Living Hope Church 8 December 2019 Don’t Skip the Good Stuff Matthew 1:1-17 Intro It’s coming - New year new you - fresh resolves - goals - resolutions - a new Bible reading plan - that is a very noble aspiration to read every line of this precious Word. Crack open Genesis - things are moving along swimmingly - The glories of creation, the tragedy of the fall, the pronouncement of the curse, ejection from Eden, Cain and Abel Chapter 5 - a genealogy - the descendent of Adam Seth, Enosh, Kenan, and so forth - sort of interesting - I’m hanging - next chapter Noah - back to the action - flood of judgment, Noah and his family spared, God makes his covenant illustrated through the rainbow [1] These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood. [2] The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. [3] The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. [4] The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. (Genesis 10:1-4) Ashkenaz didn’t crack the top 10 yet Confession time - when you’ve encountered these long lists of names - genealogical records - do you ever skim - just a little? Not condemn you - I understand that temptation - ancient names - some we can scarcely pronounced - separated by several thousand years on the other side of the planet reading about a culture that we can be hard to relate to Encouragement - every inspired word of the Bible is for our instruction and edification - even the so and so begat so and so The NT unfolds the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and situates us into the Christmas story in the birth of Jesus Christ - the whole story begins with a genealogy While we may be tempted to skip past these over 40 names to get to the good stuff - oh beloved let us instead stare deeply into this genealogy - present here is encouragement for our souls and opportunity to give glory to God The portion before us looks like a string of names, and we might fancy that it would yield us little spiritual food; but we may not think lightly of any lines of the inspired volume. Here the Spirit sets before us the pedigree of Jesus, and sketches the family tree of the King of the Jews. Marvelous condescension, that he should be a man, and have a genealogy, even HE who was in the beginning with God, and though it not robbery to be equal with God! Let us read each line…with adoring gratitude that we have a King who is one with us in our nature. (Charles Spurgeon) 1 Living Hope Church 8 December 2019 Not just information but an invitation Not just genealogical information but an implicit invitation that comes to us as we consider the meaning of Christmas and apply the Word of God to our live Invitation to have confidence, experience wonder, and know peace in this Christmas season Invitation to I. Trust in the Promises of God II. Wonder at the Grace of God III. Rest in the Sovereignty of God I. Trust in the Promises of God A. v. 1 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ” - oh that precious name - well might we spend the remainder of our time strictly focused upon this one name 1. Jesus - Yeshua - the Lord saves 2. Christ - the Messiah - the chosen, anointed one of God a) The chosen, anointed, Savior King B. Approach our understanding of who he is through his lineage - two pivotal characters in biblical salvation history - son of David - son of Abraham C. v. 2 - this genealogy begins with Father Abraham - and we remember the promise made to Abraham [1] Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. [2] And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) 1. Through an act of supernatural, divine intervention - God himself makes the union of the elderly Abraham and Sarah fruitful as the barren womb of Sarah became the cradle of the promised offspring - Isaac a) Promise made - promise kept - not yet reaching its fulfillment - the scope is all the families of the earth D. The genealogy continues - the promise unfolds - Isaac - Jacob - Judah - 12 tribes - the promise to Abraham continues to unfold as reflected throughout this genealogy as this genealogy reflects over a millennia of stories and places, victories and defeats, faithfulness and faithlessness, tragedy and triumph and in the coming of Christ 1. The story of the OT is God making promises and the story of Christmas is that God keeps his promises E. v. 1 directs our attention to the promise made to Abraham and v. 6 to another promise made to David - significance that he is son of Abraham and son of David And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:16) 2 Living Hope Church 8 December 2019 Even after many kings reign in the line of David the promise remains ultimately unfulfilled - for many years after the promise to David Isaiah prophesies [1] There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. [2] And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. [3] And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, [4] but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. [5] Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:1-5) 1. The promised one will not only be a blessing to the world as God declared to Abraham - he will be a king - his kingdom will be one of blessing - not just for Israel but to the ends of the earth F. v. 12 - even after the exile of God’s people to Babylon as judgment for their rebellion and sin - deportation - yet still the promise remains 1. All of history must bend to the will of our God who cannot lie and will keep his promise of this chosen King of blessing - anointed Messiah G. v. 17 - from Abraham - David - to Exile - and finally yes to the Christ 1. The birth of the Christ - our Lord Jesus means that God has kept his promise that His king of blessing - his Messiah, the Savior has come - the son of Abraham and son of David H. Application 1. Consider the lengths to which God has gone to keep his promise over the many centuries of human history - all the way up to the wonder of the promised one being the Son of God himself - taking to himself a human body - fully God and truly man - born as a child who is the anointed Savior and King For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20) 2. Let every remembrance of the birth of Christ speak into your life - God keeps his promises - have confidence in his promises - trust him - take him at his Word - Let every Christmas song which reminds us of the birth of Jesus Christ speak into the deepest parts of your soul - HE KEEPS HIS PROMISES - TRUST AND CONFIDENCE RENEWED II. Wonder at the Grace of God A. Consider the motley crew - consider the ancestry of the Christ 1. Abraham - chosen as a pagan idolater with a proclivity to deception 2. Jacob - a liar and a cheat 3. Tamar - slept with her Father-in-Law 4. Rahab - a prostitute 5. Ruth - an impoverished, culturally marginalized widow 6. David - had his friend killed so that he could cover up adultery with his wife - v. 6 is about 3 Living Hope Church 8 December 2019 7. Solomon - the child of that union with Bathsheba who’s heart was eventually turned away from God 8. Rehoboam and Abijah - cruel and ruthless kings 9. Joram - wickedly murderous 10. Uzziah - died as a leper as judgment for his pride 11. Ahaz - sacrificed children to idols 12. Manasseh - a sorcerer 13. Deportation to Babylon - exile in judgment for sin 14. v. 13-15 we don’t even have a record of who these guys are - in effect - nobodies to the world 15. All the way up to Mary - the virgin who incredibly, unthinkable became pregnant by the Holy Spirit - try explaining that one to your family and friends B. When we trace the family of the Christ and consider who God has worked through in order to bring the Savior into the world - WE FIND The shameful, the destitute, the marginalized, the sinner, and the nobodies - not even a clean Jewish bloodlines - his Jewish ethnic lineage - considered in that day - polluted with gentiles a) NOT WITH POMP AND ROYAL PURITY DOES THE CHRIST CHILD COME - NO UNSTAINED BLOODLINE FOR THE SAVIOR! C.