“WHAT CHILD IS THIS?”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES
I. Introduction
“What Child is this?” For Christians the answer is a “no-brainer,” isn’t it? The song we just sang tells us who He is. He is “…Christ the King.” True Christians already know that, but the sad reality is this: Most of the people alive on the face of the earth are not true Christians.
One source I consulted on the world’s religions lists 72% of the people on earth as any-thing but Christians. Muslims account for 22%, Hindus for 15%, and Buddhists for 9% of the human race. Another 26% follow hundreds if not thousands of other man-made religions, among them are Sikhism, tribal African religions, and a variety of ancient Chinese sects. Within that 26% are also those who claim to be atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, eastern mystics, and a wide variety of deists, those who claim to believe in a god of some kind or another, but don’t name him, or her, or it. (You know, “May the force be with you.”) Just as an aside, Jews make up about .2 % of the world’s population.
“What Child is this?” You may find it hard to believe, but many of that 72% of men, women, and children on this earth have never heard the name “Jesus.” So they don’t have any idea who He is. Of those who have heard of Him, few believe He is the king of anything. And millions actually believe He was just made up, invented by men. They don’t believe that He exists now or that He ever did.
That leaves 28% of the world’s population who are Christians. Or does it? The fact is, it doesn’t. One of the reasons it doesn’t is because it’s within that 28% that you find many of the so-called respectable or mainstream cults.
Among them are the Latter-day Saints (Mormons), The Watchtower Society (Jehovah’s Wit-nesses), Christian Scientists, and Unitarian-Universalists. Mormons say Jesus is a created god whose body came into existence through the sexual union of God (Elohim) and Mary. Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus was created as the archangel Michael. Christian Scientists say Jesus was just a man who “displayed the ‘Christ idea,’” whatever that is. And the Unitarian-Universalists summarily dismiss Jesus as deity and the Second Person of the Trinity, simply by rejecting the Doctrine of the Trinity.
Now just so that there is no misunderstanding, all of these cults claim some form of belief in the man Jesus, but the one in whom they say they believe is not the Jesus of the Bible. And these “respectable” cults are all around us. For example, there is a big new Mormon church in Elkhorn. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have Kingdom Halls in Elkhorn and Twin Lakes. The Christian Scientists have churches in Burlington and right here in downtown Lake Geneva. And the Unitarian-Universalists have a church in Elkhorn.
But in addition to Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and Unitarians, there are dozens, if not hundreds of other religious groups who claim to have at least some mystical connection to Jesus Christ. Yet the world lumps them all under the banner of “Christian.” And why not – they’re not Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists, are they?
Finally, we come to what’s left of the 28% of the world’s people who identify themselves as Christians – the Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, and all the Protestants. They certainly know the answer to the question, “What Child is this?” Right? Not so fast.
While it is true that virtually all Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant peo-ple know that Jesus said He was the Son of God, it is a monumental tragedy how few of them have humbled themselves before Him, repented of their sins, and received Him as Lord and Savior of the lives.
Listen, multiplied millions of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant men and women believe “about” Him, but have never asked His forgiveness, nor trusted “in” Him alone to save their eternal souls. Rather, they believe their good works and their churches will save them. So intellectually, they know the answer to the question, “What Child is this?” But it is to people who have nothing more than “head knowledge” of Jesus that He said…
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he 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 prophecy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Every one of those people has intellectual knowledge of Jesus. Every one of them is a “believer” in Jesus. But such belief, unaccompanied by repentance and faith, can never save anyone. I believe it was D. James Kennedy who said, “Such belief merely elevates you to the level of Satan and his demons.” They believe in Jesus, don’t they?
In Mark 5 Jesus came upon a man who was possessed by multiple demons. This man was completely controlled by them. When the man (the demons) saw Jesus, the man (the demons) bowed down before Him, “…and crying out with a loud voice, the man (one of the demons) said, “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I im-plore you by God, do not torment me!” (v. 7)
So, “What Child is this? …This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing…” True Christians not only know it, but true Christians have acted on that knowledge and done something about it. They’ve repented and put their faith and their trust in the baby who lay in that manger, that feeding trough, behind an inn in Bethlehem.
He is Christ the King! King of what? In Revelation 19:16 we’re told. He is, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Over what and over whom does He reign? Jesus Christ is King of everything and everyone that has ever existed, everything and everyone that exists now, and everything and everyone that ever will exist. That’s all!
But Jesus Christ is even more than that. This morning I want us to look at three passages that will give us insight into just how much more He really is. We will see that in addi-tion to being God’s King, He is also God’s Word, God’s Son, and the very image of God Himself. And in looking at Jesus as the image of God, we will see that Jesus is Creator of all that is.
Let me encourage you to mark these sections of Scripture and familiarize yourself with them. That way they’ll be readily available to you when someone challenges your faith.
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II. Text
Each of the three passages emphasizes a truth about the Person of Jesus. Each of the three is familiar if not well-known to many of you. And each of the three includes either a direct or indirect reference to the other two.
First, Jesus Christ is God’s Word.
*John 1:1-3, 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being…
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Notice how John begins his gospel with the same words Moses uses to begin Genesis. “In the beginning…” So the first thing we learn about Jesus is that, just like His Father, He was there before the beginning of time. He is eternal. I emphasize that fact because it is so important. Jesus’ eternality is directly and inseparably linked to His deity. And Jesus’ deity is His identity. If He is not God in human flesh, our Emmanuel, then He is, as C. S. Lewis said, a world-class liar or a raving lunatic. No, Jesus is God.
In v. 1 the word “Word” is used three times. It is the Greek, “lógos,” which means, “to speak.” The pre-incarnate Christ was with God before creation and before time began. John, in John 1:1-3, is telling us that Jesus is the Word of God. And Moses, in Genesis 1:1-31, is telling us that creation came into existence when God spoke. Do you see the connection? The OT teaches us that creation exists because God spoke it into existence.
He used words – “lógos.” “Then God said…and there was light… Then God said…and it was so…” (5x in Gen. 1) Finally, in Genesis 1:26, “…God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our own image, according to Our likeness…’” Then the NT teaches us that Jesus is the Word of God – the “lógos.”
I know that “I’m preaching to the choir here.” But it’s critical that you not only believe these things and embrace them, but that you know why you believe them, and are familiar enough with your Bibles so that you can readily find these truths when you need them.
So look again at John 1:1. “…the Word was with God,” means more than simply being in His presence. It speaks of complete agreement, perfect unity, and divine intimacy. Then “…the Word was God.” Here deity is plainly ascribed to Christ. If the first words of John 1:1 don’t make it plain enough, these last four words do. Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. This is why we call Him Emmanuel.
Then John 1:2 reiterates Christ’s eternality, “He was in the beginning with God.” The word “was” tells us of Jesus’ pre-existence. Before creation, before time, before space, before any material thing ever existed, our Lord Jesus was with God.
Finally, in no uncertain terms, John 1:3 presents Jesus as the efficient cause of creation. All things are by Him and no things are not by Him. There is no wiggle room for us here, is there? There is none intended! “What Child is this?” If all we had were these first three verses of John’s gospel, we would know who He is. But there is so much more.
Look at John 1:14. “…the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…” The OT pro-phesied this.
Isaiah 7:14 (ca. 700 B. C.)
14 “Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
This prophecy was fulfilled on the first Christmas.
Matthew 1:23 (angel speaking to Joseph)
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Thus the Word came to be with us and we beheld His glory. And in all of this, in a way the finite human mind can never fully grasp, the spoken Word (the power of creation), the living Word (Jesus Christ Himself), and the written Word (the Bible), are miraculously and inextricably linked together.
Let me give you just one example of that linkage. Revelation 19 tells us about Jesus’ Second Coming. With regard to judgment and His ultimate rule of this world, v. 15 depicts a sharp sword coming from Jesus’ mouth. This symbolism connects Him directly to the written Word, the Holy Scriptures.
We know that because the writer of Hebrews tells us…
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Since both the written Word of God (The Bible) and the living Word of God (Jesus) are eternal, Therefore, Jesus could say, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35).”
So we’ve seen that Jesus is God’s Word. Second, we’ll see that He is also God’s Son.
*Hebrews 1:1-3a
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many por-tions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.
3a And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power…
The writer of Hebrews affirms what we already know to be true. In Genesis 1 God is assumed to exist. There’s no argument put forth to deal with the atheist. In John 1 the assumption is made that God has come to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ. There is no argument put forth to deal with the one who summarily rejects Jesus. The opening words in Hebrews 1 make the same assumptions. These words are written to believers.
Look again at v. 1. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets…” Here is a third assumption. When God speak, He speaks truth.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Look again at Hebrews 1:2 and we’ll see a fourth assumption. “…in these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son.” The divine revelation that began with the OT is now complete in the NT. God spoke through the prophets. Now God has spoken through His Son. If you believed the prophets you will believe the Son. In other words, if the OT is true so is the NT. Here’s one of the great OT prophecies of the Son.
Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days (an Aramaic name for God) and was presented before Him.
14 “And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peo-ples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”
In this passage in Daniel you can readily see that God has appointed Christ the heir of all things. That is why Jesus could say, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).” These are words that can only be uttered by the rightful heir. These are the words of the Son of God.
Hebrews 1:2-3 reiterate that Jesus is the Son, “…through Whom (God) made the world.” Then we’re reminded that His Word not only created all things but it keeps all things together. He “upholds all things by the word of His power.” In this we can see Jesus as Creator and Sustainer of all that there is or ever will be.
Finally Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is “the exact representation” of the Father. That leads us to the final point. We’ve seen that Jesus is God’s Word and God’s Son. Finally, we’ll see that He is God’s image.
A few minutes ago I said that I knew that “I was preaching to the choir.” I know that the vast majority of you here this morning believe all these things about Jesus. So I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. But the point is that we, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, need to have these truths as part of us. They need to be burned deeply into our minds, our hearts, and our souls. This is because we live in a world that hates and rejects Him and virtually everything upon which you and I have staked our eternal lives.
And could there be a better time to dwell on the Person of Christ than at Christmas and on Resurrection Sunday every year? So first, Jesus is God’s Word, second, He is God’s Son, and third, we’ll see that He is very the image, the exact representation of God.
Let me preface that with this. Before the Lord went to the cross He encouraged His dis-ciples with the promise of His return to rescue the church that they would establish.
*John 14:2b-9a
2b “I go to prepare a place for you.
3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; (so) that where I am, there you may be also.”
4 “And you know the way where I am going.” (All true Christians know the way.)
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you (do) know Him, and have seen Him.”
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father…”
So if you, like Philip, want to see God, all you need to do is look at Jesus. Jesus is the very image of God. That is this morning’s third point.
*Colossians 1:15-19
15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first- born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.
19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.
The “fullness” of what? The fullness of deity! Here are two aspects of God’s image that are seen in Jesus. First, He is visible and second, He is incarnate. God the Father is Spirit and is, therefore, invisible to the human eye. But God the Son became a man, visible to all who knew Him. The word “image” in Colossian 1:15 is the Greek word “ĕikōn.” We get the word “icon” from it. It means “an exact representation.”
But Jesus is not a copy. He is the original, the prototype. Jesus Christ does not merely resemble God. He is drawn from God. Therefore, the Son is the exact representation of the Father. So Colossians 1, just like John 1, proclaims Christ’s deity. In fact, when we looked at this morning’s second main point in Hebrews, we saw that the writer used the same words when he said that Jesus was “…the exact representation” of the Father.
In John 10:30 He said, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus is not only visible, He is also incarnate, in the flesh. In God the Son we can not only see God the Father, but we can touch Him.
John 1:14a
14a And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…
Do you recall what happened when Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection?
Luke 24:39 (to all of them)
39 “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
John 20:27 (to Thomas)
27 “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand,
and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.”
Visible and incarnate – God in human flesh – the visible image of the invisible God. Like John 1, Colossians 1 also tells us that this baby Jesus is the creator God Himself. “…by Him all things were created…” and “He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.” “But,” someone says, “He’s just a man. Didn’t Isaiah prophesy that a child would be born?” Yes, but Isaiah also said a Son would be given.
Isaiah 9:6
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us…
The visible Son of Man came from Bethlehem and the incarnate Son of God came from eternity past. Here in Colossians we have a God we can see and God we can touch. His name is Jesus!
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III. Conclusion
“What Child is this? This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing…” He is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. He is God’s Word. He is God’s Son. He is God’s image. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all that there is or will ever be. And He is my Savior. Is He yours?
If He is not, you can change that today. It begins when you are willing to recognize and admit your sin. Then…
• Repent, that is, change your mind about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Acknowledge Him as the King, Lord, and Savior that He is. Without such repent-ance, no one will ever be saved.
• Ask Jesus to forgive you. He will.
• Then put your faith and trust in Him and Him alone – and you shall be saved.
Romans 10:13
13 “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (not just “Lord, Lord” as in Matthew 7, but in full acknowledgement of Who He is)
And for those of you who already know Jesus as Lord and Savior, I urge you to learn the three passages we’ve looked at this morning. Even if you don’t memorize them, at least know what they mean and where in the Bible you can find them.
They are John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:1-3, and Colossians 1:15-19. They answer the ques-tion, “What Child is this?” He is God’s Word, He is God’s Son, He is God’s image, the Creator of all that is, was, or will ever be, and He is the visible manifestation of the invisible God. Jesus said, “…He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
Will you worship Him with me?
~ Pray ~