Who is this child, Jesus_ - Christmas Sermon
Teachers
Lesson Summary
Richard Sutton delivered a Christmas sermon addressing the widespread confusion surrounding Jesus's birth and identity. He opened with a humorous anecdote about a child's nativity drawing to illustrate how modern perceptions of Christmas have become muddled with pagan traditions, myths, and cultural additions rather than biblical truth. Sutton emphasized that the Bible contains over 300 Old Testament prophecies predicting Christ's coming, including specific details about where He would be born, what He would accomplish, how He would die, and His resurrection. The sermon centered on Isaiah 9:1-7, a passage written over 700 years before Jesus's birth, which Sutton identified as the centerpiece of messianic prophecy. In Isaiah 9, the prophet describes a coming child born to a people living in darkness and anguish, introducing names and attributes that would define the Messiah: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Sutton emphasized that this child would establish an eternal kingdom characterized by justice and righteousness. The sermon challenged listeners to move beyond cultural Christmas traditions and understand Jesus as the historically fulfilled answer to centuries of prophetic expectation.
Key Scriptures
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.