Jesus Christ Really Is That Awesome

In one paragraph

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...

Read together

1. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
2. John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God
3. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth
4. Luke 2:8-11 Advent reading: shepherds in the fields, angel appears with good news of great joy
5. Matthew 1:1-17 Legal genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham
6. Genesis 12:1-3 God calls Abram to leave his country, promising to bless all families of the earth through him
7. Genesis 15:6 Abram believed in the Lord and God credited that to him as righteousness
8. Romans 4:3 Paul reiterates that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness
9. Genesis 22:16-18 God swears to bless Abraham and multiply his seed because he did not withhold his son
10. Luke 3:23-38 Natural genealogy of Jesus traced backward from Joseph through Mary all the way to Adam, son of God
11. Hebrews 1:1-4 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

Talk about it

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. Pastor Ray pointed out that Luke's genealogy runs all the way back to 'son of Adam, son of God,' and that Jesus is called the second Adam elsewhere in scripture. What do you think it means for us that the first Adam failed and Jesus did not, and how does that affect the way you think about Christmas?
4. The participatory refrain through Hebrews one was 'Jesus Christ really is that awesome.' Hebrews describes Him as heir of all things, agent of creation, the brightness of God's glory, and the one who by himself purged our sins. Which of those descriptions hit you hardest, and why?
5. Pastor Ray closed by praying that the congregation would go out and 'reflect the glory of the one and only son on those who do not yet know him.' What does that actually look like in a practical, everyday way for someone living in Jackson right now?