I.      Matt. 22:41-42

A.  We often hear a song sung this time of year entitled, “What Child is This?”

B.  That question is as important today as it was 2000 years ago. It’s a very important question.

1.    Who is this child? Who is He to you?

2.    Some have called Him the son of David, which we see in the text (Matt 22:42).

C.   Others have called him the son of Joseph. In John 1:43-45 is says, “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” (44) Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. (45) Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”[1]

1.    46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”[2]

2.    What a mistake to call Him the son of Joseph. Joseph wasn’t even His father.

3.       Look at Luke 2:25-33.

a)    Joseph and Mary knew that there was something different about this child.

b)    They knew that Joseph wasn’t the father. He was much more than the son of Joseph.

II.       The Bible calls Him the Son of David.

A.  . AS THE SON OF DAVID, HE WAS THE SOVEREIGN CHILD

B.  This was a very important fact. For Jesus to be the Christ, He had to be born for the linage of David.

1.    (Isa 9:6-7) 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. 7 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.”[3]

a)    And there are others (2 Sam 7:12-13, Jer. 23:5, & 30:9)

2.    FULFILLMENT: In (Matthew 1:1) The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

3.       I think my favorite is found in Luke 1:31-33.

C.  Jesus was the rightful king.

1.    Jesus admitted that he was a King. (Matt 27:11) It says, “Now Jesus stood before the governor (Pilate). And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”[4]  

D.   He was also the Rejected King.

1.    In what is known as The Triumphal Entry the people began to cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”[5] (Mat. 21:9)

a)    They were ready to crown Him as King right there.

2.    But it was only a week later that the people shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” (Luke 23:21).

E.  But He is the RETURNING King!

1.    In (1Cor 15:51-53) Paul said, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”[6] (Also 1 Thess 4:13-17)

2.        Rev 19:11-16 (This is the time when Jesus comes to defeat the beast).

III. AS THE SON OF MARY, HE WAS THE SUPERNATURAL CHILD

A.  (Mark 6:3) Says, “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.”[7]

1.    (Isaiah 7:14) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

B.  This birth was seemingly impossible that a virgin should give birth.

1.       Luke 1:26-38

C.  This birth was watch very closely by many.

1. By Joseph

2. By the shepherds

a)    It says in (Luke 2:12) where the angles said, “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”[8]

(1)  The shepards came and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.[9]

3.    The wise men.

a)     The wise men came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”[10]

4.    Herod

5. By angels

6.     By the devil

7. By God Almighty

D.  This birth was supremely important.

IV.    AS THE SON OF MAN, HE WAS THE SERVANT CHILD.

A.  (Matthew 9:6) But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

B.  (Philippians 2:5-8) “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

C.   As the SERVANT child, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Shared the problems of the flesh

a)Physical weariness

b)        Hunger and thirst

c)Physical pain

d)    However, He never SINNED!

2.    Submitted to the purpose of the Father.

3. Showed a pattern for us to follow

a)    Obedience

b)    Patience

c)Compassion and Love

d)     Ministry to others

V.   AS THE SON OF GOD, HE WAS THE SAVIOR CHILD

A.  Matthew 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

B.  John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

C.       As the Son of God

1.    He was the only sinless man who ever lived

2.    He was the only sacrifice that could TAKE AWAY sins

3.    He is the only Savior who can take you to heaven

a)    In (John 14:6) It says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”[11]

VI.    Now I mentioned on Thursday “What is the Kingdom of God, or Kingdom of Heaven, or even the Kingdom of Christ.”

A.      Luke 19:11-15

1.    Most of the time, we think of a kingdom as being a country or a place.

a)    So when we think of the kingdom of God, we tend to think of a spiritual place where God has His throne.

(1)  And this is defiantly true, but there is more.

b)    What about Matt 6:33 which says, “Seek 1st the kingdom of God”

2.    What about when Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”[12] (Luke 18:16-17)

a)Ho do you receive the kingdom?

b)    Kingdom is at hand; kingdom is now, reference to the kingdom being future; It’s not meat and Drink;

B.      Going back to our story in Luke 19:11-15.

1.    This man didn’t go to receive a kingdom being a territory or a place. He went to receive kingly authority, Rulership. He came back as the King.

2.    The NRSV has it translated correctly, it says, “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. 13 He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ 14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading.” [13]

3.     The Kingdom of God is the Rulership or Authority of God.

4.    From the Strong’s the word Kingdom from Luke means, “1 royal power, kingship, dominion, rule. 1a not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom. 1b of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah. 1c of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom.”[14]

5.    How do you receive the kingdom of God as a little child? You receive His Rulership as a child.

6.    How do you seek 1st the kingdom of God? You seek to submit to His rulership, authority, & guidance..     

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[1]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Jn 1:43). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Jn 1:46). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[3]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Is 9:6). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[4]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Mt 27:11). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[5]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Mt 21:9). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[6]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (1 Co 15:51). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[7]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Mk 6:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[8]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Lk 2:12). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[9]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Lk 2:16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[10]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Mt 2:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[11]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Jn 14:6). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[12]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Lk 18:16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[13]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 (Lk 19:12). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[14]Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (G932). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.