Study Guide: "He Shall Be Called... Wonderful"

Text: Isaiah 9:6

OPEN:

God’s greatest gift to people is often overlooked at Christmas. We focus our attention on the gifts the good and gracious heavenly Father sends our way. The prophet Isaiah foretold the giving of God’s greatest gift—his only begotten Son. "For a child has been born for us, a son given us" (Isa. 9:6).

I love this time of year. I love Christmas music, Christmas lights, Christmas shopping, Christmas movies, Christmas gatherings.

But I also have a great burden during Advent each year:

It is a tragedy of tragedies that so few have properly related themselves to the Christ who was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. 

It is a really god time to face up to life's most pivotal question: Is Jesus Christ merely a mythical or legendary figure? Is Christ simply the most notable figure on the pages of history? 

His birthday gave the world a new era dividing the past from the future at a focal point. His spirit has given the world its most immortal paintings. His love has inspired the world’s masterpieces of art, sculpture, and music. His influence has inspired earth’s greatest philanthropies. More books have been written about him than have been written about all of the kings who have ruled from earthly thrones.

Who is this Son whom God has given? 

 

The prophet Isaiah is speaking prophetically about Israel's coming Messiah. A study of the messianic titles bestowed on the wonderful Savior by the prophet Isaiah can help us enter the Christmas season with reverence and awe for Christ. Christmas should cause us to focus our attention on Christ and on God’s great redemption of us through him. The names that were given to him can help us to understand God’s gracious and loving purposes for us.

Names do not hold the same significance for us as was true in biblical times and is still true in other cultures. We use them merely as labels to identify one person in contrast to another. In the land and time of our Savior, this was not the case. Names were significant. The name given to a child might be an expression of gratitude, the declaration of a hope or dream, or even a prayer on behalf of the parents. Occasionally parents would give to their children a name of prophetic significance. Some names were deeply religious in nature. The name of a city, a mountain, a village, or a home was often an indication of some spiritual experience that the individual or the people had had with God.

The names and titles given to God contain a revelation of his person, his character, and his purposes toward humankind. The names by which God chose to make himself known to his people are part of the self-revelation by which he led his people to get to know him.

The First Name of the Messiah is "Wonderful."

Commentators Keil & Delitzsch tell us: "This first word is not to be taken in conjunction with the next word. There is nothing at all to prevent our taking "wonderful" and "counselor" as two separate names."

​I.​ He is wonderful because of who he is. 

"Not only is this or that wonderful in him; but he himself is throughout a wonder."

Who is this Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate in December? 

Is he to be thought of only as the best man who ever lived on earth? He was. 

Are we to think of him only as a remarkable teacher who taught with authority as no one had ever taught before? He did. 

The Scriptures teach us that Jesus Christ was uniquely different from all other people.

​1) Jesus Christ was the God-man. He was the eternal God clothed in human flesh (John l:1; 14:9). He came to reveal the nature and character of God to man.

​2) Jesus Christ was the eternal God who came to be our Savior (Phil. 2:5–11). 

He did not begin to be when he was born and laid in Bethlehem’s manger. 

This was but the beginning of the visible manifestation of the eternal God who clothed himself in human flesh for the suffering death on the cross. Paul speaks of this “self-emptying” of the Savior who laid aside his divine glory in order that he might become incarnate.

​Because of his sacrificial, substitutionary death on the cross, Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God and should be the object of our worship and adoration (Phil. 2:9–11).

II. He is wonderful because of what he said. 

Through the centuries some people have gained immortality through the words that fell from their lips. 

Patrick Henry will always be known for saying, “Give me liberty or give me death.” 

John F. Kennedy’s words “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” will be quoted as long as free people live. 

And Martin Luther King will be known for “I have a dream.”

​Because the words that fell from Christ’s lips contained divine truth concerning eternity, they continue to live to bless the lives of people. His message is as relevant now as it was when first spoken: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

​

III. He is wonderful because of what he did. 

The Scriptures tell us that he went about doing good. 

The unique ministry he performed was that relating to his substitutionary death on the cross. The prophets had foretold how he would deal with human sin (Isa. 53:5–6). 

After “Christ died for our sins,” he validated the act in his resurrection. He proved that he has power over death and the devil. This is our Gospel: born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, raised the third day and lives forever more.

​IV. He is wonderful because of what he can do for you. 

All of us are indebted to others who have and who will continue to render valuable service to us. Most of us owe a debt of gratitude to former teachers, our family physician, our banker, or others who might have assisted us in a time of need. 

To Jesus Christ we owe our greatest debt of gratitude.

​1.​He can forgive your every sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

​2.​He can bestow upon you the wonderful gift of eternal life.

​3.​He can provide you with guidance and help as you face the future.

Is he wonderful to you?

CLOSE:

Because Jesus is Wonderful—wonderful in his person, in his purpose, in his presence, and in his power—you would be wise to trust him and yield your heart and life to him.

 

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)

Study Guide: "Casting But Not Reeling In"

Text: 1 Peter 5:1-7

OPEN:

It's human to worry, and being human is not sinful.  But it can definitely be unhealthy and even devastating if our humanness doesn't lead to a closer connection to the Son of Man. 

The Father intends for his children to be worry-free.

I. HUMILITY IS REQUIRED TO BE WORRY-FREE (vv.5-6).

First statement about humility has to do with human relationships: "And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"(v.5)

Second statement about humility has to do with our relationship with God: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God..." (v.6a).

1. Humility is Closely Connected to Anxiety.

The reason Peter deals with the problem of anxiety is because he is dealing with the problem of humility.  Somehow the command for humility makes the command to cast our anxiety on God more urgent, more necessary.

The point is that casting your anxiety on God is somehow part humbling yourself.  Casting your anxiety on God is not a separate thing you do after you humble yourself; it’s something you do in order to humble yourself

2. What Does it Mean to be Humble?

The statement "clothe yourself" is literally "tie on an apron." Peter may have in mind a slave's apron that is tied on with its attached strings, or he may have in mind that act of Jesus' in the upper room when he tied on an apron and washed the disciples' feet and performed a slave's service.

When connected to the command that follows to live anxiety-free, Humility means that when you’ve made a mistake, you admit it and say you’re sorry.

It means when you are weak or sick or inadequate for a task, not being too proud to ask for help.

It takes humility to admit your need, to recognize God cares, and to let God and others in God’s family help you.

3. Humility acknowledges that God knows best.

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time."

Submit myself to God's authority and trust that he knows best for me. When the time is right, I will see the visible answer to my silent cries.

II.  GOD WANTS TO BE OUR BURDEN BEARER (v.7).

(Peter is quoting from the Septuagint version of Psalm 55:22)

1. Now what does it mean to cast your anxiety on God?  How do I do that?

     1) Anxiety is essentially a loss of confidence.

The word anxiety in the Greek is mermna and means "worry as when one does not know whether to do this or that, distraction."

We have the same word used in Luke 10:41: "Martha was distracted by all she wanted to do, not knowing to what to turn her hand and in desperation going to Jesus to have him order Mary to help her."

“Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all others thoughts are drained.”  (Arthur Somers Roche) 

     2) Anxiety/worry plagues me when I lose confidence in God and myself because of my present circumstances.

This is Peter walking on the water, and then shifting his focus onto the boisterous waves and fierce winds. The moment his focus shifted from Jesus and he allowed himself to be distracted by his circumstances, he immediately began to drown and cried out in desperation for Jesus to rescue him.

I become a nervous wreck when I begin to think everything depends on me and that I'm inadequate for the task. Either I lose sight of God, or I refuse to trust his ability & willingness to help.

2. The secret to living worry-free is trust & release.

The word “casting” (epiripto) in verse 7 occurs only one other time in exactly the same form in the New Testament – in Luke 19:35.  “They brought it to Jesus, and casting their garments on the colt, they set Jesus on it.”

So, the meaning is simple and straight forward: if you are carrying something and you want an animal to carry it for you, you “cast” the item on the animal.  In this way, you don’t carry it any more.  It’s on the animal, not on you.  The donkey works for you and lifts your load.

     1) God is willing to carry your anxieties the same way a donkey carries your baggage.

Mt 11:28, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Ps 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.”

Is 46:4, “Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you.  I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."

     2) The critical thing is that after saddling God with your burden, you leave it there.

Many of us are good about bringing our burdens, problems, heartaches, illnesses, etc., to the Lord, but we take them back and walk away with them. Nothing changes, except that I may be even more frustrated, feeling like God doesn't care and that he can't help.

     3) God wants to be your burden bearer because it demonstrates His power and puts Him in a class by Himself.

Is 64:4, “from of old no one has hear or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for Him.”

2. Practically, how do you do that?

You do it by trusting the second half of verse 7 very specifically in relation to your specific anxiety.  The first half of verse 7 says, “casting all your anxiety on him . . .” and the second half says, “. . . because he cares for you.”

How do you practically make the anxiety transfer from your back to God’s back?  The answer is: trust that he cares for you.  Believe this promise.  Trust Him.  It’s a matter of practical trust.

Parallel Passage: Philippians 4:6: "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

So often we trust God in the abstract.  Yes, he is a trustworthy God.  Yes, he can save sinners in general. Yes, hypothetically he will work it all out; generally speaking, he is on the side of what's for my good. But this text means, lay your specific anxiety on God.  Trust him specifically that he cares about you.

When it says that he cares, it means he will not stand by and let things develop without his influence.  It means he will act.  He will work; not always the way we would choose.  But he will do what is right for us and for his name’s sake.

Here’s the important key: once you cast your cares/anxiety on the Lord, leave them there.

CLOSE:

The Father intends for his children to live worry-free.

Casting your anxiety on God means trusting him for handling this specific situation, putting the burden on his back, leaving it there and walking away.

What burden is eating away at you today?

What care is so heavy you’re stumbling under the weight and are in danger of being crushed by it?

Lay it down today – place it on the back of a God who cares and will act in your best interest.

I challenge you to come to this alter and cast your care/burden upon God today; then get up and leave it at the altar.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)

Study Guide: "A Tackle Box for Life"

Text: 1 Peter 3:13-17

OPEN:

We continue our sermon series from 1 Peter: "Life Lessons from a Lifelong Fisherman."

A new division in this letter begins in 3:8 ("Finally"), and has to do with suffering and trials. It rests on all that Peter has written thus far, namely the sovereignty of God and the necessity of surrender to Christ in all human relationships. Peter is attempting to enlighten, comfort, and strengthen  his readers. They have tasted the sting of suffering previously and the prospect of even greater suffering loomed large. Remember that the setting for this letter is Nero's hostility toward Christianity in the Roman Empire.

What comes to mind when you read the word "suffering?" Most think of poverty, famine, hunger, disease, political oppression, perhaps religious persecution.

There is another type of suffering that is just as real and is referred to here in verse 16. "Keep your conscience clear." This is an emotional response to emotional suffering. This may be the most common and devastating form of suffering that you and I endure: emotional suffering. Believers must anticipate the experience and seek the cure for emotional suffering.

Three basic categories of personal emotional suffering:

I. The Performance Trap (How I See Myself).

Description: This is the feeling that I must meet certain arbitrary standards in order to attain self-worth. Failure to do so threatens our security and sense of significance. Such a threat-- real or perceived-- results in a paralyzing fear of failure.

False Belief: I must meet certain standards in order to feel good about myself.

Consequences: Because of our unique personalities, we each react differently to this deception.

1) Some respond by becoming slaves to perfectionism, driving themselves toward achieving impossible goals. Perfectionists can be quite vulnerable and susceptible to mood disorders. They tend to react defensively to criticism, and demand to be in control of most situations they encounter.

2) Some are driven beyond healthy limitations. Rarely able to relax and enjoy life.

3) Some fall into a tailspin of despair. They rarely expect to achieve or feel good about themselves. Past failure is seen as proof of personal worthlessness. So, eventually they stop trying.

God's Answer: Justification.

Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has ascribed to us secure self-worth completely separated from our ability to perform. We have been justified, placed in right standing before God through Christ's death on the cross.

God didn't stop with our forgiveness, he also grants us the very righteousness of Christ.

2 Co 5:21, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

God ascribes Christ's worth to us.  I have the same value that Christ has to the Father!

II. The Approval Addict (How we think others see us).

Description: Our self-concept is determined not only by how we see ourselves, but by how we think others perceive as well. Basing self-worth on what we believe others think about us causes us to become addicted to their approval.

False Belief: I must be approved/accepted by others in order to feel good about myself. Satan's lie: Self Worth=Performance + Approval

Consequences:

1) Fear of rejection -- We spend most of our time building relationships, striving to please people and win their respect. And yet, it only takes one unappreciative word or negative comment to cause our self-worth to crumble.

2) Failure to accept responsibility -- Many go from relationship to relationship, attempting to find someone who will meet their need for approval/acceptance.  We are responsible for getting this need met.

3) Self-worth becomes a constantly moving target.  Our fear of rejection will control us to the degree that we base our self-worth on the opinions of others rather than our relationship with Christ.

Galatians 1:10, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

God's Answer: Reconciliation

We have unconditional acceptance in Christ.

The moment we receive Christ by faith we enter into a personal relationship with him.

Colossians 1:21, "And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him."

III. The Shame and Blame Game (How we abuse ourselves and others).

Description: Overwhelming feeling of inadequacy in myself and in others. The inability or unwillingness to accept failure in myself and in others.

Self-condemnation (I'm so stupid, I'm so ugly, I can't do anything right).

Condemnation of others (You're so stupid, you're so ugly, you can't do anything right).

False Belief: Those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished. I am what I am & you are what you are; I cannot change & you won't change. I'm hopeless and so are you.

Consequences:

1) Self-induced punishment (asceticism) -- We think that if we're hard enough on ourselves, then God won't have to punish us. We fail to understand that God disciplines in love, never punishes in anger.

2) Judge & punish others -- Our condemnation of those who fail may take the form of verbal abuse, physical abuse, nagging criticism, withholding appreciation and affection.

God's Answer: Atonement.

Hebrews 2:17, "For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people."

Providing his only Son as the atonement for our sins was the greatest possible demonstration of God's love for man.

We no longer have to induce punishment for our failure or anyone else's because Christ atoned/ paid for them all -- past, present, and future.

"A Christian community either lives by the intercessory prayers of its members for one another, or the community will be destroyed. I can no longer condemn or hate other Christians for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble they cause me. In intercessory prayer the face that may have been strange and intolerable to me is transformed into the face of one for whom Christ died, the face of a pardoned sinner." (Bonhoeffer, Life Together)

CLOSE:

How are you suffering today? Notice that I did not ask "Are you suffering", but "How are you suffering?"

Each of us are dealing with something today and probably many things:

1) May be physical suffering. Jesus cares and heals.

James 5:13, "Are any among you suffering? They should pray.

2) May be emotional suffering. Jesus cares and heals.

Discover your self-worth in God's complete and unconditional acceptance (Justification).

Relieve yourself of the awful burden of trying to measure up (Reconciliation).

Release others from your disapproval and condemnation (Atonement).

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)