Online Teaching & Events Schedule


Why Does Isaiah Call Jesus the Everlasting Father? Isaiah 9:6

A good friend of mine asked me this question, so I thought I would use the opportunity to publicly answer:
In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace and Mighty God… why is He called “Everlasting Father”?

Isaiah 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus is “Everlasting Father”?

One of the primary rules of interpreting Scripture is that “Scripture interprets Scripture” and “Scripture cannot contradict itself”.  So we immediately can rule out that this verse is somehow saying that Jesus is literally one and the same as “God the Father” (not to be confused with being co-equal and co-eternal) which would destroy the very plain teaching of Scripture concerning the Trinity… ie. God is Three Persons In One (God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit), an obvious and unavoidable doctrine that has its beginning “in the beginning” (Genesis Chapter 1).

Scripture is inerrant, and such an obvious contradiction would automatically crumble reams of passages throughout Scripture. Those that teach God is a single Person “wearing different hats” or “manifesting Himself in various roles” must ignore or explain away an endless list of Scriptures starting in Genesis 1 and continuing through the last chapter of Revelation.

So what then what does it mean that Jesus will be called “Everlasting Father”?

  • Since Jesus is called “son” and “father” in the same verse, we know this cannot be literal since it would represent an obvious and juvenile contradiction. The opening of the verse tells us Jesus is literally “a son” (both a human son, and Jesus the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity); the second part of the verse then gives us four characteristics about the Son.
  • It highlights Jesus’ equal status in the Godhead and His divine nature. It exclaims His eternal nature, His equality with God the Father and God the Spirit, His “everlasting nature” as Alpha and Omega.
  • It declares Jesus’ timelessness, proclaiming 700 years before His birth that Jesus is eternally past and eternally future.
  • Jesus is a reflection of the Father and conduit of His nature and knowledge… in the same way we as human children are an IMPERFECT reflection of our parents image, Jesus was the PERFECT reflection of the God the Father. To see Jesus live, speak and obey was to witness exactly what the Father would do. So in essence and nature, Jesus was a living representation of the Everlasting Father while here on the earth, and of course is that same representation spiritually for all eternity.
  • Jesus is the only physical “God” will we ever see… to see Jesus is to see the Everlasting Father.
  • “Everlasting Father” connects God the Son with God the Father… there is no disconnecting or untethering Jesus from His Father. When we place our trust in Jesus, we have our security  in God the Father. It reminds us that while Jesus is a Distinct Person, eternally self-sustained, He is also eternally one in essence and nature with God.

This was a name given to Jesus by Isaiah. In the culture in which this was written, names had meanings. They were not just a label to identify someone, they made a statement about that person. Isaiah elevates Jesus to being the eternal everlasting equal to God by giving Him the name of God.  Isaiah is telling us about the nature of Jesus by giving these four names to Him:

  • Jesus the Son (a Person) is the Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father (His characteristics)

Sunday Messages – July 16th, 2017 | John 1:14-18; The Incarnation

Audio Message: John 1:14-18 The Incarnation

John 1:14–18 (NKJV)  14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.   15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”   16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.   17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.   18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

The Word Becomes Flesh: Incarnation

  • Incarnation: the assuming by God of human nature in the person of Jesus Christ. The incarnation is the fixed and permanent physical dwelling of God in his world, as opposed to the temporary manifestation of the divine presence and power in a theophany.
  • Theophany – Manifestation of God that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period often, but not always, in human form.

God the Son assumed human nature: 1 John 1:1–2; 2 John 7

Jesus Christ’s incarnation involved a supernatural conception: Luke 1:35; Jesus is the Son of God both eternally as God and humanly in the incarnation

Jesus Christ Christ’s incarnation involved a virgin birth: Isaiah 7:14; His very birth was a miracle, evidence of His origin and nature

The cost of the incarnation: Philippians 2:6–7

  • KENOSIS –  the eternal Son of God chose not to exercise independent use of the divine attributes which were not consistent with a fully human existence… “kenoo” which means “make empty.”  Philippians 2:5–8; Mark 13:32; John 11:34; Luke 2:52; John 5:19; The reality is  “kenosis” is beyond our comprehension…
  • Hebrews 2:10  – How would you like to live the next 30 years KNOWING that at the end you would be utterly abandoned by all, accused and insulted unfairly, then tortured and murdered in the most horrendous way imaginable?

The necessity of the incarnation: Romans 5:17–19; only a person who is fully human and fully divine can be the effective mediator between God and humanity; 1 Tim 2:5;

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Verse 14  Christ as God was uncreated and eternal, the Word “became” emphasizes Christ’s taking on humanity; Hebrews 2:14–18

  • Profound: the Infinite became finite; the Eternal was constrained to time; the Invisible became visible; the supernatural One reduced Himself to the natural.
  • 1 Timothy 3:16 – the mystery

Verse 15  John the Baptist repeats the same claims of John, of Jesus eternal nature and deity

Verse 16-18  “grace for grace.”  emphasizes the superabundance of grace that has been displayed by God toward mankind, especially believers; Ephesians 1:5–8

  • The law, given by Moses, was not a display of God’s grace but God’s demand for holiness.
  • 1:18 Theologians derived the term “exegesis” or “to interpret” from this verse. All that Jesus is and does interprets and explains who God is and what He does

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

  • The NT teaching on the incarnation balances the humanity and divinity of Christ.
  • Those two facts must harmonize in any theological system, for both are absolutely necessary parts of God’s redemptive plan.
  • In the incarnation, Jesus became a perfect human being.
  • As God in human flesh, he suffered the divine penalty for sin as an innocent substitute.
  • Being both God and a man, Jesus simultaneously revealed God’s will for human life and reconciled sinful people to God through his own perfect life and death.
  • Because of the incarnation, therefore, those who believe in Christ have peace with God and new
    life from God.

 

 


Sunday Messages – July 9th, 2017 | John 1:12-13; Q/A: Women’s Roles Biblically

I’ve been preaching every Sunday for about 6 years now, as well as teaching and doing “Bible Question and Answer”.  A few years ago I tried to record my messages and put them online but the process of microphones, editing, uploading, storage, etc was just too time consuming to do all myself. Even with my technology background, it was tedious and took too much time.  I have now figured out a way to record myself anytime I speak using only my iPhone, and with one click, instantly upload them and make them available. They are unedited, so I’m not removing any mistakes, or where I may misspeak (which happens occasionally) or any other hiccups in the audio… it’s just the live version.

The Q/A I did today was on women’s roles. I answer the question Biblically, so if you disagree, please respond Biblically. Anytime I mention women, marriage, homosexuality, abortion, etc I get drowned in name calling and personal opinion. I invite disagreement but… I answer the question Biblically, so present your disagreement from Scripture. It doesn’t matter what I think or what you think. It matters what God thinks.

Q/A: Women’s Roles Biblically 

Message: John 1:12-13 Receiving Jesus and Becoming A Child of God

 


Ask Brent… Lost Questions

SFQA400Hey folks,  I have an “ASK BRENT” page that has always been around and used a lot.  Someone emailed today and said “why didn’t you respond to my question?” I checked my email but had not received anything from them. I thought it was odd that hardly anyone was asking questions anymore when that has always been pretty routine.

Upon checking my blog, I realized that the emails are not being sent to me BUT the questions are being stored. All 291 of them that I just discovered! Oh, boy…   Forgive me if you asked a question and thought you got ignored.  I try to respond to every question sent if at all possible… keep them coming,

I love answering questions. In fact, the most popular book I’ve written is my Q/A book with about 400 question and answers. Click on the cover image to see the details…

Keep the questions coming and I’ll keep answering!