1. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT “Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the L ORD.” Isaiah 2:5 What Child is This? - The Light

2. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT An Expected Arrival

3. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT The Context of Isaiah The book of Isaiah was written between 740-680 B.C.. Assyria invaded Judah around 722 B.C., but Jerusalem was defended and remained a stronghold for the people of God; the other Israelite tribes were defeated and dispersed. Babylon began to take power throughout the Middle East and in hopes of defeating the growing Babylonian power Judah joined forces with Assyria and held off Babylon’s advance. This partnership resulted in Judah becoming little more than an Assyrian state.

4. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT Isaiah the Prophet Isaiah was educated, distinguished, and privileged, yet remained a deeply spiritual man. He was committed to obedience over the long haul of his 55-65 year ministry as a prophet of God. The name Isaiah means "the salvation of the Lord" or "the Lord is salvation" and this theme permeates the 65 chapters of the book. Tradition suggests that Isaiah died a martyr’s death by being placed within the hollow of a tree trunk and sawed in two.

5. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT Isaiah 2:1-5 “This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the L ORD ’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the L ORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the L ORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the L ORD.”

6. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT Exploring Isaiah 2:1-5 The little phrase “in the last days” is a reference to the Messianic times and constitutes a time beginning with the arrival of the Messiah and ending with His second coming. We may not see these promised things currently in their fullness, but one day, all of this will be accomplished through the Messiah’s ministry. So, what kind of things will be accomplished through the ministry of the Messiah?

7. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT God’s temple will be exalted and people will come to worship and to learn His ways and His path. I would strongly suggest that Isaiah envisions that it is the Messiah who will be exalted and that people will stream to Him to learn His ways. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) The first point that we need to recognize is that through the Messiah’s ministry, He will be exalted and through this, glory will be given to God.

8. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT The law will go out from Jerusalem and alter “nations”. Notice that it is all nations, many peoples and every tongue (language) that is involved in the Messiah’s ministry. The Messiah’ birth is “good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). “For God so loved the world (the universe) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever (unqualified) believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) The Messiah’s ministry would be for all nations, all peoples, all languages.

9. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT Disputes will be settled, acrimonious relationships repaired, and weapons of war rebranded for peaceful purposes. It is the word of the Lord that alters nations. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:10). Peace is a result of the way of the Messiah; a product of His word. By His word, a pathway to peace would be initiated. The Messiah literally creates a way for us to walk; like a light shining in the darkness we are encouraged to walk with Him.

10. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it …The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-5, 14) Rather than focus on the mechanics and narrative of the birth, John keys in on the nature of the one who is born. This child in the manger is the Word of God made flesh. He is the temple of this living God with skin on. He is the light of humankind contained in the body of a child. What child is this? He is Jesus!

11. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT The Messiah came to provide a lit path through the darkness of this world, just as Isaiah prophesied some 750 years prior. We are encouraged to walk in the light of the Messiah. “ … if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God has given us a chance to learn His ways, to walk in his paths, to walk in the light of the Lord and to experience purification from sin and has gifted this to all people who place their faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of nationality, language or people group.

12. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” (Ephesians 5:8-16)

13. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT There is strong encouragement to learn the ways of the Messiah and to commit to walking in the lit pathway He has laid before us. In the book of Proverbs, we are introduced there to the idea that there are but two pathways for us to choose: the path of the righteous/the way of wisdom or the path of the wicked. The path of wisdom leads to life, while the path of the wicked leads very quickly to death. The first amazing gift given to us by Jesus is the ability to walk on the path of wisdom that leads to eternal life.

14. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT Those things exposed to the light become lights in and of themselves. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) In the same way that Jesus acted as a light in to world, we are gifted with the ability to act as light in this dark world. The second amazing gift is that we are given the privilege of exposing others to the light of Christ.

15. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? - THE LIGHT What Child is This? He is the Exalted One – one who would bring glory and honour to God the Father. He is the Word of God made flesh that goes out altering peoples of all nations and tongues and providing a way of peace. He is a light to the world, illuminating the pathway of the righteous for all those who would follow Him. Not only does this child reveal the pathway to us, He also gifts us with the privilege of revealing this pathway to others – His light has become our light. In a very real way, we can share in His glory, we can share His word with those around us and we can seek His peace for our community.