What Child is This?

TEXT: Luke 1:26-35

Luke 1:26–35 (NLT)

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,

27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

INTRODUCTION:

Today is a celebration. It is a celebration of the birth of a child. What child is this a celebration of? The songwriter of old wrote this question in song-form.

1 What Child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping?

Chorus: This, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary!

The Word of God has much to say in answer to the question posed in this old carol.

I. THIS CHILD IS THE SON OF GOD ( Luke 1:35).

Luke 1:35 (NLT)

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

A. This child is the virgin-born Son of God.

1. As prophesied in the Old Testament (Isaiah 7:14; Genesis 3:15)

Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Genesis 3:15 (NLT)

15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

2. As proclaimed by the angels (Luke 1:26-35; Matthew 1:18-25)

Luke 1:26–35 (NLT)

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,

27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

Matthew 1:18–25 (NLT)

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.

25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

3. As preached by the apostles (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4–5 (NLT)

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

B. This child is the pre-existent Son of God.

1. Who was with God in eternity past (John 1:1-4; 1 John 1:1-3).

John 1:1–4 (NLT)

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He existed in the beginning with God.

3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

1 John 1:1–3 (NLT)

1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.

2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.

3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

2. Who was sent by the Father to save us (John 3:16).

John 3:16 (NLT)

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

II. HE IS THE SAVIOR OF MANKIND ( Luke 1:31).

Luke 1:31 (NLT)

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.”

A. What’s in a name? (Note the names given for Jesus)

1. Emmanuel : God with us. (Matthew 1:23).

Matthew 1:23 (NLT)

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ”

2. Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6).

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

3. Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

4. Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

5. King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14)

Revelation 17:14 (NLT)

14 Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”

6. Jesus, the Savior (text, Matthew 1:21)

Matthew 1:21 (NLT)

21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

B. What was His mission?

1. Save Souls (Luke 19:10)

Luke 19:10 (NLT)

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

2. Change Lives (2 Corinthians 5:17)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

3. Die for us and rise again (John 3:16).

John 3:16 (NLT)

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

III. HE IS THE SOVEREIGN LORD OF THE WORLD ( Luke 1:32-35)

Luke 1:32–35 (NLT)

32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

A. He is the sovereign Lord of creation.

1. He created all things (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3; Col 1:13-14).

Genesis 1:1 (NLT)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1–3 (NLT)

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He existed in the beginning with God.

3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

Colossians 1:13–14 (NLT)

13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

B. He is the sovereign Lord of redemption.

1. He determined salvation’s plan in eternity past (1 Peter 1:18-24).

1 Peter 1:18–24 (NLT)

18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.

19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

24 As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.

C. He is sovereign Lord of the future.

1. He will return in glory (Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 19:11-16 ).

Luke 1:32–33 (NLT)

32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Revelation 19:11–16 (NLT)

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.

13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.

14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.

15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.

16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

CONCLUSION:

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the new-born King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With th' angelic host proclaim

Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Christ, by highest heaven adored;

Christ, the everlasting Lord;

Late in time behold Him come,

Offspring of the Virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail, the incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with man to dwell;

Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Risen with healing in His wings,

Light and life to all He brings,

Hail, the Son of Righteousness!

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Come, Desire of nations come,

Fix in us Thy humble home;

Rise, the Woman's conquering Seed,

Bruise in us the Serpent's head.

Adam's likeness now efface:

Stamp Thine image in its place;

Second Adam, from above,

Reinstate us in Thy love.

Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the new-born King!

Questions to answer:

How personal is Christmas to you?

Have you personally accepted God’s gift of salvation?

Are you living in a way that reflects the expectation of Christ’s return?