Who is this Jesus?

​Luke 1:32-33 ~ “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the LORD God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
 
We are two days away from the morning when multitudes around the world will celebrate the birth of the LORD Jesus. Yesterday we considered the mother of the LORD and the words of Gabriel concerning her calling from God. In the midst of that discussion, Gabriel expounds on the One who would be born. When the angel declared the coming of the LORD Jesus, he does not pronounce the sacrificial role of Christ but His majestic person. The Babe born to be the Lamb of God is also the Babe who is the Lion of Judah. And this is the message of the angel. We read the message of the 24 elders enthroned in glory, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5). Let us also weep no more, for even as we look back upon the sacrifice of Christ, we also bear witness to His triumph as well.
 
Concerning Gabriel’s pronouncement of the LORD, the first thing we will see is His supremacy. Our text today begins with the simple statement, “He will be great.” Though this term “great” is a common word used to describe many in the Scriptures, its use here concerning the LORD Jesus has attached with it a profound expression—that this great One is the Son of God. We will expound on this momentarily, but let us first consider the idea of “greatness.” There is great admiration in our world is for such limited creatures who may hold influence but only for a breath of time. Great men will fade, the LORD will never fade. Great deeds will diminish, the work of Christ will endure for eternity. James 1:11 tells us, “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” Look, instead, to Jesus. There is no one like Him. He is great, supreme above all others.
 
We continue with our text and now we look upon His divinity. Our text states, “and will be called the Son of the Most High.” The greatness of Jesus as seen above is founded upon His person—fully God and fully man. The juxtaposition of these two natures in One eliminates anyone from holding stature equal with Christ. Jesus is more than just a morally superior, wise and powerful teacher. The angel Gabriel pronounced that Jesus is the Divine Son of God. Equal with the Father, the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus is God Almighty in human flesh. He declares Himself so in John 8:58-59, “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” The Pharisees were so certain that Jesus was declaring Himself as God that they were going to stone Him to death for blaspheme (see also John 5:18).
 
We press on in our text and, concerning Jesus, we discover His authority. We read, “And the LORD God will give to him the throne of his father David.” As a direct descendant of David, Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of Israel. As the Son of God, Jesus is the rightful Ruler of all mankind. We read in Revelation 12:5, “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.” “She” is, ultimately, the nation of Israel—and through Israel the birth of Jesus has come. This is the One who will sit enthroned above all the earth and rightfully rule all creation.
 
How long will Jesus reign? From our text we discover that He will reign for eternity. We read, “and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Nations have come and gone. Rulers have risen and fallen. The kingdom of Christ will never cease, for the rule of Jesus will never end. No one can thwart Him nor can they overthrow His dominion. No amount of time will leave His kingdom in decay. The longevity of His authority will have no limit. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:11, “To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Kingdoms and empires have risen and fallen down through the ages of man. The LORD Jesus will sit enthroned forever, and there will be no end to His righteous rule.
 
Who is this Jesus? He is King of kings and LORD of lords. He will rule and reign forever. The One who came to be Savior and give His life as a ransom for many, is also the One who will return as Sovereign and receive unto Himself all who belong to Him. Let the coming day of celebration remind you of the angel’s pronouncement of the greatness of Jesus.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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