Who are Your Ancestors?
The Genealogy of the Messiah
Matthew 1.1-17
Genealogy was a big thing in Old Testament and New Testament times. Genealogy still is a big thing in the Middle East. The whole conflict over there is between the descendants of two sons- Ishmael and Isaac, half brothers, the son of Hagar and the son of Sarah. Abraham was the father of both. One was the father of the Arab people, the other the father of the Israel, the Israelites, today what we call the Israelis (and all the Jews around the world). One son was of the Spirit, the other of the flesh. One son was the fulfillment of God’s Promise the other man’s attempt to help God out. This is what wrong thinking which leans on your own understanding will bring.
Since the beginning God had promised Jesus (Genesis 3.15). From Abraham that promise became personal and part of a family, the children of Israel, the Jews. God promised the Messiah through this line. This line had special promises and people.
1. Jesus had Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David in His ancestry line.
*Abraham- the father of the faithful.
God fulfilled His promise to Abraham through His Son Jesus Christ
Genesis 12.3 “... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Peoples= mishpachah : clan, family, tribe, people, nation
Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Galatians 3.6)
God honors faith.
*Isaac, the promised son
Isaac submitted to death on Mount Moriah. His father was up in years and Isaac could have run away but he placed his life (and death) in the hands of his father.
Jesus would come to that same place and go through similar things with His Father in heaven but the Father would not take away death from His Son. Jesus died there for the sins of the whole world.
Scripture was being fulfilled. Prophecies concerning Jesus were completed that day on the cross. Even the gifts offered to Him as a young child in Bethlehem, gold, frankincense and myrrh all had to do with this day- the day on the cross.
As we shared last week the manger and the cross were tied up in the same promises of a Redeemer, the Savior of the world.
*Jacob, the heel grasper who became Israel= God prevails, governed by God
*David, Israel’s most beloved King was an ancestor of Jesus
David wrote Messianic Psalms. The Psalm of the cross was written by David (Psalm 22)
David led Israel in worship of the LORD God.
David was a comforter of broken hearts.
David was a man after God’s own heart.
2. Note the women where details are given.
Before you do that, prejudice against women is spoken against here. To include them in a genealogy was radical. It was outrageous Jesus comes and turns over things that are wrong. He upsets things that need to be upset.
But these women were not ones we would have picked (which shows how often we pick the wrong people )
Verse three Tamar, a foreigner and of doubtful morality (Genesis 38)
Verse Five Rahab, another foreigner and once a wicked woman (Joshua 2.1)
Ruth, a Moabitetess
Verse six Uriah’s wife Bathsheba committed adultery with David (II Samuel 11)
3. There were some men who fell short in this line
Abraham shows us that having faith does and being justified by faith does not mean we will be perfect.
David shows us we can have a heart for God and be a mans after God’s own heart and fall into sin if we do not guard our hearts.
Solomon shows us that we can have great wisdom but if disobey the LORD it will hurt many many people.
All have sinned and come short of God’s glory. This is why Jesus came. His Name shall be called Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.
4. Jesus’ Birth was humble. His ancestry line has both prestige and at the same time things you could not be proud over.
He relates to sinful situations. He is the King of Kings. But He is also the Friend of Sinners- What a Friend We Have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear
We love Him because He first loved us. He accepts us with all of our imperfections
Amazing Grace,. He take people whose lives are a mess and puts them back together
We have been grafted in... Romans 11.17 and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root
All the promises...
Galatians 3.8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you. 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith....29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Because God adopts us as His children when we believe we have the line of Abraham as our genealogy. We are descendants of his.
Hebrews 2.10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
Isaiah 53.8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken... vs.9-12
Who are your ancestors? If you are a believer, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, David. If you are a believer Jesus is not ashamed to call you a brother or sister. You have God as your Father
God’s Family is made up of all who have believed on His Son for salvation.
God’s family is the family of believers.
His family is still growing and will be until the final one has come in...
Let’s keep sharing the good news!
God’s Family is made up of all who have believed on His Son for salvation.
God’s family is the family of believers.
His family is still growing and will be until the final one has come in...
Let’s keep sharing the good news!
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