Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro
This Christmas Season we have been asking the question, “What Child is This?”
We celebrate the birth of Jesus, but why?
Sometimes we get so familiar with things, it loses its appeal.
It just doesn’t seem so special anymore… Like last year’s Christmas presents.
This year, we are trying to look afresh at “What Child is This, wanting to be brought back to the wonder and amazement of just who He is.
That is the question we have been asking during this Christmas season.
We looked at the Shepherds.
Why did God send the angels to the Shepherds?
What could they tell us about this Child?
They could tell us that this Child is...
The Great Shepherd
The Shepherd Looks After
The Shepherd Gathers
The Shepherd Pastures
The Shepherd Provides Rest
The Shepherd Seeks and Saves
Then we looked to the Wise Men.
Why did God reveal to these men from the East that the Child was born?
What could these Wise Men tell us about this Child?
Wisdom of God
They could tell us that this Child is the very Wisdom of God.
He is the embodiment of God’s all wise plan to provide his beloved creation, mankind, who was made to be free to know, love and worship Him with Righteousness, Holiness, and Redemption.
Then, we considered May.
What could Mary tell us about this Child?
Compassion of God
Sympathy is good.
But Sympathy is just a thought.
It does not help.
God did more than just look at this world with all of the pain and suffering and feel sympathy.
No, He was moved to compassion.
Compassion is sympathy in action.
Compassion is working to alleviate the suffering.
God is working to alleviate our suffering through sending God the Son, Jesus into the world as a man.
Mary saw God’s compassion through the scriptures in her own difficult situation.
She saw God’s compassion through His provision in her situation.
She saw God’s compassion for the world in sending this Child.
This Child is the very Compassion of God—God working to alleviate our suffering in this world.
How is this Child going to help?
What Child is this?
Well, that brings us to today.
Joseph, “What Child is This?”
Today we ask Joseph, “What Child is This?”
The angel revealed to Joseph that this child was special.
This child was none other than Immanuel!
And, he was to name him, Jesus!
What child is this?
Let’s look at answering this question from Joseph’s perspective.
Joseph - what a great example… Really, has anyone ever heard of a virgin having a child?
Taking Mary would bring shame to him.
Everyone would assume he had relations with Mary during their engagement.
Yet, Joseph obeyed.
I think that is a great lesson for each of us from the life of Joseph.
We do not see much about him in the Bible, but what we do see is a many who obeyed God, even when it didn’t make sense, humanly speaking.
He married Mary.
He adopted and named Jesus as his own son.
He obeyed the law and took Jesus to Jerusalem to be dedicated to the Lord.
He took Mary and Jesus across the desert to Egypt when commanded in a dream to flee from Herod.
He returned to Nazareth when told.
Joseph was a man who listened and obeyed the Lord.
Because he listened, and believed the Lord he obeyed.
So what would be Joseph’s answer to the question, “What Child is This?”
Well, after listening and obeying, he would have known this Child was “Jesus, Immanuel”.
But just what does that mean?
Jesus…
Jesus means God Saves.
It is from the Hebrew name, Joshua.
No doubt, Joseph, being a true Israelite of the line of David would hear that name and think of Joshua, the one who succeeded Moses as the leader of Israel.
It was Joshua who was the leader of the army of Israel when they defeated Moab, Jericho, the Amorites and others when they entered the land of Israel.
He would have thought of David, the great King of Israel, who slew Goliath, defeated 10,000 Philistines, expanded the Kingdom of Israel and defeated all his enemies on every side.
He may have thought of the prophecies, like
or
What a glorious thought, that finally, the heir of David’s throne would come and reign over all nations!
That this child would do that!
Wow!
But wait, this Child is more than just the descendent of David… He is conceived of the very work of God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, means God Saves… And what did Joshua say about his victories… Joshua 24:12 “…You did not do it with your own sword and bow.”
God Himself had won the victories.
David had said the same when he fought Goliath,
This Child is the God who won all the victories!
He was coming again to conquer the enemies of Israel!
He was going to win the victory… but what victory?
What did the angel say?
You will call Him...
Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
This Child, God Himself was coming to win the greatest victory of all!
The victory over sin!
Surely, the greatest enemy of Israel was not the other nations.
No, the Lord always gave them victory over the nations when they were walking with Him.
They were only defeated when they sinned.
The greatest enemy of Israel was her own sin.
And that sin led to death.
This Child, God come into the world as a man, was going to defeat sin.
He was going to save Israel from her real enemy!
From sin!
This is just like the Psalm, Psalm 130:8.
Finally!
The King, the descendant of David was come to win the victory.
To defeat sin itself!
Israel would be saved!
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