Even if you’re not a baseball fan, you may know names such as Nolan Ryan, also called “The Ryan Express.” Known for his size, aggressiveness, and blistering fastball, “The Ryan Express” intimidated even the best batters spanning four decades.

My favorite pitcher—Tim Lincecum—isn’t as tall as Nolan Ryan. Analysts would refer to him as 160 lbs soaking wet. He didn’t fit the mold of a power pitcher like Ryan. Yet, Lincecum was an intimidating pitcher, reaching speeds in the high 90s. Despite his smaller stature, his powerful pitching came from his legs, with a technique that looked so unusual—so freakish—to watch. His throwing stride was more than a foot longer than his height. He dominated baseball for five years—earning two Cy Young awards, three World Series rings, and two no-hitters during his brief ten-year career, until the throwing motion for which he was called “The Freak” also really messed up his hips.

We could talk about other titles given to all kinds of people. These people already have names, but nicknames and titles additionally describe who they are or what they’ve done.

Long, long ago—roughly 2000 years ago—a not so prominent man named Joseph (who happened to come from the lineage of David) was just about to divorce a woman pledged to be his wife. He found out Mary was pregnant, and he knew for a fact that he wasn’t the father.

Thinking through it logically, for Joseph there was only one conclusion that made sense. He supposes Mary committed adultery. As Joseph contemplates it all and decides what to do, the Lord intervenes, sending an angel to tell Joseph what’s really happening. “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew name “Jeshua,” which means “The Lord saves.” The name Jesus is an important description of what the Son of God has come to do: become man, bear our sin, and then suffer death and hell for our sin so that we are forgiven.

St. Matthew explains why all this happened, citing Isaiah 7:14 as the basis. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name “Immanuel” (which means, God with us).’”

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah prophesied the virgin birth of the Savior several hundred years before it happened. The baby’s given name is Jesus. But throughout His life He would be called many additional titles—such as Immanuel “God with us.” These titles describe something about who He is and what He has come to do.

At the beginning of tonight’s Old Testament Reading Isaiah writes, “In the former time He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.” He speaks of a region that had been shaken by conquest and exile, later being made glorious by the emerging of Jesus whose base of operation was Galilee. Interestingly, Nazareth (where Jesus was raised) was located in the tribe of Zebulun. Capernaum (where Jesus lived as an adult) was located in Naphtali.

Isaiah furthermore prophesies, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… and His name shall be called.” Well, Isaiah has already called Him “Immanuel,” and now we’ll hear some other titles of Jesus.

“His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Four nicknames, four titles are listed further describing who Jesus is and what He’s come to do.

Why would people call the child to be born of a virgin mother “Wonderful Counselor”? Isaiah already declared Him to be “Immanuel,” because He is God in human flesh. Fully God and fully man. And yet, during Jesus’ life and ministry, He amazed the crowds with His wonderful counsel—His wonderful teaching.

When Jesus was twelve years old, sitting at the feet of the teachers at the temple, they were amazed at His depth of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. After Jesus began His public ministry, Jesus’ counsel amazed the crowds. As the Lord preached His Sermon on the Mount, “The crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”

Jesus taught the people with an authority that only belongs to God, and they were amazed by His wonderful counsel. Jesus said in today’s Gospel reading, “Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Jesus emphasized the authority of His words of counsel. The words of Jesus are a rock. Isaiah said, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Jesus is the firm rock on which His people can stand.

We need the Lord’s wonderful counsel for our lives. Like the crowds to whom Jesus ministered, we are sinners. We are too often lured into the sly counsel of the devil and his demons, the world’s foolish wisdom, and the twisted desires of our own sinful flesh, while we too often don’t listen to the wonderful counsel of Jesus.

Learn from what happened during Isaiah’s lifetime. God’s own people ignored Him and listened to the wicked counsel of unbelievers. The rejection of the Lord even ensnared the religious leaders of Israel, who twisted God’s wonderful counsel into wicked counsel. Isaiah writes, “The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel.” Isaiah also writes, “Those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.”

In spite of all the foolish, evil counsel running rampant in Israel, the Lord preserved a faithful remnant, including men like Isaiah, who listened to the Wonderful Counselor. Like other true prophets, Isaiah preached and taught God’s message of Law and Gospel, sin and grace, judgment and forgiveness, unbelief and faith in its entirety without wavering. While the faithful remnant received God’s message, being convicted and comforted by it, many of the Israelites totally rejected the Lord’s wonderful counsel.

God teaches in His Word that unless the Holy Spirit works repentance—unless the Holy Spirit creates in us new hearts of faith—we will think of God’s wonderful counsel as nonsensical foolishness. Listen to what the apostle Paul says, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. . . . The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

Every one of us in this room is guilty of turning away from the Lord’s wonderful counsel. We do it every day. That’s what sin is. We become captivated by the lying false counsel of the devil, the world, and our own sinful desires as we reject the Lord’s wise counsel.

But I have Good News, brothers and sisters in Christ. Isaiah says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” That, fellow believers, is truly wonderful counsel!

God speaks His wonderful counsel to us—the Word of rebirth, renewal, and restoration through the forgiveness of His Son. By means of that Good News, the Holy Spirit creates and grows faith that trusts this promise of God. By His Word, the Lord tears us from the false counsel all around us, and focuses us on the wonderful counsel of our Wonderful Counselor, Christ Jesus. Paul says, “The Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. But for us who are being saved it is the power of God!”

The Word of God plays an immeasurable role in our lives. Through it, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, so that we repent and die to sin, while we receive the salvation of our wonderful counselor who was born to shed His blood that we might belong to Him. Through the counsel of God’s Word the Spirit cleanses us of the foolish patterns of the world and transforms us in Christ by renewing our minds with His counsel.

Our wonderful counselor—Jesus—loved you in this way, He was humbly born of a virgin mother so that He could humbly suffer and die for your sins. Our wonderful counselor—Jesus—conquered death by His resurrection to give you real, lasting hope in your own eternal resurrection because He has promised it.

The Savior’s given name is Jesus, because He saves us from our sins. And that’s not the only name He’s called. We call Him Wonderful Counselor, because He blesses us with the wonderful counsel of His Word. Amen.