What Child IS This?

What Child IS This? I have always been struck by the prophecies of the Messiah that speak of him as a child. This is quite unusual. If we were to speak or prophesy about any other great figure, we would concentrate on their deeds as a mature man or woman. But with the Messiah, so much is said about him as a child. This poem sermon was written for the 2000 Christmas Eve service and is based on five Scriptures which deal with Jesus as a child: Luke 3:22 (God's child); Luke 2:6-7 (Mary's child); Matthew 2:11 (worshipped as a child); Isaiah 9:6-7 (the child who rules the world); Genesis 3:15 (the child that destroys the evil one and saves his people).

What child IS this? - We sing the carol, Of a child wrapped in Hebrew baby apparel. Visited by shepherds, worshipped by wise men, Proclaimed by angels, a star as an omen. What child IS this? Have you ever asked? To find the answer is in God's love to bask. As we go through each stanza in poetic rhyme Take a trip with me; go back in time… To a night when all bustle had finally stilled, To a place where all guest rooms were totally filled And think of this baby and why He was born - His hands to be nail pierced and his brow crowned with thorns. What child IS this? You must search your heart.

Ask God to show you, the Holy Spirit impart, As we go through this sermon to take a close look At what God says of this child in His very own book. We will look at child verses - five will be quoted, Examining each and message denoted. Two from Matthew, one from Luke, One Isaiah, one Pentateuch. What child IS this? The first clue is found In words from His Father - a pleasant sound: "You are my Son. Know of my pleasure Son of my love forever and ever.

" This child is unique - the only one. For He is God's only begotten Son. Have you an "only" child ever known…. How the parents comment daily on how he's grown. And they hang on each word and cute remark.

He is their life, their light, their lineage, their spark. For the hopes of the future and the links to the past Are tied up in this child for as long as his life lasts. So into His life, the Father did pour All of His Spirit and then much more. "Like Father, like Son," you've heard it said; And this child so special, in a rude manger bed, Was as much God as He could possibly be Sent by His loving Father to save you and me. What child IS this? That Luke does say Came from woman on straw did lay.

In Bethlehem town the baby was born. The Son of God enfleshed on Christmas morn. What child IS this? So human, yet God, Who walked this earth where our feet now trod. Born of a virgin, meek and mild, She treasured this son as she would any child. She caressed his cheek and tousled his hair And marveled that God had sent Him there.

She delighted in being this little boy's mother And laughed at his antics just like any other. And she wished she could keep him small a bit longer As she watched him grow up, grow tall, grow stronger. For he grew not just in stature, in physical looks, But also in Spirit - filling all crannies and nooks. Mary and Joseph rejoiced to call God's son their own And raise Him until the day God called Him back home. This babe, born of God, now growing into a man, It's hard to imagine, but try if you can.

What child IS this? Whom wise men proclaim, Whom magi seek - to know him by name. Matthew tells of these men from far away lands Who sought a Jew King across desert sands. How foolish to look for an unknown child -  Not knowing the prophecies, this idea was just wild! Yet search they did and finally found. They discovered God and worshipped, their knees to the ground. Gifts they brought Him, each one with a meaning, With star overhead so brilliantly gleaming.

The gold to show kingship, his reign ceasing never; Power and authority - His forever. Incense to worship the deity nigh, Exalt, praise forever, our God from on high. Myrrh a foreshadow - a future of grief, For this child's span of life would be brief. Myrrh used to perfume a body that's dead - His blood to be spilled for us in great drops of red. What child IS this? That Isaiah foretold A son that was given from Jewish household.

What child IS this? Who a government shall rule. To see a child as Lord, you must be a fool! But Isaiah predicted in chapter nine, A child with titles and names divine. And reign He shall, on a forever throne, Desiring your heart as His eternal home. He will rule with justice, power and might. The devil will eventually give up the fight.

For He is mighty God, a counseling wonder. He will spoil Satan's schemes and tear them asunder. And ALL knees shall bow - Every president and king; For He will be Master and Lord of everything. What child IS this? Predicted to Eve Who crushes the serpent His kin to relieve From Satanic bondage we need a reprieve And so Eve and Mary were asked to believe In a child that would save mankind from darkness and pain And bring us all back to the Father's domain. What child IS this? His purpose clear from the start -  He was to die for our sins and break His pure heart.

For death WE deserved, destruction WE'D earned; God's EVERY advance - EACH ONE we had spurned. The reward for our sin - separated from God all our life, To live in fear, in emptiness, and in eternal strife. His special name His own Father gave: Jeshua - the one through whom God would save To fulfill his plan for all people here To save people from the sins they hold so dear. His job was to die as a sacrificial lamb To bring us to heaven, not for God to damn. For a relationship He desires with each of us here, Not just at Christmas, but all through the year.

What child IS this? Have you searched your own heart? Have you listened and considered His life from the start? He was born of God's Spirit, yet also of flesh. 'Tis true though WE don't see how the two can mesh!! He was worshipped by magi who realized he was God, Tho' his birth and surroundings might have been a bit odd. And He IS Lord and Master, over all to reign. To deny His kingship is really insane! And last, but not least, He is Savior of all From time immemorial, planned even before the Fall. God knew His son He would send in His place To reflect His glory and spread His grace.

So what child IS this? Your turn to answer now. For one day, ALL knees, even YOURS, will bow. And all will be seen as it truly is, This Jesus, Messiah, all honor is His. As you go home to presents, to family and feasts, This babe should be central rather than least! If you want to know more about what you have heard, Search the Scriptures and learn from God's very own word. For this babe did grow up - a man He became, So our lives would not need to remain the same.

What do YOU think? What child IS this? He's a child, a life, we don't want you to miss. Take a moment to pray, ask Him to make Himself clear; And the holidays will be filled with a new kind of cheer. For He delights in changing lives, in giving out grace No matter your stature, your past or your place. He already knows you - He knows you by name; Come worship Him now, you'll be glad you came. by Dennis & Sue Rupert, 2004