Isaiah 9
For to us, a child is born, to us a son is given...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, EVERLASTING FATHER, Prince of Peace.
James Brown is the Godfather of Soul. Henry Ford is the father of the automobile. Bob Chandler is the father of the monster truck. Gary Fisher is the father of the mountain bike. Frank Whittle is the father of the jet engine. Jake Burton is the father of the snowboard. Jesus is the Father of Eternity. (Jesus wins!)
The Bible says that God has written eternity in the hearts of men. This means, in God's creative design, He built in us the hunger and desire for an eternal purpose. That purpose finds its culmination in friendship with Christ.
Purpose often reveals function. Hammers are made to hammer; cars are made to transfer us from one location to another, and chairs are made to sit upon. Purpose is when something is made for a reason. We were certainly made for a reason.
Purpose also reveals intent. Our way of expressing this is to say, “You did that on purpose." Intention requires forethought and knowledge. This is exactly true of God. He made each of us on purpose. No one is an accident. None of us are the byproduct of leftovers. There are no junky people.
However, there is one more piece to purpose and that is what "Everlasting Father" is about. Relationship! Yes, it is about function and, yes, it is about intention. But it is also about relationship.
When Jesus entered the world, His purpose in coming was to redeem us and bring us back to God. His intention was to satisfy God's holiness with His own sacrifice on the cross, and in doing so, destroy the wall each of our sins had created between us and God. Jesus once said,
"God loved the world so much He sent His son into the world so that whoever believes in me will not perish but have ETERNAL life. I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world." (Jesus in John 3:16-17)
These are words spoken by the "FATHER OF ETERNITY!”
The word "believes” mentioned above could be understood to mean whoever puts the weight of their life in me. Whoever trusts in me in such a way as to let their whole life be directed by me. Whoever rests themselves with me will find eternal life. If it were written as a note or letter, it might look like this:
Dear (put your name here),
You were made to live with me forever and I love you so much. This is actually why I created you. I made you so that we could live forever in a relationship. My love for you is so intense and large that when you find it, it will shape every part of your life today and the life you live eternally.
I have come to make completely clear both the love of God and the pathway to God. I did not come to condemn you, to judge you, or to put you down. No, I came to rescue you from the pathway you were already on. Together we will walk a different way forever. I came to alter eternity for you by entering into a love relationship with you in the here and now.
If you will trust me in this, I will rescue you. I will forgive you. I will change your life forever.
With Love,
Jesus Christ, Everlasting Father
Frankly, if we are going to trust our eternity to someone (we all do, no matter what), doesn't it make sense to trust our eternity with the one whose calling card looks like this?
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, EVERLASTING FATHER, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9)
UNWRAPPING THIS GIFT
Take a minute to recall the time you put your trust in Christ to forgive your sins and made the commitment to follow him. Give him thanks for that friendship.
If you have not done this, or are not sure, click this link and follow the invitation there.