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The Father's Business Podcast
The Father's Business Podcast
He is-The Character of God: He is Everlasting Father
Hope feels fragile when leaders fail, plans shift, and the season stirs old grief. Isaiah’s promise cuts through the noise: a child will be called Everlasting Father. We sit with that surprising name, trace it through the life of Jesus, and discover why it changes how we see God, ourselves, and the world we’re called to love.
We start by reading Isaiah 9:6 and asking why a messianic title uses “Father.” The name shows what Jesus came to reveal—the Father’s heart. Drawing from Colossians and John, we point to moments where Jesus speaks and acts with the Father’s authority, making the invisible God visible: mercy for the shamed, presence for the afraid, and steadfast love for the overlooked. That lens reframes Advent as more than waiting; it becomes resting in Someone whose care does not end.
We close with a spoken blessing—words to help you breathe, receive, and remember the Father who holds yesterday, today, and forever. If this encourages you, share it with a friend who needs steady hope, subscribe for more Advent reflections, and leave a review to help others find the podcast.
The Father's Business was founded by Sylvia Gunter to encourage people to a deeper relationship with God. I'm Elizabeth Gunter Powell.
SPEAKER_00:And I am Kimberly Roddy. Welcome to the Father's Business Podcast. We are so glad that you've joined us.
SPEAKER_01:Well, welcome back to our podcast, everybody. It is getting closer and closer to Christmas, and we're continuing to look at characteristics of God as we get closer to the day where we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We're looking at Isaiah 9, 6. And I'm going to go ahead and read that for us to start us off. For unto 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. This week we want to focus in on that name of God, Everlasting Father. And Kimberly, I think it's kind of interesting because this verse is pointing towards a Messiah, who we know is Jesus, the Son of God, that we use the name Father in the middle of descriptions of a Messiah to come. And that's where we can kind of have a fun discussion about the Trinity and what the Trinity means. And you know, God is one, but God is three, and there's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but they're all God. And you can kind of get yourself chasing yourself in a circle, kind of like a dog trying to chase its own tail if you if you're not careful. But as I was doing a little more digging into that, uh a lot of commentators out there, people who have studied this in the original language, think that this word father is actually more talking about like a father of a group of people or a leader, protector, more like a shepherd, or what we even sometimes call a pastor. But regardless of what that true meaning of that word means, I love the fact that we're talking about God as Father, which we've talked a lot about in our series, Safe from the Father's Heart, that people can go back and listen to. We released it over the summer of this year and really dig down into who God is as father, but that we have an everlasting protector, provider, nurturer, comforter, and leader who is there for us.
SPEAKER_00:I think what I really appreciate about this name of God, this characteristic of God is the fact that it says everlasting. And to me, uh, I mean, the the definition of that word is it is perpetual, it's eternal, it's without end. And to know that he is going to be our father forever and ever and ever and ever, um, I take comfort in that. And Elizabeth, you and I have uh, we, you know, if people listen to our stories on here, they know we have both lost our earthly fathers. Yeah. And to know that we're not orphans, I take, I take comfort in that. Uh, because just because my earthly father passes away as a child of the king, I am not an orphan. I'm not abandoned. Uh, and I think that gives me, that gives us as his children, such a deep sense of purpose. Uh, we often talk about how our identity in Christ is that we are children of the king. And so to know that we are children of an everlasting father secures that sense of identity. You know, like who we are is directly connected to who he is.
SPEAKER_01:And I also think if you're thinking about who this verse was spoken to back when, you know, it's the children of Israel, they're in captivity at the time, it's it's not a great time. They're not, they don't have righteous rule over them. What a thought for them to think about again, this idea of everlasting, that this father, this protector, this pastor, this provider for them, it's not gonna be temporary, like the different types of governments and rulers and leaders that have been over these people for years. What's being promised to them is someone who's going to come who is going to set up a permanent rule. And they are looking forward, we're looking backwards. We see the fulfillment of this in Jesus. And I think the same can be true for us, regardless of what we see going on in our culture and our world, whether it be our national governments or local governments, or even if you're in a family, where there's some unhealthy things going on in the leadership, whether that's a church, a family, yet your work, there is this promise that there is a higher authority. There is a there is an everlasting father who is never going to be to leave. And his dominion, and is as it talks about earlier in this verse, his dominion will be on his shoulders and there will be no end to it. So, regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in, we know the fulfillment of this comes through the power that we have as we walk with Jesus every day.
SPEAKER_00:Isaiah 9, 6 is revealing the Messiah, the Messiah who is to come, right? And it's talking about, like you said, Elizabeth, it's talking about he's going to be a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, an everlasting father, and a prince of peace. And so this everlasting father peace, we're accustomed to calling God our Father. And here, what it's saying, it's it's reminding us that Christ is going to embody the Father's heart for us in that eternal nature, right? In that everlasting nature. And so we know in Colossians that Jesus is born in the image of the invisible God. And we know in John chapter one that Jesus is the one who makes the Father known. John 14, 9 through 10, Jesus answered, Don't you know me, Philip? Even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. The words I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father living in me who is doing the work. So we see right there, Jesus is speaking with the Father's authority. And I think that is also what gives us such hope is that is that Trinitarian aspect that we see. We talked about that when we talked about him being the wonderful counselor, that the Holy Spirit has come to be our counselor. And then we talked about mighty God last week. And so all of these, we see the Trinitarian aspect in all of this. And so what Jesus is coming to do as the Messiah, he is coming to reveal to us the Father's heart. And so that's where we can take such comfort. You know, during Advent season, it can be kind of a dark waiting period for some people. It can be a discouraging time. And I think those, those in the Old Testament that were longing for the Messiah to rescue them, and those of us now who are longing for a Messiah to rescue us, I can take hope and courage and encouragement in the fact that during this Advent season, during dark season, dark seasons, is to know that when Jesus came, He was He was coming to embody the Father, to be near to us, to be eternal with us in his presence, to be compassionate to us. And so he's not distant. And so I just think that this is a time to reflect on that, to really reflect on He is the everlasting Father. And again, as we've talked about and we've talked about God being Father, we've got to remember he is not our earthly images of a father. No matter how great our father is or was, he's not the he's not that earthly image. He is a perfect father, he's a perfect Abba. Jesus often said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. That's he's trying to communicate. Like, I will be with you. God will be with you. Take comfort in that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I think Kimberly, so many times we I try to segment, I think other people do as well, you kind of segment God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit into roles. And oftentimes I think the role we give Jesus is, well, he came to save us from our sins. Because I mean, he did. He was the sacrifice that made it possible for us to be reconciled with God. But I I love all of these verses that when questioned, what was his purpose? It was not to take away the sins of the world. He always said, I came so that you can see you would know the Father. I I came, I only do what my father is telling me to do. And as much as we want to say, oh, well, Jesus came and he healed the sick and he and he comforted those that were in grief and he raised Lazar from the dead, all those types of things. Yes, he did, yet he only did them through the authority of his father. And if you kind of pull back, you know, the long distance view there, God loved us so much when we were in sin and in rebellion against him that he said, I want to send Jesus in human form so they in their finite mind can better understand who I am for them. And that is that is a beautiful thing, a beautiful gift that the Father has given us is his own son, not only just as an atonement and a payment for sin, because if that were true, Jesus could have just come, been crucified on the cross and done, right? There were there was no need for three years of ministry. There was no need for him to live on the earth for as long as he did if all he needed to be was a perfect sacrifice. That could have been done in a shorter amount of time. But God wanted us to see him, know him, understand him more. So he allowed Jesus to have those three years of public ministry and for things to be written about him in scriptures so that we can understand what is that God is full of compassion. Well, how do we understand what that means? We look at the way that the ways that Jesus was compassionate with everyone that he came in contact with, that he was forgiving, that he was caring, that he was drawn to those that were considered lesser than. I mean, he spent his time with the tax collectors and and and other people of society that those the religious would look down upon is where Jesus spent his time. And so I think there's a lot that we can learn about the heart of the Father and how he views people and how we should interact with people as we see it reflected through Jesus.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and in light of how we see Jesus, I think this Christmas season and this Advent time invites us to rest in that confident love that Jesus offered us and the confident love that his father offered him, that he was modeling for people. And so this season, we invite you, we invite ourselves to rest in the f in the everlastingness of the Father. So we want to bless you today during this busy season. So receive this blessing now. Be blessed in the name of Jesus, your everlasting Father, the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Be blessed to rest in his fatherly love that never ends, for the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.
SPEAKER_01:Be blessed to know that his care for you is eternal. From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord's love is with those who fear him. He is your protector, your provider, your constant presence. When others fail you, he remains faithful. When you feel orphaned or unseen, hear his promise.
SPEAKER_00:Be blessed to live under his covering of peace, for the everlasting Father watches over you day and night. His arms are always open, his heart is always near, he gathers you close like a shepherd carries a lamb, and gently leads those with young.
SPEAKER_01:Be blessed to receive his correction as love, for the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the child he delights in. Even his discipline flows from mercy and wisdom. Nothing in your life escapes his attention, and nothing can separate you from his love.
SPEAKER_00:Be blessed to find your identity in his fatherhood. You are not defined by what others have called you, but by the name he gives, beloved, chosen, redeemed. You are a child of the everlasting Father, sealed with his spirit and held in his hand.
SPEAKER_01:Be blessed to rest secure in his eternal nature. He is the Father of Eternity, the origin and sustainer of all things. Time cannot limit him, death cannot end him, and nothing can undo what he has promised.
SPEAKER_00:Be blessed to dwell in his household forever, for goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let his fatherly heart quiet your fears, restore your joy, and renew your hope.
SPEAKER_01:Be blessed to know that his love is everlasting, his faithfulness reaches to the skies, and his presence will never depart from you.
SPEAKER_00:Beloved, be blessed to rest in the arms of your everlasting Father, the one who formed you, knows you, sustains you, and delights in calling you his child.
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