What Child Is This?
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Title- What Child Is This?
Passage-
Attention-
We sang “What Child Is This” last with a specific purpose...
There are a lot of hymns that have some great stories that go along with them
This is not one of them...
But there is some great truths in it..
Introduction
William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898) was born in Bristol, England. His father, a surgeon, had written a biography of the poet, Thomas Chatterton, which accounts for the middle name that he gave his son. It also reveals the affection for poetry which the father passed on to his son.
As a young man, William moved to Glasgow, Scotland, where he pursued a career managing a marine insurance company (a company that insured ships and related interests). However, his true passion was poetry.
Dix fell seriously ill, and was confined to his bed for an extended period of time. He underwent a true spiritual crisis during this illness, and spent much time in prayer and the reading of Christian literature. He came through the crisis as a true man of faith, and devoted much of his later poetry to Christian themes. He wrote a number of hymns.
“What Child Is This?” was derived from a longer poem, “The Manger Song.” It was first published in 1865 in Britain, and quickly became popular in the United States as well.
A good hymn will speak of the great truths we find in the Bible
This hymn is no different
This morning we will do something a little different by having this hymn direct the message.
What is the main driving point (CPS)?
Friends, this hymn gives us three great truths about the progress, purpose and pronouncement of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings
Why does the CPS matter, what is the consequence?
Transition
I. The progress of God’s plan ( )
I. The progress of God’s plan ( )
Explain
Stanza 1- “What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary's lap is sleeping?”
Stanza 2 -”Why lies He in such mean estate, Where ox and donkeys are feeding?”
Bridge to today
Stanza 3- “So bring him incense, gold and myrrh Come peasant king to own him;”
This hymn very clearly speaks of Jesus’ humanity.
The truth that Jesus, the Son of God…fully god became fully man.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Philippians 2:
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
And there are many many more verses that talk of His humanity...
But why is His humanity so important?
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Jesus needed to come in His humanity to redeem us from the Law
No angelic being, animal, or part of nature could make the payment for the sins of mankind…a man had to pay for mans sins
Yet at the same time man was not righteous enough to pay for our sins so we needed a savior that was fully human and fully divine...
This is the importance of the Babe in the manger
Jesus needed to be human, live a human life free of sin, and die the only righteous man ever in history
Without these truths we do not have redemption and reconciliation
Bridge to today
I think back to the draft during the Vietnam war.
When a man was drafted he was required to appear for service.
No one else could fulfill his duty
He couldn’t send the family cat or dog
He could not send the houseplant that sits in the window sill.
He had to show up
A human being needed to show up..
Not any human being, one that fit the call
It had to be a specific person
Relevance
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
If Jesus had not come in His 100%human/100% divine state then all that we place our hope in in this world is pointless
The Babe in the manger is essential to everything we believe
Transition
Transition
II. Jesus’ purpose ( )
II. Jesus’ purpose ( )
Explain
Stanza 1- “Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping”
Stanza 2- “TGood Christian fear, for sinners hear, The silent Word is speaking”
Stanza 3- “The king of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone him”
Bridge to today
This portion speaks of the purpose for why Jesus came.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And they remembered his words,
The first purpose of his coming was to live a sinless life and die for the sins of the world
The Bible is clear that that blood is necessary for sin to be covered.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
I don’t know of any other way to make clothes of animal skin unless the animal dies
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Blood has to be shed for sins to be forgiven
But not only did he come to die..He came to rise again...
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
How does He bring to us life?
Through His resurrection
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Not only did he come as a man to die, the ultimate purpose was to rise from the dead to bring life to all who believe on Him
Again,
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
This truth is absolutely essential to our faith and hope.
Relevance
Why does this matter?
Transition
III. The pronouncement ( )
III. The pronouncement ( )
Explain
Chorus…This, this is Christ the King...
Stanza 2-
Bring Him laud
Stanza 3- “The king of kings”
Verse three as well…The King of kings salvation brings
If you are here this morning and have called on Jesus to forgive and reconcile you then this is a great encouragement to you…or at least it should be.
This truth tells us that Jesus has been proclaimed the King of all
Paul continues in
God the Father, the powerful and sovereign creator of ALL things has proclaimed Jesus Christ as the King of king.
This is the King that every human of all of history will stand before in judgment
But He is also the King who is calling out to a lost world pleading with them to join Him in his kingdom…
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
The propose of Christmas…of Jesus being born as a baby…and living…and dying to raise again
It was all for the purpose of restoring what was lost
In the Garden of Eden Adam sinned and that sin was passed onto all mankind
That sin in turn made it necessary for Adam and Eve to leave the Garden because they no longer retained the innocence or holiness to be in God’s presence
All throughout history God has been working and fulfilling His plan to reconcile all creation to Himself.
And it is through Jesus, the King of kings that He would do this
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:18-
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
That baby in the manger…so innocent and humble
He would one day humbly die on the cross
But he would not stay dead
He would rise again in power and victory and be crowned the King of kings
Bridge to today
If you get anything out of this Christmas season...
I pray that it would be a fuller grasp of these truths
That Christians would rest in their faith and hope in the Gospel
That if others have not come to recognise and admit their sin and call on Jesus for that forgiveness that they would do just that this Christmas.
Why does this matter?
Every week I ask the text...”Why does this matter?”
It matters because our eternal destiny hinges on these truths
But even more so, the deepest yearning of our lives can be fulfilled by placing faith in Jesus’ gift of salvation and being reconciled once again to the God who loves and created us
Conclusion
This Christmas millions of people will be spending billions of dollars to quiet their anxious sould
Challenge to act now (your part)…immanence
Visualize Audience Implementation
You don’t need to spend even a penny to find joy in this life
Final Statement
You just need to do as the fourth verse states..
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?
Let you loving hearts enthrone Him.
Closing Hymn
198- Born to Die