The Promised Messiah

The Gospel of Matthew The Promised Messiah - Matthew 1:1-25 December 1, 2024 What better way to begin the month of December with a study in Matthew. Because even though some of you may disagree - now that Thanksgiving has passed, it is officially the Christmas season. As we have done in the past, we will study this book in sections, probably over several years, to mix things up a little. If you've been with us for any portion of the last six weeks, you would know that we just wrapped up a series that we called Jesus in the Old Testament, or as an old friend used to say ... Jesus B.C.. The reason I mention that is because Matthew's Gospel brings this to life, almost literally. We'll be covering all of chapter one this morning, but my goal is not to spend too much time in the first 17 verses and focus more on the last 8 verses. But, before we do that, let's get a little background of Matthew and why he wrote this account. First, who is Matthew? * A Jew. His name is Jewish, and his writing style is very Jewish. * He is also an Apostle, called in Matthew 9 * He's also a tax Collector. Now, I know everyone has an opinion on taxes and the IRS - all good things, you know, in case they're listening - but, believe it or not, tax collectors then were even worse. Often, the tax collectors - who worked for Rome, were known to extort money from their own people, and were widely despised by them. Second, what was Matthew's purpose in writing this account? * Most scholars agree that his main purpose was to prove to the Jewish readers that Jesus is the promised Messiah. * In fact, Matthew points to Jesus as the promised Messiah more than the other Gospel writers, and according to one source, he used at least 129 quotations or allusions to the Old Testament in his gospel. * Matthew also focuses a lot on the Kingdom, as well as Jesus' teachings. Third, and last, how should we read Matthew? * Matthew's gospel is arranged more topically, than chronological. o For example, chapters 8-9 contain His miracles * Matthew organizes his book around - what's referred to as - five discourses which breaks down like this: o Sermon on the Mount: Chapters 5-7 o Commissioning of the Twelve: Chapter 10 o Parables of the Kingdom: Chapter 13 o Church Life and Discipline: Chapter 18 o Woes and Olivet Discourse: Chapters 24-25 * Matthew gives us clues in his writing that tell us that he's moving to another section with a phrase like "when Jesus finished these words." Matthew is really a fascinating account, and it is also very important as it is a sort of bridge that leads us out of the Old Testament and into the New Testament. With that background in mind, let's start with verses 1-17 of Matthew 1 - wait, didn't I say we'd do this together? Fine, I'll do it ... you can follow along in your bibles or on the screen behind me: 1 THE BOOK OF THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF DAVID, THE SON OF ABRAHAM. 2 ABRAHAM WAS THE FATHER OF ISAAC, AND ISAAC THE FATHER OF JACOB, AND JACOB THE FATHER OF JUDAH AND HIS BROTHERS, 3 AND JUDAH THE FATHER OF PEREZ AND ZERAH BY TAMAR, AND PEREZ THE FATHER OF HEZRON, AND HEZRON THE FATHER OF RAM, 4 AND RAM THE FATHER OF AMMINADAB, AND AMMINADAB THE FATHER OF NAHSHON, AND NAHSHON THE FATHER OF SALMON, 5 AND SALMON THE FATHER OF BOAZ BY RAHAB, AND BOAZ THE FATHER OF OBED BY RUTH, AND OBED THE FATHER OF JESSE, 6 AND JESSE THE FATHER OF DAVID THE KING. AND DAVID WAS THE FATHER OF SOLOMON BY THE WIFE OF URIAH, 7 AND SOLOMON THE FATHER OF REHOBOAM, AND REHOBOAM THE FATHER OF ABIJAH, AND ABIJAH THE FATHER OF ASAPH, 8 AND ASAPH THE FATHER OF JEHOSHAPHAT, AND JEHOSHAPHAT THE FATHER OF JORAM, AND JORAM THE FATHER OF UZZIAH, 9 AND UZZIAH THE FATHER OF JOTHAM, AND JOTHAM THE FATHER OF AHAZ, AND AHAZ THE FATHER OF HEZEKIAH, 10 AND HEZEKIAH THE FATHER OF MANASSEH, AND MANASSEH THE FATHER OF AMOS, AND AMOS THE FATHER OF JOSIAH, 11 AND JOSIAH THE FATHER OF JECHONIAH AND HIS BROTHERS, AT THE TIME OF THE DEPORTATION TO BABYLON. 12 AND AFTER THE DEPORTATION TO BABYLON: JECHONIAH WAS THE FATHER OF SHEALTIEL, AND SHEALTIEL THE FATHER OF ZERUBBABEL, 13 AND ZERUBBABEL THE FATHER OF ABIUD, AND ABIUD THE FATHER OF ELIAKIM, AND ELIAKIM THE FATHER OF AZOR, 14 AND AZOR THE FATHER OF ZADOK, AND ZADOK THE FATHER OF ACHIM, AND ACHIM THE FATHER OF ELIUD, 15 AND ELIUD THE FATHER OF ELEAZAR, AND ELEAZAR THE FATHER OF MATTHAN, AND MATTHAN THE FATHER OF JACOB, 16 AND JACOB THE FATHER OF JOSEPH THE HUSBAND OF MARY, OF WHOM JESUS WAS BORN, WHO IS CALLED CHRIST. 17 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. Again, I don't want to spend too much time here, but we should make some OBSERVATIONS ABOUT MATTHEW'S GENEALOGY before we move on. * It's not complete. o Matthew's genealogy here was not meant to be complete. o There are a few theories of why he compiled it the way did. * One is that he simply edited it to make it easier to remember * Another common theory is that it has something to do with the number "seven," which is the number of completeness or perfection. Next, * It's strategic. o I think many of us tend to overlook these genealogies - especially the one in 1 Chronicles. For one, the names are hard to pronounce, and two, let's be honest - it's dry and dense. In short, it's not that exciting. o That's why I love Wiersbe's observation. Here is what he said: When you read the genealogy in Genesis 5, the repeated phrase "and he died" sounds like the tolling of a funeral bell. The Old Testament illustrates the truth that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). But when you turn to the New Testament, that first genealogy emphasizes birth and not death! The message of the New Testament is that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). o Finally, it's strategic in that Matthew began with Abraham to show that Jesus is the promise that we talked about just last week from Genesis 12:3. * Lastly, it's unique. o It's unique in the mention of both women and gentiles. o Matthew, once again, did this on purpose. o As we've recently seen, part of the promises to Abraham - and, as a result, the Jewish people - is that salvation is available for all people, even Gentiles ... and even these four controversial women. How so? Well ... * Tamar was a Canaanite and committed a great sin with her father-in-law (if you know, you know). * Rahab? She was a Gentile harlot. * Ruth? A Moabite. * Bathsheba? She was an adulterer. * And, of course, Mary was the fifth woman named in this genealogy, who was nothing more than a poor teenager. o What does this tell us? * No matter our past, God will use you in His plan of salvation. * Do you know what that's called? Grace. * Salvation is available to all people. There's probably a lot more we can talk about in this genealogy, but I think this gives us a good start. So, what I want to do now is bridge these two sections of Matthew 1 together with our main idea, which is a summary of the whole book, which I'm borrowing from the Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook: In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the Jewish Messiah and created the church. Now, let's read the Christmas account, according to Matthew in verses 18-25: 18 NOW THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST TOOK PLACE IN THIS WAY. WHEN HIS MOTHER MARY HAD BEEN BETROTHED TO JOSEPH, BEFORE THEY CAME TOGETHER SHE WAS FOUND TO BE WITH CHILD FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT. 19 AND HER HUSBAND JOSEPH, BEING A JUST MAN AND UNWILLING TO PUT HER TO SHAME, RESOLVED TO DIVORCE HER QUIETLY. 20 BUT AS HE CONSIDERED THESE THINGS, BEHOLD, AN ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED TO HIM IN A DREAM, SAYING, "JOSEPH, SON OF DAVID, DO NOT FEAR TO TAKE MARY AS YOUR WIFE, FOR THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT. 21 SHE WILL BEAR A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS, FOR HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS." 22 ALL THIS TOOK PLACE TO FULFILL WHAT THE LORD HAD SPOKEN BY THE PROPHET: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL" (WHICH MEANS, GOD WITH US). 24 WHEN JOSEPH WOKE FROM SLEEP, HE DID AS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD COMMANDED HIM: HE TOOK HIS WIFE, 25 BUT KNEW HER NOT UNTIL SHE HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO A SON. AND HE CALLED HIS NAME JESUS. OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE BIRTH OF JESUS * It's brief. o Notice how brief this account is, when compared to Luke's account. o Why is that? Once again, Matthew's purpose was to introduce the Messiah to the Jewish people. o That's why he specifically quoted Isaiah 7 bringing to attention the name "Immanuel," which he states means, "God with us." o And at the end of verse 25, He is named Jesus. o The name "Jesus" specifies what he does ("God saves"), while the messianic title "Immanuel" (v. 23) specifies who he is ("God with us"). o The next observation is ... * Joseph and Mary were obedient. o Well, with one exception. Joseph planned on divorcing Mary instead of doing what the Law demanded - which would have been stoning. o Verse 18 says that they were betrothed. o Now, the betrothal period was effectively an engagement period between a man and a woman who were to be wed. It was a legally binding process, so the only way to break the arrangement would be divorce. o The obedience of Joseph kicks in when he obeys the angel that appeared to him in a dream. o That obedience was a product of his faith. o Next, * The birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of prophecy. o Matthew immediately attaches the birth of Jesus to the well-known Isaiah 7:14. o Matthew has, what's referred to as a "formula" for his revealing of Jesus in Old Testament prophecy. o Here in verse 22, he points the Jewish reader back to the Jewish Scriptures, and shoes them plainly what had been fulfilled in Jesus. o Matthew uses about 10 of these formulas in his gospel, showing how Jesus was a complete fulfillment of many prophecies concerning the Messiah. So, we've seen this morning that: In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the Jewish Messiah and created the church. So, what are some ... TAKEAWAYS FROM MATTHEW 1 * Jesus is real. o Matthew had to convince the Jews that Jesus was that promised Messiah. o Today, we have to acknowledge the same. o He first step to salvation through Christ, and Christ alone is to acknowledge that He is real. o But we have to believe, not just in His existence, as many people do, but we also have to understand His identity. o That's where these two Names we saw moments ago come into place. * Immanual, God with us. * Jesus, God saves. o What a wonderful thing it is to know Jesus, because when Jesus is known by you, He is with you. When Jesus saved you, His Spirit lives in you. o Jesus was no ordinary Man. This historical Jesus must be more than that. He is God with us. He is the One Who Saves. o Who is Jesus to you? o Next, if we believe in Immanuel, then we must believe that ... * Jesus' Message was real. o Jesus and His role as a teacher is highlighted by Matthew in his account. o One source noted that Matthew focuses about 60% of his book on the teachings of Jesus. o There are five large sections of teaching in Matthew: * The Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7 * A discourse on ministry and missions in chapters 9-10 * Parables in chapter 13 * Discipleship - what it means to be a follower of Jesus in chapter 18 * And of course, teachings on His Second Coming in chapters 23-25. o That means we as modern readers must listen to Jesus' instruction because Matthew carefully pieced his gospel together, so the reader can believe in Jesus and His Message. o Do you believe His message? o Finally ... * Our response must be real. o If He is real, and His Message is real, then our faith must be real. o I'll tell you what. The hardest thing to do as a Christian is to live out our faith. o When we get to the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7, we will see this clearly. o When we get to the section on discipleship, we will see this clearly. o I was reading a book a couple of weeks ago, and I may have actually touched on it last week, but there's a significant passage in Luke 9 that illustrates what our response really should be. Beginning in verse 57, we read: 57 AS THEY WERE GOING ALONG THE ROAD, SOMEONE SAID TO HIM, "I WILL FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO." 58 AND JESUS SAID TO HIM, "FOXES HAVE HOLES, AND BIRDS OF THE AIR HAVE NESTS, BUT THE SON OF MAN HAS NOWHERE TO LAY HIS HEAD." 59 TO ANOTHER HE SAID, "FOLLOW ME." BUT HE SAID, "LORD, LET ME FIRST GO AND BURY MY FATHER." 60 AND JESUS SAID TO HIM, "LEAVE THE DEAD TO BURY THEIR OWN DEAD. BUT AS FOR YOU, GO AND PROCLAIM THE KINGDOM OF GOD." 61 YET ANOTHER SAID, "I WILL FOLLOW YOU, LORD, BUT LET ME FIRST SAY FAREWELL TO THOSE AT MY HOME." 62 JESUS SAID TO HIM, "NO ONE WHO PUTS HIS HAND TO THE PLOW AND LOOKS BACK IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD." o So, we can summarize this in two words: total surrender. o Jesus says, follow Me. As you are. It's easy to believe in the historical Jesus. Many secular historians do. It's easy to believe in His Message - at least some of it - I mean who doesn't like the Golden Rule!? But to surrender all to Him. To go "all in" for Him. To put Him first - and keep Him first. That is hard. That requires faith. Just as we saw from Joseph, when he came out of the dream, obedient to the angel's words. Friends, that is your challenge. Will you surrender all things - your worries, your fears, your doubts, your gifts, your money, your everything - to Jesus Christ, the One that the Old Testament Scriptures told us about? Will you? Let's pray. 2