WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:04.020 Well, the Christmas season is upon us. 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:09.259 It is good to see you all here this morning. 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:13.820 For Advent, we are taking a break from our series in the book of Revelation, 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:18.640 and we'll be looking at the beginning of the book of Matthew. 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:24.679 If you want to turn there with us, that's page 757 in your pew Bible, 00:00:24.980 --> 00:00:28.640 or you can follow along on the screen when we get to reading it. 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:36.240 But if you read the beginning of the book of Matthew, you start with a genealogy. 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:40.179 What is a genealogy for? 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:45.340 Well, when we encounter people on the street or you meet someone at church, 00:00:45.539 --> 00:00:47.240 you ask them a few questions, right? 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:49.359 You ask, well, who are you? 00:00:49.620 --> 00:00:51.000 Where did you come from? 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:52.880 What family are you a part of? 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:56.439 That might be less common today than it used to be. 00:00:56.439 --> 00:00:58.579 Today we often ask, what do you do? 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:02.219 And so that's often our identity marker. 00:01:02.980 --> 00:01:08.500 But all of this is questions that we ask in order to get to know someone. 00:01:09.379 --> 00:01:13.760 And as Matthew begins his genealogy, he is saying, 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:20.219 I want to let you know something about the subject of my book. 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:24.719 And his whole book is written about the person of Jesus Christ. 00:01:25.099 --> 00:01:29.420 And so he's starting with this genealogy to let us know more about him. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:32.359 That's an unusual form for us today. 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:46.659 I don't introduce myself to someone and say, I'm the son of Arthur Leslie Coburn III, who is the son of Arthur Leslie Coburn Jr., who is the son of, and I don't even remember my great-grandfather's name. 00:01:46.659 --> 00:01:50.619 So I couldn't go back very far in my genealogy. 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:54.659 But that's where Matthew starts. 00:01:55.459 --> 00:02:02.140 And before we get there, again, just want to frame this a little bit in our cultural context of the first century. 00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:10.139 So genealogies today, if you went to ancestor.com, you would be getting a scientific genealogy. 00:02:10.379 --> 00:02:12.199 It would be based on your DNA. 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:18.199 And they would be tracing you back as best as they can to many, many generations. 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:23.359 This is not necessarily what the biblical genealogies do. 00:02:23.839 --> 00:02:26.939 They are to establish family identity. 00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:28.159 You're a part of this family. 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:32.019 It also, at times, are used to establish a royal lineage. 00:02:32.619 --> 00:02:34.199 So this is the line of kings. 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:43.899 And sometimes you have a jump from a father to not a son, because maybe there isn't a son, but to a nephew or to a sibling. 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:53.680 So we need to recognize and bring the right expectations to this genealogy, or we're going to be disappointed and confused by it. 00:02:55.099 --> 00:03:00.700 The genealogies in the Bible give us a sense of relationship to one another. 00:03:01.259 --> 00:03:05.020 And as you will see in this one, it skips some generations. 00:03:05.780 --> 00:03:08.159 And maybe others that we don't know about. 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:15.120 But we do know that a lot of what Matthew draws from comes from the Old Testament, the beginning of the book of 1 Chronicles. 00:03:15.259 --> 00:03:16.020 You can go back. 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:21.639 If you want to do a careful study of what Matthew includes and doesn't include, you can do that. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:28.439 But as we'll see at the very end of this passage, in verse 17, Matthew structures it purposefully. 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:38.379 He says in verse 17 that there are three groups of generations of 14 that he's pointing out. 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:44.479 From Abraham to David, from David to the exile in Babylon, and from Babylon to Jesus. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:49.659 Well, spoiler alert, those aren't full genealogies, right? 00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:51.060 Some of them are longer periods. 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:51.979 Some of them are shorter. 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:53.879 It's skipping generations. 00:03:53.879 --> 00:04:01.900 So make sure you see that he's writing with a literary purpose, not a historical scientific purpose as he writes this. 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:05.240 Some of you are going to think really carefully, and you're going to count. 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:08.419 And you realize, actually, his 14s aren't 14s at all. 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:09.819 The first one is 13. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:11.060 The second one is 14. 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:12.719 And the third one is 13. 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.879 So you think, okay, Matthew, what are you doing here? 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:16.740 I don't understand. 00:04:17.019 --> 00:04:19.839 Well, I don't understand completely either. 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:21.379 I will just tell you that up front. 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:25.600 There's some fascinating, what commentators speculate. 00:04:25.860 --> 00:04:33.480 One of them is that Matthew really wanted to write genealogies that had three sets of 14, 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:38.500 which, if you do math and the commutative product, is actually six times seven. 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:41.379 And so when you get to Jesus, you get the seventh seven, 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:45.079 which is the beautiful, glorious, apocalyptic number of perfection. 00:04:46.699 --> 00:04:47.219 Maybe. 00:04:47.220 --> 00:04:47.340 Maybe. 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:50.740 But if so, his math isn't very good. 00:04:51.440 --> 00:04:59.480 The other reason why maybe Matthew refers to 14 is a, I'm just going to read this from the ESV study Bible notes 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:01.880 because I couldn't say it more clearly than they did. 00:05:02.340 --> 00:05:09.860 There is a Jewish practice of gematria giving numeric values to the consonants in a Hebrew word. 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:17.439 So David's name would add D plus V plus D because the vowels don't count in Hebrew. 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:23.639 And so that would, the value of those would be six plus four, or four plus six plus four. 00:05:23.780 --> 00:05:25.680 And that adds up to 14. 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:33.060 And so the whole point of this is to say this is about Jesus and his relationship to David. 00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:38.620 And we'll talk about that today as we look at who is Jesus. 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:45.199 So having given you all that introduction, let's read the passage together and then we'll dive in. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:49.300 So Matthew chapter one, verse one. 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:54.420 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 00:05:55.420 --> 00:06:01.139 Abraham was the son of Isaac and Isaac, the father of Jacob and Jacob, the father of Judah and his brothers. 00:06:01.580 --> 00:06:05.199 And Judah, the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:11.660 And Perez, the father of Hezron and Hezron, the father of Ram and Ram, the father of Aminadab. 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:15.920 And Aminadab, the father of Nashon and Nashon, the father of Salmon. 00:06:16.320 --> 00:06:19.100 And Salmon, the father of Boaz by Rahab. 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:21.860 And Boaz, the father of Obed by Ruth. 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:27.020 And Obed, the father of Jesse and Jesse, the father of David, the king. 00:06:27.940 --> 00:06:31.360 And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:36.160 And Solomon, the father of Rehoboam and Rehoboam, the father of Abijah. 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:40.300 And Abijah, the father of Asaph and Asaph, the father of Jehoshaphat. 00:06:40.580 --> 00:06:47.000 And Jehoshaphat, the father of Joram and Joram, the father of Uzziah and Uzziah, the father of Jotham and Jotham. 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:52.600 The father of Ahaz and Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah and Hezekiah, the father of Manasseh and Manasseh, 00:06:52.699 --> 00:06:59.000 the father of Amos and Amos, the father of Josiah and Josiah, the father of Jeconiah and his brothers 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:02.339 at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:06.879 And after the deportation to Babylon, 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:09.000 Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:10.920 and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:13.160 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:15.000 and Abiud the father of Eliakim, 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:17.899 and Eliakim the father of Azor and Azor, 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:19.680 the father of Zadok and Zadok, 00:07:19.779 --> 00:07:21.519 the father of Achim and Achim, 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:24.319 the father of Eliud and Eliud, 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:27.180 the father of Eleazar and Eleazar, 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:29.040 the father of Mathan, 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:31.340 and Mathan the father of Jacob, 00:07:31.780 --> 00:07:33.800 and Jacob the father of Joseph, 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:36.160 the husband of Mary, 00:07:36.840 --> 00:07:38.400 of whom Jesus was born, 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:39.780 who is called Christ. 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:41.660 So all the generations, 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:43.340 from Abraham to David, 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:44.420 were 14 generations, 00:07:44.620 --> 00:07:46.720 and from David to the deportation to Babylon, 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:47.800 14 generations, 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:51.699 and from the deportation of Babylon to Christ, 00:07:52.420 --> 00:07:54.180 14 generations. 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:55.899 Let's pray. 00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:57.359 Ask for God's help this morning. 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:00.319 Lord, we ask for your help as we look at this word. 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:05.359 Lord, we confess that this is an unusual way to communicate 00:08:05.359 --> 00:08:06.719 that we are unfamiliar with, 00:08:06.779 --> 00:08:08.459 and so we ask for your help this morning. 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:12.899 Lord, help us to see what you want to teach us 00:08:12.899 --> 00:08:14.939 through this genealogy. 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:17.120 And Lord, open our eyes, we pray. 00:08:17.459 --> 00:08:18.359 In Jesus' name. 00:08:18.979 --> 00:08:19.219 Amen. 00:08:20.299 --> 00:08:20.699 Amen. 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:20.819 Amen. 00:08:22.019 --> 00:08:23.420 So there are lots of things to say, 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:25.199 and you may have looked ahead 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.500 and noticed that actually Tyler's going to preach 00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:29.860 on this exact same passage next week, 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:31.620 and he'll probably do better at pronouncing the names 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:32.000 than I did. 00:08:32.460 --> 00:08:34.580 So just be prepared. 00:08:34.759 --> 00:08:36.639 I'm going to pick out one thread 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:39.120 of what I think Matthew is communicating 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:40.240 to us this morning, 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:43.000 and then Tyler's going to pick out another thread, 00:08:43.340 --> 00:08:45.840 because all of this is about the genealogy, 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:46.759 or the genesis, 00:08:47.019 --> 00:08:50.660 or the source of this is where Jesus came from. 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:52.720 And next week, 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:56.060 Tyler's going to look at the unusual people 00:08:56.060 --> 00:08:58.300 who are mentioned in this list, particularly. 00:08:59.340 --> 00:09:00.220 But for me, 00:09:00.280 --> 00:09:04.160 I'm going to focus on what Matthew emphasizes in verse 1, 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:08.320 where he says this book is the genealogy, 00:09:08.420 --> 00:09:10.060 the genesis of Jesus Christ, 00:09:10.580 --> 00:09:11.560 the son of David, 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:13.480 the son of Abraham. 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:16.879 And we're going to look at these two concepts this morning 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:20.659 and what they have to say to us about Jesus 00:09:20.659 --> 00:09:22.259 as we celebrate Advent. 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:23.259 So first, 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:26.620 Jesus is the son of Abraham 00:09:26.620 --> 00:09:28.399 as he comes to this world. 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:30.840 What does this mean? 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:32.800 Now, some of you have grown up in church. 00:09:32.920 --> 00:09:35.200 You have a good idea of what Abraham does. 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:36.740 Some of you may not be as familiar. 00:09:36.920 --> 00:09:38.639 You go back to Genesis 12, 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:42.600 and at the very beginning of history, 00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:46.060 when God wanted to create a people 00:09:46.060 --> 00:09:47.820 for his own glory, 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:49.659 he called Abraham. 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:51.980 And we see this in Genesis 12. 00:09:52.060 --> 00:09:52.820 He called him, 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:53.560 and he says, 00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:55.360 I will make a covenant with you, 00:09:55.460 --> 00:09:56.800 and I will bless you, 00:09:56.840 --> 00:09:59.639 and I will make you the father of a great nation, 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:01.960 and through you, 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:04.779 all the families of the earth will be blessed. 00:10:05.779 --> 00:10:08.159 He expounds on this a couple of chapters later 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:09.240 in Genesis 17, 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:10.720 starting verse 4, 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:11.819 and I'm going to read these to you. 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:12.240 Behold, 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:13.659 my covenant is with you, 00:10:13.779 --> 00:10:16.399 and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:19.500 No longer shall your name be called Abram, 00:10:19.579 --> 00:10:21.379 but your name shall be called Abraham, 00:10:21.959 --> 00:10:25.240 for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 00:10:25.740 --> 00:10:27.759 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:29.720 and I will make you into nations, 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:32.459 and kings shall come from you, 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.800 and I will establish my covenant between me and you 00:10:35.800 --> 00:10:37.259 and your offspring after you 00:10:37.259 --> 00:10:38.639 throughout their generations 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:40.639 for an everlasting covenant 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:42.700 to be God to you 00:10:42.700 --> 00:10:45.240 and to your offspring after you. 00:10:45.660 --> 00:10:48.900 And I will give you and your offspring after you 00:10:48.900 --> 00:10:50.360 the land of your sojournings, 00:10:50.660 --> 00:10:51.860 all the land of Canaan 00:10:51.860 --> 00:10:53.300 for an everlasting possession, 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:56.340 and I will be their God. 00:10:56.340 --> 00:11:02.879 So this one man wandering around the Middle East, 00:11:03.060 --> 00:11:04.600 God came to and said, 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:08.920 I'm choosing you to be the beginning 00:11:08.920 --> 00:11:11.480 of a great work that I'm doing, 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:13.920 making a special people for me. 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:15.940 And if you know Abraham's story, 00:11:16.040 --> 00:11:17.980 you know that Abraham was married to Sarah, 00:11:18.300 --> 00:11:20.519 and Sarah was barren and couldn't have children, 00:11:20.660 --> 00:11:23.500 and then God miraculously provided a child 00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:27.039 so that this promise of inheritance could continue. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:30.340 And you see this throughout the rest of Abraham 00:11:30.340 --> 00:11:31.679 and the patriarch story, 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:34.899 and you see it resounding all the way down to Jesus 00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:39.179 who was born in an also similarly miraculous way 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:41.240 from a virgin mother. 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:46.700 And Abraham was the father of a great nation 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:49.980 through whom God would bless the whole world. 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:52.620 He would make a people for himself, 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:55.779 and this people among all the peoples of the world 00:11:55.779 --> 00:11:59.700 was called to be a blessing to that world. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:04.879 By the way, we see this a little bit as well 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:07.200 because twice in this genealogy, 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:09.419 we see that the descendants of Abraham 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:12.599 and his brothers are included in this. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.399 So God is thinking expansively of this, 00:12:15.479 --> 00:12:17.899 not merely in a singular linear way 00:12:17.899 --> 00:12:18.919 through this genealogy, 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:22.979 but also expansively that God is creating a people 00:12:22.979 --> 00:12:25.519 out of the sons of Abraham. 00:12:27.599 --> 00:12:31.740 Now, the New Testament brings glorious clarity to us 00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:33.299 in terms of what this means. 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:35.679 We could look at Romans 4. 00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:37.719 That's glorious but complicated. 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:39.620 So we're going to go to Galatians 3. 00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:44.920 Galatians 3.7, Paul says this so clearly for us. 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:45.320 He says, 00:12:45.460 --> 00:12:48.639 Know then that it is those of faith 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.420 who are the sons of Abraham. 00:12:51.680 --> 00:12:54.960 And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:58.560 the Gentiles, that is, non-descendants of Abraham, 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:01.360 genetically, by faith, 00:13:01.560 --> 00:13:03.740 preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham, 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:06.060 saying in you all the nations, 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:08.759 shall all the nations be blessed. 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:11.680 So then those who are of faith 00:13:11.680 --> 00:13:13.680 are blessed along with Abraham, 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:14.740 the man of faith, 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:16.379 sons of Abraham, 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:18.820 by faith in Jesus. 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:21.940 And so what Matthew is telling us 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:22.940 through this genealogy 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:26.639 is that Jesus is the son of Abraham, 00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:31.019 the firstborn of a new and eternal people of God. 00:13:31.019 --> 00:13:34.100 What God promised to Abraham to begin 00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:36.399 was a picture of what he would do 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:39.039 finally and fully through Jesus. 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:43.620 And not just through a heritage of DNA 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:45.740 or of patriarchy or of lineage, 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:48.220 but through a heritage of faith 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:50.819 so that people from every tribe 00:13:50.819 --> 00:13:51.980 and tongue and nation, 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:53.759 from all over the world, 00:13:54.079 --> 00:13:56.139 can come and by faith in Jesus 00:13:56.139 --> 00:13:58.139 be brought into this unique 00:13:58.139 --> 00:13:59.879 and wonderful and special thing 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:01.159 that God is doing 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:02.919 in making a people for himself. 00:14:06.360 --> 00:14:08.019 So what does this mean for us? 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:10.419 It means that at Advent, 00:14:10.819 --> 00:14:12.259 we celebrate the coming 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:14.019 of a new people of God, 00:14:14.699 --> 00:14:17.139 a people gathered by faith, 00:14:17.439 --> 00:14:18.939 not by genetics, 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:20.319 not by heritage, 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:21.679 not by culture. 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:24.200 Look around this room. 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:26.319 Friends, I love being a part 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.960 of this church because God has blessed us. 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:32.080 Literally people from all over the world. 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:35.120 And you're rubbing shoulders with them. 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:38.560 And you're having fellowship with them. 00:14:38.920 --> 00:14:40.160 And you're serving with them. 00:14:41.060 --> 00:14:43.940 What an incredible joy it is 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:46.379 to see God bringing people 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.300 who have nothing in common 00:14:48.300 --> 00:14:50.080 except their faith in Jesus 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:52.960 to be his people. 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:57.500 And Jesus comes as the son of Abraham 00:14:57.500 --> 00:14:59.020 and by faith in him, 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:01.940 he calls us brothers and sisters, 00:15:02.660 --> 00:15:05.200 one another in God's family. 00:15:06.580 --> 00:15:10.900 So friends, as we proceed in Advent, 00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:14.120 from Jesus, the son of Abraham, 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:15.879 let us cherish the church 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:18.680 and love one another for Jesus' sake. 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:20.699 And let us be the church, 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:24.379 blessing the nations around us, 00:15:25.319 --> 00:15:27.299 blessing our neighbors here, 00:15:27.939 --> 00:15:29.899 blessing to the ends of the earth 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:31.659 in love and service, 00:15:32.439 --> 00:15:34.579 and then declaring the word of the gospel 00:15:34.579 --> 00:15:37.699 that by faith in Christ, 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:40.879 we can be a part of the people of God. 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:44.700 But Matthew goes on. 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:45.960 He says, 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:47.860 not only is Jesus the son of Abraham, 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:50.279 but he is the son of David. 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:51.679 And in some ways, 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:53.000 David, as I mentioned earlier, 00:15:53.100 --> 00:15:55.399 I think this may be the most central thought 00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:57.620 because in the whole book of Matthew, 00:15:58.059 --> 00:16:01.259 he's emphasizing the kingship of Jesus 00:16:01.259 --> 00:16:02.120 as he comes. 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:08.519 And so David is the quintessential ideal king 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:11.600 of Israel in the Old Testament. 00:16:12.060 --> 00:16:15.399 You see him listed before Abraham in verse one. 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:16.600 You see him in verse six. 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:17.840 He gets the title, 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:21.539 David the king, right? 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:24.600 And we look at this and we think, 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:26.419 okay, so Jesus comes not always 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:27.720 as the beginning of a people of God, 00:16:27.779 --> 00:16:29.460 but he comes as a son of David. 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:31.379 And what does this mean? 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:34.259 Friends, there's no way to shorten this. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:35.680 So I'm just gonna read to you 00:16:35.680 --> 00:16:37.200 from 2 Samuel 7. 00:16:37.780 --> 00:16:39.780 Because when David was, 00:16:39.920 --> 00:16:41.600 and again, read 1 and 2 Samuel. 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:44.060 It's a great story of how God miraculously brought 00:16:44.060 --> 00:16:45.980 the most unlikely person, 00:16:46.400 --> 00:16:48.800 the youngest son of a family 00:16:48.800 --> 00:16:51.700 to become this unique person, 00:16:52.540 --> 00:16:54.600 this one that he called and anointed 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:55.540 to be the king. 00:16:55.740 --> 00:16:56.980 And God brought him through 00:16:56.980 --> 00:16:57.940 all of 1 Samuel 00:16:57.940 --> 00:16:59.700 in the first six chapters of 2 Samuel 00:16:59.700 --> 00:17:01.760 so that he might establish himself 00:17:01.760 --> 00:17:02.960 as the king of Israel. 00:17:03.380 --> 00:17:05.440 And God comes to David 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:06.500 because David has said, 00:17:06.620 --> 00:17:09.180 God, I wanna build a great big house for you. 00:17:11.779 --> 00:17:13.200 And God comes to him and says, 00:17:13.320 --> 00:17:15.200 David, I'm glad for the spirit, 00:17:15.320 --> 00:17:17.080 but you're not the one to build a house for me 00:17:17.080 --> 00:17:19.279 because what this story is about right now 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.080 is I am building a house for you. 00:17:21.080 --> 00:17:22.980 And not just a physical palace, 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:25.579 but I'm building you as a kingdom, 00:17:26.140 --> 00:17:28.440 a household that you will rule over. 00:17:28.819 --> 00:17:31.839 So here's what God says to David. 00:17:32.539 --> 00:17:36.220 Now therefore, thus you shall say, 00:17:36.279 --> 00:17:38.500 he's talking to Nathan who will say this to David. 00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:41.539 Thus you shall say to my servant David, 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:43.319 thus says the Lord of hosts, 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:45.019 I took you from the pasture, 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:47.000 from following the sheep, 00:17:47.420 --> 00:17:50.120 that you should be the prince over my people Israel. 00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:53.179 And I have been with you wherever you went 00:17:53.179 --> 00:17:56.119 and have cut off all your enemies from before you. 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:58.899 And I will make for you a great name, 00:17:58.979 --> 00:18:01.239 like the name of the great ones of the earth. 00:18:01.899 --> 00:18:05.479 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel 00:18:05.479 --> 00:18:06.859 and will plant them 00:18:06.859 --> 00:18:09.539 so that they may dwell in their own place 00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:11.819 and be disturbed no more. 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:14.799 And violent men shall afflict them no more 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:17.099 as formerly from the time I appointed judges 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:18.259 over my people Israel. 00:18:18.259 --> 00:18:21.819 And I will give you rest from all your enemies. 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:24.480 Moreover, the Lord declares to you 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:26.779 that the Lord will make you a house. 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:29.160 When your days are fulfilled 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:30.680 and you lie down with your fathers, 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:33.279 I will raise up your offspring after you 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:36.500 who shall come from your body 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:39.000 and I will establish his kingdom. 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:41.559 He shall build a house for my name 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:45.339 and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:47.619 I will be to him a father 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:50.119 and he shall be to me a son. 00:18:51.199 --> 00:18:52.519 When he commits iniquity, 00:18:52.659 --> 00:18:54.740 I will discipline him with the rod of men 00:18:54.740 --> 00:18:57.079 and with the stripes of the sons of men. 00:18:57.199 --> 00:19:00.059 But my steadfast love will not depart from him 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:01.579 as I took it from Saul, 00:19:01.679 --> 00:19:04.779 whom I put away from before you. 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.919 And your house and your kingdom 00:19:06.919 --> 00:19:10.939 shall be made sure forever before me. 00:19:10.940 --> 00:19:14.880 Your throne shall be established forever. 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:19.059 Now, in typical Old Testament prophecy, 00:19:19.580 --> 00:19:22.680 you see some of these things fulfilled in Solomon, right? 00:19:22.860 --> 00:19:24.460 Solomon actually builds the temple. 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:26.460 Solomon is disciplined by God 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:27.759 because he doesn't obey him. 00:19:27.940 --> 00:19:29.180 But some of these promises 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:31.440 clearly point beyond Solomon. 00:19:31.840 --> 00:19:34.400 They look ahead to a greater son of David 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:36.840 and the Jewish people knew this. 00:19:37.120 --> 00:19:38.580 They knew this instinctively. 00:19:38.700 --> 00:19:39.420 They knew it throughout. 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:42.259 They longed for the coming Messiah 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:45.940 would be often visioned as a son of David 00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:48.200 who would come and bring the promises here. 00:19:48.320 --> 00:19:49.519 What are the promises here? 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:52.279 That they would have victory over their enemies 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:54.519 and live in peace in the world. 00:19:54.880 --> 00:19:56.340 That they would have a land 00:19:56.340 --> 00:19:59.460 where they could dwell in abundance and in safety 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:01.920 and where they would have an eternal kingdom 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:03.960 with an eternal throne 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:06.060 that would rule over them. 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:09.200 And when we come to the time of Jesus, 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:10.740 at the end of this genealogy, 00:20:10.920 --> 00:20:13.440 this is what the Jewish people were longing for. 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:17.340 Because they were under the rule of Rome at that time. 00:20:17.600 --> 00:20:20.080 And even their so-called king, Herod, 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:22.140 was not in the line of David, 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.559 was never going to fulfill these promises. 00:20:25.100 --> 00:20:26.640 And he was a scoundrel to boot. 00:20:26.840 --> 00:20:28.700 So he just, you know, 00:20:28.840 --> 00:20:31.340 they knew that there was something else 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:33.439 that they were looking for 00:20:33.439 --> 00:20:37.579 as they were longing for the promises to David 00:20:37.579 --> 00:20:40.819 to be fulfilled in the return of the king. 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:43.259 And yeah, go read Tolkien 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:46.939 and see all the resonances here. 00:20:47.179 --> 00:20:48.659 I won't bore you with it today. 00:20:48.659 --> 00:20:50.439 But it's a beautiful thing. 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:54.519 So Matthew is saying, 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:58.140 the son of David is Jesus. 00:20:58.620 --> 00:21:00.279 And he is going to come. 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:03.259 Near the end of the book, 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:05.460 at the last week of Jesus' life, 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:07.559 as Jesus enters into Jerusalem, 00:21:08.380 --> 00:21:10.059 Matthew quotes Zechariah, 00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:13.599 Behold, your king is coming to you, 00:21:13.799 --> 00:21:16.159 humble and mounted on a donkey. 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:18.460 And as the crowds responded, 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:20.579 as they threw down their cloaks 00:21:20.579 --> 00:21:22.379 in honoring of this Jesus, 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:22.819 they said, 00:21:22.899 --> 00:21:24.659 Hosanna to the son of David. 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:28.240 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:21:28.759 --> 00:21:30.940 Hosanna in the highest. 00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:34.299 Friends, what we celebrate, 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:35.819 what Matthew wants us to see 00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:37.859 is what we celebrate in Advent 00:21:37.859 --> 00:21:40.859 is the coming of Jesus the king, 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:42.259 the son of David. 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:45.659 But he does not come 00:21:45.659 --> 00:21:47.500 as the expectation, 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:49.079 to fulfill the expectation 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:51.219 of the first century Jews. 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.539 He does not come on a white horse 00:21:54.539 --> 00:21:56.299 with an army at his back 00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:57.839 to conquer the Romans 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:58.740 and kick them out 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:00.419 or to depose Herod. 00:22:00.959 --> 00:22:02.779 He comes not on a white horse, 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:03.659 but on a donkey. 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:07.240 And he comes not to defeat Rome, 00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:09.579 but to defeat our greater enemies 00:22:09.579 --> 00:22:12.519 of sin and death and Satan. 00:22:14.819 --> 00:22:16.519 Matthew wants us to see Jesus 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:18.039 as the true king 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:20.200 who will bring peace with God 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:22.220 through his atoning death 00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:24.519 on the cross for us. 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:26.839 Who will defeat the enemies 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:28.019 through his resurrection 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:29.380 so that sin and death 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:31.220 no longer have power 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:32.720 over those who are in 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:35.319 the kingdom of Jesus by faith. 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:37.679 and the promise 00:22:37.679 --> 00:22:38.799 of an eternal kingdom 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:40.500 because Jesus did not 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:41.299 stay in the grave, 00:22:41.379 --> 00:22:42.359 but he rose again. 00:22:42.700 --> 00:22:43.399 He is ascended 00:22:43.399 --> 00:22:44.740 to the right hand of the Father. 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:46.259 He will return again 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:48.220 and in his eternal kingdom, 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:50.919 he will never be deposed. 00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:52.399 He will never be removed. 00:22:52.740 --> 00:22:54.759 And if we want to know 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:56.399 where this world is going 00:22:56.399 --> 00:22:57.619 at the end of the ages, 00:22:57.740 --> 00:22:58.700 the Bible tells us 00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:00.099 it is the kingdom of Jesus 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:02.059 that will reign forever. 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:09.399 We all long for kingdoms 00:23:09.399 --> 00:23:10.539 in our hearts. 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:13.480 We actually often try 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:15.619 to create them for ourselves. 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:17.139 I want to build my kingdom, 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:18.599 my family, my career, 00:23:18.940 --> 00:23:20.659 my job, my church. 00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:22.940 It's easy for all of us 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:23.700 to want to build 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:24.480 our own kingdoms. 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:26.500 And sometimes when we know 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:27.619 I can't build my own kingdom, 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:28.859 we find someone else's kingdom 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:30.099 and we latch onto them 00:23:30.099 --> 00:23:31.459 and we find our tribe 00:23:31.459 --> 00:23:32.619 and say these are my people 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:34.719 and whoever the person 00:23:34.719 --> 00:23:35.539 is at the top, 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:36.980 I'm going to let him 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:37.719 be my king. 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:42.019 This is what Adam and Eve 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:43.839 did in the garden 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:45.799 when they said to God himself, 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:46.859 I don't want you 00:23:46.859 --> 00:23:47.559 to be the king. 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:49.359 I want to do this on my own, 00:23:49.559 --> 00:23:50.559 in my own way. 00:23:55.399 --> 00:23:56.899 But recall what we've just 00:23:56.899 --> 00:23:58.000 sung about Jesus. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:00.900 Born thy people to deliver, 00:24:01.339 --> 00:24:02.220 born a child, 00:24:02.759 --> 00:24:03.720 and yet a king, 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:05.500 born to reign in us forever, 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:08.319 now thy gracious kingdom bring. 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:10.980 By thine own eternal spirit, 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:13.960 rule in all our hearts alone. 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:16.980 By thine all-sufficient merit, 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:21.660 raise us to thy glorious throne. 00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:25.579 Friends, this is what the Magi 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:27.559 traveled from far away to see 00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:29.339 as they laid down their gifts 00:24:29.339 --> 00:24:31.179 because they knew somehow 00:24:31.179 --> 00:24:34.500 that this baby was the coming king 00:24:34.500 --> 00:24:37.159 that the world was longing for. 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:40.059 And they gave honor to him. 00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:42.279 Friends, will you do this? 00:24:42.659 --> 00:24:43.899 Will you honor the king 00:24:43.899 --> 00:24:45.980 who came in humility, 00:24:46.159 --> 00:24:47.039 born in a manger, 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:50.099 wrapped in swaddling clothes, 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:51.919 who established his kingdom 00:24:51.919 --> 00:24:53.859 in obscurity by bringing hope 00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:58.740 and love and the word of God 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:03.579 who fundamentally and finally 00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:05.339 made his kingdom real 00:25:05.339 --> 00:25:07.299 by offering himself up on the cross 00:25:07.299 --> 00:25:07.859 to die, 00:25:08.399 --> 00:25:10.539 not for people who wanted to follow him, 00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:12.579 but for rebellious people like you and me 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:13.959 who want to go our own way, 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:17.500 who rose from the dead. 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:19.559 This is Jesus, 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:20.740 the son of David, 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:22.000 the king, 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:24.740 that Matthew wants us 00:25:24.740 --> 00:25:26.380 to respond to. 00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:29.200 And friends, 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:30.500 isn't it amazing to think 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:32.119 that this is what God is up to, 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:33.700 that the people of God 00:25:33.700 --> 00:25:35.619 are also the inbreaking 00:25:35.619 --> 00:25:37.099 of the kingdom of God 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:38.299 in this world. 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:39.599 Mike and Jenny, 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:41.400 thank you for what you guys are doing, 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:43.539 being a part of the kingdom of God 00:25:43.539 --> 00:25:45.220 breaking into this city 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:46.940 and offering the hope 00:25:46.940 --> 00:25:47.839 and the life 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:50.200 that comes through Jesus Christ 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:52.680 and through the loving, 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:54.860 sacrificial service of his people 00:25:54.860 --> 00:25:56.839 to the nations around him. 00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:58.819 We see the kingdom there. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:01.339 We see it in our own fellowship 00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:03.319 as we humble ourselves 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:05.460 and repent of our own kingdoms 00:26:05.460 --> 00:26:07.720 and turn to Jesus and say, 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:08.019 Jesus, 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:10.460 your kingdom is what I want 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:12.140 more than anything. 00:26:12.140 --> 00:26:16.160 So this Advent season, 00:26:17.060 --> 00:26:19.740 let us celebrate this Jesus, 00:26:20.600 --> 00:26:21.560 the son of Abraham, 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:23.380 the son of David. 00:26:23.620 --> 00:26:24.600 Let's pray together. 00:26:25.240 --> 00:26:27.620 Lord, thank you for your word. 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:30.259 Thank you for this Christmas season 00:26:30.259 --> 00:26:33.120 and as we sing the familiar carols 00:26:33.120 --> 00:26:35.000 and as we think about the lights 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:35.740 and the presents 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:37.700 and Lord, help us to see 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:38.960 the deeper resonances. 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:42.440 Lord, as we prepare to celebrate 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:44.319 your Advent, 00:26:44.460 --> 00:26:45.799 your coming to earth, 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:48.940 the one who would establish 00:26:48.940 --> 00:26:50.460 the people of God forever, 00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:51.860 the one who would bring 00:26:51.860 --> 00:26:52.960 the kingdom of God 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:56.319 in its richness. 00:26:57.900 --> 00:27:00.000 And Lord, even as we celebrate 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:01.100 these things, Lord, 00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:01.960 we look ahead 00:27:01.960 --> 00:27:03.519 and we long for your return. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:05.759 Lord, for your second coming. 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:08.960 Lord, when you will establish 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:09.859 in fullness 00:27:09.859 --> 00:27:11.900 all that you have promised. 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:16.240 Oh, Lord, 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:17.400 rule in our hearts 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:18.680 today, we pray. 00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:19.740 In Jesus' name.