Everlasting Father

Christmas is the time of year when we celebrate Jesus, God's great gift to a sinful world for us to fully understand the significance of Christ's birth. We have to look beyond the baby in a manger today on Truth for Life. Alister Ben continues her series titled a child is born you impacts the benefits that are of having a Messiah whose name is everlasting in Isaiah chapter 9 Isaiah introduces this passage by announcing in quite striking fashion that into the darkness of the world that he and his friends inhabit light has come into their superstition and into their corruption and into their materialism. A light has dawned as we saw he was able to speak both of that then. And of that which was yet in the future. This picture of light which is pervasive and speaks to the clarity of the good news of the gospel is in direct contrast with cultish teaching and cultish behavior.

In this light is found finally and fully in the Messiah, whom Isaiah introduces us to is the child with the four names he is the one whom he has already referenced two chapters earlier as Emmanuelle God with us. He is the one who is Jesus the Savior of our sins and we have seen him as wonderful, counselor establishing his plan from all of eternity as mighty God able because of his majesty and dominion to execute his plan because of his power now in the third instance in our fourth study, we come to he who is everlasting father, and as in the previous cases we have the challenge before us are seeking to work out just exactly what this conveys. There are two things that we need to know immediately about those two things that are not the case.

First of all we need to know that this is not a reference to the first person of the Trinity, we would immediately go wrong if we thought somehow or another that Isaiah having spoken. First, of the Messiah was then speaking of God the father and he is not doing that what we have here is a designation of a quality of the Messiah with respect to his people. When we think of the way in which the Messiah deals with those who are his own. He acts towards them as a father towards his children.

Secondly, it is important for us to understand that the adjective everlasting is not referring to the eternal nature of the Messiah as being as eternal with the father and with the sun but rather it is referencing the never ending nature of his care.

I I was finally helped, as I wrestled with this by writing down in my notes instead of everlasting father. I wrote down father forever because it is the. The adjective is qualifying the nature of his father, like care goes on and on forever. Having taken on the charge of the parental paternal care of his own. He is not going to abandon their need be no fear that this father will leave home. There need be no fear that this individual will abandon his charge. Somewhere along the line he is father forever know last time in order to try and give flash is aware to the skeleton of mighty God we went to the New Testament on this occasion this morning. I want us to stay in the Old Testament and turn just a one passage and that is to say, hundred and three, and indeed verse 13 of the hundred and third Psalm takes us to the very heart of the matter as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. It is a designation of the quality of the Messiah. How does he treat us while he pities. In fact, if you have a King James version or if you remember from growing up. Remember that this verse reads as a father Pizzi and his children, so the Lord pity at them that fear him. There's something good about pity if II would be in favor of just keeping that strange verb because it highlights the warmth the emotion the significance of the Hebrew verb, which is used here it is a verb which, if you like, distinguishes or defines or marks the nature of true parenthood. Every father views his children in a way that he doesn't view anyone else's to you cannot on your best day view someone else's child the way you view your own you may admire them. You may complement them. You may do all manner of things to them and say about but it is a peculiarity of fatherhood that when you look on your own children, there is something in that dimension of relationship that cannot be duplicated with the bones of that relationship and that is all contained in this Hebrew thereof as a father Pizzi of his children is all that empathy and compassion and everything else and says the psalmist.

This is the way in which the love of the father is defined and measurable love conveyed not only in the vastness of the distances but also in the intimacy of family life as far as the east is from the West. All of the vastness of this to convey the vastness of his his goodness, and then as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord is compassion on those who fear him, he narrows is where the angle down.

He brings the lands in into the intimacy of familial relationships now that is noticed just three aspects of what it means for the Messiah to be eternally a father to his people. First of all, it means that he forgives us completely. He forgives us completely if you look at the language of the Psalm it comes out very clearly. Verse three the Lord should be praised for he is the one who forgives all of your sins, he is the one in verse four, who redeems your life from the pit in verse 10, he does not treat us as our sins deserve more repairs. According to our iniquities. And then of course he goes on to say as far as the east is from the West. So far, verse 12 as he removed our transgressions from us. I don't make the dreadful mistake of sitting there and saying all that's terrific about means that somehow or another I really understood this but God just overlooked sin that he is a forgiving God and that it doesn't really matter what I've done and it's all taken care of.

Apparently that's what Psalm 103 essay now that would be a dreadful mistake to me. I would be as if God was some kind of benevolent Santa Claus who said I know you've been naughty all year but I want to be nice to you just the same. I know you deserve this but I'm going to give you that no actually, it is far more complex and far more significant because when we take what it says. The Bible concerning the forgiveness of God, a full and a final and the complete forgiveness. It has to be said. Within the context of God's character and because God is holy and because he is just he cannot. He does not and he will not condone our sins and our transgressions, nor will he overlook the bad is immediately a problem for each of us because each of us has broken God's law. Each of us has transgressed against him. Each of us knows what it is to have that bias within our very beings which veers towards our own selfish agendas and seeks to turn our back on the way that God has marked out for us and that is why many of us try and fill our lives with every kind of distraction because of the core of our being.

We recognize this and when we open up our minds to the truth of the Bible when it taught and we recognize that the justice of God must punish sin, and if he grants forgiveness. It cannot be because he has chosen to overlook the fault.

The Bible says that we are all staying that everyone is bearing the marks of the stain of our rebellion against God. Our indifference towards God and that there is only one solution one solvent that may remove the stain. Not all the perfumes of Arabia could do anything with the stains on the hands of of Lady Macbeth. You will recall, there was no physician that could be called a good deal with our predicament will only the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses from every sin and the story of forgiveness we cannot get to simply by looking at a baby in a manger. We need to follow the line of Isaiah's dramatic portrayal of he who is father forever to discover that this child grows to a man who, and in his manhood. He is described as the one who bears our sins, who takes our punishment. The chastisement of brings us peace is upon him, and by his stripes by his bearing the wounds that we desire.

We are healed and then the writers of the Gospels and the epistles tease this out for us and help us to understand the that he doesn't treat as is. Our sins deserve because the Messiah has died in the place of sinners that God does not count our sins against Oz because he comes our sins against his only begotten son. But his only begotten son lived in perfection, his only begotten son never sin. There is no reason in the world why he death is the condemnation for sin should die unless of course he died in the place of sinners, God in Christ did the unimaginable. He covered himself in shame so that we might be covered in glory that all of the accusing Lord of my rebellion in my self-satisfied self focus living is nailed to the cross and is nailed to the cross once and for all and it needs no repetition nor does it have to be supplemented by human endeavor.

It is perfect because the Messiah is perfect. It cleanses perfectly the most darkened, fearful and troubled conscience. Secondly, not only does he forgive us completely, but he knows us thoroughly. He knows us thoroughly look at what we are told here in verse 14 a for he knows how we are formed.

He remembers that we are dust. We arrived with the maker's instructions.

If you like. Each of us has a sell by date, each of us has a shelf life realize I don't. You are not just drifting around haphazardly really don't need to be unduly concerned about all these considerations that are pressed in upon us all the time. Not if we know God is our father. Not if we know this wonderful Savior in Jesus is easy, undeniable facts are unavoidable facts. I mean if you review of the world can I say this to you kindly. If your view of the world. If you attempt to get through life and deal with death does not have a decent answer to these three questions who are my where I come from and where my going then it would be a good time to think about having a change in your view of the world because in the darkness of the night in the essence of our most perplexing thoughts. We eventually come to these questions in some form or fashion. And what I want to suggest to you is that this phrase father forever addresses in a wonderful way not only the issue of guilt which we all understand and need an answer to, but also the issue of identity. Who am I where I come from. I'm not just a number. I have father knows my name before even time began.

He knew me. I'm not worthless, and neither are you. If you have this father forever you not worthless.

The story of your life is not plankton suit to become a gene carrier to go out like a candle but that's the story for many people to understand why there why did fill themselves out with 86 proof anesthetic crutches, propping them to the top where the smiles are all synthetic and the ulcers never stop because when they think about the deep questions and they lie in the bed last night.

No, but I come from, have no clue where my going.

I hate to think for me another one. Turn the music up body on good why is it on an answer to the question you, we will if you meet this father forever. Then you'll discover that your created by God and for God, for a relationship with a the brokenness in that relationship is an account of your sin that he has come and done something about it. In Jesus the Messiah that he is the righteous for the unrighteous, bringing us to God that in this forever father. There is forgiveness there is freedom and there is a whole new family is fabulous.

I'm completely unashamed about the story I want to stand up on the top of a building and shouted out, he forgives completely. He knows thoroughly and he loves is endlessly he loves is endlessly look at what it says in verse eight that he abounds in love. He abounds and loves a great word of by wounding his net abounds in love he overflows with love.

God is love. His love brings people to repentance when they realize that what I deserve. I will not receive because of a love which is provided a Savior in this Messiah who is wonderful Counselor, mighty God and everlasting father, from everlasting to everlasting you will notice verse 17 the Lord's love is with those who fear him. This is his covenant love, a love which takes the initiative and binding to himself a people that are his very own. This is appealing. I know too many in our day. Those for whom family life is been, if not a disaster. At least the disappointment those for whom institutional religion has left them high and dry scandals and self-aggrandizement self-promotion has left them disenchanted in the looking for something in here there introduced to a love that seeks us out the kind of love that pursues is in booze is like a lady looking for the final piece of her necklace that you drop somewhere when she was a busy around the house like a shepherd who has 99 sheep safely in the fold. But there's one outside and he goes to look for, like a father who looks and longs for the return of a wayward son. This my friends is the story of the gospel.

This is the most amazing and wonderful story. The God whom I have chosen to ignore comes looking for me pursuing a relationship with himself that the God in whom I have expressed to this point in my life.

Zero interest is the God who seeks me out, he forgives us completely, he knows us thoroughly. He loves is endlessly Q for a song. If this was a different kind of church that we could finish with a country song we should be thankful that it isn't.

But it made me as I finish my notes I wrote I wrote down just two words at the bottom of the page I wrote down forever. Amen. And soon as I went to forever. Amen.

Then I was with Randy Travis that I was with Paul Overstreet and then I was sitting at my desk with words running through my head like yours. As long as all men sit and talk about the weather, as long as old women sit and talk about old man honey I want to love you forever, forever and ever. Amen. I understand that that's why in an earlier era. Somebody wrote endless loft in the in five. That's why countless popular and country songs have been written about the idea of an endless life because the human heart longs for an endless love and sin breaks love relationships, and death changes them and revocably in every instance, save one, and that is the endless love of a forever father, who in a way that I cannot understand before I was even made knew me and set his love upon me, and came and met me in my childhood home in Glasgow and kept me through my rebellious teenage years and against every run of play turned me in to what I endeavor to be for him.

And when that day comes, and the yogurt carton of my life is turned up and my sale by date is exposed for everyone in the store to see then he will love me forever and ever forever and ever. Amen. And I want to say to you if you want to know that love, trust Christ and I want to say to you that if you spar in that life there is no other love in the entire universe that will be able to fill the gaping hole that is left in your heart for you were made according to the plan. If you is mighty counselor, you may be changed by the power of he who is mighty God and you may luxuriate in the personal care and attention of he who is father forever. Each one of his adopted children.

Jesus is our everlasting father listened to Alister Greg for life or mission the Truth for Life is to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance. We know that God uses his word to transform the lives of so many who listen and were grateful to have you alongside us in this venture. Your faithful prayers and your financial giving are what make the Ministry of Truth for Life possible. And today, Alister wants to say a few words about the importance of this partnership. Thanks, Bob. It is really a great privilege to study the Bible with you each day here on Truth for Life and we are quite amazed at the reach of the program and how we are contacting people that we never ever imagined would be the case and your partnership is an essential part of all that were doing and fight your giving really not only upholds the ministry, but it enables all of our online teaching to be harrowed and shared for free and so if you haven't already contacted us with a year-end donation. I'll let me ask you humbly and kindly if you might do that today because your giving will help us in this year with a sense of gratitude to God and look into 2022 with a sense of expectation and once again Bob will be able to tell you how to contact us in order that you might support us as you've done so generously throughout the year. Thank you. Well I understand you can make a year-end donation right now online the Truth for Life.org/donate or you can call our customer service team at 888-588-7884 when you make a donation today we want to say thank you for your support by inviting you to request a copy of a book titled piercing heaven prayers of the Puritans.

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You can donate and request piercing heaven by calling 888-588-7884 or by going online to Truth for Life.org/donate a bubble team. Thanks for starting the week together with us, you probably noticed that there are quite a few ornaments and decorations that we see this time of year that have the word piece on them and yet piece seems to be in short supply in our world tomorrow. Alister explains to predicament all of us are in and how peace can become a reality for us Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life learning is prolific