Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 1

"Promises, Prophecies & A Prediction!" • 4.11.10 • Calvary Colton's First Sunday Morning Service

Intro

- It seems that somebody should have told Matthew about how to write a compelling story. Imagine going to the publisher and saying, "It all starts with a geneaology!"

- Wow, Matthew, you really know how to get it sold! To our ears in the modern era, where fewer people have functional family relationships, this seems to be an unneccessary exercise.

- That seems to be the case, but is in fact, essential for this introduction to the one that we have come to call Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah.

- If anything, the goal of studying the Bible, is to know Christ, to learn that we might love Him more with every study. This chapter starts with Jesus and it ends with Jesus.

- It tells us how He got here, what He did while He was here and where that leaves us!

- Matthew must start exactly where he does if his Jewish audience will listen any further beyond his opening volley. As believers in God, we trust that His Word will speak clearly to us.

- Today, I believe that that faith will pay off. Here's how we'll map out Matthew chapter 1. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of

I. Promises (v.1-17)

II. Prophecies (v.18-23)

III. Predictions (v.24,25)

Text

I. Promises (v.1-17)

• Matthew 1:1-17 : "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations." : There are some very important features that you need to understand regarding Matthew's genealogy.

- Let me give you a quick series of facts about this genealogy. It's a descending record that will lead to Joseph. It's not comprehensive. It covers 3 major sections of Israel's history.

- It covers the Patriarchs, the time of the Kings/Prophets and then the time of captivity.

- Jewish people were tenacious about geneaologies. Official records were kept in the temple and they served a strong purpose in their society.

- A gene tree established your right to an inheritance, dictated where you would live, and what you could do. For example, if you wanted to be a priest, you had to be a Levite.

- Most importantly, it would prove your claim to be the Messiah.

- Note the first two names: David the King of Israel and Abraham, Israel's progenitor and the prototype of a man who walks in faith.

- David was the strongest King of Israel's history, in terms of the whole package. He amassed the largest amount of territory and was spiritually strong most of the time.

- He was called a man after the heart of God, which is high praise for anyone.

- Abraham, predated David by hundreds of years. He was willing to sacrifice his own son after he had waited 25 years for God to bring him. He is known as the friend of God.

- Sounds pretty spriritual. At the same time, David was an accessory to murder and an adulterer. Abraham was a liar on two recorded occasions!

- To these imperfect vessels, God made great promises that would be fullfilled long after their death. To Abraham and his descendants, there was the promise of land and much more.

• Genesis 22:16-18 : "By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.'"

- To David, God promised something just as powerful. David had wanted to build God a house. David being a man of war, could not.

- God proclaimed that his literal son, Solomon, would do the job. But David's prophetic Son, would have a reign that was much longer.

• II Samuel 7:16 : "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.'"

- Jesus is that King, whose throne is established forever. He is the promised King. In a very real way, He is the only one that can truly make that claim.

- Today, there is no way for a Jewish person to claim to be the Messiah. When the temple was razed in 70 AD, the gene trees were eliminated. Jesus is the last person with a legitmate claim.

- When the people of Israel heard this, there was a sense that God had kept His promises.

- He kept His promise in spite of some of the other people on this list! We don't have time to look at this, but the stories are at least PG-13!

- There are good and wicked Kings and there are women of ill repute! There are rich people and there are the very poorest of the poor.

- The line that Matthew presents is full of colorful stories and people. I imagine that the inclusion of some would bring a certain level of shame.

- God kept His promise in spite of all of it. When His people were faithless, He was faithful.

- He did it in spite of prostitution and destitution. He did it in good times in Israel's history and while they were in slavery. He did it in economic high points and in deep economic depression.

- When God makes a promise, it is as good as done. In Jesus, God says, "Promise kept!"

- As Christians today we can take comfort in the same faithfulness. Despite our circumstances, despite our feelings to the contrary, God is the ultimate promise keeper.

II. Prediction (v.18-21)

• Matthew 1:18-21 : "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.'" : Just like His lineage, Christ's birth was fraught with seeming scandal.

- Usually in their culture, an arrangement was made at an early age between parents and then a time of betrothal. It was not uncommon for a girl to be betrothed as early as 12 years old.

- Betrothal in the time of Christ was like being engaged on steroids. The two were considered married in every way, except sexually. If you wanted to break the betrothal, you'd need a lawyer!

- Matthew makes this point clear. These two were not together...in that way! He has hinted at it in verse 16 when he calls Joseph, not the father of Jesus, but the husband of Mary.

- Now in verse 18, he says explicitly that the child was conceived before they came together.

- It's possible that Matthew may be answering some of the slanderous words that were spoken about Jesus' heritage, which we will identify when we come to it.

- But it cannot be ignored: Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, not by Joseph.

- Naturally, when Mary began to show, the questions began. "How did you say this happened!? The Holy Spirit!? O.k!" Just an aside to all you single ladies: Don't even try it!

- It's a mistake to make more of Mary than is given to us. At the same time, it's a mistake to miss her significance. She is blessed among women, in that she gave birth to God's son.

- I wonder if she ever prayed: God, use me for you glory! This was her answer.

- Incredibly, what she did physically, you and I can do spiritually today. We can be vessels used by the living God, to bring Jesus to our world! Have you asked Him to use you?

- I promise that it won't be pregnancy! But it will be uncomfortable. It will demand more than you might be willing to give. And it will likely invite speculation about you!

- Mary explained clearly what happened, but Joseph was not immediately convinced. Instead, Joseph decided to put her away secretly.

- Usually, Mary gets all of the attention, but this story is about Joseph.

- Joseph was a just man. He was righteous in his heart toward God and in his actions toward men. He knew that if Mary was exposed, she would face a very public and disgraceful death.

- According to tradition, a woman in this condition would be brought into the center of town, put into a mound of manure knee deep and then stoned until she fell face down.

- Joseph loved this young lady. What else could Joseph do? I imagine him pacing the floor, racking his brain, asking God for help or some sign that would provide direction.

- Based on the information that Joseph had, he began to think and act as he thought he should. He was in the middle of considering this action when an angel appeared to him in a dream.

- An angel of the Lord, a messenger from the Lord brought a word of assurance to Joseph.

- Joseph was caught in the middle of something very delicate. The stress level was high and his options were limited and painful.

- His next act would be right, but it would be misinformed. I am sure that he came to the Lord and begged for help. He received it.

- We can do the same thing today. God wants to meet you, perhaps not in the same way as Joseph, but with the same assurance and wisdom.

- All of us are familiar with James 1:5, which tells us to ask the Lord for wisdom and He will give it liberally. I want to take you to the book just before it: Hebrews 4.

• Hebrews 4:14-16 : "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

- You may not have what you need at the midnight hour, when you are pacing and fretting, but you will have help in time of need...when you need it...when you are ready for it!

- The Angel told Joseph that Mary was truthful and that she would bear a son whose name would be Jesus. We lose a little bit here.

- The name Jesus is an English equivalent for the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name "Yeshua." Yeshua is a name which means "God our salvation."

- This is why the angel says that He will save His people from their sins. That is the meaning of His name, the function of His mission, the purpose of the Godhead in Christ.

- He has come to save, deliver His people from their sins. His name is a prediction. It's a proclamation of His very mission. It's a definition that will govern His life and ministry.

- Notice the certainty in those words: He will deliver! There is no question. There is no doubt. Jesus came to deliver us from our sins and that's what He has done by taking them onto Himself!

III. Prophecy (v.22-25)

• Matthew 1:22,23 : "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'" : For those that continue on with us, we'll see this phrase over 50 times in the book of Matthew. "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled."

- Matthew is that book that targets the Jewish audience and shows them that their scriptures, the prophecies of the Messiah, are fulfilled, completed in Jesus.

- There are about 300 total prophecies. The odds of one man fulfilling all of these are so astronomical, it's ridiculous to conceive!

- Here, the prophecy of a virgin birth comes from Isaiah the prophet in 700 B.C.

• Isaiah 7:14 : "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

- Scholars attempt to soften this by mentioning that "almah" could be young woman. Sadly, nobody told Matthew. He uses the Greek word used for "virgin!"

- You and I cannot explain this, but can we really explain how God created the world!? Can you explain how electricity works? God's Word is either truth or it's not!

- God allowed Jesus to be conceived through Mary, a virgin for three reasons.

- First, the sinful nature is passed through sinful man. I passed it down to my children. Since there was no male human instrument involved in Christ's conception, there was "no spot or blemish."

- This lamb was free of birth defect or occasioned contact with sin.

- This is part of the curse of sin. It is hereditary. Nobody has ever missed the opportunity to be a sinner at birth!

- Second, you'll recall the name Jeconiah. He was such a wicked King that God decreed that no blood relative of his should ever ascend to the throne again. Joseph was a blood relative.

- Finally, and most importantly, God is bringing a prophecy to pass. It was a word spoken through the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years earlier.

- God's Word given through the prophets in the Old Testament is still God's Word!

- Immanuel. This was a description of Christ and it's a potent one. God would be with them, physically in the person of Jesus Christ.

- When they heard that a virgin had conceived a son, this would be the sign that they waited for. These verses speak strongly of the nature of the Messiah Yeshua.

- From the first chapter of the New Testament, the true nature of Jesus is established. He is completely divine. He is God wrapped up in human flesh.

- He has the same nature, the same attributes, the same characteristics and the same power as God. He is in every way, equal to God.

- What is so important about this fact? Jehovah's witnesses, Mormons and all other groups that claim allegiance to Jesus, miss it on this essential doctrine.

- Jesus is not an ascended teacher or prophet. He is not the brother of Lucifer. He did not become a god. He was God in the cradle, God at the Cross and the God of the empty tomb!

- Only God's own blood would be sufficient for the stain of human sin.

• Matthew 1:24,25 : "Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus." : What a night's sleep! Joseph got up and faced the music.

- He had had a much different conclusion on his mind when he went to bed. Now, he understands that there is a need to do something that will be much more difficult for him.

- He is to take Mary, this pregnant teenager, as his wife. People would look. They would theorize. They would form their own opinions of both Mary and Joseph.

- This makes Joseph's actions that much more impressive. He did as the Lord had commanded him.

- It's unfortunate that we do not know more of Joseph. One could say truly that he had to be a special man in order to be entrusted with Immanuel!

- I want us to consider: What can God ask of us? What would He be able to make us stewards over? No guilt trip, but consider this week what He has given you already? Are you faithful with that?

- Thankfully, while we do not know him, we can emulate his example by being obedient ourselves in spite of personal comfortability.

- He took Mary as his wife, but did not consumate their relationship. A very important word here is the word "till." After Jesus was born, there was a healthy marital sexual relationship.

- Later, we'll get to meet Joseph and Mary's kids!

- Joseph names Mary's child Jesus. He will participate with God in believing that this child will be God's answer to man's sin condtition.

Conclusion

- For those of us that are believers in Christ: This is our Lord. This is His faithfulness and grace. This is the picture of every attribute that we love. It's all bottled up in the person Jesus.

- May we look at our lives and seek to reflect Him. As Mary, may we be His vessels and like Joseph, may He find us faithful and ready for more!

- And for those that are not believers: You have to begin with the knowledge that you need a deliverer. He cannot be your Savior until you know that you need one!

- Jesus came to save, not from social ills or financial distress. He came to save us from that which separated us from Him.

- God Himself came in the form of a man and has done all that He can do to reconcile us. Now He asks that we do what we must do.

- He asks that you believe, trust in Him and surrender your life.