What Child Is This?
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What Child Is This?
“. . . Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see
this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known
unto us.” – Luke 2:15
The following Sacrament talk was delivered on Sabbath Day afternoon. December 15, 2002 to the congregation of the Fort Smallwood Branch in Glen Burnie Maryland. Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters. I bring you love and greetings from our Stake Presidency and wish to extend their great love and appreciation for all of you and all that you do as you humbly serve in this great Stake of Zion. The Christmas season is upon us once again. As we approach the dawning of another Christmas morning, our hearts and minds are focused once more on those wonderful events that took place in the little town of Bethlehem during the night of miracles that occurred over 2000 years ago. On that night of nights a tiny baby boy was born. However, we should carefully note that this was no ordinary baby. Little did the world know or realize that this One who was born in the city of David on that starry night would change the course of the world forever. One of the hymns that are frequently sung during this season of the year is titled, “What Child Is This?” Wise men down through the ages have sought to find an answer to this very important question. Some people called Him the son of David. Others called Him the son of Joseph. The Scriptures call Him the son of David, the son of Mary, the son of man, the Son of God. I would like to take just a few moments and look at these four titles, which are presented to us in Scripture, and point out four different aspects of the Christ-child. First, as the son of David, He was the Sovereign child. In Luke 1:31-33 we read these words, “ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” This tiny little baby who lay in the manger was the rightful King. He was not born to some day become the king. He was born King! – And not just an ordinary king, but, the KING of kings and the LORD of lords. President Ezra Taft Benson once stated, “Jesus Christ is the Lord God Omnipotent. (See Mosiah 3:5.) He was chosen before He was born. He was the all-powerful Creator of the heavens and the earth. He is the source of life and light to all things. His word is the law by which all things are governed in the universe. All things created and made by Him are subject His infinite power.” (Ensign, November 1963, p.6) Not only was He the rightful King, but He was also a rejected king. We read about the failed plot of Herod the king to destroy the Christ-child as recorded in Matthew 2:1-16: 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Throughout His humble life He was despised and
rejected by people from all walks of life, and He still continues to
be rejected by people today. The world says that there are too many
other things to be concerned with and so it tries to eliminate
Christ from any aspect of daily life. Some even go so far as to say
that there is no room for Christ in this modern, technological,
self-sufficient, fast-paced world in which we live. Thus, they feel
that we no longer need His law, His love, or His sacrifice for us.
Are we among those who have no room for Him in their busy lives? Do
we find ourselves not needing to stand on His promises because we
feel that we are doing fairly well without Him? Do we find that
there is no time to do things His way because we much prefer to do
things our own way? I pray that it may never be so in any of our
lives.
Not only was He the rightful King and a rejected king, but He is also the soon returning KING. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 we are taught, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Second, as the son of Mary, He was the supernatural
child. The birth was seemingly impossible; however, the birth of the
Christ-child was the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the
prophet Isaiah as we read in Isaih 7:14-15, “Therefore the Lord
himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall
he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”
Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, Herod, angels, Satan, and our
Heavenly father, also steadfastly investigated the birth. Without a
doubt, this birth was supremely important.
Third, as the son of man, He was the servant child. The Scriptures teach us in Philippians 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” As the servant child, the Lord Jesus Christ shared the problems of the flesh. He experienced physical weariness, hunger, thirst, and physical pain. Yet, in all of this, He never sinned! In all that He did, He submitted to the will of the Father and showed a pattern to us to follow through His obedience, patience and ministry to others. Fourth, as the Son of God, He is the Savior child.
Read and ponder the words of John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent
not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved.” As the Son of God He was only sinless
man who ever lived. He was the only sacrifice that could take away
sins. He is the Christ – the Messiah – the Redeemer – the Savior of
the world!
Concerning the Christ, President Gordon B. Hinckley
once remarked: “How wondrous is the story of the great Creator, the
mighty Jehovah, who condescended to come to the earth as the babe
born in Bethlehem of Judea, who walked the dusty paths of Palestine
teaching and healing and blessing, who gave His life on Calvary’s
painful cross, and who rose from Joseph’s tomb, appearing to many on
two continents – the resurrected Lord whom we read about in the
testament of the Old World, the Bible, and in the testament of the
New World, the Book of Mormon, as well as the word of modern
revelation. We have read these, and the Spirit has borne witness in
our hearts so that we too can testify that Jesus Christ is the
resurrection and the life, and that he that liveth and believeth in
Him shall never die (see John 11:25-26). (Ensign, May 1988,
p.66.)
May I conclude my remarks this afternoon by sharing with you an essay on the Life of Jesus Christ that I came across some time ago that helps to put the period in place to all that I have endeavored to share with you this day. The essay is entitled “One Solitary Life”: Here is a man who was born in an obscure village,
the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He
worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years
He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He
never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to
college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled
two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of
the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials
but Himself...
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion
turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He
was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a
trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was
dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had
on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed
grave through the pity of a friend.
Twenty long centuries have come and gone, and today
He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of
progress.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the
armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all
the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned,
put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as
powerfully as has that one solitary life.
Brothers and Sisters as we gather together with friends and
loved ones during this joyous holiday season, may we be ever mindful
that Christmas is not about the beautiful Christmas decorations that
we see. Christmas is not even about the beautifully wrapped packages
under the tree. No, Christmas is about giving thanks to our Heavenly
Father for His precious gift to the world on that very first
Christmas morning – the gift of His Only Begotten Son – He who was
born KING – the Messiah – the Savior of the world – Jesus the Christ
– THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL. May God bless us, everyone, is my humble
prayer. In the Sacred name of Him of who saints and angels sing - He
who is the life and the light of the world – even the Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.
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3 Nephi 1:4-23
4 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the
ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be
fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater
miracles wrought among the people.
5 But there were some who began to say that the time
was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel,
the Lamanite.
6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren,
saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not
fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath
been vain.
7 And it came to pass that they did make a great
uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very
sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not
come to pass.
8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly
for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day
as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not
been vain.
9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart
by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should
be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had
been given by Samuel the prophet.
10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of
Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly
sorrowful.
11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed
himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of
his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their
faith in the tradition of their fathers.
12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto
the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came
unto him, saying:
13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for
behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be
given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the
world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by
the mouth of my holy prophets.
14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil
all things which I have made known unto the children of men from
the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of
the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the
Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night
shall the sign be given.
15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto
Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at
the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people
began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.
16 And there were many, who had not believed the
words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they
were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which
they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been
frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.
17 And they began to know that the Son of God must
shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole
earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the
land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.
18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of
these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was
already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and
their unbelief.
19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in
all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came
to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its
proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be
born, because of the sign which had been given.
22 And it came to pass that from this time forth
there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to
harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in
those signs and wonders which they had seen; but notwithstanding
these lyings and deceivings the more part of the people did believe,
and were converted unto the Lord.
23 And it came to pass that Nephi went forth among
the people, and also many others, baptizing unto repentance, in the which
there was a great remission of sins. And thus the people began again
to have peace in the land.
