In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

This evening is our Christmas Eve worship service. We hope that you will all come to worship the Christ-Child. Invite your friends and relatives too. Yet, someone might say, “What’s the big deal about this baby in the manger?” Or, to put it another way, a person might ask:

1. God, the Son

The first answer is that the Child in the manger is God, the Son. As you must know, the one true God is the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That baby in the manger is God, the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. Look at verse {2} ... in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. In the New Testament, God revealed himself by his Son. God’s Son is heir of all things. God’s Son does work that only God can do. He participated in the work of creation. Did you know that? God the Father created the universe through God the Son!

That’s not all. We read in verse {3} The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word... The Son of God reveals the glory of God. The Son of God is the very essence of God in the flesh. Again, we see that God the Son does work that only God can do. He sustains and preserves all things by his powerful word. He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God the Son says, “Let all things be sustained and preserved,” and they are sustained and preserved. Truly, the Son of God is God!

We read on in verse {5} For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father "? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? In other words, the Son of God is far greater than all the angels. Angels are great, wise and powerful creatures of God. But God never said to any of the angels, “You are my Son.” But, that’s what God the Father always says to God the Son. These words describe the eternal relationship of God the Father and God the Son. It’s what we call the “eternal begetting of the Son” in Christian doctrine. God the Father is always the Father. And, God the Son is always God the Son. That’s the way it always has been. And that’s the way it always will be. So we have a clear answer to our question: What Child Is This? This Child in the manger is God, the Son. But he is also...

2. God, the Savior

That Baby in the manger would grow up to save us all from sin, death, and the power of the devil. We turn our attention now to verse {3} After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Do not pass by these words lightly! Jesus “provided purification for sins.” That was why he came: to purify us from sin. God’s Son was born to purify and cleanse us all from sin.

That would not be an easy task. To do this work, God the Son would have to have flesh and blood like we have. He would have to be born under law, as we are. He would have to live a life of perfect obedience to his heavenly Father’s commands. Then, he would have to suffer and die on the cross to purify us from every sin. The Bible says that the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin. And after Jesus did that, after he redeemed us, he rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. It says here that “he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Jesus, as the eternal Son of God, resumed the full and constant use of the power and glory he always had as true God. And today, right now, he is ruling the world.

We tend to celebrate birthdays. But, what a celebration there be on the birthday of God, the Savior! Not many people celebrated that first Christmas. Not many people noticed that the Savior was born. But there was nevertheless a great celebration. The holy angels celebrated. For, {6} “when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God's angels worship him.’” It was God’s will that the angels worship God the Son. God wanted his holy angels to celebrate and worship the birth of Jesus. And they did. They worshiped him that first Christmas Eve. They worship him forever in heaven. Yet, think about it. He was not born to save the angels, he was born to save us! We have even more reasons to worship Christ than the angels did. He came to save us from our eternal condemnation, and to win for us a place in heaven. Please, do not forget to worship Christ. Tonight and tomorrow, let us celebrate his birth! Think about it. What Child Is This? He is God, the Savior. And he is...

3. God, the eternal Ruler

The letter to the Hebrews makes this point again and again. Jesus is not just a man. He is superior to all the angels. He is God, the eternal Ruler. And he rules over all forever. That’s what we learn from verse {8} But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. Here God reveals that the Son of God has a “throne.” He rules a kingdom, and that kingdom “will last forever and ever.” Here God the Father calls his Son, “God.” Some false religions claim that the Son of God is less than God, but that is wrong. The Son of God is true God, he has a throne and a kingdom that lasts forever!

That means that Jesus is ruling the universe right now. We are too often tempted to forget that fact. With all of the sin in the world, and all of the trouble in the world, we might begin to think that the world is out of control. But above it all, unseen to the human eye, Jesus is ruling as King over all. And he will always be King. He is God, and his throne will last forever!

But, his kingdom isn’t just eternal in the sense that it will never end. It is eternal in the sense that it has no beginning. {10} He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. {11} They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. {12} You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." The Son of God always was ruling as King. In the beginning, before there was anything, God created the world. In the beginning, before there was anything, God the Son, our Lord, created the heavens and the earth. So our Lord isn’t just eternal when considering the future, he’s eternal when considering the past.

When someone tells me that everything in the Bible always has to submit to human reason, this is the truth I point to. Who can understand eternity in the past? Who can understand that the Lord has no beginning? Our human reason tells us that there must be a beginning, that there must be a time, sometime, way, way back there, when the Son of God began. But no! That’s not true. There was never a time when the Son of God was not existing. He always was!

And he will remain forever. Though the universe is wearing out. Though the world will not last. The Son of God will remain, forever. He will “remain the same.” As this book says in another place, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Wow! That’s deep!

So, we return to the question that we began with. What Child Is This? Who is that Baby in the manger? He is God, the Son, in human flesh. He is true God and true man in one person. He was born to purify us from sin. He would live for us, and die for us, and rise with our victory and our forgiveness, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. This humble Baby in the manger might look small and helpless, but he is actually God, the eternal Ruler! O, come, let us adore him! O, come, let us worship him. O, come, let us bow down and honor him. This baby is our God and our Savior! This baby is Christ, the Lord. Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Amen.