Sermon Central
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What Child Is This
Contributed by Ralph Juthman on Dec 20, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: A Christmas Sunday message answering the question who is the baby and why does it matter
WHAT CHILD IS THIS?
Christ’s birth means that God intervened in the history of human affairs to redeem a creation that had rebelled against him.
INTRODUCTION
I thought it would be a good idea for us to take a “Christmas Quiz” this morning to see how well we know the facts about the first Christmas.
1. When Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, how did they get there?
a. They walked
b. Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
c. They took a chariot
d. We don’t really know
The correct answer is “D.” The Bible gives no record of their means of travel.
2. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a. A multitude
b. Two Gabriel and Michael
c. One
d. Not sure
The right response is “C.” Luke 2:10: “The angel said to them…”
3. What song did the angels sing?
a. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
b. “Joy to the World”
c. “Glory to God in the Highest”
d. None of the above
This is a trick question. The correct choice is “D.” According to Luke 2:13, they were: “…praising God and saying…” There’s no mention of them singing anything.
4. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
a. Cows, sheep and camels
b. Horses, sheep and donkeys
c. Lions and tigers and bears
d. None of the above
There is no mention in the Bible about any animals being present. The answer is “D.”
5. In what books of the Bible can you find the Christmas story?
a. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
b. Matthew and Luke
c. Mark and Matthew
d. Matthew, Mark and Luke
The right choice is “B” -- Matthew and Luke. These two gospels give us insight into the birth of Jesus and provide much of what we know about the first Christmas
My goal this morning is to help answer the question to the song we just sang, “What Child Is This?” John’s gospel begins with a introduction that will give us some clues about the identity of the baby in the manger.
Please turn in your Bible to John 1 and follow along as I read: John 1:1-14 ( read together)
Newsweek magazine conducted a poll asking questions about Christ and his birth. Here are some of the results:
1. 67% - believe that the entire story of Christmas is historically accurate.
2. 24% - believe the story of Christmas is a theological invention.
They were asked a secondary question in the same poll.
C. If Jesus had not been born, people believe there would be:
1. 63% - less charity
2. 61% - less kindness
3. 59% - less personal happiness
4. 58% - less tolerance
5. 47% - more war
It does not matter what people believe about the birth of Christ because it is a historical fact. However, the question is what does his birth mean to us, today in 2012?
P.S. Christ’s birth means that God intervened in the history of human affairs to redeem a creation that had rebelled against him.
The word John uses to describe Jesus and who he is, is the greek word LOGOS.
This means more than just words spoken. It is words that reveal something. Warren Wiersbe writes that just as our words’ reveal to others our hearts and minds, so Jesus Christ is God’s “Word” to reveal His heart and mind to us.’
Jesus said of Himself, ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’(John 14:9). In revelation 1:11, the glorified Christ from the throne identifies Himself as the ALPHA and OMEGA, the beginning and the end.’ In other words jesus is the first and last word. Everything begins and end with Jesus on the throne.
According to Heb_1:1-3, Jesus Christ is God’s last Word to mankind, for He is the climax of divine revelation.
He uses this word so that the Greeks reading this gospel would know that Jesus was fully man, and the Jews would know He is fully God.
1. Jesus is the ETERNAL word. ( 1:1,2)
In the beginning, is an expression that John uses to explain that Jesus existed before time and creation. He was not created, Jesus was already present with the Father.
One of the most incredible statements Jesus makes of himself isa when he declared to the Pharisees and religious teachers, “Before Abraham was, I am” (Joh_8:58).
When we say Jesus was born in Bethlehem, to Mary we really mean that was when God entered humanity in the flesh.
The fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ has always existed according to verses 1-2:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”
Jesus is before the beginning of time as He said in John 8:58: “Before Abraham was born, I am.” He is eternal, or infinite because He has always existed.
