A Child Is Born

Intro:

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together admiring the great art. One day the son died and the father was so grieved that in just a few months he died also.

An auction of his paintings was scheduled and many influential people gathered, hoping to purchase one of the great masters for their collections.

The auction opened with a painting of the rich man’s son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was total silence. A voice in the crowd shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200? The son! The son! Who’ll take the "SON?"

Finally, a voice from the back of the room, the family’s longtime gardener, "I’ll give $10 for the painting.”

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

The crowd was angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more famous pieces for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10."

A man from the second row shouted, "Now let’s get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I’m sorry, the auction is over. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until now. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

So it is with salvation. Many will pass over the gift of the Christ child because something else looks more appealing, but in the end, only those who take the Son get everything.

Isaiah deliberately uses two important verbs to describe Christ’s advent 700 years before the manger. As a child, He is born, but as a Son He is given. Paul also observes, “concerning his Son, of who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and he was declared to be the Son of God i in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:3-4). (The eternal Son of God assumed humanity to become the messianic King – ESV note). Humanly Jesus descended from David, but from eternity He was designated God’s Son. Paul said, “…when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). As a Son Christ was sent, God’s Son from eternity past. When Augustus was Caesar, Jesus was born of Mary. He became a man at that point in time. The Bible never hesitates to put the twin truths of the full deity and true humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ together.

A CHILD IS BORN — THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST

The Bible teaches that Jesus, the Son of God, became like us in every respect (except for sin) so that we might become like Him. His humanity is expressed, for example, in His emotional life. Some try to separate Christ from emotions, as if they were not appropriate to Him. Others exaggerate his emotions almost to the point of irreverence. The New Testament is very balanced.

Jesus was often stirred with compassion or pity. With a hungry crowd, a leper, and a blind person, He was moved with compassion. His heart went out to the bereaved widow of Nain at the loss of her only son, and He wept over the stubborn unbelief of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and again at the tomb of Lazarus. G. Campbell Morgan comments on His shared grief with Mary and Martha, “He … gathered up into his own personality all the misery resulting from sin, represented in a dead man and brokenhearted people around him”

II. A SON IS GIVEN — THE DEITY OF CHRIST

Our hope of salvation rests entirely upon the shoulders of the promised redeemer whom we identify as Jesus Christ of Nazareth. How can any one person, however extraordinary, be equal to that task? I will quickly admit that if Jesus were no more than a man, however remarkable He might be, He could not be our Savior. The question of His deity is the crucial question about Jesus Christ.

III. WHY GOD BECAME MAN

A child was born and a Son was given to show that God has not abandoned us in our sin. He loves us and values us even in our fallen state. The given name of the promised Messiah looks forward to the atonement. Mary, and later Joseph were told, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). This is the reason God became man.

Closing

But Isaiah tells us that this “child”, this “Son” was born and given unto us. What He is in this verse He is in relation to us. He came for us, for our benefit.

He is not just abstractly wonderful—He is Wonderful in our lives.

He is not just some counselor—He is our Counselor.

He is not some far removed deity—He is our Mighty God.

He is not just someone’s father—He is our Everlasting Father.

He is not peace in an abstract way—He is our Peace.

He came for our benefit.

2. He came to where we were—because we could not go where He was.

3. If we want the benefits of being with Him, He will come to us and apply them as needed.