The Gift Child

Text: Luke 2:8-18

Introduction: Imagine if you will the shepherds out in the fields watching their sheep, minding their own business on a particular night sometime in December a little over 2000 years ago. It would have been an unseasonably warm evening, for if it had been winter cold the flocks would have been gathered together in a sheepfold for warmth. But on this night the shepherds were out on a hillside when suddenly a light as bright as the sun appeared and shown down on them.

To say that they were scared probably isn’t sufficient to describe their reaction. This is a day long before helicopters with spotlights ever hovered overhead looking for criminals. A light from the sky was something they would have been wholly unprepared to expect. Luke says they were “sore afraid.” They probably thought their lives were all but over that very moment.

But then the angel speaks words of comfort, “Fear not.” He has a message for them direct from God, but it’s not one of judgment. It’s a message of “great joy.” The long awaited Savior had been born in Bethlehem. It’s interesting that the shepherds were the first to be given this great message. They weren’t educated scribes or Pharisees. They weren’t doctors of the Law. But neither were they ignorant. They knew the promise of a coming Messiah. They knew what the angel meant, and they were privileged to receive the first notification of the event, and then become the baby's first visitors.

An angelic choir then joined the angel and sang praises. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.” Who was this child that He should receive such an announcement of His birth?

About 750 years earlier the prophet Isaiah wrote about this child in Isaiah 9:6-7, and described who He should be and what He would do. In 1741, the famed composer, George Frideric Handel, was given a libretto drawn from the King James Bible by Charles Jennen. So impressed by the idea of a Sacred Oratorio, Handel worked furiously, hardly stopping to eat or sleep for weeks until his crowning masterpiece, Messiah, was completed. One of the choruses in the oratorio is taken from Isaiah 9:6.

(We stopped to watch a recording by Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of For Unto Us a Child is Born, from Handel’s Messiah.)

Let me for the next few moments share three thoughts with you about this Gift Child who was so spectacularly given to us so long ago; the Gift, the Government, and the Guide.

I. The Gift.

First let us be clear that this Gift was given to “us.” That is, all of us. He was not given privately to wealthy or privileged people. You don’t have to be rich and famous, successful, important or any special thing to know Him. He was given to all; rich and poor, famous and infamous, important and unknown. Jesus is a gift to all of us given by an all-loving God. In one verse John 3:16 explains it as clearly as it can be described:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life..

Second notice also that specifically a Son was given. Not just any Son, but the Son of God, Emmanuel, God with us.

Our Catholic friends here in Olongapo love to celebrate with parades around the city at Christmas and Easter. On my way to church today a parade passed by on our street. Novices in hooded white robes carrying tall candlesticks led the procession. Faithful devotees followed crowded around four floats. On each of the floats was a statue of Mary wearing a crown. There were no Nativity scenes, or Mary holding baby Jesus, just Mary. Now I respect the Catholics for their piety and devotion, but they have missed the point. Christmas isn’t about Mary; it’s about Jesus Christ.

Mary was a humble, pure, godly young woman whom God honored by allowing her to bear the Christ child. But she was a woman, the daughter of a man and a woman, just like every other woman since Eve. She was not immaculately conceived, and she is not the Mother of God. She is the mother of the Man, Jesus. Neither is she the co-redemptrix. When she shared her news with her cousin Elizabeth, Mary spoke what has become known as the Magnificat in Luke 1:46. “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” She took no honor for herself. She gave it all to the Child she was bearing.

I took a psychology class in high school and one day we had a discussion about God. One girl made the comment, “If only God would come down and show himself to us then we would believe.” Ah, but that’s just what He has already done. He came to us as Jesus Christ, lived a sinless life, walked on water, fed thousands, healed the sick, raised the dead and rose from the grave, and people still rejected Him, as they still do to this day.

Third you might take notice that this special child was born in the humblest of places in a manger, a cattle stall. But it made perfect sense. What better place for the Lamb of God to be born than with the sheep in a barn? The picture of humility is complete. But along with the humble gift comes the responsibility of government.

II. The Government.

Isaiah makes an unusual comment in 9:6, when he writes, “the government shall be upon his shoulder.” It’s an ancient phrase that was common at the time. The person who had the government on his shoulder was the ruler. He was the king, dictator, Caesar, whatever, but he ruled. Isaiah makes it clear this child would rule.

He is the heir to the Throne of David, but not just any heir, and His kingdom will not be just any kingdom. Verse seven says it will be an everlasting kingdom. It will be a rule of prosperity and peace, an economy that will never go into recession, and a peace that won’t end. No one will be cheated or unfairly punished. It will be a rule established on judgment and perfect justice. The Lord himself guarantees it.

Isaiah is speaking of a day when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign here on the earth. It is a reign that will, according to Revelation 20:4, last for a thousand years, commonly called the Millennial Reign. Isaiah further describes it in chapter 11 of his prophecy as a time when the wolf and the lamb lie down together, and children will lead the calf and the lion. There will be no poisonous snakes or scorpions. Not just man will be at peace, but all nature as well.

More information about this glorious reign is given in Isaiah 35. Rivers will flow in the desert and it will blossom like a rose and rejoice. The weak and feeble will be strengthened. There will be no need to fear. The blind will see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, and the mute sing. For the ransomed of the Lord it will be a time of great joy and gladness.

But that's not all. This child who will reign is further identified. In many ways He will be our Guide.

III. The Guide.

This child who will have the government on His shoulder is identified by several titles. First He is called "Wonderful Counselor." In the King James text a comma separates these two words, and well could this child be described as both Wonderful and Counselor. But in the Hebrew it is actually a single term. The wonder is indicative of a miracle, and certainly the reign described above could be considered to be a miraculous reign.

Counselor is often used in Hebrew in parallel with King. The prophet, Micah, in chapter 4:9 of his prophecy, used the two terms synonymously. So Wonderful Counselor seems to indicate miraculous counsel that will be given by this King.

The next title is "The Mighty God." The Hebrew word is El Gibor. It is the strongest of all the titles given in identifying this child. El is a word that always refers to God, never to a man. Gibor literally means “Hero.” Together these words describe God as the Mightiest Hero. There is none that can stand before Him. He is the only one that could be Creator and Redeemer, because He is the only true God. Isaiah further records this Mighty God saying in 42:8,

I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

In the strongest possible terms, El Gibor describes this child as the Almighty God.

Next He is called "The Everlasting Father." Literally He is the “Father of Eternity.” It signifies the eternal Creator and Author of eternal life. More than that, the title moves from power and strength, to love and compassion. God is not an evil tyrant sitting on a throne somewhere on the rim of the universe watching His creation with disdain. Neither is He a cruel taskmaster. He is a loving, heavenly Father, who cares for us from the depths of His soul, who gave His own Son for our redemption, whose yoke, according to Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30, "is easy, and His burden light."

And finally He is "The Prince of Peace." The Hebrew term is Shar Shalom. It indicates that the Mighty God will be a benevolent, kind Ruler, who will bring peace on earth through the establishment of His kingdom. We live in a violent world. Tensions between nations are continually growing worse. We hear people, from leaders and diplomats to the lowest of citizens, crying for relief and for peace. But there will be no peace until the world turns its eyes to the Prince of Peace and He comes to reign.

In Isaiah 7:14, God gave the wicked king Ahaz a sign when He said that a virgin would conceive and bear a child. The child’s name would be "Immanuel." But this prophecy was obscure and not well understood. What could it mean a virgin would conceive? Nobody had ever heard of such a thing. But Isaiah 9:6 brings Immanuel to clear light: this child is himself God incarnate. And likewise Matthew explains it in 1:23 of his Gospel. His name was Immanuel, meaning "God with us."

Conclusion: This is the great God we serve. What a wonderful time the Christmas season is when we realize just how great the Gift Child really is, and just what a great sacrifice He made for us. Truly all who know Him can call Him “Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.”

The question today is, “Do you know Him yourself?” Not just do you know about Him, but do you know Him in your heart? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you ever repented of your sins and asked Jesus to come into your life and save you?

This is the true purpose and meaning of Christmas. We talk of peace, but there is no peace without Jesus Christ. O struggling soul, the peace that you need in your heart, that will calm all your fears and prepare you for heaven, comes only from the Prince of Peace.

If you do not know Him, or if you are unsure about eternal life, wouldn’t you like to settle that matter now? Pray this prayer from the sincerity of your heart, or word it in your own way, and ask Jesus Christ to save you.

Dear God, I realize I am a sinner, and I am lost. I believe that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, that He was born of the Virgin Mary, that He died on the cross for my sins, and that He rose again bodily from the grave. I now repent of my sins and sinful ways, and receive Jesus as my Savior. Please forgive me, come into my heart and save me, and give me the gift of eternal life as you have promised. In Jesus name, Amen.