WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.060 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:07.240 This is part two of genealogy. 00:00:08.300 --> 00:00:10.640 Matt explained the covenants last week, 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:14.800 and this week we'll focus on the character of God. 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:18.320 Let's go to the Lord in prayer together. 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:21.780 Father, as we come to your word, 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:26.359 glorify your Son as a Son gives glory to you. 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:31.480 What we need most is to see you with eyes of true faith. 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:35.119 Will the Spirit be the witness in our hearts 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:37.320 of your love for us in Christ? 00:00:38.480 --> 00:00:41.500 Lord, we need you to do what only you can do, 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:46.980 give eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, the lame to walk. 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:51.739 Lord, would your word rise up like the morning sun in our hearts 00:00:51.739 --> 00:00:54.060 and would sorrow and sighing flee away 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:57.700 as we gaze at the glory in the face of our Lord Jesus. 00:00:58.740 --> 00:01:00.460 We pray this in his name. 00:01:01.400 --> 00:01:01.660 Amen. 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:08.219 In a book about the sufficiency of Christ, 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:13.180 there is a story of William Randolph Hearst, 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:16.079 a famous newspaper publisher, 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:20.159 who was an extraordinary collector of art. 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:25.159 On one occasion, Hearst saw a piece of art 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:28.420 that he decided that he must have in his possession. 00:01:29.379 --> 00:01:32.599 He sent his agent to search for this treasure, 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:34.500 no matter the cost, 00:01:35.259 --> 00:01:36.739 no matter how long it took. 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:41.259 Eventually, the agent reported that he had, in fact, 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:43.879 found this elusive piece of art. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:50.299 It was found in a warehouse of Hearst's own possessions. 00:01:52.979 --> 00:01:56.879 He was searching for a treasure that was already his. 00:01:58.739 --> 00:02:01.299 Now, I suspect many of us are like Mr. Hearst 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:03.379 as we live our Christian lives. 00:02:04.419 --> 00:02:08.259 We enter the Christmas season searching, longing, 00:02:08.259 --> 00:02:11.340 for something more. 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:15.879 And we forget that the treasure that we are seeking 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:18.000 is already ours in Christ. 00:02:20.959 --> 00:02:24.219 Although the text before us is familiar and common, 00:02:24.959 --> 00:02:27.979 there is a storehouse of treasure if we look more closely. 00:02:29.259 --> 00:02:32.259 And with that, we'll read Matthew 1, verses 1-17, 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:35.239 the genealogy of Jesus Christ. 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:37.939 Let's read God's Word together. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:41.639 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, 00:02:42.399 --> 00:02:43.120 the son of David, 00:02:44.019 --> 00:02:44.939 the son of Abraham. 00:02:46.399 --> 00:02:48.139 Abraham was the father of Isaac, 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:50.599 and Isaac the father of Jacob, 00:02:51.459 --> 00:02:53.780 and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:57.899 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:00.460 and Perez the father of Hezron, 00:03:00.939 --> 00:03:02.620 and Hezron the father of Ram, 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:05.580 and Ram the father of Amminadab, 00:03:06.420 --> 00:03:08.620 and Amminadab the father of Nashon, 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:11.140 and Nashon the father of Salmon, 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:14.540 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:19.120 and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, 00:03:20.420 --> 00:03:22.180 and Obed the father of Jesse, 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:24.360 and Jesse the father of David the king. 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:27.700 And David was the father of Solomon 00:03:27.700 --> 00:03:30.120 by the wife of Uriah, 00:03:30.580 --> 00:03:34.000 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, 00:03:34.980 --> 00:03:36.820 and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, 00:03:37.300 --> 00:03:38.980 and Abijah the father of Asaph, 00:03:39.820 --> 00:03:41.960 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, 00:03:42.440 --> 00:03:44.340 and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.120 and Joram the father of Uzziah, 00:03:47.820 --> 00:03:49.760 and Uzziah the father of Jatham, 00:03:50.220 --> 00:03:52.620 and Jatham the father of Ahaz, 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:54.900 and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:57.719 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, 00:03:58.420 --> 00:04:00.060 and Manasseh the father of Amos, 00:04:00.740 --> 00:04:02.480 and Amos the father of Josiah, 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:04.960 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:06.539 and his brothers at the time 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:08.120 of the deportation to Babylon. 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:11.640 And after the deportation to Babylon, 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:14.159 Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:16.899 and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 00:04:16.899 --> 00:04:20.019 and Zerubbabel the father of Abayud, 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:22.719 and Abayud the father of Eliakim, 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:25.060 and Eliakim the father of Azor, 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:27.539 and Azor the father of Zadok, 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:29.699 and Zadok the father of Achim, 00:04:30.179 --> 00:04:32.519 and Achim the father of Eliud, 00:04:33.099 --> 00:04:35.239 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:38.199 and Eleazar the father of Mathan, 00:04:38.579 --> 00:04:39.739 and Mathan the father of Jacob, 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:41.939 and Jacob the father of Joseph, 00:04:42.099 --> 00:04:43.120 the husband of Mary, 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.639 of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:51.120 So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations, 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:55.060 and from David to the deportation of Babylon, 14 generations, 00:04:55.060 --> 00:05:00.139 and from the deportation of Babylon to the Christ, 14 generations. 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:03.079 Amen. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:08.300 We will draw out three themes from this genealogy. 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:13.360 God is faithful through Jesus, point number one. 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:15.120 God is faithful through Jesus. 00:05:16.840 --> 00:05:19.400 Jesus is a friend of sinners. 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:25.920 Point number three, Jesus gives freedom to those in slavery. 00:05:27.580 --> 00:05:28.699 God is faithful. 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:31.040 Jesus is a friend of sinners. 00:05:31.939 --> 00:05:34.560 Jesus gives freedom to those in slavery. 00:05:35.900 --> 00:05:37.180 God is faithful. 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.939 His faithfulness reaches to the skies. 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:43.920 Not one of his words has fallen to the ground. 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:46.959 That is what this genealogy is all about. 00:05:47.740 --> 00:05:49.759 You look down at the end of verse 1. 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:55.160 Matthew begins with that phrase, the books of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. 00:05:55.939 --> 00:05:59.460 That screams out, God is faithful. 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:05.100 As we heard last week, Matthew grabs the very language from the opening chapters of Genesis. 00:06:05.100 --> 00:06:09.760 And this is a phrase that drives the narrative of the Bible. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.400 All of Judaism was centered on a genealogy. 00:06:14.320 --> 00:06:20.360 If you go back to the dawn of creation, the world had been plunged into darkness through sin. 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:28.340 But God made a promise to create a new world, a new race, a new creation. 00:06:29.340 --> 00:06:36.240 At the dawn of history, God said he would do it through a promised child that would come out of the family of Israel. 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:41.240 To not only rule and reign, but to bring about the work of redemption. 00:06:42.780 --> 00:06:45.939 And God is now bringing those promises to pass. 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:53.899 God promised this offspring would be born of the woman in Genesis 3.15. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:59.079 And this offspring would be the sin slayer. 00:06:59.860 --> 00:07:02.319 The new creation bringer. 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:04.659 The kingdom inaugurator. 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:06.519 The curse reverser. 00:07:07.379 --> 00:07:08.339 The serpent crusher. 00:07:08.339 --> 00:07:10.799 I enjoyed saying that. 00:07:13.119 --> 00:07:17.239 God promised this offspring from the dawn of creation. 00:07:18.039 --> 00:07:21.219 And this offspring line was preserved in Noah's time. 00:07:22.159 --> 00:07:25.479 We learn the offspring would come from the family of Abraham. 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.019 This offspring is of the house of Judah. 00:07:29.859 --> 00:07:33.259 This offspring is of David's house in 2 Samuel 7. 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:36.359 He descends from the royal line of Solomon. 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:38.740 And Geltiel and Zerubel. 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:43.259 This offspring is of the virgin. 00:07:43.960 --> 00:07:45.480 And his name is Emmanuel. 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:47.699 God with us. 00:07:48.860 --> 00:07:55.400 This offspring's name would be wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, and the prince of peace. 00:07:56.900 --> 00:07:59.780 This offspring would come from the town of Bethlehem in Micah 5. 00:07:59.779 --> 00:08:06.299 And when the fullness of time had come, God is now sending forth this offspring. 00:08:07.419 --> 00:08:13.719 So Matthew with neon lights and a dark sky is saying Jesus is the promised offspring. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:17.859 That's what the title Christ means in this genealogy. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:23.759 The long-awaited king who has come to take his rightful place on the throne. 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:29.060 And one day every knee will bow to this king Jesus. 00:08:29.980 --> 00:08:33.159 So friend, Jesus is no myth. 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:36.480 This is the long-awaited Messiah of history. 00:08:37.819 --> 00:08:39.319 Jesus is not a mere religious teacher. 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:42.019 He is not a mere moral example. 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:45.559 He is not a politician trying to get you to vote for him. 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:50.939 Jesus is the king of the universe everywhere at all times. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:52.419 And he is never up for re-election. 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:54.319 He is the king. 00:08:54.819 --> 00:08:55.599 And he has come. 00:08:56.359 --> 00:09:00.879 If you are new to reading the Bible, this is the heart of the message from Genesis to Revelation. 00:09:01.619 --> 00:09:05.619 At the heart of Christianity and the scriptures is this Jesus of Nazareth. 00:09:07.199 --> 00:09:13.579 There are 66 books in the Bible written by at least 40 authors spanning over 2,000 years. 00:09:13.580 --> 00:09:15.840 But there is only one subject. 00:09:16.280 --> 00:09:17.520 One overarching subject. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:19.759 God, the Son, our Lord Jesus. 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:27.259 So the center of history is not about oppressors and the oppressed. 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:30.840 It is about sinners and their relationship to this all-sufficient Savior. 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:36.420 And notice that in verse 17, this genealogy has three eras mentioned. 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:39.920 First from Abraham to David in verse 2 to 6. 00:09:40.540 --> 00:09:42.840 David to the exile in Babylon in verse 6 to 11. 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:46.120 And then Babylon to the time of Christ, verse 12 to 17. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:50.700 Matthew is saying God has been faithful at all times and all places in every circumstance. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:57.139 God has been faithful to bring about these promises in every era of Israel's history. 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:02.280 And God is the architect and source of this great plan of salvation. 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.720 And he is committed to fulfilling these promises. 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:10.840 So when you read the genealogy, this is not like flipping through the Old Testament yellow pages. 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:16.560 Each of these names are links in a chain that God has carefully put together. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:23.019 God has controlled all of history to fulfill these promises. 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:26.000 And you see God controlling all of history. 00:10:26.299 --> 00:10:28.860 You see his sovereign choice, even in this genealogy. 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:33.439 In a culture where the older brother is entitled to the inheritance, 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:36.579 you see God choosing the younger brothers. 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:38.679 Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:40.559 David was the younger brother. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:45.219 And they took the older brother's place in the line. 00:10:47.239 --> 00:10:53.039 Now, if we really believed in God's faithfulness, in his controlling hands, 00:10:54.079 --> 00:10:55.539 how would your life change? 00:10:55.899 --> 00:10:56.979 How would my life change? 00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:58.739 If we believed in God's faithfulness. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:04.539 You know, even in your dark days, God is in complete control. 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:10.139 The apostle Paul wanted to preach, but God instead sent him into a prison. 00:11:11.839 --> 00:11:17.860 What everyone thought was an obstacle, Paul saw as a sovereignly ordained opportunity. 00:11:19.079 --> 00:11:20.699 He tells the church in Philippi, 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.379 what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 00:11:24.959 --> 00:11:26.539 Our God knows what he is doing. 00:11:27.819 --> 00:11:30.360 God brings his people into many storms, 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:33.259 and Christian, he will preserve you in each one. 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:35.179 God is faithful. 00:11:35.819 --> 00:11:38.919 In Christ, his everlasting arms are beneath you. 00:11:39.319 --> 00:11:41.240 His eye is ever upon you. 00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:46.059 Everything God says to you in his word is true, 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:48.580 because our God is a God of truth. 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:53.200 Heaven and earth may pass away, but God's words will never pass away. 00:11:54.319 --> 00:11:57.220 Your hope in God will never be disappointed. 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:00.319 He will never deceive you. 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:02.840 So when it says to you, 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:05.720 never will I leave you, never will I forsake you, 00:12:06.280 --> 00:12:07.280 Christian, you should believe it. 00:12:08.379 --> 00:12:09.160 When it says, 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:12.660 there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 00:12:13.660 --> 00:12:15.520 take that check to the bank and cash it. 00:12:16.800 --> 00:12:18.600 Christian, if God's currency was mercy, 00:12:19.280 --> 00:12:22.220 his bank account balance is inexhaustible for you. 00:12:22.940 --> 00:12:25.140 There is no condemnation for those in Christ. 00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:30.139 But maybe for some of you, it doesn't feel like that. 00:12:31.019 --> 00:12:33.019 It doesn't feel like God has been faithful to you. 00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:36.080 God might feel like an absentee father. 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:38.519 Mail is a child support check, 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:40.559 but never around when you need him the most. 00:12:41.439 --> 00:12:44.580 Like a watchmaker who left the world to run it on its own. 00:12:45.980 --> 00:12:47.419 Life might feel like a war zone. 00:12:48.059 --> 00:12:49.799 Artillery shells are exploding everywhere. 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:51.700 You see desperation around you. 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:52.320 You see death. 00:12:53.140 --> 00:12:55.340 No one is in charge in the chaos. 00:12:57.840 --> 00:12:59.860 Without minimizing the real pain, 00:13:01.379 --> 00:13:03.759 the witness of the scripture says the exact opposite. 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:08.180 All of history can be summarized in one sentence. 00:13:09.140 --> 00:13:13.180 For from him and through him and to him are all things. 00:13:13.280 --> 00:13:14.780 To him be glory forever. 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:15.520 Amen. 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:20.000 So what a solid foundation to stand upon 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.039 for those of us anxious about what the future holds. 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:27.620 Are you anxious about finances and family? 00:13:28.939 --> 00:13:31.679 John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, once said this. 00:13:32.079 --> 00:13:35.039 What a comfort to know that the one whose hands were pierced for you 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:37.159 is the hand that guides all of history. 00:13:38.319 --> 00:13:41.480 All of your concerns are held in his hands. 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:46.279 How can you not trust a God who has been so faithful to you? 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:49.139 He has been your help, 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:52.860 and he will continue to be your faithful God 00:13:52.860 --> 00:13:54.519 that guides you in the storm. 00:13:56.279 --> 00:13:57.779 God has been faithful. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:13:59.159 Exhibit A in the New Testament. 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:00.340 Look at this genealogy. 00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:04.759 But this genealogy doesn't just answer who the main character is, 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:06.100 but what is he like? 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:08.180 Who is this God? 00:14:08.179 --> 00:14:12.879 And the answer is God is a gracious God. 00:14:14.079 --> 00:14:15.459 And point number one is God is faithful. 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:18.699 Point number two is Jesus is a friend of sinners. 00:14:19.739 --> 00:14:21.099 And we'll spend most of our time here. 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:25.479 Now, if the names in Hebrews 11 are a hall of faith, 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.579 the names in Matthew 1 are a hall of grace. 00:14:29.699 --> 00:14:34.199 This is made apparent by who Matthew chooses to insert into this genealogy. 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:39.400 This is not a genealogy of insiders, but one of outsiders. 00:14:40.640 --> 00:14:44.100 But each of these names are trophies of God's majestic grace. 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:46.740 You know, people scorn Jesus, 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:49.460 saying this man is a friend of tax collectors and sinners. 00:14:50.700 --> 00:14:52.280 They spoke better than they knew. 00:14:52.980 --> 00:14:54.700 Jesus was a friend of sinners. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:59.340 But there's a mystery and a paradox about our Lord Jesus. 00:15:00.220 --> 00:15:02.300 Because he was with them, but he was not of them. 00:15:02.299 --> 00:15:06.219 He ate with them, but he did not sin with them. 00:15:07.859 --> 00:15:11.000 Jesus himself would say he came to seek and save the lost. 00:15:11.099 --> 00:15:13.099 He made himself a friend to sinners. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:15.099 We see that right from the beginning. 00:15:15.319 --> 00:15:18.179 Because not only is this a royal lineage, as we heard last week, 00:15:18.299 --> 00:15:20.559 this is a genealogy of grace. 00:15:21.059 --> 00:15:22.500 Look at who Matthew includes. 00:15:23.459 --> 00:15:24.839 He includes five women. 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:27.459 Tamar in verse 3. 00:15:28.699 --> 00:15:31.159 Rahab and Ruth in verse 5. 00:15:31.159 --> 00:15:35.559 And the woman known as the wife of Uriah in verse 6. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:37.899 And then we have Mary in verse 16. 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:40.019 And we'll deal with Mary next week, Lord willing. 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:44.319 Now, we should note that it is striking for Matthew 00:15:44.319 --> 00:15:46.799 to include women in the first place. 00:15:47.959 --> 00:15:50.659 After all, Jesus' royal bloodline is being established 00:15:50.659 --> 00:15:52.399 through the fathers. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.899 Through the line of Abraham and David. 00:15:55.899 --> 00:15:58.620 You might say, well, what's the big deal? 00:15:59.199 --> 00:16:00.120 If it includes women? 00:16:00.959 --> 00:16:05.079 Well, culturally, it doesn't make any sense for Matthew to do this. 00:16:06.079 --> 00:16:09.879 After all, this was a society where women were seen as inferior. 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:15.059 The testimony of women were inadmissible in court. 00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:19.339 Men could divorce their wives, throwing them out on the street 00:16:19.339 --> 00:16:20.779 for burning their toast in the morning. 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:26.659 In this culture, these women added nothing to Jesus' credentials. 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:28.459 But Matthew disagrees. 00:16:29.199 --> 00:16:32.479 Matthew is intentionally breaking the pattern to include them. 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:36.199 He wants us to see that these women are included. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:37.479 Why is that? 00:16:38.239 --> 00:16:39.519 Well, I think there are two things. 00:16:39.739 --> 00:16:40.439 At least two things. 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:45.440 Well, first, it certainly anticipates that Jesus would fully include women 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:46.380 in the family of God. 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:49.700 Jesus called women to be his disciples. 00:16:51.760 --> 00:16:54.240 Unheard of for women to sit at the feet of a teacher, 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:56.800 Jesus invited them to sit and learn from him. 00:16:57.620 --> 00:17:01.020 He entrusted women to be his first resurrection witnesses. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:03.760 Jesus gave women dignity. 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:06.759 But second, although these women had dignity, 00:17:06.900 --> 00:17:08.360 they certainly did not have the pedigree. 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:12.259 Because if he wanted to do that to list women with pedigree, 00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:14.939 he could have listed the four mothers of Israel. 00:17:15.419 --> 00:17:17.659 Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah. 00:17:18.479 --> 00:17:19.159 He doesn't do that. 00:17:19.619 --> 00:17:22.359 Rather, the women here are outcasts. 00:17:23.679 --> 00:17:24.119 Outsiders. 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:29.459 I think Matthew wants us to see where Jesus came from 00:17:29.459 --> 00:17:33.439 to help us understand who Jesus is and what he has come to do. 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:36.819 Let's look at these four women. 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:39.259 We're going to pull out the family album 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:42.319 and see some of these trophies of God's grace 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:44.859 to get a glimpse of the God they knew. 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:48.879 The first woman was Tamar in verse 3. 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:51.919 You can read about her in Genesis 38. 00:17:53.159 --> 00:17:55.259 Now, Tamar had something of a notorious history. 00:17:56.539 --> 00:17:58.720 She had the reputation of being a black widow. 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:02.379 You know, her husband just started to mysteriously drop dead. 00:18:02.380 --> 00:18:04.600 Not once, but twice. 00:18:05.600 --> 00:18:08.560 And Judah, her father-in-law, was not about to let it happen a third time. 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:12.180 Tamar was a childless widow, 00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:16.120 which in those days was a public disgrace. 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:19.719 Not only would she have been a public disgrace, 00:18:20.139 --> 00:18:21.219 but she would have been desperate 00:18:21.219 --> 00:18:24.639 because Judah, her father-in-law, neglects her, 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:27.319 neglects to provide for her. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:29.979 In people's minds, she was bad news. 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:33.259 And in this sad story of a broken family, 00:18:34.519 --> 00:18:37.319 her father-in-law, Judah, is actually clueless 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:41.939 because God was the one who was striking these men dead for their wickedness. 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:45.820 And the whole story was an ugly affair, 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:50.380 filled with lies, scandal, and hypocrisy. 00:18:51.860 --> 00:18:55.759 Out of Tamar's desperation, she resorts to deception. 00:18:57.059 --> 00:18:59.980 She disguises herself as a prostitute, 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:03.799 enticing her father-in-law, Judah, into getting her pregnant. 00:19:05.340 --> 00:19:07.660 Judah himself is on his way to a pagan party 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:10.519 when he sees Tamar on the side of the road disguised. 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:13.700 But he takes a detour and takes her up on her proposition. 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:16.740 And this was purely transactional. 00:19:17.779 --> 00:19:18.539 You can read the account. 00:19:19.379 --> 00:19:20.879 And Judah didn't have any money with him, 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:23.019 so he leaves the equivalent of his ID card. 00:19:23.859 --> 00:19:25.879 In his mind, he would be right back to get it. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:27.700 But then she disappears. 00:19:29.819 --> 00:19:31.619 And you thought your family was dysfunctional. 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:34.500 But the story gets worse. 00:19:35.639 --> 00:19:38.519 Fast forward three months later, 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.339 Later, and Tamar is beginning to show the baby bump. 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.240 She is pregnant, out of wedlock. 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:48.759 Rumors are spreading about Tamar. 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:52.460 You can almost hear the gossip behind her back. 00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:53.700 Others saying, 00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:56.000 what an embarrassment she is. 00:19:57.740 --> 00:19:59.400 Judah, her father-in-law, hears about it, 00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:02.480 and he is easy on himself and harsh with Tamar. 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:07.319 Like the Pharisees ready to cast the first stone at the woman caught in adultery. 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:12.360 Judah demanded that Tamar receive the penalty under the law for her sin. 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:15.880 And Tamar figured something like this would happen. 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:17.000 She said, 00:20:17.099 --> 00:20:19.259 Father-in-law, I'll show you the man who did this to me. 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:23.460 In a dramatic moment, she produced Judah's ID card. 00:20:23.460 --> 00:20:27.799 Let's be honest. 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:28.519 Judah had it coming. 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:33.360 But in a way, Tamar was the one to be commended in this sad story. 00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:36.700 Maybe some of you know what it feels like to be a Tamar. 00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:38.660 Misunderstood. 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:41.440 Slandered by your own family. 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:43.620 Slandered by your in-laws. 00:20:44.360 --> 00:20:46.500 Slandered by even your church family. 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:47.920 An outsider. 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:53.120 You know, this is something you think Matthew would want to leave out of the family album. 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:55.660 But God is perfectly comfortable saying, 00:20:56.140 --> 00:20:56.800 these are my people. 00:20:58.380 --> 00:20:59.980 You know, every family has its flaws. 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:02.360 Including this family here at Trinity. 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:07.100 But perhaps God has called you out of a dysfunctional family. 00:21:08.740 --> 00:21:10.900 For some of you, maybe you were raised by your grandparents. 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:13.140 Because your parents were drug addicts. 00:21:14.580 --> 00:21:16.759 Maybe you were in and out of the foster care system. 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.220 Maybe your family disowned you for something you did. 00:21:21.860 --> 00:21:25.340 It is so messed up that you feel you can never do anything with your life. 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:29.660 You feel like you were the last person to ever be allowed on Instagram. 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:32.759 Your life is broken and you don't belong there. 00:21:34.560 --> 00:21:37.000 You know, there's a myth that your family background defines you. 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:38.080 That's not true. 00:21:38.700 --> 00:21:41.740 It might help to explain you, but it does not define you. 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:45.019 God loves to restore sinners. 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:50.960 God loves to choose what is low in the world so his grace can be lifted high. 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:53.980 And saving sinners is God's delight. 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:58.119 Here God does a miraculous work in Judah and Tamar's life. 00:21:59.579 --> 00:22:04.200 Judah was a callous, murderous, pragmatic, sleazy man. 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:12.299 Before this episode, he sold his younger brother into slavery for some silver and then disowned his daughter-in-law Tamar. 00:22:13.120 --> 00:22:14.180 But keep reading Genesis. 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:18.819 And you realize God uses Tamar to change Judah. 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:24.720 God uses Tamar to transform Judah and to bring about true repentance. 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:29.539 Because Tamar in that moment exposed Judah's selfish heart. 00:22:30.539 --> 00:22:43.019 And you see afterward, when Judah is before Joseph in Egypt, Judah is the one who steps up and offers his own life in exchange for his younger brothers. 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:49.360 Earlier in his life, Judah said, I'll sacrifice your life to improve my life. 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:53.479 But by the end of it, he says, I'll sacrifice my life to save your life. 00:22:55.299 --> 00:23:01.899 Judah foreshadows the perfect man, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would lay his life down for others. 00:23:02.479 --> 00:23:05.639 So you see why it makes sense for Jesus to come from the house of Judah. 00:23:08.059 --> 00:23:09.500 A simple application. 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:13.279 By God's grace, people can change. 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:19.039 I know God has transformed men of this congregation that resemble Judah. 00:23:19.940 --> 00:23:24.240 But man or woman, if you are a Christian, you are a trophy of God's grace. 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:27.019 You are a new creation. 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:30.160 So be encouraged and rejoice in that grace. 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:35.339 You can sincerely testify that his grace is as vast as the ocean. 00:23:36.139 --> 00:23:40.460 You can say with Paul, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:41.599 It overflows. 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:46.599 God can not only overcome your past history, he can transform it. 00:23:47.699 --> 00:23:51.699 And look at the mercy of God to Tamar and Judah at the beginning of verse 3 in this genealogy. 00:23:52.619 --> 00:24:00.199 God in his sovereign grace will choose Judah and Tamar's child, Perez, to be in the royal lineage. 00:24:01.679 --> 00:24:09.699 But friend, there is no degree of sin or brokenness that prevents God's plan from triumphantly marching forward. 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:13.019 Your life may be painted with dark colors. 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:15.680 But God is the master artist. 00:24:16.059 --> 00:24:22.120 He uses those dark colors on his canvas of history to make a beautiful display of his redeeming grace. 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:28.279 But we see a similar pattern with a second woman, Rahab in verse 5. 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:32.179 Now, Rahab didn't need to disguise herself as a prostitute. 00:24:32.639 --> 00:24:33.419 That was her profession. 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:39.380 She started outside the family of God, living in complete darkness. 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:44.480 She came from the Canaanites, sworn enemies of God's people. 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:46.460 Not the best pedigree. 00:24:47.860 --> 00:24:54.620 But the book of Joshua makes clear that Rahab heard about the power of God through the miraculous works in the Red Sea, 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:56.819 and she put her trust in the God of Israel. 00:24:57.539 --> 00:25:00.859 And by faith, God transformed Rahab. 00:25:02.699 --> 00:25:06.659 And by God's grace, the greatest sinner can become the most honored saint. 00:25:07.879 --> 00:25:14.439 In Hebrews 11, Rahab occupies a place of honor alongside the giants of God's people. 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:18.439 And you'll remember Rahab's courage in the city of Jericho. 00:25:19.479 --> 00:25:20.759 She risked her life. 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:25.559 Rahab courageously protected the two Israelite men from the authorities. 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:29.640 She was the equivalent of a Corrie ten Boom in Nazi Germany. 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:34.019 She did not put her trust in the walls of the city, but on the God who is invisible. 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:36.879 And God spared her life. 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:40.000 And she is in the place of honor in Hebrews 11. 00:25:41.660 --> 00:25:43.859 And likewise, your background might be like Rahab's too. 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:47.240 There are things in your past that you are ashamed of. 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:51.839 And when you first professed Jesus, the wind was not at your back. 00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:57.299 You were a single fish swimming upstream when everyone was going in the opposite direction. 00:25:58.819 --> 00:26:00.000 You may have stood alone. 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:05.079 You come from a house, a village, maybe even a country filled with those who hate God. 00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:11.940 And you are familiar with your friends and your family rejecting you for following Jesus. 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:15.559 But if you are a Christian, you are a new creation. 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:17.559 The old has passed away. 00:26:17.899 --> 00:26:19.740 God has transformed you like Rahab. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:24.799 And look at what God did in Rahab's life at the end of verse 5. 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:30.179 We see eventually she turned from her sin and she became the wife of Salmon. 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:33.879 Wouldn't you like to know the backstory of that relationship? 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:36.279 It would make for a great book. 00:26:37.539 --> 00:26:39.740 Rahab, a redeemed bride. 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:41.440 Oh, friends. 00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:47.720 Salmon's love for a redeemed Rahab would be a faint echo of that love that Christ would show for his bride. 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:53.420 But not only that, Rahab became the mother of the godly Boaz. 00:26:54.620 --> 00:26:57.460 What an illustration of God's grace to Rahab. 00:26:58.579 --> 00:27:00.519 Redeeming Rahab's family history. 00:27:00.519 --> 00:27:07.660 Friend, no matter what you've done, who you are, Jesus can save and redeem you too. 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:10.039 But you say, I am unworthy. 00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:11.839 Yes, you are. 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:14.519 You have arrived at the truth. 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:16.700 And so is everyone in this room. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.660 The ground is level at the foot of the cross. 00:27:19.660 --> 00:27:26.480 This is a God whose heart is full of free grace that runs after the worst sinners. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:30.720 He is the father who runs after the prodigal son. 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:35.080 His son would leave glory to seek and save the lost. 00:27:36.040 --> 00:27:37.519 Look at exhibit A in the New Testament. 00:27:38.040 --> 00:27:40.360 Jesus came to be a friend of sinners. 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:42.259 Look at where he comes from. 00:27:43.380 --> 00:27:48.980 God is saying, look, if her name is in here, no matter what you've done, who you are, your name can be too. 00:27:49.660 --> 00:27:52.840 Christ's blood is able to save any sinner. 00:27:53.560 --> 00:28:07.040 He came for adulterers, pornography addicts, deceivers, doubters, hypocrites like Judah, liars, murderers, perverts, thieves, outcasts, blasphemers, terrorists. 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:12.300 We don't minimize these sins, but God brings good news to the guilty rebel. 00:28:13.340 --> 00:28:18.980 As William Tyndale first translated the word gospel, these are glad tidings to the guilty. 00:28:19.660 --> 00:28:24.740 You know, paraphrasing Spurgeon, the veil to the throne room of heaven has been torn. 00:28:25.300 --> 00:28:27.820 It was not a small cut so only small sinners can enter in. 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:33.400 The veil has been cut from top to bottom so that even the chief of sinners can enter by the blood of Christ. 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:35.980 So look to the Savior and live. 00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:40.279 Take your eyes off yourself and leave your sin behind you and take hold of Christ. 00:28:40.279 --> 00:28:48.759 Some of you are outside in the cold and there is a rich banquet and a feast happening in God's house. 00:28:49.180 --> 00:28:50.960 And you have no right to enter in. 00:28:51.899 --> 00:29:00.940 But then the owner of the house comes outside, calls you by name, takes you by the hand, and he personally walks you inside the house. 00:29:00.940 --> 00:29:04.400 And he introduces you as his guest. 00:29:05.340 --> 00:29:07.720 And the whole house erupts with joy. 00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:13.620 Jesus said there is joy in heaven when one sinner turns from their sin and takes hold of Christ. 00:29:14.740 --> 00:29:16.600 He has come for you. 00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:22.299 Not because anything good in you, but because he is a gracious God. 00:29:22.299 --> 00:29:26.460 We go from the grave to glory by sovereign grace. 00:29:28.159 --> 00:29:30.339 He is a gracious God who is a friend of sinners. 00:29:31.559 --> 00:29:34.700 And look at the third woman, Ruth, in verse 5. 00:29:35.819 --> 00:29:41.019 Now, if you've ever read the book of Ruth, you know she was a fierce follower of God. 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:46.359 But if you're familiar with Ruth, you also know that she also was an outsider. 00:29:47.399 --> 00:29:50.500 You know, in some ways, her life is an exact duplicate of Tamar. 00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:52.940 Both are childless widows. 00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:54.319 Both are vulnerable. 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:55.599 Both are foreigners. 00:29:56.900 --> 00:30:01.940 And because they were foreigners, the law of Moses prohibited their entry into the assembly of God's people. 00:30:03.059 --> 00:30:03.859 They were outsiders. 00:30:05.579 --> 00:30:10.559 But in God's sovereign grace, Ruth, a Gentile, was brought into the family of God. 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:12.720 She becomes a daughter of the king. 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:18.140 And God's plan has always been to include the nations in the family of God. 00:30:18.140 --> 00:30:22.540 And Ruth became the grandmother of Israel's King David. 00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:25.800 You might be an outsider, too. 00:30:26.180 --> 00:30:27.780 You might not even have a family. 00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:32.520 But if you put your trust in Christ, you can be brought in the family of God. 00:30:34.100 --> 00:30:37.400 Christ would say the last would be first and the first would be last. 00:30:38.100 --> 00:30:41.960 Outsiders are being brought in while those who think they're insiders are being cast out. 00:30:41.960 --> 00:30:47.819 There are no unimportant people when God calls you into the family of God. 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:50.900 In the world's eyes, Ruth was a nobody. 00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:54.400 But she is an honored daughter of God. 00:30:55.620 --> 00:30:58.340 And finally, the fourth outcast was Bathsheba. 00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:03.440 Now, Matthew refers to her as the wife of Uriah in verse 6. 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:08.420 She is neither a prostitute nor is she a Gentile. 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:13.019 Why is she an outsider? 00:31:14.120 --> 00:31:18.460 Well, I don't think it's because of her adulterous union with King David. 00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:20.920 I don't think the Bible holds that against her. 00:31:21.100 --> 00:31:22.519 You can read the circumstances of what happened. 00:31:23.299 --> 00:31:27.140 But I think Matthew referring to her as the wife of Uriah gives us a hint. 00:31:27.140 --> 00:31:33.740 Matthew is pointing to her status as an Israelite marrying a Gentile. 00:31:35.620 --> 00:31:39.520 Now, God prohibited Israelites from marrying Gentiles. 00:31:40.620 --> 00:31:44.320 Now, if you are a Christian, you should understand why this prohibition is in the Bible. 00:31:45.380 --> 00:31:46.900 It was not because of their ethnicity. 00:31:47.600 --> 00:31:51.360 After all, we see Salmon marrying Rahab, a Gentile Canaanite. 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:58.419 Rather, it was because God knew that his people would be drawn away from him. 00:31:59.699 --> 00:32:04.799 If his people married Gentiles who worshipped pagan gods. 00:32:05.939 --> 00:32:07.740 Bathsheba ignored God's commands. 00:32:08.740 --> 00:32:10.359 And that would have made her an outcast. 00:32:11.679 --> 00:32:15.519 But like these other women, God had mercy on Bathsheba. 00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:17.899 God transformed her. 00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:22.180 She, like the other women, performs courageous acts as the mother of Solomon. 00:32:22.820 --> 00:32:24.019 And you can read them in 1 Kings. 00:32:24.780 --> 00:32:26.500 Now, all these women had a lot in common. 00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:30.440 These were all women who were the subject of gossip and rumors. 00:32:31.340 --> 00:32:33.160 Some of these women had shameful pasts. 00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:34.560 All of them were outsiders. 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:41.780 But it is the outsiders at the edge of society that God has raised up in the Old Testament. 00:32:41.779 --> 00:32:48.639 It is no surprise that when Jesus came on the scene, outsiders flocked to him. 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:54.759 God transforms them to be courageous and bold followers. 00:32:56.099 --> 00:32:58.220 Prostitutes received Jesus. 00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:00.119 The Pharisees rejected him. 00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:01.879 Outsiders brought in. 00:33:02.039 --> 00:33:03.079 Insiders cast out. 00:33:05.259 --> 00:33:08.160 Some of you are thinking, well, I'm glad they got their act together. 00:33:08.899 --> 00:33:10.399 But that misses the point. 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:13.900 Jesus' genealogy is filled with Gentiles. 00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:16.500 And in the world's eyes, they were nobodies. 00:33:17.420 --> 00:33:18.740 God does not need the elite. 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:22.060 He does not need the ones at the top of the tier. 00:33:23.860 --> 00:33:30.360 God loves to choose what is low and despised and weak in the world to accomplish his sovereign plans. 00:33:31.480 --> 00:33:37.360 He can take even your deepest failures and use it to bring about his glory. 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:41.179 Matthew is saying the gospel is for all people. 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:44.899 Like a great neon sign, all are welcome. 00:33:46.579 --> 00:33:49.579 Jesus is not ashamed to be identified with these people and the family album. 00:33:51.319 --> 00:33:55.819 And knowing where Jesus came from prepares the reader to know what Jesus has come to do. 00:33:55.819 --> 00:34:01.539 Jesus, soon after his ministry began, associated himself with sinners. 00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:13.659 The high and exalted one, Jesus, does not stay up in his ivory tower, writing self-help books, preaching down to the crowds, pick yourself up by your own bootstraps. 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:15.359 No, he doesn't do that. 00:34:15.420 --> 00:34:16.619 He goes down to them. 00:34:17.019 --> 00:34:17.699 He eats with them. 00:34:17.839 --> 00:34:18.799 He dines with them. 00:34:19.759 --> 00:34:21.480 Even the chief of sinners he welcomes. 00:34:22.639 --> 00:34:26.460 Jesus would say he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 00:34:28.659 --> 00:34:33.779 Christian, do you remember who you were before the Lord saved you? 00:34:33.780 --> 00:34:39.720 Some of you were the elder brother, and some of you the prodigal son. 00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:41.540 Either way, you were lost. 00:34:42.720 --> 00:34:47.000 And Paul, in his mind, never lost sight of the fact that he was a great sinner. 00:34:48.440 --> 00:34:50.700 Even as an apostle, he called himself a blasphemer. 00:34:51.260 --> 00:34:52.620 He trashed the name of Jesus. 00:34:53.160 --> 00:34:54.220 He was a persecutor. 00:34:54.220 --> 00:34:58.480 He arrested, beat, and imprisoned, and violently attacked Christians. 00:34:59.180 --> 00:35:00.780 Paul hated Jesus. 00:35:00.780 --> 00:35:04.720 But Jesus showed undeserved mercy. 00:35:05.740 --> 00:35:08.420 Grace was overflowing to Paul. 00:35:09.760 --> 00:35:12.720 And if you trust in him, that grace overflows to you too. 00:35:14.200 --> 00:35:20.680 Come to this all-sufficient Savior and receive the grace that Paul experienced. 00:35:21.460 --> 00:35:25.780 Remember this amazing mercy and grace that you have been shown. 00:35:25.780 --> 00:35:31.519 This grace brought you into the family, and this grace brings you through to the end. 00:35:32.940 --> 00:35:34.280 Friend, what is your past? 00:35:35.380 --> 00:35:35.940 Are you a victim? 00:35:36.720 --> 00:35:37.620 A victimizer? 00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:39.760 Either way, Jesus has come for you. 00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:41.860 You are a great sinner. 00:35:41.980 --> 00:35:42.540 Yes, you are. 00:35:42.620 --> 00:35:44.720 But Jesus is an even greater Savior. 00:35:45.840 --> 00:35:46.840 He has come for the vile. 00:35:47.160 --> 00:35:48.080 He came for the foul. 00:35:48.180 --> 00:35:51.500 He came for the ungodly, the unfaithful, for you and me. 00:35:51.500 --> 00:35:56.599 Whoever you are and whatever you've done, he has come for you. 00:35:57.659 --> 00:36:05.980 But he not only comes to be a friend of sinners, he comes to save you from the greatest problem that threatens to ruin you forever. 00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:09.579 The wrath of God and slavery from sin. 00:36:11.139 --> 00:36:11.920 That's the third point. 00:36:12.059 --> 00:36:14.440 God brings freedom to those in slavery. 00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:21.480 Now, this is a dark history because each of us and each of these men and women are born into darkness. 00:36:22.599 --> 00:36:25.280 Christ was born into this nightmare of a world. 00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:28.179 Look at the end of verse 17 when Christ arrives. 00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:31.380 The people are in the deportation in Babylon. 00:36:32.139 --> 00:36:33.760 They're carried off into exile. 00:36:34.880 --> 00:36:36.760 In a sense, they were in a political exile. 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:38.500 The people were put in chains. 00:36:38.840 --> 00:36:40.019 The temple destroyed. 00:36:40.460 --> 00:36:41.280 Exiled to Babylon. 00:36:41.280 --> 00:36:44.960 And they were still occupied by a foreign government, Rome. 00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:48.160 But a greater exile existed. 00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:51.920 It existed then and the exile still exists today. 00:36:53.060 --> 00:36:55.460 Every human being is born into this exile. 00:36:56.980 --> 00:36:59.680 And this greater exile has existed since the garden. 00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:03.980 You see, when Adam and Eve sinned, they died. 00:37:04.860 --> 00:37:07.740 They died physically and they died spiritually. 00:37:08.680 --> 00:37:10.860 The world was plunged into darkness. 00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:13.600 Sin spread and death spread. 00:37:14.820 --> 00:37:18.519 The dark truth is that you and I are naturally born slaves. 00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:19.720 Sin in our hearts. 00:37:20.840 --> 00:37:21.420 Powerless. 00:37:22.100 --> 00:37:24.580 Guilty before a holy God. 00:37:25.580 --> 00:37:29.200 To be descended from Adam is to be a slave to sin. 00:37:30.120 --> 00:37:31.820 Liable to death and hell. 00:37:32.680 --> 00:37:33.740 And God's eternal wrath. 00:37:33.739 --> 00:37:38.699 But we see Christ comes in grace. 00:37:39.279 --> 00:37:42.679 This is God's miraculous intervention in history. 00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:49.079 The one whom the angels have worshipped since the dawn of creation condescended himself and became a human. 00:37:49.919 --> 00:37:51.939 He comes to free us from slavery. 00:37:51.940 --> 00:37:55.980 The religions of the world are trying to teach you how to reach up to God. 00:37:56.780 --> 00:37:59.260 Christianity says God has come down to us. 00:38:00.059 --> 00:38:01.220 We see that even here. 00:38:01.619 --> 00:38:04.599 Notice with me the abrupt change in Matthew's genealogy. 00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:08.119 There is a break at the end of the pattern in verse 16. 00:38:08.920 --> 00:38:11.319 Something new is happening. 00:38:11.839 --> 00:38:16.440 Up to this point, Matthew has kept saying this person was the father of so and so. 00:38:16.819 --> 00:38:19.819 But now in verse 16, Matthew says this. 00:38:20.259 --> 00:38:24.059 Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born. 00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:25.559 That's a massive statement. 00:38:26.500 --> 00:38:29.299 That is a massive statement in all of history. 00:38:29.300 --> 00:38:34.100 He did not say Joseph, the father of Jesus, like the rest of the pattern. 00:38:34.440 --> 00:38:35.360 No, it's passive. 00:38:35.740 --> 00:38:38.000 It's suggesting Jesus' birth is from God. 00:38:39.300 --> 00:38:41.480 Jesus is born of the woman and of the spirit. 00:38:42.140 --> 00:38:43.760 And it's begging to be explained. 00:38:44.100 --> 00:38:44.860 How did this happen? 00:38:45.720 --> 00:38:47.080 Well, that's how the next section begins. 00:38:47.240 --> 00:38:48.740 Lord willing, we'll get to that next week. 00:38:49.840 --> 00:38:51.960 This is the miracle of the incarnation. 00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:55.880 When we could not lift a finger to save ourselves, 00:38:55.880 --> 00:39:00.519 the king of heaven came down to earth so he could bring sinners on earth to heaven. 00:39:01.940 --> 00:39:05.660 Through one man's trespass, many died, as Paul would say. 00:39:05.900 --> 00:39:11.119 But in the sovereign grace of God, the second Adam has now come and arrived 00:39:11.119 --> 00:39:13.460 to bring freedom and life to those who are in slavery. 00:39:14.360 --> 00:39:15.840 This is the good news of Christmas. 00:39:17.660 --> 00:39:20.380 Christmas is a rescue mission. 00:39:21.820 --> 00:39:23.420 Because we all have the same problem. 00:39:23.420 --> 00:39:26.039 God is holy and we are not. 00:39:26.760 --> 00:39:29.059 That is the biggest problem you face in this life. 00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:31.740 That God is good and you are not. 00:39:32.539 --> 00:39:35.280 And his eyes are too pure to look on evil. 00:39:35.860 --> 00:39:37.320 God hates sin. 00:39:39.059 --> 00:39:41.539 And he will not brush your sin under the rug. 00:39:42.480 --> 00:39:46.440 If God gave us what we deserved, all of us would be condemned to hell forever. 00:39:47.539 --> 00:39:48.659 And the bad news is this. 00:39:49.220 --> 00:39:52.760 You who are outside of Christ are right now in a state of condemnation. 00:39:53.420 --> 00:39:59.099 But praise God, the one who was a friend of sinners came to be the substitute for sinners. 00:39:59.900 --> 00:40:05.159 The one who held out his hands, welcoming the outcast, were nailed to a cross. 00:40:06.200 --> 00:40:10.519 The one who had never sinned made himself an enemy of God. 00:40:11.280 --> 00:40:14.119 An outsider to bring you and me in. 00:40:14.119 --> 00:40:17.539 Jesus lived the perfect life. 00:40:17.599 --> 00:40:20.299 He fulfilled the law perfectly. 00:40:20.920 --> 00:40:25.559 Every single thought was a perfect God-glorifying thought. 00:40:25.559 --> 00:40:36.619 But despite this, the father crushes his own son Jesus as our substitute for all who had returned from their sin and put their trust in Christ alone. 00:40:37.420 --> 00:40:41.659 It should have been you and me suffering under the wrath of God. 00:40:42.019 --> 00:40:44.519 He took all the blame, all the shame. 00:40:45.039 --> 00:40:46.699 He took for us, for you and me. 00:40:46.699 --> 00:40:52.119 He drank the cup of God's white, hot anger for us. 00:40:53.480 --> 00:40:55.839 The first Adam condemned us. 00:40:56.359 --> 00:40:58.639 The second Adam has come to save us. 00:40:59.659 --> 00:41:03.239 The first Adam shut the door to God's presence. 00:41:03.559 --> 00:41:06.359 The second Adam has opened heaven's gates wide. 00:41:07.439 --> 00:41:10.159 The first Adam led us into slavery. 00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:12.639 The second Adam purchases our freedom. 00:41:12.639 --> 00:41:17.019 And the first Adam disobeyed God by eating of the tree. 00:41:18.359 --> 00:41:25.639 But friends, the second Adam obeyed his father to bring life by being nailed to a tree in our place. 00:41:27.019 --> 00:41:30.980 Jesus rises from the dead and ascends to his throne. 00:41:32.259 --> 00:41:37.779 The kingdom of God comes in power through the conquering king crucified and risen. 00:41:38.819 --> 00:41:42.000 True freedom from sin is found in Christ alone. 00:41:42.639 --> 00:41:46.159 If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 00:41:46.940 --> 00:41:47.179 Amen? 00:41:47.819 --> 00:41:51.779 If you are not a Christian, run to this friend of sinners. 00:41:53.019 --> 00:41:55.679 There is no hope for you outside of Christ. 00:41:56.699 --> 00:41:58.359 Either in this life or the next. 00:41:59.440 --> 00:42:03.119 It is appointed once for you to die and then you will face judgment. 00:42:04.400 --> 00:42:08.059 No amount of crying or weeping will help you on that final day. 00:42:08.059 --> 00:42:12.900 Romans 2, Paul says there will be wrath and fury. 00:42:13.980 --> 00:42:16.519 Jesus will no longer be a friend but a judge of sinners. 00:42:17.519 --> 00:42:20.440 You will be subject to the wrath and final judgment of a holy God. 00:42:20.940 --> 00:42:22.480 But if you run to the cross, 00:42:23.000 --> 00:42:27.759 if you throw yourself at the mercy of God and trust in the blood and righteousness of Christ, 00:42:28.159 --> 00:42:29.539 you can be saved today and forever. 00:42:30.539 --> 00:42:32.059 Turn to Jesus. 00:42:32.059 --> 00:42:34.480 He is an all-sufficient Savior. 00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:39.539 Jesus, by his blood, makes his enemies his friends. 00:42:40.699 --> 00:42:43.440 If you would come to this king of grace, he would receive you. 00:42:44.279 --> 00:42:45.400 The good news is this. 00:42:45.980 --> 00:42:49.139 There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:42:49.139 --> 00:42:56.699 To close, there is a missionary named Damian Molokai 00:42:56.699 --> 00:43:02.500 who traveled across the sea to bring Christ to a quarantine colony of lepers. 00:43:03.980 --> 00:43:05.059 Lepers were contagious, 00:43:05.819 --> 00:43:10.559 and so they were exiled to an island in the Pacific to go and die alone in exile. 00:43:11.799 --> 00:43:17.440 Damian would write to his brother that he would make himself a leper with lepers to gain all to Christ. 00:43:17.440 --> 00:43:22.159 He immersed himself in the miseries of leper life, 00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:24.400 physical and moral miseries. 00:43:25.039 --> 00:43:27.200 But he embraced the lepers. 00:43:27.820 --> 00:43:29.119 He spoke their language, 00:43:30.519 --> 00:43:31.460 bandaged their wounds. 00:43:32.820 --> 00:43:33.840 He wept with them. 00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:37.460 He built their homes and took them into his arms. 00:43:38.480 --> 00:43:41.019 He built 2,000 coffins by hand 00:43:41.019 --> 00:43:43.059 to bury those the world had forgotten. 00:43:44.480 --> 00:43:47.320 He shared his life with lepers. 00:43:48.440 --> 00:43:52.639 And the lepers quickly sensed they had a true friend in Damian. 00:43:54.200 --> 00:43:57.579 One day, Damian went to dip his leg in water 00:43:57.579 --> 00:44:02.139 and realized he had become a leper himself. 00:44:03.720 --> 00:44:06.159 From that point on, he began his sermons with, 00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:07.639 we lepers. 00:44:08.800 --> 00:44:10.940 Eventually, he would die as a leper. 00:44:10.940 --> 00:44:15.340 This is a dim echo of the true friend of sinners. 00:44:16.500 --> 00:44:19.200 Christ, with his infinite arms of mercy, 00:44:20.200 --> 00:44:22.760 reached across the universe to the unclean. 00:44:23.460 --> 00:44:25.340 The one who took your sins 00:44:25.340 --> 00:44:27.039 and your sorrows 00:44:27.039 --> 00:44:28.220 and made them his very own. 00:44:29.659 --> 00:44:31.880 Who suffered and died alone as a leper. 00:44:33.139 --> 00:44:34.980 Jesus, the friend of spiritual lepers, 00:44:34.980 --> 00:44:37.260 the lost and the lame. 00:44:38.139 --> 00:44:39.699 Who is a God like this? 00:44:41.059 --> 00:44:44.519 A holy God who so freely and fully pardons, 00:44:45.179 --> 00:44:48.500 whose grace is so rich and free. 00:44:48.500 --> 00:44:51.820 When we could not ascend to him, 00:44:52.500 --> 00:44:53.639 he descends to us. 00:44:54.440 --> 00:44:55.480 Nailed to the tree 00:44:55.480 --> 00:44:57.559 to free you to worship him 00:44:57.559 --> 00:44:59.199 before his throne forever. 00:45:00.119 --> 00:45:01.139 What a friend of sinners. 00:45:01.679 --> 00:45:02.159 Let's pray. 00:45:02.159 --> 00:45:07.199 Oh, Father, we thank you, Lord, 00:45:07.279 --> 00:45:08.920 that you sent your only son, Jesus. 00:45:09.500 --> 00:45:11.039 That while we were still weak, 00:45:11.799 --> 00:45:13.019 he came and died for us. 00:45:13.879 --> 00:45:15.099 Father, your sovereign grace, 00:45:15.179 --> 00:45:16.879 we pray that we would glorify you. 00:45:18.059 --> 00:45:21.099 Lord, that we would find our dignity in you. 00:45:22.259 --> 00:45:23.559 Oh, Lord, be with us, we pray. 00:45:23.739 --> 00:45:24.399 In Jesus' name. 00:45:25.059 --> 00:45:25.339 Amen.