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(Isaiah 9:6)

INTRODUCTION: Our Advent Series is called Name Above All Names, and we are looking at the four names of Jesus as revealed by the prophet Isaiah here in Isaiah 9:6. We have already looked at the first two names – “Wonderful Counselor” and “Mighty God” – so this week we come to the third name: “Everlasting Father.” (Read Isaiah 9:6 and pray)

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Let me begin this morning by asking you a few questions. How many of you are driving the same car you drove twenty years ago? How many of you have the same TV you had ten years ago? How many of you are wearing the same sneakers you wore five years ago?

The point is this – things don’t last forever. Cars get old; shoes wear out; equipment breaks down. By the way if you buy an expensive piece of equipment and you’re wondering how long it will last, you can usually just look at the warranty and add a month or two. It’s called “planned obsolescence.” And even if something doesn’t wear out, fashions still change, new products come out and clothes go out of style. I’m guessing most of you aren’t wearing the same clothes you wore in high school, unless of course you’re still in high school!

Now for must of us it’s not a big deal when something we buy doesn’t last. We’re used to it. We can always replace it or buy another one, or perhaps a better one! But it’s not just the things we buy that don’t last. It’s everything – our possessions, our relationships, even life itself. The entire universe is slowly wearing down, the sun is burning up its fuel, and even our own bodies are subject to decay. When we’re younger we feel like we will never die, but as we get older and our bodies begin to betray us, we learn the hard truth that nothing lasts forever in this world.

I think of the elderly couple who with great difficulty shuffled into the restaurant with their walkers and asked the hostess, “How long a wait?” The hostess replied, “Oh, about forty minutes.” The gentleman looked at his wife, and then back to the hostess and said, “Do you have anything sooner? We may not last that long!”

Nothing lasts forever in this world, and yet we are all looking for something that will last, something that will truly go the distance. Well, with this third name Isaiah introduces us to one who is called “Everlasting Father.”

We have seen some amazing paradoxes already in the first two names, but this third name is perhaps the most paradoxical of all. Charles Spurgeon draws out the paradoxes well when he comments that the child is a counselor, the baby is God, the son is a father, and the infant is infinite. And we’ll borrow his last two comments for our outline this morning as we look at two paradoxes in particular: The Son is a Father, and the infant is infinite. And then we will close by seeing how Jesus is an Everlasting Father to all those who come to him.

I. The Son is a Father

So, the first paradox we encounter in this name is that the Son is a Father. And that’s a little confusing at first because we are not used to thinking of Jesus as a Father. We think of God the Father as the Father, and Jesus as the Son. So why does Isaiah call Jesus a Father here in verse 6?

   A. The Son is not the Father in relation to the Trinity

Well, the first thing we need to understand is that the Son is not the Father in relation to the Trinity.

      1) The Son is distinguished from the Father (John 1:1-2, 10:30)

Rather, in the Bible the Son is distinguished from the Father. We read in John 1:1-2:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2)

The Word in this verse is Jesus, and we see from this verse that Jesus is God, and yet he is also distinguished from God in some way. In the beginning he was God, and yet he was also with God. How can that be?

The answer is what we call the Trinity. The Bible reveals to us one God who exists eternally as three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Think about last week when we looked at the incarnation. We saw that Jesus is one person with two natures – a human nature and a divine nature. Well God is three persons with one nature – one divine nature shared equally among the three persons of the Godhead.

Now there are certain groups who deny the Trinity and teach what is called “Oneness” doctrine instead. “Oneness” doctrine teaches that God is one person instead of three – that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all one and the same person. They point to Jesus’ statement in John 10:30 for support where Jesus says: “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) But Jesus was not claiming to be the Father in that verse. He was talking about the Trinity. He was not saying that he and the Father are the same person. Rather, he was saying that he and the Father are both God, that they share the same one divine nature.

The Son is not the Father in relation to the Trinity. Rather, in the Bible the Son is distinguished from the Father.

      2) The Son reveals the Father (John 14:8-9; Hebrews 1:3)

The Son is not the Father, but the Son reveals the Father. That’s what Jesus said to Philip in John 14:

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:8-9)

The book of Hebrews puts it this way: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

So, when Isaiah calls Jesus “Everlasting Father,” we must be careful to distinguish this name from the Trinity. The name is still revealing of the Trinity, for God the Father and Jesus the Son both share the same divine nature. But Jesus is not the Father in the sense of God the Father in the Trinity.

   B. Rather, the Son is a Father in relation to us

So, if Isaiah is not talking about the various persons of the Trinity here, what does he mean by calling Jesus “Father?” And the answer is this: The Son in Isaiah 9:6 is not the Father in relation to the Trinity. Rather, the Son is a Father in relation to us. And that may be a new thought for you this morning. I can think of at least three ways according to the Scriptures that Jesus is a Father in relation to us.

      1) He is the source of all life (John 1:3-4)

First of all, he is the source of all life. We looked John 1:1-2 earlier. Now let’s look at verses 3-4:

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” (John 1:3-4)

Jesus is a Father in relation to us first of all because, as God, he is the source of all life. He is the Father of all creation. All life comes from him.

      2) He has a father’s heart (Matthew 9:36; Psalm 103:13)

And then a second way that Jesus is a Father in relation to us is because he has a father’s heart. Matthew 9:36 tells us that “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

Now I know some of you had great fathers, and some of you had not-so-great fathers. But a true father’s heart according to Scripture is a heart of compassion. Psalm 103:13 says: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13)

When Jesus saw the crowds, lost in their sin and far from God, he did not look at them with disgust or disdain, but with the compassion of a father. Please know that Jesus has the same compassion for you. Jesus has a father’s heart.

      3) He is the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47-49)

Jesus is a Father in relation to us because he is the source of life, because he has a father’s heart, and thirdly, because he is the second Adam. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:47-49 with me which contrasts the first man, Adam, with Jesus the second Adam:

“The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:47-49)

Now this one’s a little tougher to grasp than the first two, but let’s see if we can break it down together. Adam was our first father, and when Adam sinned, he not only took on a sinful nature himself, but he passed on that sinful nature to each successive generation. We inherit our sinful nature from Adam, because he is our father. We all trace our lineage back to him. We are all sinners because we are all “in Adam.”

But Jesus is the second Adam. And if you are “in Christ,” you have a new lineage and a new father. We all died in Adam, but when you come to Jesus you have new life in Christ. Jesus is the second Adam, because he replaces the first Adam. The first Adam brought sin and death, but the second Adam brings righteousness and life. And in that sense Jesus is your father: because he is the second Adam who brings life whereas the first Adam brought death.

So, that’s our first paradox this morning. The Son is a Father. Jesus is not the Father in relation to the Trinity. Rather, he is a Father in relation to us. He is the source of all life. He has a father’s heart of compassion. He is the second Adam reversing the curse of sin in your life and bringing you new life and righteousness.

II. The infant is infinite

Our second paradox is this: the infant is infinite. Last week we looked at the physical miracle of the incarnation: the Mighty God took on flesh and became a human child. This week we see a miracle relating to time in the incarnation: the infinite God who is before time and outside of time entered time as a human being. The baby in the manger is not only a Father. He is the Everlasting Father. The infant is infinite.

   A. He is the First and the Last (Revelation 1:17-18; Psalm 90:2)

What do the Scriptures say about this amazing miracle? First of all, the infant is infinite because he is the First and the Last.

In Revelation 1:17-18 Jesus says to John: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:17-18) What is Jesus saying here? He has always been and always will be. He is God, and Psalm 90:2 tells us that God is infinite: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)

Jesus is the first and the last because he is from everlasting to everlasting. He has always been, and he always will be.

   B. He is before all things (Colossians 1:17)

Secondly, the infant is infinite because he is before all things. Colossians 1:17 says: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) Well, what things is he before?

John 8:58 tells us he is before Abraham. Abraham lived two thousand years before Jesus was born, and yet Jesus told the people of his day: “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)

But Jesus goes back even further than that. He is not only before Abraham. He is also before creation. John 1:3 says: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3) For Jesus to make all things he had to be in existence before all things. He is before creation.

And then, thirdly, he is also before time. Micah 5:2 addresses the city of his birth when it says: “But you, Bethlehem … though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2) That phrase “from ancient times” really means “from days of eternity,” and so Micah is saying of this ruler born in Bethlehem that his origins are from eternity.

In fact, the name “Everlasting Father” in Isaiah 9:6 can also be translated “Father of eternity.” And so, Jesus is truly before all things. He is before Abraham; he is before creation; he is before time itself. Jesus has no beginning. The Everlasting Father is before Father Time. His origins are from eternity. There was nothing before him because he is before all things.

   C. He remains forever (Hebrews 1:10-12)

He is the first and the last, he is before all things, and thirdly, he remains forever. Hebrews 1:10-12 says this about Jesus:

“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Hebrews 1:10-12)

We tend to think of the earth and the heavens as pretty permanent fixtures, but even this physical world has an expiration date. When the time comes, Christ will roll up the heavens like a robe, and this world as we know it will come to an end. But he remains the same, and his years will never end.

III. Jesus is an Everlasting Father to all who come to him

We have looked at two paradoxes this morning. The Son is a Father, and the infant is infinite. And I would like to close by simply saying this: Jesus is an Everlasting Father to all who come to him.

   A. Jesus is the same forever (Hebrews 13:8)

He is an Everlasting Father to all who come to him first of all because he is the same forever. Hebrews 13:8 says: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) If he is a Father to you today, you can rest assured that he will be a Father to you tomorrow and every day of your life and on into eternity. He is the same forever.

   B. Jesus saves forever (Hebrew 7:25)

And not only is Jesus the same forever, but Jesus saves forever, too. Hebrews 7:25 says that “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25) That word “completely” can also be translated “forever.” Jesus saves completely because he saves forever. He always lives to intercede or pray for us.

Charles Spurgeon makes a wonderful comment on this in his sermon on Isaiah 9:6:

“Here is a sweet thought. [Jesus] neither himself dies, nor becomes childless. He does not lose his children … And this is the best of all, that he is “an everlasting Father” to all those to whom he is a Father at all. If you have entered into this relationship so as to be in union with Christ … you are his child, and you shall for ever be.” (Charles Spurgeon, Sermon, 12/9/1866)

Jesus is an Everlasting Father to all who come to him. He is the same forever. And he saves forever. Praise the Lord!

CONCLUSION: We started off this morning by saying everyone is looking for something that lasts, but nothing lasts for long in this world. Physical things, relationships, good health, even life itself – none of these things last in and of themselves.

But when you give your life to Jesus, he is your Everlasting Father, and he will take care of you forever. The Son is a Father, the infant is infinite, and Jesus is an Everlasting Father to all who come to him. That is the good new of Christmas this morning.

© Ray Fowler

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