Sermon Extras

So This is Christmas Week 2: Matthew 1:1-17

REVIEW: We have asked an honest guiding question for us during this Advent Season, “Why would God want to come here?!”

INTRO> Courtnee and I are obsessed with the Netflix show, “The Crown” I love all things English! Season 4 was great introducing Princess Dianna and Margaret Thatcher. Episode 7 was my fav, the title is called “The Hereditary Principle” It focuses on Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Margaret and her mental health struggles. She finds out that possibly they have two cousins, from their mothers side, that they don’t know about who we’re committed to a mental institution  They search their bloodline and find out that they are dead… but not really. It is a true fact that the Crown lied and hid that their two cousins named Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, were committed to a mental institution and the fact was hidden, “To protect the purity of the royal bloodline.” Their death certificate was actually issued and their grave marker was a piece of plastic. So sad!

APP> That a perfect picture of how the world views royalty, cover up any blemishes, hide something that we are unsure about to present the perfect picture. That’s literally the exact opposite of what we see in our text today. It’s literally shocking to see not just WHY God would want to come here but HOW he comes here. “Why would God want to come here?”

Big Idea > To Restore his Creation.

Here is what is important to know about the layout of these verses:

• • • • Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience to show Jesus’ credentials as Messiah.
      • There are 46 names.
      • 14 Generations,3 Sets, Abraham David, Exile
      • Span close to 2,000 years.

There are great and precious truths here that we can see in these verse’s if we give our attention to them and really believe what Paul wrote, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

1. Restoration through new beginnings.

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ…” v1

• • • • The word “genealogy” is literally “genesis”.
      • “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and heavens.” Genesis 2:4
      • God is writing a new story through Jesus!

*ILL> Our Kids Etch-A-Sketch! “Don’t shake it!” God shook it!

2) Restoration through promises made and promises kept.

“Abraham was the father of Isaac…” Matthew 1:2

• • • • “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.” Genesis 12:2
      • “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” Genesis 17:7
      • God is batting a 1,000 on his promises!
      • If God was faithful to that promise, then we have faith that he will be faithful to this promise! “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20

3) Restoration through worshipful waiting.

“So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.” Matthew 1:17

• • • • Such a long time in these generations waiting on the promise of God!
      • Show the blank page in between the testaments, 400 years of silence!

“Waiting is not just the thing we have to do until we get what we hope for.  Waiting is part of the process of becoming what we hope for. What we become as we wait is at least as important as the thing we wait for.  To wait in hope is not just to pass the time until the wait is over.  It is to see the time passing as part of the process God is using to make us into the people he created us to be.” – Ben Patterson, Waiting: Finding Hope When God seems silent.

4) Restoration for broken people from broken people.

If you just glance at this list of names, it seems like a normal bible list of names. BUT if you have any knowledge behind these names this list is absolutely scandalous! This list is more like 46 reasons that God can use you!

• • • • Abraham– liar
      • Jacob– Thief
      • David- Adulterer and Murderer

By Far one of the most shocking things about Matthew list is that fact that he includes women:

• • • • “…by Tamar…” – Tamar acted like a prostitue to sleep with her father in law. (Genesis 38)
      • “…by Rahab…”– Rahab was a prostitute who helped Israels spies. (Joshua 2,6) Mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews!
      • “… by Ruth…” – Ruth was a great example of faithfulness but what is shocking is that she isn’t Jewish, she is a Moabite. (Ruth 1-4)
      • “…by the wife of Uriah…” – This is Bathsheba, Matthew doesn’t even mention her name in a haunting way. In many ways Bathsheba was a victim of Davids power. (2 Samuel 11)

“Jesus’ genealogy reminds us that God’s plans are bigger than any mess you have created or any mess you’ve been delt in life. Out of our great mess comes the Messiah.The genealogy of Jesus clearly demonstrates that Jesus closely identifies with those who have sinned, and those who have been sinned against. In these repeated words, we encounter a God who repeatedly attaches his life to ours—in grace.” Rich Willodas

The Christian speaker Tony Campolo tells a story about the time he came to Honolulu to do a conference. He was sleepless one night because of jet lag, so he went for a walk and found a diner close to the hotel. It was very late at night but the diner was open, so he went in for a cup of coffee. Pretty soon, so women came in, talking loudly, and Tony realized they were prostitutes. One of them, whose name was Agnes, said, “Tomorrow’s my birthday,” and the other responded, “What do you want me to do, throw you a party?” The first said, “No, I’ve never had a party before. I was just saying, that’s all.” When the two women finished the food they ordered, they wandered on. Tony asked the server behind the counter, “Do those women always come in at this time of night?” and the man told him they did. “Could I bring a cake and some decorations tomorrow, and through Agnes a party?” And the man said, “Sure, why not.” So the next night Tony brought a cake, and when the women walked into the diner, the locals joined him in singing “Happy Birthday” and gave Agnes the cake with her name on it. She started to cry, and she told them, “No one’s ever thrown me a party before. Could I take this cake and show my mom?” They said, “Sure,” and Tony said a prayer for Agnes. When the party was over, the man behind the counter asked, what are you, some kind of preacher?” Tony said that he was, and the man continued, “What kind of church do you go to?” Tony answered, “The kind that throws birthday parties for prostitutes.” The man countered, “No you don’t, because there’s no church like that. If there was, I’d go to it.”