Legal genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram.
4 Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon.
5 Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse.
6 Jesse became the father of King David. David became the father of Solomon by her who had been Uriah’s wife.
7 Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa.
8 Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah.
9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah.
11 Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor.
14 Azor became the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud.
15 Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob.
16 Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.
God swears to bless Abraham and multiply his seed because he did not withhold his son
16 and said, “I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies.
18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.”
God spoke through prophets and in these last days through his Son, heir of all things, brightness of his glory, who purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
1 God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.
3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message was part of First B Jackson's ongoing harmony of the gospels series, with a Christmas focus on the genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Pastor Ray worked through what those long lists of names actually say about who Jesus is and why it matters, then brought the series alongside the opening verses of Hebrews to draw it all together. A participatory refrain ran through the closing portion of the sermon: "Jesus Christ really is that awesome."
What was said
Pastor Ray opened by noting that Mark skips the Christmas story entirely and jumps straight to John the Baptist, so the genealogies come from Matthew and Luke. Before getting into the lists themselves, he made the case that length alone signals importance. When something takes up this much of scripture, he said, it is there for a reason, even if our eyes glaze over.
To make the genealogies feel less abstract, Pastor Ray traced five generations of his own family, moving forward through his father's line and backward through his mother's. That pattern, he pointed out, is exactly what Matthew and Luke are each doing. Matthew moves forward from Abraham to Jesus through Joseph's legal line, and Luke moves backward from Jesus all the way to Adam through what Pastor Ray believes is Mary's natural line.
Matthew's genealogy, Pastor Ray said, is built around two anchoring names: Abraham and David. He walked through the covenant God made with Abraham, that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and connected that promise directly to the arrival of Jesus. The title "son of David" appears ten times in Matthew, he noted, because the promise that a descendant of David would reign forever is what "Messiah" meant to every Jewish reader who picked up that gospel.
Pastor Ray also pointed to the women Matthew includes in the list. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba are all named, and none of their stories are simple. Rahab was a Gentile and a harlot. Ruth was a Moabite. The inclusion of outsiders in the line of the Messiah, he said, signals from the beginning that this is a universal gospel. God uses everything and everyone.
Luke's genealogy runs longer, going back past Abraham all the way to "son of Adam, son of God." Pastor Ray noted that the one adoptive father in the list is Joseph, and that the list ends not with a human father at all. He connected this to Paul's language about Jesus as the second Adam: where the first Adam failed as the federal head of humanity and passed that failure on, Jesus was born at just the right time to redeem those under the law.
The sermon closed by moving into the first four verses of Hebrews 1, which Pastor Ray called the exordium. He read through the passage phrase by phrase, the brightness of God's glory, the express image of his person, the heir of all things, the one who by himself purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Each phrase drew out a different facet of who Christ is: agent of creation, exact representation of the Father, the only one uniquely able to handle sin. A congregational refrain ran through this section: after each point, Pastor Ray would ask why any of it mattered, and the answer was the same each time. "Jesus Christ really is that awesome."
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Pastor Ray walked through his own family genealogy to help make the biblical genealogies feel real. What did that exercise stir up in you, and why do you think Matthew and Luke both thought it was worth including these long lists of names at the start of the Christmas story?
Matthew's genealogy includes Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. These are not the names most people would expect in a list leading to the Messiah. What does it say to you that God wove those particular women, and those particular stories, into the line of Jesus?
Speaker 1Amen. Thank you, Judy. That's pretty. Would you all stand with me? We're gonna sing.
We might sing a few folks in from the vestibule. We're gonna sing a few Christmas carols here. Great set, adoring Christ the king. Here we are. Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Speaker 2Hark the Herald Angels Sing glory to the newborn king peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled joyful all ye nations rise join the triumph of the skies with angelic host proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem. Heart the herald angels sing glory to the new born king Christ by highest heaven adored Christ the everlasting lord laid in time behold him come offspring of the virgin's womb mailed in flesh the godhead sea hail the incarnate glory to the new born king hail the head born prince of peace hail the son of righteousness light and light to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may
Speaker 1Amen. This I think this is probably my favorite Christmas carol. I don't know why. I just have always loved it.
Speaker 2That glorious song of old from angels bending near the earth to touch their hearts of gold Peace on the earth, goodwill to men. From hence, all gracious king. The world in solemn still ness lay to hear the angels sing. Still through the golden skies they come with peace for wings on furrow and still their heavenly music floats or all the weary world the above its sad and lonely plains they bend on hovering wings and ever Bible sounds who toil along the clunging way with painful steps and slow. Lord, now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wind.
Or rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing. For long the days are hastening on by prophets seen of all. When with the ever circling years shall come the time foretold. When peace shall over all the earth, its ancient splendor splendor splendor the whole world send back the song which now the angels
Speaker 1sing Y'all can have a seat. Angel means messenger. Y'all know that. Right? In the New Testament, New Testament times in Greek, the word we get angel from means messenger.
So anybody who carries a message is an angel. And I love that. They that the whole earth will send back the song. That now, the messengers are carrying forward. It's good.
It's really good. Announcements. We have this evening, the time has come for Christmas, Carolyn. If you like what you've done so far, come on in at 04:30 today. We'll meet here first, spread out from here and go Carolyn all around Jackson.
And then after that, we come back together, warm up around lots of different pots of chilis, not just one common pot. There's a chili cook off that's happening at 06:00 this evening. I think there are prizes for probably spiciest and most creative, something like that, and best all around. So if you would, 04:30 caroling, 06:00 chili cook off. Monday nights at First Beat is happening tomorrow night.
What's happening, Carl? Meal music and message. Meal music and message every Monday night. You get that? Yes, knew there was something special.
So Steve Baldock, 11:00 church member, elder, new moderator to be elect. I guess we're that remains to be seen, but it looks like that. He's hiding now. He actually does Awana's counsel time. So when they get their Bible story from the Bible, Steve Baldock has been the guy doing that, and we are gonna do kind of a crossover event tomorrow night.
We'll invite the Awana kids up to join in the Monday night council time. They'll do that down the hall. So Steve gets to bring the message tomorrow night. Meal, music, message, 06:00 tomorrow night. Connect hour and Monday night, have spaces available for kitchen volunteers.
If you would like to do the connect hour between services one Sunday where you set out the goodies, Or if you wanna cook the meal for Monday night, just let us know. Are sign ups in the fellowship hall. Angel Tree. So Tanya, right now, my wife. Tanya is taking my parents to the airport.
They were here for the first service. They're heading back home today. And she asked me if I would do this announcement. So Nick, if I forget anything, remind me. Okay?
So Angel Tree. Tanya is the one who kinda coordinates that. She has put tags on the tree. There are probably still some tags remaining that she has. If you have a specific thing that you're thinking, I really want, to get a gift for an eight year old girl.
If you have something really specific like that, call Tanya and ask her, and she's got an array of people in mind. She's pretty good at that sort of thing. Also, she wanted you to know that these gifts are for local families in need, and it's not just people who come to us to the church asking for help, but it's people who have come to, say, a teacher or a teacher knows of a family in need or another, like, Turning Point might let us know or Good Samaritan might let us know. We have a lot of different, folks that are on the side of helping people who are struggling. So Tanya is the the point of contact for them, and she knows that if you would get in touch with her, it's for local families in need.
And it seems like there was something else she said that was so important. Oh, next week would be the ideal deadline for bringing in the gifts. You bring them in wrapped with the tag attached in some way so that we know what is inside of the wrapped gift. Right? And if you could bring them in by next Sunday, that would be great, December 18.
Now we know that Amazon is gonna be late or you your Idaho Falls trips gets, delayed or you just missed out in some way, and they might be a little bit late. Oftentimes, we're scurrying around on the twenty third trying to get things to people. But if you get them here by the eighteenth, it would really help us in distribution. So thank you. Is that it?
Oh, Jackson Men's Alliance. So Jackson Hole Men's Alliance meets here the first Wednesday of the month at 06:30 in the morning for breakfast, but they also are going to be serving at the mission. Willie Watsabaugh has asked if the men would come, the ones who come to that would come and begin cooking about 03:00 to serve dinner at 05:30 on December 14. So that's coming up fast. Today is eleventh.
That's this week, Wednesday, December 14. If you wanna call Willie and ask him about it, (307) 730-6519. They'll also be doing the meal on January 4 if you can't work it out to be there Wednesday. So that they ask us to announce that. Also, another announcement for the Bible reading program is to come next week.
Brad Yates will be bringing an announcement next week about the Bible reading program. Just kinda pumping that. Calendars are for sale in the lobby. We have had this discussion this week. Those calendars are out there.
Have you ever opened a pictorial calendar of God's beautiful creation and not seen something related to Jackson? I have never. I've been all over. I went to Nepal one time and I walked into an office and there was a picture of Mount Moran. I went to South Africa to a mission agency in South Africa in Durban.
And when I walked through, it was a picture of the grand from the Albright turnout. It's pretty neat. It's pretty neat. And there is it does not disappoint. There's at least one of them in there for Jackson.
But calendars are for sale in the lobby. All the proceeds go to youth ministry. They're $10. Nice to have a paper calendar to write something on. Children's Christmas choir will be performing next week.
The band will also join them, But we're going to have one service. It will be a combined service at ten So if you get here a little early for ten you'll get a better seat. So that's Lisa Landis is leading the children's choir, and it'll be participatory worship with the band and then the children's choir. And I'll have a little mini sermon probably, just a little little sermonette. The clickity clicker.
There it is. Advent week number three. I'm going to invite up Josh and Kyrie to do our advent reading for
Speaker 3I'm Josh. This is my daughter, Kyrie. The third Sunday in Advent is the candle of joy. Jesus came to give us fullness of joy and abundant life. Joy is ours because of Jesus.
His presence brings the promise of joy. And, the verse we have along with that today is Luke two eight through 11, and it says, there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.
Speaker 1You. Thank you, Kyrie. Would you stand with me and join in? We're going to sing, Oh Come All Ye Faithful. Good practice for this evening.
Good practice for heaven, honestly.
Speaker 2Oh, come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant oh come ye oh come ye to Bethlehem come and behold him him cries the Lord sing choirs all the angels sing in exaltation oh sing all ye host of heaven above. Glory to God, oh glory in the highest. Oh, come
Speaker 1I got overcome again. Oh, it sneaks up on me sometimes. Infant holy, infant lowly. Here we go.
Speaker 2Infant holy, infant lowly for his cattle stall, oxen lowing, little knowing, Christ the baby's lord of all, with our winging angels singing no else ringing tidings bringing Christ the baby is lord of all Christ Christ the baby is lord of all. Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping vigil till the morning noon. The story tidings of a gospel true thus rejoicing free from sorrow praises voicing greet the morrow Christ the babe was born for you Christ the babe was born for you amen I'm a invite
Speaker 1the ushers to come forward. Y'all can have a seat and would you just pray with me? God, I thank you for I thank you for this morning. I thank you that we can, lord, gather in your name and compelled and impelled by your spirit to sing your praises. I thank you, Lord, that we are able to know you through Christ Jesus, Lord God Almighty.
It's amazing to have relationship with you. Who are we that you'd be mindful of us? And not just mindful, Lord, but you'd send your only son. Lord God Almighty, I'm just overwhelmed this morning. I pray, Lord, that in this season when we celebrate the incarnate deity, as the song says, that we would be thinking about how he walked out in submission to the spirit.
He walked out a life that drew others to himself and the father. Lord, may we be led by the spirit, winsome. May we draw others into relationship with you. That certainly, Lord, would be a privilege. In Jesus' name, I ask that you do your will among us, Lord, and your way.
I pray that you take all of the resources that we give, Lord, whether it's our time or our conversations or the resources we place in these plates, I pray, Lord, that you would take them, that you would multiply and bless them to do your kingdom's work. In Jesus' name, from here to the very uttermost parts. Amen. I don't think I've heard. That's very good.
Very, very good. Now y'all y'all know we have been going through a harmony of the gospels lately. But last week, I was in the book of John. So the prologue of the gospel of John last week. We've been going through a harmony of the gospels, and I promised that when we got to Christmas, I'd go back and tell the Christmas story.
I like to go chronologically because that's just the way my brain thinks. But this is a Christmas edition of a study of the harmony of the gospels. The synoptic gospel. So, I started with John last week and I wanna go there for a quick minute. Prologue from the gospel of John is so profound.
It's actually through verse 18 that I covered last week. But one and two and fourteen, I want to cover this morning. If you just wrapped your mind around this, it's possible through his spirit by Jesus' sacrifice. You can understand that in the beginning, like before Genesis one one, before God spoke light into existence. He spoke it into existence by the word, and that word was Jesus.
In the beginning was the word. And the word was with God, and the word was God. And John reiterates and says, he was in the beginning with God. And he's speaking of Christ Jesus. He makes that more clear in what I think is one of the most Christmassy verses of all time.
John one fourteen, it says, and the word, that's Jesus, became flesh. It took on flesh and dwelt or camped out, pitched his tent among us. And we saw his glory and it was glory as of the only son from the father. It's interesting he says, it was glory as of the only. He's a unique in a unique position.
He is the son that through belief in him, we can become the children of God. We covered that last week too. As of the only son from the father and he was full of grace which is unmerited favor and truth. It is just the way that it is. That I love.
John one fourteen. Now, we're going to walk away from John and this morning, do Harmony of the Gospel Synoptics. I am building, I guess, towards Christmas And we have the children's Christmas program next week, and we'll see Mary and Joseph in the manger. I'm almost certain. And we'll see the shepherds, and we'll see the wise men, and we'll hear all about that.
And we've heard it in the song service this morning. But this morning, I'm just gonna do a little portion from Matthew one and a little portion from Luke three, but we'll be finishing off with a participatory exercise. Okay. It's for you to participate in towards the end from the first four verses of Hebrews. And it's sort of not exactly a responsive reading or call and response, but close.
So it'll be obvious when we get there. But please do join in. Okay? I will look silly if y'all don't. I might look silly anyway.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic gospels seen at the same time, but Mark, he does not even cover the Christmas story. When he starts off his gospel, he says, this is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Messiah, and he does not mention the Christmas story. He goes right into the ministry of John the Baptist. So we get it from Matthew, actually, one, not three, and Luke three today.
That's what we're covering. Matthew one and Luke three, just that much, and then we're going go into that participatory exercise from the Exordium of Hebrews. So, this is the genealogies. Oh, how could this be interesting to anybody? I'm not the genealogist in my family.
My brother kinda is. He's the one who's interested in those sort of things. My dad was never interested in those sort of things. My grandmother absolutely was. She tracked her line way, way, way back.
And Tanya's grandmother also tracked her line way, way back. But I've never been terribly interested in it. But when I see something that takes up this much of scripture, it is something that matters. It's important. So, before we look at that, have you ever been reading, doing a Bible reading plan and you wake up that morning and you look at it and it's first Chronicles one.
So and so begat. So and so begat. So and so begat an unpronounceable name, begat an unpronounceable name. And it's just like nine chapters of that in Chronicles. But it covers lots of different people.
It covers lots of different families. I think that Jesus' genealogies are the longest continuous ones. We know that there are a few names left out, which is okay in the way that they did things back then. That's normal. But the genealogies, I was trying to put it in real world experience, and my folks happened to be here this morning.
I saw Monique meet my dad down the hall a little while ago. He looks like me, except for he's 22 years older. And I get my height from my dad and my comportment from both. But through Billy and through Sue, if I were to track it, it would be like this. Benjamin j McDaniel was born in 1853.
And so he married Olivia and Victoria Grant McDaniel, and they had Will Mac, William McDaniel, William Henry McDaniel. He was Will Mac to everybody that knew him, and he fought World War one. Granddaddy Mac, he died four years before I was born, but I I know all about him from hearing about him. Granddaddy Mac. He and his wife, Nina, had Raymond Rex, whom I'm named after Raymond Rex.
I'm actually named after my grandfather on my dad's side and on my mom's side. I was this close to being Jesse Rex. He and his wife Nina had Raymond Rex McDaniel who married Emily Grace Moore, Paschal's name for Emily Grace. Paschal Grace McDaniel's name for Emily Grace Moore. They had their firstborn William Billy McDaniel who's here this morning.
And he married little Linda Sue Pike from Manchester, Georgia, seven miles away. And they had two sons, Ray and Toby. If I was going to track it through Sue, I might say Ray and Toby McDaniel, me and my younger brother Toby, were born to William Billy and Linda Sue Pike McDaniel. She was the ninth child out of 10. Sixth daughter of Jesse Wade Pike, my grandfather, and Anathea Flora O'Neil, who's the daughter of Allen and Elmira Ella, who's native American.
So I'm an eighth native American. Jesse Wade Pike was born to Benjamin Pike and his wife Martha Rebecca Whitley Pike. And that's five generations right there. And I could probably go further, but I don't want to bore you to tears. To me, I see that and like I said, I'm not the genealogist of the family.
Man, when I started getting into it this week, I thought, is that Benjamin J or Benjamin A? And genealogists are super particular about that. Aren't you glad we have last names? Because if not, it looked like Tanya and I were related. Benjamin and Benjamin.
Right? Well, the way that the story is told in Matthew and in Luke, it's coming at it from different angles just like this. If you see Benjamin J, starts up there. He's born in 1853, and I go forward up to Ray and Toby. But through Sue, I went Ray and Toby backward down the same amount of generations.
In Matthew, the legal lineage of Jesus through Joseph. Because legally, he was his adoptive father. He was adopted in and had all the rights of a son, but he was not biologically a son. So the legal lineage through Joseph, Abraham, forward to Jesus. It starts at a certain place in redemptive history with Abraham, which makes sense.
And it goes forward up to Jesus, just like I did through Billy. Abraham forward to Jesus. Starts off like this. The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. That's an opening line.
That's one one. Jesus Messiah. He says it from the beginning. And then he says, son of David. Son of David is important.
Excuse me. He will mention son of David up here, then he'll mention David twice and come back to it again. This is the first of 10 times in Matthew that son of David is used to designate Jesus. So it's on the lips of blind Bartimaeus. It's on the lips of others who reach out to him, calling for him to heal them.
And Jesus refer or they they refer to Jesus this way 10 times in the book of Matthew. It emphasizes the legal lineage of king David because he was promised that he would have a descendant on the throne. And he
Speaker 2shall reign forever and ever.
Speaker 1That handles messiah. Right? He's already called him messiah once. He said, David once now, and Messiah, everybody knew would be a descendant of David. So chronologically, it's not the way it went.
It said actually, Jesus Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham. Abraham, also a hugely important Old Testament figure. And why? Well, if we go back to what theologians call the proto euangelion, the pre gospel gospel. Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country.
My goodness. Let's do it again. I was standing up here this morning. I looked over at mama and daddy, and I did all that research about genealogy stuff just a little. I had to just call two or three people.
But I also went on find a grave, and I found that all of the ones on my dad's side of the family are all born in the same place, and they're all buried in the same place. And I'm here. And I read this this morning out loud, and it just burst into tears in front of 200 people. Lord said to Abram, go from your country and from your relatives. I'm so confused.
This is stupid. Do it again. Go from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house and go to the place that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you Abram. And I will make your name great and you shall be a blessing and I will bless those who bless you.
And unfortunately, ones who curse you, I will curse. It is possible to reject God's will for yourself. You're not gonna thwart his will, but you can say no. I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you, I'll curse and then you, all of the families of the earth will be blessed. So Abram went away just as the Lord had spoken to him.
What did Abram do? He believed God. Genesis 15 says, and Abram believed in the Lord and God credited that to him as righteousness. Romans four, Paul reiterates and says, what does scripture say? Oh, that's a good line right there.
You stop right there. What does scripture say? Pay attention. What does scripture say? Well, Abraham believed God and that belief was credited to him as righteousness.
We don't have any righteousness of our own. Self righteousness is not actual righteousness. If we are to have any righteousness, it is derivative because we believe God and trust him at his word like Abram. Abraham believed God and it's counted to him as righteousness. By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you've done this thing.
This is the portion where he had asked him to take Isaac up. It's right after that. Because you have done this thing and you've not withheld your son, your only son, what in the world? That's foreshadowing, is it not? Indeed, I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars in the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore.
And your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies and in your seed, or maybe we should capitalize that s because I think it's pointing to Jesus Christ. In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. It matters that we believe God and it matters that we act on that belief. Okay. For the record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, son of Abraham, it starts right there with Abraham.
Abraham fathered Isaac. Child of the promise. Right? This is not gonna give an absolutely complete history. It doesn't mention Ishmael because this is the line of Jesus.
And when I went through my list, I could not help but put in my mother, my grandmother, and my great grandmother in the list because I can't just say, yeah, Ben begat Will begat Rex begat Billy. That doesn't make sense to us in our culture. Normally, in a list of Jewish genealogies, it really is just the dad. They don't mention the women. Most of the ones from chronicles, you don't see any ladies listed.
Matthew, though, includes some. He says Abraham fathered Isaac. And he could have said by Sarah, but he didn't. He could have, but he didn't. I'm gonna skip that.
I just said it. Isaac fathered Jacob. And Jacob fathered Judah. It's the line of Judah. Jesus is the lion of Judah.
Right? But he also mentions his brothers. That's a little weird. Well, I I felt like I needed to mention my brother too. But this is important because these are the 12 tribes of Israel.
You know? Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers. Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar. There's a lady listed. Wow.
Google that one sometimes. That's a difficult story. Perez, that's the line. Perez fathered Hezron, and Hezron fathered Ram. Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nashon.
Nashon fathered Salmon. Salmon, Idaho. No, not really Salmon, Idaho. Salmon. That's a weird name.
Lot of these are weird names. Oh, Salmon fathered Boaz. Boaz is one I recognize. Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab. I recognize that one too.
Wow. Rahab, mentioned as the one who hid the spies of Israel and a harlot. Interesting. Tamar is mentioned. That's a difficult story.
Could be seen as a sex scandal. Rahab also, because of history background. Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Ruth the Moabite. This is outsiders. These are Gentiles in the lineage.
This is a universal gospel that's reaching out to all and God is saying it's always been that way. Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse. Oh, Jesse Wade Pike. My grandfather was named after him. And Jesse fathered who?
David the king. David the king's already been mentioned once. He's mentioned again. It's important. Actually, when we start the next slide, the next group of people, David's gonna start off.
And David fathered Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. That's Bathsheba. Another sex scandal. Isn't that interesting? God uses everything.
There is nothing outside of his ability to use it. David father Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah, Solomon father Rehoboam. There are good guys and bad guys in this list. It's when you read them and you just start to your eyes start to cross and you go, I don't this doesn't why does this matter? God is always at work.
Reboam fathered Abijah Abijah fathered Asa Asa father Jehoshaphat, jumping Jehoshaphat, fathered Joram. Joram fathered Uzziah. Uzziah fathered Jotham. Jotham fathered Ahaz, and Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, and Hezekiah fathered Manasseh. Manasseh fathered Ammon, Ammon, and Ammon fathered Josiah.
Oh, I like Josiah. Josiah, remember the little kid? Eight years old and he becomes king. So great. Child king.
He was born into a very difficult time when Israel was far away from God, and he found a book. And he started looking at the book, and he said, have y'all read this? This is good. We ought to go by this. Hey, I'm the king.
We're gonna go by this. Now, unfortunately, Josiah did go by this and Israel thrived under his rule, but only took one generation. Josiah fathered Jeconiah. And Jeconiah is probably the worst one in the whole list. Jeconiah and his brothers.
And at the time of the deportation to Babylon, what a terrible time in Israel's history. But God was gonna be with them. He was gonna be with them throughout. Now after the deportation of Babylon, Jeconiah fathered Shiltiel, and Shiltiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abihuud, and Abihuud fathered Eliakim. If you don't know him, just rush through him.
Okay? Eliakim fathered Azor, and Azor fathered Zadok, and Zadok fathered Akim, and Akim fathered Eliud, and Eliud fathered Eleazar. And Eleazar fathered Methan, and Methan fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Joseph. There's a name I recognize. This is the season.
Mary, Joseph, Jesus. Yeah. I remember that story. Jacob fathered Joseph. And then it's an artful way of saying this.
Joseph, the husband of Mary by whom Jesus was born. Matthew does not want for there to be any mistake about this. Joseph was the husband of Mary, but Mary is who Jesus was born to, born of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, the husband of Mary by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. Second time in just a few verses that Jesus is called messiah, Matthew wants to establish that fact before we even go any further.
Now he gives us a little mnemonic device here. How many of y'all had a class where you had to remember stuff and you just thought, I don't think I'll ever remember this. But if I can break it down, I can remember it. Matthew tries to help with that. So all of the generations that are listed, he does skip three or four generations.
We know that. But he makes it fit into his mnemonic. So all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations. And David to the deportation of Babylon, 14 generation. And from the deportation of Babylon to the Messiah, 14 generations.
Fourteen, fourteen, and 14. How many is that? How many names are on the list? 41. Because David's listed twice.
Why? Because he's important. He calls out the name of David first, and then he mentions him twice in the list, and it's a wink to say, pay attention. Jesus is the son of David. He's the son of Abraham.
He is the child of the promise. He is important. So Matthew gives a legal lineage through Joseph. Was that like pulling teeth, or was it okay? Okay.
Luke's is longer, so here we go. Luke three twenty three to 20 through 38 gives, I believe, the natural lineage through Mary. Now I'm not gonna arm wrestle you over it. There are various ways that theologians and biblical scholars have come through. This I believe this makes the most sense.
The natural lineage through Mary is shared in Luke from Jesus backward to Adam. So just like I did with Billy and Sue, I started at a time in the past that was important and came forward for Billy, and then I started with Ray and Toby and went backwards to the same. But this one goes further than that. Jesus goes backwards all the way to Adam, actually further than that. This is the whole section right here.
These are all the names that are listed. And so if you were to count them, I won't go through all of these, there are some interesting ones up there. I think it's kinda fun since we've been having copier troubles lately that admin is listed. Admin, really? Or the J O D A up there with the J pronounced as a Y as Yoda, he's in the list?
That's funny to me too. But I won't go through all of them. If you want to listen to a story where I drew it out, I did this a couple of years ago. I've done this multiple times because I think it's important. But there are 75 human fathers listed in Luke.
Now, there are 41 in Matthew, but there's 75 because he only goes back to Abraham. Luke goes further back all the way to the garden, actually further than that. The 75 human fathers listed in Luke, one of those is adoptive, Joseph. And Joseph, being betrothed to Mary, it is possible to say that he is the son of Heli. Heli is the Eli, what it looks like up there.
It's pronounced Heli. And Heliachim and Joiakim by tradition are like nicknames for one another, like Ramon and Monche in Spanish, or Charles and Chuck, or Robert and Bob, that sort of thing. So I believe that this is given Mary's line. It says when he began his ministry, Jesus himself was about 30 years old, being as was commonly held the son of Joseph. Joseph is his adoptive father.
Helly had taken him into his home, and this from there back is Mary's father going all the way back through all of these. Now when you get far enough back, they do intersect, especially if you go all the way back to Adam. It's gonna get there. But the one adopted father and then the end of the list is not a human father at all. It says, son of Adam, son of God.
The first Adam. Now we know Jesus in very in a couple other places is called the second Adam. He has the chance. Adam failed in his probation as our federal head. He fell.
He fell and transmitted that to us. But Jesus was born at just the right time. Born of a woman. Born under the law to redeem those that were under the law. This list is long, but it gets all the way back to son of Adam, son of God.
So that's Luke 23 to 38. And now, we're going into the participatory portion of the sermon. Okay? So last week, we covered the prologue of the gospel of John, which is absolutely mind blowing. And I wanna go into Hebrews one, the exordium.
It's the very first part, the introduction of the book of Hebrews. And I'm only gonna go through four verses, but I think they're super important. And in a lot of ways, they parallel the prologue of the gospel of John. So why do we say Merry Christmas? Why do we say it?
Merry Christmas. Why do we say it? Merry Christmas. Merry why do we say that? Merry Christ must.
It's about Jesus and Jesus. Christ really is that awesome. Okay. That's your part. Alright.
Jesus Christ really is that awesome. He really is. That's why we still celebrate Christmas. That's why we still look to him, as Hebrews would say later, the author and the perfecter of our faith. So here we are, God Almighty, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets.
So God has been communicating who he is in the past by way of the prophets. He has in these last days spoken to us by his son. So God's message of love, which he was transmitting all the while. Actually, day after day, the heavens are telling the glory of God. Night after night, the stars behold I mean, call out his glory.
I'm translating in my head. Sorry. God's message of love is through Christ. Why? God speaks through Christ.
Why? Because
Speaker 2Jesus Christ through his spouse.
Speaker 1Okay. That was a little bit. But we get lots of chances. Has in these last days spoken to us by his son whom he has appointed heir of all things. Think about that.
Think about that. He is the heir of all things. Jesus Christ is the heir of literally everything. Wow. The firstborn.
He is heir of all things because Jesus Christ really is the son of all. And through whom God also made the whole world. I covered that last week in John one one through 18, he says that there was nothing made that wasn't made through him, through whom also he made the whole world. So Jesus Christ was the actual agent of creation itself. Why?
Jesus Christ really is that awesome. He really is. Who? Being the very brightness of his glory. This is talking about from God is emanating all that is true about him, and Christ is that.
He is the brightness of God's glory. He is the active brilliance of God because whoops. Missed it. Oh, he's the express image of his person. So, Jesus mentions that no one has ever seen God at any time because he is spirit.
Those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. And when Philip says, what's the father like? He says, if you've seen me, you've seen the father. I am exactly what he is like. Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, gentle Jesus, meek and mild, in all of his grace and all of his mercy, Christ is exactly what God looks like in flesh.
Upholding all things by the word of his power. Think about Colossians, how he's he is upholding all things by the word of his power. He brings all things subject. Right? Nothing would continue to exist.
So he's the agent of creation. He started it all. He's cognizant of it all. He is always at work in his intercession for us. Nothing would continue to exist without Christ.
It really is all about Christ. Why? Jesus Christ. Really is. That awesome.
He's mind blowing. He's over and above all. When he had by himself. I love that the writer of Hebrews writes by himself. He didn't need anybody else's help to do this.
He's the only one. He's uniquely positioned to give of his perfect record to cleanse us from sin. He himself, by himself purged our sins. He alone handled sin. He took on all the sin of the world so that anyone who would just simply trust him would be cleansed from it.
He alone handled our sins. He purged our sins and he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. We talk a lot in this church. We talk about the life of Jesus and how he walked it out perfectly, submitted, surrendered to the spirit of God. And he did not make a misstep.
He humbled himself. He left the glories of heaven. He emptied himself of his divine prerogative, and he walked it out. And then he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. So Jesus' life, his sacrificial death by crucifixion on the cross, his burial, his resurrection, and his ascension, we talk about all those things.
We don't spend a lot of time talking about his session. Now if you're Presbyterian, you've heard it a thousand times. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father. He's interceding for us. His session is his work is done.
He sat down, the completed work of Christ on the cross, but he's sitting there right next to the majesty on high. He alone handled our sin. And then to Telestai, when it was finished, he sat down because Jesus Christ. Really is that awesome. He really is.
He really is. Having become so much better than the angels. And think about that. Angels, I mentioned that they are messengers, but we see heavenly angelic messengers a lot around Christmas. They're sitting atop a lot of Christmas trees.
But if somebody sees an angel in real life, what do they have to say? Fear not. Fear not. Because they are pretty doggone awesome. They're awe inspiring to the point that people fall to their knees, and sometimes angels say, fear not.
Get up. Don't worship me. Having become so much better than the angels, Jesus, in his kenosis or his emptying of himself, made himself a little lower than the angels. Who is man that you're mindful of him, Lord? We are lower than the angels.
We are the ones that the messengers are bringing the message to. Having become so much better than the angels. He's way more awesome than angels. Jesus is way better. Actually, the whole argument of Hebrews is Jesus is better than.
He's way more awesome than angels because Jesus Christ really is that awesome. If you think about it, the people who are worshiped as gods at this time so Tiberius, Caesar, Does anybody gather together one day a week to worship Tiberius Caesar? Or Janus or any of those others? Jupiter? No?
No. Jesus Christ really is that awesome. He stands out. He stands out as he has in by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Jesus is so much better than the angels.
He is a son. Now, in John, it says he is a son. In Matthew, it says he is a son. In Luke, it says he is a son. In Hebrews, it says he is a son.
And angels are just ministering servants. And those ministering servants are sent with a message declaring the sonship of Christ so that whoever would believe in him would become a child of God. He's opened up the way through his flesh. He is a son, and angels are ministering spirits. Jesus Christ really is that awesome.
He really is. I think that's the last of the slides. We're gonna sing one more hymn. It's gonna be angels from the realms of glory. But think about this.
Even as awesome as angels are, what they are declaring is that Christ is above all. So, here we are. Would you stand with us? We'll sing this last Christmas carol, the hymn, and think about it as you sing it.
Speaker 2Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o'er all the earth. Ye whose sang creation story now proclaim Messiah's birth. Come and worship. Come and worship. Worship Christ, the new born king.
Shepherds in the field abiding, watching o'er your flocks by night. God with us is now residing, yonder shines the infant's light come and worship come and worship worship Christ the newborn king through an infant now we view him He shall fill his father's throne. Neither all the nations to him, every knee shall then bow down. Come and worship. Come and worship.
Worship Christ, the newborn king. And amen. I the the benediction I
Speaker 1don't always know which benediction, which direction we're gonna go with that. I usually leave it up to the people in the booth to decide what the sermon was about. I love y'all. I think that this is perfect. Absolutely perfect because Jesus Christ really is that awesome, we should humble ourselves.
We should humble ourselves before him. All that bowing and coming and worshiping and laying down, it's not just that that was a baby. It was Christ the Lord. Christ the Lord. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
He knows what he's doing that he may exalt you in due time. Be casting all of your cares upon him because he cares for you. In Jesus' name, I pray, Lord, that we would go out this morning knowing that you really are that awesome, that we would be confident in that fact. And when we hear, as we will, people saying, well, there's no real reason to celebrate this in December. And they go on and on about all of these things that try to drag down the story of Christ's birth.
This is the story. History is his story. In Jesus' name, Lord, I pray that we would see him for being as awesome as he is, and we would know that he cares for us. In Jesus' name, I pray that we would go out and reflect the glory of the one and only son on those who do not yet know him. May we be winsome.
May we be helpful. May we be carrying the message of Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.
