In this sermon, the preacher describes a scene where a family attends a church service and the father carries his young son on his shoulder. The preacher emphasizes the symbolism of the father's heart as a place of affection and his shoulders as a place of strength. The preacher encourages the congregation to place their hearts and trust in God, who is described as wonderful in grace, gentleness, glory, and greatness. The preacher also highlights the intimacy and closeness between the father and son, relating it to the relationship between believers and God. The sermon concludes with an invitation to accept Jesus into one's life and to anticipate sharing in his glory.

Now Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7. The joy having you here tonight, we trust God will bless you, and through you many blessings will come to other people. The Lord said, Remember to Abraham of old shall come a blessing. So if you yourself are being blessed by the ministration with you to the services. Is anyone likely to visit by the way? Don't be afraid to let me know. Verse 6, For unto us a child is born, and a son is given. Now notice that word is in the same. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. On the increase of his government and King of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. But still the Lord of hosts will perform this. The Lord will add his blessing to that reading from his words of heart. Don't let us ever call it shall we? It's a new life. You've got to leave it there. Those of you, at least I trust you've got. And Father, it is not enough to have thy word opened to one, nor even by an act. Many problems have got to be solved. But our Father, you recognize Christ as the answer to every question. Jesus said that prayer is the solution to every problem. So we depend upon the Spirit of God right now to fill our vision with the Lord Jesus in his purest name. Amen. Now this morning we're looking a little at the first few verses of this wonderful 9th chapter of Isaiah. We know neglect and white, darkness and light. First of all then, the blood of sin and of the enemy. Not just of Judah, but of both Israel and Judah is born. Through Christ a thousand times. Yet not in you, but forlorn is your soul. Unto us a child is born. There you have it, incarnation. The child born. Ten times you come across the expression of child in this wonderful prophecy. The thinking of this particular one is born. His incarnation. Then we come to the next phrase. Unto us a son is given. And there you have his manifestation. First of all is incarnation, the child born. I trust you believe in the virgin birth of our adorable Lord Jesus Christ. That great delusion of a deacon binds John Wesley said. The great creator contracted to a span in this cradling made man. Matthew chapter 1 we read this wonderful expression. So and so begat, so and so begat. He comes down and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary. He does not say, I'm Joseph, he begat Jesus. Oh no. In St. Matthew's Gospel chapter 1 you read that from Abram to David are fourteen generations. From David the Babylon of Sodom. From Babylon to Christ there are fourteen. Now you can read these any way you like. You certainly will find the first section fourteen. The second section fourteen. When you come to the third section you only find thirteen names. Is it a discrepancy? Is it a contradiction? Is the Holy Ghost. And we bow before God. Every time you ever read. Every other time. Thou art the everlasting. Came into a body. Born of a woman to redeem. Born of a woman. Oh let us bow before him once more tonight dear. Given there was never a time when there never be the sun. We thank God this evening hour that God gave his son. There you have now his wonderful incarnation and his manifestation. And of the increase of his government. And peace shall be upon him. Now did you get this reply? His incarnation. May we just pause here for one moment. May I. Does the name of the Lord Jesus. Something about that is so thrilling. Does the very mention of that name just do something with you? Is it because you may not know him. We present you my friend tonight. And with utter joy. Giving that before you now. His wonderful first of all. He knows. But do we really know? Do we really know? Now we may know this is a text of scripture. For by grace. Were we able. Yes. And were we able. Jesus Christ. Jesus he is my. He is my sovereign. Yet for our sake. He became poor. I think your verse. Encouraged. Chapter 22 goes something like this. The blessing of God. There too. Now I want you to notice a threefold contrast here. Tonight we have the blessing. Because Christ. Became the curse. Oh Christ what burdens bowed thy head. Later me. That same name brings out the expression. He took the cup. He drank it to the drink. And for me tonight. Oh the wonder of it all. You know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich. Yet for our sake he became poor. And we bow before him. For the wonderful savior. Is Jesus. My Lord. Yes he is wonderful. He is wonderful in his grace. The second name. He is wonderful in his. He was so gentle. So understanding. So sympathetic. I think of that time when he gazed over. This understanding. He could say come unto me. The gentleness. Of the savior. He could see there beloved. That weeping wooded mother. And saw beloved the pure procession. He gazed upon that weeping wooded mother. His heart was moved from passion. And his gentleness moved. In that just like him. He delivered him to his. Made up in the Lord Jesus. Only the ferriture of the land. Now meekness is not weakness. Moses was a very meek man. Two women. Driving along in my car. On the January. Angus was one of them. And these two sisters. I overheard their conversation. They were talking about. The gentleness. And the meekness. Of the Lord Jesus. Now these are two characteristics. Of a normal seer. In an assembly. Now I'm driving along there. My ears wide open. To this conversation. I was getting a real feel. And now they came to a conclusion. A gentle man. Never gives offense. A meek man. Never takes offense. I thought it was a sound. Theological discourse. I never listened in my life. A gentle man never gives offense. A meek man. Never takes offense. Now you think that through. And your God. Before this wonderful. Wonderful in his gentleness. And you adore him. You worship him. I said to my wife Ashwood. Where did you get that? Says I was up. At Derrick Chapel. In Los Angeles. In the month of November. At a coffee yard. When 135 women were there. When an elder villain. Ashwood discussing. The fact of the qualification of a normal seer. And this is the conclusion. He came to. An overseer must be gentle. And he must be meek. And he declared. A gentle man. Never gives offense. And a meek man. Never takes offense. The Lord is both gentle. And he is meek. This not by law. Nothing shall offend him. It's the old. The dependent nature that is offended. So the dominant nature. It gets touching and moody. And salty. It's the dominant nature. That causes offendance. But a gentle man. One empathic energized. By the Holy Spirit shall be marveled. By those two wonderful features. What are they? Gentleness. And meekness. He's wonderful. in His gentleness." I'd love to develop that, tying with the lamine. Then furthermore, He's wonderful in His glory. Wonderful in His glory. Now, look at this. He's wonderful in His grace, He's wonderful in His gentleness, but now the very central one is, He's wonderful in His glory. Hebrews 2, verse number 9, "...but we see Jesus." Do we? Do we? Do you see Him with the eye of faith right now, turning His eyes upon Jesus, let's hold Him in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will go strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels. Speaking reverently, Christ was never made anything. By His own voluntary will, He became a little lower than the angels. There you have His humiliation for the suffering of death, crowned His coronation with glory, His glorification, and with honor, His exaltation. Beloved, we behold His glory. He's a wonderful Savior, and He's wonderful in His glory. Let us pause for a moment here, shall we? I asked you a moment ago, do you see Him? Do you really? "...to see Him will cause us to prostrate ourselves before Him, and like Thomas of old will cry, My Lord and My God." Like Thomas has seen the new Prince in His lovely hands and feet, has seen that spear of His side, Thomas prostrated himself before Him and cried, My Lord and My God. When Mary Psalms said, My Lord, tonight the Lord is here. He's nearer to you than your neighbor, but we see Jesus. Sir, we will see Jesus. Those intellectual people that particular day, the Greeks, that was the desire that was along in the yearning of the heart. Is that why you are here, gathered tonight, dear one, in the presence of the Lord Jesus? You've come to hear His voice? You've come to see Him? Then, my friends tonight, listen. The very one who led the heights of heavenly glory came right down to the scene of sin and sorrow. The grave of the Lord Jesus, O He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor. He came right down, down, down. He's the one now who's going to tell His cruel cross, not His agony, not His anguish and shame. Crying down upon that cross for your sin and for mine. He was buried on the third day. He rose again. Every name that is named, not only in this world, also in that which is to come, goes with all things under His feet. And tonight we'll listen to Him as He cries. Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious. See the man whose sorrow is now from the fight returned victorious. Every name to Him shall bow. Yes, thank God tonight He is wonderful in His glory. Only once you ask Him for His own will, as in John 17, verse 20, that day may be approved. Yes, thank God one day. Then He's saying, the sufferings of the world in us, if we suffer with Him. He's altogether loving. We'll have His day through blood and love. And my friend, in that day, we shall know that day doth follow. He's wonderful in His glory. And I would like to do that. And I think it's verse number 32. Luke's Gospel, chapter 1. And a few sweet music, I like to hear you rustling among the leaves. Verse number 30. The angel said unto her, Mary, fear not, for thou hast found favor with God. Verse number 28 says, highly favored, highly favored the Lord is with thee. The only time you ever read of that word, highly, in connection with the Lord Jesus is in Philippians, chapter 2. God has highly exalted Him. Here, now, in connection with this humiliation, it says concerning Mary, highly favored art thou amongst women. Now, look at verse 30. Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive, and thy woman shalt bring forth a son. Thou shalt call his name Jesus, and he shall be great. And shall he call the Son of the Highest. The glory of God shall be given unto him. God shall give him a throne in his house of David. He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. And you can't spiritualize that. You can't spiritualize that. He has not yet sat upon the throne of David. He has not yet reigned in the house of Jacob. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And I'm not going into prophetic discourse just now, but I'm thinking of these words, and he shall be great. Beloved, he is wonderful in his greatness, he is great in his character. Think of who he is, the Son of the living God. He is great in his love. He is great in his sympathy. He is great in his power. And God said, Remember, and he shall be great. Let some ill do wonder that comely little spirit like, cause it to bow before him in worship, and in true arrangement. God said that he is higher than the highest. He is higher than the heavens. He is higher than the kings of the earth. Yes, he shall be great. Beloved, he is great in his suffering, great in his sorrow, great in his death, great in his resurrection. He is great in his glorious exultation. He is great, God great, unchanging, high priest. Now, the one day alone is going to burst the clouds and descend to the air, and there is going to be a rapture of the midday. And remember that may be tonight. And may be this very night the lifting sky is now gone. But hear the bridegroom's voice saying, Rise up, my love, my heroine, and come away. Or does your heart sing out tonight? Even so, come, Lord Jesus, even so, come today. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, catch up thy bride away, longing for thy returning. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, even so, come today. Yes, beloved, when that takes place, and the rapture, and is called home, the great marriage supper of the Lamb, we see all the royal dainties, ladies, the ladies and my friends, all banqueting table. There we are by God's blessing. We'll have the bar before us say, He's wonderful in His greatness. All heaven bowing toward Him. All heaven lauding Him. All heaven praising Him. All heaven adoring Him. I will go near Him without any physical limitation. Cry, Woe to you, O Lamb of God, above, that every knee to Thee should bow. Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all. Yes, He's wonderful in His greatness. Friends, tonight, does this wonder fill your heart? Does it fill your heart with wonder? Does it fill your heart with joy? Oh, to know Him, my friend, is to love Him. I trust and love Him tonight. That's because I must know He's wonderful in His government. Wonderful in His government. But now, please, back to our chapter, right here, chapter six, verses nine, verses six and seven. And what do we read? And the government shall be upon His shoulder. Now, verse seven. Of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end. There shall be no end. He is great. He is wonderful in His government. I want just to touch your hearts as we close tonight. This one who is wonderful in His greatness, wonderful in His grace, wonderful in His gentleness, wonderful in His glory, is now wonderful in His government. His government, my friend, shall be a government, and peace shall rule. And He, the Prince of Peace, my friend, shall rule that scepter, and there shall be peace without any war. And as the waters now cover the sea, so shall His glory cover the whole earth. And no one shall have to say, Know the Lord, for all men shall know Him, nor bow before Him, but love Him and appraise Him, and acknowledge His Lord, the glory of God the Father. Now, what is the thought? I ask you to notice that good as in the singular, in verse six, the government shall be upon His shoulder. When I was a youngster back in Scotland so many years ago, not quite so many, and I remember, dear old and divine, just as I said to my younger fellows, when you're ministering the Word of God, squirreling Sunday school or the Bible class, announcing the glad tidings of teaching God's people, all the things you'll message, place the crosswork of Christ, place it right in the center, in the center, and build all around it. And they say you'll never become a modernist, and you'll never wander. You'll always have plenty of material to work with. Now, place the cross, and you'll cry out to Christ in the center of your message. But when you come to Luke chapter fifteen, he's there about the shepherd going up after the sheep, and he searches and he searches and searches, and you say, well, where's the crosswork here? May I just follow him? He searches and searches and searches until, and there's the cross. The good shepherd, my friend, doing up seven, eight for the way, he went all the way. Now he loved his oar, he loved the right to the very other oar. So the very other oar's tail was pulled across, and the good shepherd, he'd give his life for the sheep. We find Christ coming down, taking that sheep up, and what did he do? He placed the sheep now upon his shoulders. No longer the singular. Friend, you see how precious you are to Lord Jesus? The government of the whole universe, he's going to bear upon one sheep. And it takes both his shoulders for that. Did you get that? It takes both his shoulders, and it says in Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-three, that the love of the Lord shall dwell where? Between his shoulders. Marietta, Georgia. When they were meeting in the civic center quite a number of years ago, that place was fancy, just fancy, one laundry morning, the family Bible hour. A family came in, and they squeezed themselves into the back, and the younger people stood up, let the others get a seat. And there also comes a platform, his brother, the principal of a school in Atlanta, where the little boy took my seat. As soon as he left. Then down I saw that dear fellow there, and over his shoulder was his little boy. That little boy was leaning right over his daddy's heart, right over his daddy's shoulder. Now I looked at that picture. The heart, the place of affection. The shoulder, the place of strength. Said, Lord, that's just where I am. That's just where I am. And that's where you are tonight as a child of God. You're going to place his heart, the place of affection. You're going to place between his shoulders the place of strength and power. Something else I noticed about that little boy. How close his mouth was to his daddy's ear. Even a whisper so gentle in his daddy's ear, and his daddy could hear that whisper. Now there's something else. How close was that little boy. All the intimacy, all the closeness. Now I rejoiced when I caught upon that scene. Lord, that's just where I am. Now this one was wonderful in his grace, and in his gentleness, and in his glory, and in his greatness. He says, he is also wonderful in his government, and that one stubs your heart's door tonight. He wants to come in. He wants to come in. Will you let him in tonight? I've known this one man for over forty years. I've fooled him in many parts of the world, and he's never failed. He's never failed once. Every friend will fear and leave you. The one day serve, the next day grieve you. But this friend, he'll never deceive you. So how he loves. Will you from your heart say right now, Lord Jesus, I own thee as my Lord and Savior. I thank thee for thy immense grace, and here now I receive thee. Come into my heart.