Join David Hawking as he unpacks Isaiah 9’s profound message and its implications for believers. We explore God’s promise of a kingdom without end and Jesus’ unmatched capability to bring about significant life changes, even in older age. Whether you’re seeking reassurance or ponder the complexities of His infinite power, this episode reaffirms that no one is like Jesus. In addition to exploring biblical passages, we’ll discuss the real-world application of these teachings, encouraging listeners to find joy and peace during the holiday season despite underlying personal struggles. By focusing on the eternal nature of Christ’s kingdom, this episode
Can God change your family? Is there something burdening you right now in your children or your parents? In your marriage, something’s wrong. You come to the Christmas season and the burden is actually increased because the problem is there. It hurts more because it’s like we’re all going to cover up now and we’re all going to act decent for a while. But down deep there is hurt and there’s pain and there’s ugliness. Do you believe God can do anything about that? Let me tell you something. There’s no one like Jesus.
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Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah doesn’t begin and end with a birth. It moves from child to a son, from a cradle to a kingdom. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. This is the promise of a rule that will never weaken, a peace that will never fade, and a kingdom forever. that will never end today bible teacher and author david hawking continues with a message called seven reasons why there’s no one like jesus taken from isaiah chapter 9 you’re invited to join us for another generous helping of comfort and joy here on hope for today stay right there Just before our study time, we want to remind you about all the free resources at davidhawking.org. You’ll find Bible teaching, study helps, and other materials designed to help you grow in God’s Word. And if hope for today, by the way, has been a blessing to you in 2025, would you consider becoming a regular monthly supporter in the new year? Your partnership helps us expand this outreach online and through radio as we look ahead to the new year. So please do pray about how God might have you help us in that way, joining with us in ministry through Hope for Today. You can call us at 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, and Bible by the numbers 24253. You can also donate online at davidhawking.org, davidhawking.org. Let’s get back to Isaiah chapter 9 now, and here’s David.
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There is no one like Jesus. Let’s read them again. Look in your Bibles or listen on. Verse 6 and 7, it says, “‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.'” And the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts. will perform this. Will you join me please in a moment of prayer? Father, I thank you for this beautiful occasion, Christmas, where we can gather together with family and friends to worship you. Thank you for everyone who’s come, some who have been around the church for years and rejoice in this great season of celebration. Some who are perhaps new, new to Christianity, And I pray that we will leave knowing that there’s no one like Jesus Christ. We thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen. They tell us that holidays bring out hostilities. They tell us that everybody starts right, but it ends in disaster. Somebody gets offended. Terrible time for a lot of people. That’s why I love the fact that Jesus is the reason for the season. You talk about him and center around him and nobody cares who got what. You know what I mean? He’s the focus of it all. He’s worth it all. There’s no one like Jesus because his authority is tremendous and the government of the entire world is resting on his shoulders and no one else will share the burden of it. And he’s going to rule and reign forever and ever. Number four reason. Before I give you number four, look please at those verses again and notice that there are four descriptions of the Messiah and there are four adjectives describing those four things. Wonderful Counselor. They’re not two names, one wonderful and one counselor. Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, peaceful prince, or prince of peace. He’s a prince, he’s a father, he’s God, he’s a counselor. And each one of those is described by a beautiful adjective. And tells us four more things about the Messiah. We’ve got so far that his birth was a miracle. His adoption was essential. His authority is tremendous. Number four is that his counsel is wonderful. Very clear. Wonderful in counsel. Turn to Isaiah chapter 11, please. Verse 1 and 2. Who do you go for counsel? Who do you go for advice? Have you ever noticed that whenever you get a doctor’s report and you tell a friend about what the doctor said, if it’s a serious deal, they always say, well, you better get another opinion. You ever notice that? And then you notice how sometimes advertising tries to get us to accept the counsel or advice of authorities by saying something like this. Four out of five doctors believe this aspirin is good. Amen? Or nine out of ten dentists recommend this toothpaste. They couldn’t be wrong, right? Right? The world will do anything to convince us that their counsel is correct. Now why do you go to counsel and why do you accept the counsel of anybody? Sometimes it’s because they’re a friend. Right? And sometimes that can be very dangerous. Because your friend may not be the biblical kind of a friend that will tell you the truth, but will tell you what you want to hear. And sometimes that counsel could be because you think the person’s professional. They should have some expertise. Even though it’s well known the most messed up people in the world are counselors. Reminds me of the gigantic council of psychologists and psychiatrists that met in Arizona. Their conclusion of a massive study of thousands of people is that if you don’t go for counsel, you’ll get better faster than those who do. It’s an incredible thought when you think about it. That’s not to knock the good people who are out there doing it. It’s to recognize we have a massive problem in society. Now, you ought to go for counsel. God says he who doesn’t heed a counsel is stupid, is a fool, is not wise, and will come to ruin. You’ve got to listen to counsel. But the Bible says that man’s counsel is going to fall apart. The only counsel that stands is the counsel of the Lord. Because his counsel is wonderful. The Hebrew word wonderful means incomprehensible. What it means is that you don’t always understand the counsel, but it is always right. It’s the best thing for you. What God says to you is what you can count on. The counsel of the Messiah is wonderful. It is exactly what we need. And many times we don’t even understand why he’s telling us to do what he’s telling us to do. As the psalmist said in Psalm 139, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It’s too high, I cannot attain it. Do you listen to counsel from the Lord? The Bible says, blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he doth meditate day and night. He seeks counsel from the Lord himself. Wonderful counselor. There’s no one like Jesus. The fifth thing I bring to your attention is it calls him the mighty God. There’s no one like Jesus because his power is great. He’s the mighty God. Is there anything that you believe God cannot do? Is there something you think God cannot do? You say, well, he can’t make a rock that he can’t move. But he doesn’t do that because he never operates in contradiction to his own nature. He never does anything stupid or foolish. God always does what’s right. And God can do anything that is right. Anything. His power is not limited. Do you believe that really? The Bible says, now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us. Do you believe that God is a mighty God? These same words from Isaiah 9, 6, and 7 put into the Messiah come out in the great hallelujah chorus. When all heaven is breaking out in praise to God and the words of Handel’s Messiah try to capture Revelation 19. And what’s the key of that whole Handel’s Messiah hallelujah chorus? It’s for the Lord God omnipotent, almighty reigns. And a lot of us act like God took a nap or he’s off somewhere, he can’t do anything. I don’t know how many times people say, you know, I just don’t think God will do that or can he do it. We doubt and we question what God can do. The Bible says without faith it’s impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Can he change you even though you’re over 65? There’s a guy in the church and I were talking about a man that we both know. He’s very close to 70. He’s been in a rut for 50 years at least, maybe longer. Terrible rut. He’s one of those guys that say it’ll never work. His attitudes are rotten. His home suffers. His family, his grandkids suffer now, and he’s got a couple great-grandkids. He’s going down the tubes. And we ask the question, could he ever change? You say, well, a lot of people, but not him. I mean, he’s been going on too long now. Do you know there are people right here in this audience who are over 65 who were changed by God’s power in their upper years when they were over 65 years old? They were changed in a moment of time because of God’s power. So you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, that’s in Hezekiah. Don’t look, ma’am. There is no Hezekiah. But we come up with ideas of what we think. You see, because we limit the power of God. Can God change your family? Is there something burdening you right now in your children or your parents? Yes. In your marriage, something’s wrong. You come to the Christmas season and the burden is actually increased because the problem is there. It hurts more because it’s like we’re all going to cover up now and we’re all going to act decent for a while. But down deep, there is hurt and there’s pain and there’s ugliness. Do you believe God can do anything about that? Let me tell you something. There’s no one like Jesus. The Bible says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things pass away, all things become new. God has the power to change you. A lot of us are really fighting it though, because we’ve already concluded we don’t need to be changed. Of course, if we asked your spouse, we would hear the truth. But a lot of us don’t want to be changed. We don’t want to change. We’re happy with ourselves. Listen, even in the Christian life, after you become a Christian, God speaks about the continual change that the power of the Holy Spirit can make in you. I want to ask you, have you changed anything? Do people who know you and perhaps you’ve known the Lord for over 10 years, could they say that you are much better now and more effective for the Lord because the power of God is changing you? Or do they look at you and say he’s never changed? He’s the same rotten person he’s always been. Let me tell you something. There’s no one like Jesus because he can make a big change. He’s the mighty God. There isn’t anything he cannot do. And what else makes him so unique? That little phrase, everlasting Father. His resources are unlimited. He’s the Father of the ages. He’s the Father of eternity. He’s the Father. You say, wait a minute, I thought there’s the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. God is one, not three gods, one God. He manifests himself as Father, as the Son, and as the Holy Spirit. Only one God, not three gods. Is Jesus the Son also a father? Oh, yes. The Bible says, like a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. He has compassion on you like a father does. Who? The Messiah. He’s called the everlasting Father. I like to think of that phrase. As the father, the source of the ages, the unlimited resources of God. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His understanding is infinite. His ways are past finding out. And he’s the father of all the ages of the time that we have experienced in our lives. From beginning to end and outside of it, he exists. He’s the father, originator, source of all that makes up time and eternity. He’s the source of it all. He’s the source of eternal life. Jesus himself said, I give them eternal life and they will never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Who is the source, the father of eternity, of eternal life, of all that lasts forever? Jesus Christ, our Lord. I am come that they might have life, he said, and that they might have it more abundantly. He came to give us everlasting life. When you open those gifts, I pray that the seed thought I put in your mind now will be there the moment you open the first package. That the greatest gift I could ever receive is eternal life from Jesus Christ my Lord. Everything else pales into insignificance in the light of that wonderful gift. He is the everlasting Father, the Father of all that is eternal. There’s no one like Jesus. And one last thing. What makes him so unique in that there’s no one like Jesus is that his kingdom… is everlasting. It will never end. The Bible says the prince of peace, the increase of his government and of his peace, there will be no end. Not one person listening to me now will enjoy the blessings of the eternal kingdom of God set upon earth by the Messiah if you don’t know his kingdom of peace right now in your heart. Jesus Christ himself said that you have to be born again if you want to enter the kingdom of God. The moment you are spiritually born from God, you become a brand new creature, so to speak, in Christ. You start over a new life, a new slate. The moment that happens, you are a part of a great kingdom over which Christ rules in the hearts of men. And all of those who experience his peace. Peace about sin. Peace about death. Peace about hell. Making your peace with God. You’re in right relationship with God. All those who have made peace. They now know the Prince of Peace. And they will be a part of that eternal kingdom when Christ sets up his kingdom on earth. We will rule and we will reign with Jesus Christ. There is no one like Jesus Christ. The Bible says that you can know him personally. Sometimes, you know, I give this message so much, but sometimes it overwhelms me, the simplicity of the gospel. When Jesus said, if anyone receives him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God. Imagine that we were invited to receive Jesus. Him who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Bible says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. Imagine that. It says, whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Incredible thoughts. Ask, receive, call, believe, all these wonderful words of faith. And the whole issue is that God in His love invites you to receive Him and His gift of everlasting life. And if you refuse, you deserve hell. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Let’s close with prayer. Father, thank you so much that you have put real meaning and purpose into our Christmas celebration. There is no one like Jesus. He is the reason for the season. Unto us a child was born, a son was given, and the government will be on his shoulder forever. And as a name, wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Father, I pray for those in our audience right now who have never really come to that personal relationship with Jesus Christ, your Son. Lord, encourage them by the Holy Spirit of God to get help now, to find out once and for all what they really believe about Jesus Christ, to settle their relationship with you, to come to know you, and to love you. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.
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This is Hope for Today with David Hawking. And if you’d like to know more about a relationship with Jesus Christ, we’d love to send you two free gifts. First, a booklet by David called What Is Christianity? And then a Bible study that we send out by mail. These are free again if you’re not yet a Christian, but you’re curious, or if you’re new to the Christian faith. So you can see what the Bible says about being a true believer in Jesus Christ. Call 800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, and we’ll send them your way. Or you can get them online. Go to our website. Use the contact form at davidhocking, H-O-C-K-I-N-G, dot org. And just before David returns to close out today’s broadcast, Matt’s here, and we have a resource that may just help you see the Psalms.
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Like you’ve never seen them before. Learning to praise in the Psalms is a dynamic journey through the Psalms with a special devotional for each day of 2026. Get this devotional.
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And on January 1st, you’ll have your devotional for the whole year. Amen. Amen. And Matt, the Psalms have been the morning meditation of your dad, David Hawking, for over 40 years.
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In them, he has found hope, joy, encouragement. Worship and insights into the nature and ways of the Almighty God, who alone is worthy of our praise and adoration. And Jim, with each day’s devotion, my dad outlines a psalm passage, brings in cross-references, shares his thoughts along with applications, and highlights a special verse for meditation. Yeah, and he ends each devotional. with a special prayer to bring the hope of the passage to your heart. And it’s his sincere desire that every person who reads the wonderful devotional in the Psalms will be encouraged no matter what the difficult circumstance in their life may be. Take a powerful trek through the Psalms with this personal daily devotional. Now they’re into praise in the Psalms. You know, Psalms 34.3 says, Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.
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Magnify the Lord with me.
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You know, this passage and so many, many more are covered in this devotional.
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Learning to Praise in the Psalms is just $20. And by the way, if you’ve already been blessed with a copy, get another for a friend whose faith will be enriched with this daily devotional by David for 2026. Learning to Praise in the Psalms is just $20. And when you purchase, please consider adding an extra amount, a donation to Hope for Today. or perhaps make a donation by itself. Your contribution will help us continue spreading the gospel and building up the body of Christ online and through radio in 2026. And please pray for hope for today. To receive these resources, call us at 800-75-BIBLE in the U.S., 800-75-242-53, or in Canada, 888-75-BIBLE, 888-75-242. You can also visit us online wherever you are in the world at davidhawking.org. And just before David returns, can I tell you how grateful we are for you? It’s your prayers, your encouragement, and your support that make this ministry, that make this outreach ministry possible. If the Lord leads you to give a year-end gift, please know that it helps us continue sharing God’s Word through radio and online, reaching even more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the faith-building truth of God’s Word in the year ahead. If you’d like to send a gift by mail, our address, Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, T-U-S-T-I-N, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S 8P1. You can also get by phone 875-BIBLE in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, and again online at DavidHawking.org. And thank you for standing with us and being a part of Hope for Today. Here’s David.
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There is no issue that you could describe in Christianity as critical, as important as as the one we call Yeshua, or Jesus, the Messiah. Now, according to the Bible, we have to believe in his true identity in order to be saved. A lot of people don’t realize that. We’re not just following his example, and what a wonderful example it is. We’re not just saying that he demonstrated love when he died for us. He certainly did that. But there’s something deeper here. The Bible says if you will confess with your mouth, Romans 10, 9, Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. In other words, it’s critical to believe who he is. John wrote in chapter 20 of his gospel, verse 30 and 31, that Jesus did many other signs besides the ones that are written in the gospel of John. John chose what some say are nine, some say 10, some say eight actual signs and miracles that he did. But John says that these signs that he wrote about in the gospel are written so that we would believe that Yeshua is the Son of God, and in believing it, we would have life through his name. It is critical to understand the true identity of this one we call Jesus, his Hebrew name, Yeshua. God bless you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you, David. And next week, we continue our look at the wonder of our Savior, Jesus Christ, with a four-day consideration of what makes Jesus so special from Colossians 1, verses 15 to 29. Invite someone you know to listen and join us here on Hope for Today.
