What Child is This?

What Child is this who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom Angles greet with anthems sleep, while Shepherd watch their keeping?

What Child is this who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom Angles greet with anthems sleep, while Shepherd watch their keeping?

What a powerful question- what child is this? For hundreds of years- generations had passed- waiting for this child. This Messiah, this Christ Child, the one who would deliver mankind from sin and restore the Kingdom of God. Now, I must confess, I am a sucker for a good crime and mystery show. Anybody else like watching those? So, when the detectives or the authorities need to answer a question about someone’s identity they interview those closest to them, they build a profile of that person by leaning into the testimony others present about that person.

Today as we celebrate the birth of this Christ child I would like for us to consider 5 testimonies today as we ask ourselves the question- what child is this? So, if you have your Bible’s we are going to be flipping through some different accounts of testimony concerning Jesus- we are going to consult with the Angel Gabriel, the Angel who visited Joseph, and the Angel that visited the Shepherds. Then we are going to see what God has to say about who Jesus was, and then we are going to ask Jesus himself.

The Angel Gabriel

In Mary is visited by the Angel Gabriel, who tells her about her pregnancy and how this has all come to be. After the Angel gives Mary encouragement to not be afraid, Gabriel then tells her three things about her son- that he will be great, that he will be called the Son of God, and that he will sit on the throne of David. Now, all three of these things would have been quite shocking to Mary. He would be great? Mary was not great- she was nobody, really- a peasant girl,engaged to a carpenter, they were not people of power or influence, why would her Son be so great? It get’s a little more incredible when Gabriel tells her he would be called Son of the Most High- Son of the Most High? What does that mean? He will be a Priest? A Leader? A Teacher?

But it is the third pronouncement I want to examine the closest. He will reign of the throne of his father David. This is HUGE. You see, all Jews in Mary’s day were aware of God’s promise to King David in - that God would build a Kingdom for Israel that would last forever. For generations God had walked with Israel, protecting them, leading them, and favoring them, but those days were long gone. Now they lived in Roman occupation, they were not their own nation, and God had been silent for some 300+ years. Now, this new King was in Mary’s belly?

If what Gabriel was saying is true, then her child would restore their Kingdom, bring the favor of God back to Israel and reestablish covenant relationship with God and God’s people.

What was Gabriel’s testimony? That Jesus is the King of Kings who reigns over the Kingdom of God forever!

Joseph’s Angel

Joseph was visited by an Angel as well; we read of his interaction with the angel in . What does this Angel say to Joseph? That Jesus would save people from their sins. In fact, the name Jesus that Joseph is told to give the baby encompasses this idea. The name Jesus- or Yeshua as the Hebrew goes- is a variant of the name Joshua and it means “Jehovah Saves” even Jesus’ name testifies about what he would do.

And I think it is very deliberate that the Angel and Jesus’ name use the phrase SAVES people from their sins. You see, this is a whole new idea. Through the sacrificial system people could make amends for their sins, and cover them, but no where in the OT does it say or imply one could be SAVED from sin. From the beginning sin was part of the world that was always going to impact the people; they just needed to try and live by the law and then offer sacrifice to cover when they failed to do so.

But to be saved from sin implies something more, doesn’t it? It implies that sin’s effects are no longer valid, or that the bonds of sin have been broken- because in Jesus they have been. You see, sin separates us from God- it puts distance in between us, but because of Jesus we can be reunited with God. He is the bridge that binds us back to our creator.

What was the Angels Testimony? That Jesus would save mankind from sin

The Shepherd’s Angel

Full disclaimer- the testimony of the Angels to the Shepherds in fascinates me. Of all the things I reviewed and learned preparing for this Sermon this one is probably my favorite. The Angels use a particular phrase to describe Jesus; they say the baby born that day would be “Christ, our Lord.” This is actually a play on words from a common Hebrew phrase. For us in 2019 a phrase like “Christ the Lord” is uncommon, especially for those outside of the Church. I cannot think of another place or instance that we use ‘Christ the Lord” or anything close to it to address anyone but Jesus. While “Christ the Lord” was not a commonly used in first century Hebrew conversation- “The Lord’s Christ” was used quite often.

You see, the title “Christ” means anointed one. It was used to address anyone who God had called in a specific way to do a specific task- and the title “The Lord’s Christ” was commonly used to talk about men who had been set apart by God to do a specific task. For example, King David would have been called The Lord’s Christ, the Prophet Jeremiah would be referred to as “the Lord’s Christ; so would Moses and Abraham- it was common to refer to these men in this way. Kind of like how we refer to some people with titles like “man of God” or “prayer warrior” we are describing some spiritual attribute of that person.

However, that is not what the Angels said, they took this common phrase, switched the order of 2 words and changed everything. They say that this baby will be Christ the Lord- unlike David and Solomon, Abraham and Moses who were anointed to do a task for God- the Angel says that Jesus is the anointed one who IS GOD.

What was the testimony of the Shepherd’s Angel? Jesus is God.

God the Father

So, this baby in the manger grew, like all baby’s do, and if we fast-forward his story to we will find God’s testimony about who this Jesus is.

Unfortunately our world is full of disputes of the father of children. Quite a few nasty TV shows have been created to publicly sort out the father of a child. You know, it is one thing to have other’s assume or claim to know who the father of a child is, but it is a whole different egg when the father himself is willing to come forward and say “Yes, the child is mine.” Well, we see this play out in the Scriptures- the Angels and wise men have claimed God to be the father of this child; Mary and Joseph had spent their lives as parents claiming that this child is God’s Son- but in we hear God the Father confirm what everyone else had claimed. As Jesus came out of the water God spoke from Heaven- This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Every now and then someone will rise up and claim to be God, or the Messiah or a messenger from God. So whenever a Jim Jones, or Wayne Bent stands up and says they are the son of God, my reply is I don’t care if they claim to be Jesus- I want to know if God says it- so when the sky cracks and the voice of God confirms their claim like it did at Jesus’ Baptism, I will believe it.

God’s Testimony about Jesus; he is the Son of God!

Jesus’ Testimony about Himself

Perhaps the most important testimony is the testimony Jesus gives about Himself. Once again, this testimony comes later in Jesus’ life, as he is approaching his death and in he says “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me”

Now, many of us have heard this testimony enough that perhaps it is not as provocative as it used to be, but think about it for a moment. Jesus obliterates every other attempt to get to heaven. He blows all other attempts for salvation out of the water-

Being good- nope

Sacrfrices- nope

Buddha, Mohamed, Baal- Nope Nope Nope.

Jesus says it is me, me, me! I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life and they only way that you are going to get to God is through me. He testifies that his birth, death, and Resurrection is the only acceptable means of salvation

Jesus’ Testimony- I am the only way you can be saved!

So we build this 5 point testimony answering the question- What Child is this?

Gabriel says he is the King of Kings

Joseph’s Angel says he is the perfect offering for sin

The Shepherd’s Angel says he is Christ the Lord

God says that he is his Son

And Jesus says he is the Only way to Salvation

But here’s the thing, friends, at the end of the day the most important testimony you must wrestle with is WHO DO YOU SAY THIS CHILD IS?

The famed preacher S.M. Lockridge strived to answer that very question in his sermon “That’s My King” and he wrote this response:

To the artist He is the One Altogether Lovely.

To the architect He is the Chief Cornerstone.

To the astronomer He is the Sun of Righteousness.

To the baker He is the Living Bread.

To the banker He is the Hidden Treasure.

To the biologist He is the Life.

To the carpenter He is the Sure Foundation.

To the doctor He is the Great Physician.

To the educator He is the Great Teacher.

To the farmer He is the Sower and Lord of the Harvest.

To the florist He is the Lily of the Valley.

To the geologist He is the Rock of Ages.

To the horticulturist He is the True Vine.

To the judge He is the Righteous One.

To the juror He is the True Witness.

To the jeweller He is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the editor He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.

To the oculist He is the Light of the Eyes.

To the philosopher He is Wisdom.

To the Printer He is the True Type.

To the servant He is the Good Master.

To the student He is the Incarnate Truth.

To the toiler He is the Giver of Rest.

To the Sinner He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.

To the Christian, He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer and Lord!

So, you have this question to answer for yourself today: What Child is this? Your testimony to that very question will decide your eternity. But take caution, because your testimony is more than what you say- it is how you live. Jesus put it this way in :

The New International Version Chapter 7

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Let’s place it into the Christmas context a bit, then.

Jesus says not everyone who says to me, Lord Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven-

in other words, not everyone who Sings the Christmas Carols, not everyone who says “Merry Christmas,” Not everyone who shows up to the Christmas and Easter services at this church or any other; Not everyone who checks “Christian” on the religious affiliation box on a survey, Not everyone who posts verse to their Facebook wall, and not everyone who says “Keep the Christ in Christmas” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven....

Why? Because the testimony you give to the question “what child is this?” is not about what you say- it is about how, then, do you live?