Without counsel plans fail,
   but with many advisers they succeed.
One of the repeated pieces of advice
Jesus gave people during his ministry was this:
“Go and sin no more” (John 5:14; 8:11)
Don’t make excuses for it.
Don’t try to ignore it or explain it away.
Sin isn’t going to go away on its own.
We must deal with it.
We must confront it.
And the only way we can deal effectively with sin
is to realize that only the Wonderful Counselor
can help us remove sin’s power and guilt.

Paul said it this way: 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.—1^st Corinthians 1:22-25

Jesus is the wonderful counselor because He IS the power and the wisdom of God.
Jesus is the one who can give us the power to help us overcome sin… and the wisdom to know how to deal with our sins when we fall prey to them.

The counselors of this world CAN help you with your problems.
But they can only help you so much.
By contrast, Jesus (the Wonderful Counselor) has the ability to help us deal with the root cause of our problems.

As Hebrews tells us:
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

You see: Jesus understands our problems.
He’s sympathetic to our failure.

But He’s too good a counselor to just let us do what we want and ignore the consequences.
He knows our problems and He has counsel to help us deal with our sins.
The key of course is this: listen to… and follow His advice.

So, have you done that?
Have you let Jesus be your counselor?
Have you asked for His guidance
and His advice in your problems?

God is in the business of providing unmistakable signs. Unfortunately, some people pass God's signs off as just some weird coincidence.

The religious leaders asked for signs out of skepticism & unbelief. Asking for a sign when we need clarification is one thing, but demanding a sign in order for God to prove Himself is not good.

Pharisees and Sadducees often challenged Jesus with questions that tested his authority and knowledge of God’s will.

They did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah or the Son of God,
but rather as a clever teacher or a false prophet.
We can trust in Jesus’ words and deeds as sufficient signs of his identity and authority.

We can also examine our own hearts and motives when we ask for signs or doubt God’s promises.
Do we seek God out of love or fear?
Do we believe in Jesus as the Son of God?
Do we follow him with faithfulness or disobedience?

The shepherds believed the angel, followed the sign & saw the evidence.
Because they did this, they experienced a joyous event that undoubtedly changed their lives forever.
Those who ignore the signs miss out on the joy that would change their lives forever too.

INVITATION: Which do you value more, the toys & trinkets of this life that will eventually crumble into dust, or a relationship with Jesus Christ that will last forever?
Do you want to find what you're looking for?
Follow the signs to Jesus.