Jesus' Family And Ancestry
There followed the Inter-Testament period of 400 years of silence; waiting for Messiah. Silence from God for 400 years! Then the New Testament begins with the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew (called an Evangelist) was an Israelite, a Jew, and wrote for his own people.
When meeting someone, Jewish people want to know: "who is your father?"
How does this Gospel, (and the whole New Testament), begin?
(Matthew 1:1-2) The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren . .
It begins with "begats", (like the Book of Numbers).
Jesus’ Ancestors:
Abraham repeatedly lied to protect himself. He betrayed his wife three times, and made her servant pregnant to "help" God multiply his seed like the "sands of the seashore".
Isaac's older half-brother Ishmael was sent into the desert to die.
Jacob stole his brother's birthright. He lied and betrayed to "succeed".
Judah slept with his daughter-in-law thinking her a prostitute. He learned who she was, and that she was pregnant with twins, and tried to kill her.
Rahab was a spy and a prostitute; treacherous, with a dollar each way on the outcome of the war. (Rahab became Boaz' grandmother).
Boaz was disloyal to his people, selfish. He married Ruth, an immigrant girl from the hated Moabite country. (Later David was under dire threat and he was given sanctuary in Moab).
David was a man "after God’s own heart". Even so he was adulterous with Bathsheba who became pregnant with Solomon, then he murdered Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to cover the adultery, and married her.
Solomon was wise, rich and successful? Son of the adultery of David and Bathsheba. Married many of Israel’s enemies, Pharaoh’s daughter and other foreign women, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites who "turned away his heart". Insecure? Selfish? Promiscuous?
Manasseh was a prodigal son, but also an occultist and a murderer.
Joseph was a lowly carpenter. He found that Mary was pregnant but not by him. He planned to divorce her, but heard directly from God so took her to Nazareth where Jesus was born in poverty in a manger, an animal stall. (John 1:46) "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"
• But you, today, how would you feel if a family with this kind of history moved in next door ?
• Was your own family so bad that it’s impossible for God to see you as lovely ? No.
• Jesus said: "Honour your father and mother" (Exodus 20:12). A command with a promise!
O To Have A Perfect Dad
If we were offered a second life on earth, and were to be given the father of our greatest desires, what qualities would we request ?
A kind and generous father, who loves your mum, a story teller, hard working, a good provider, prayerful, honest, strong, sporty, a protector, well regarded, not religious, a solid family man - what would you ask for ?
Jesus found only wonderful qualities in His Father – now He’s our Father !!
Our own earthly life may have been difficult – painful – exasperating – with much darkness. But our heavenly Father is still with us, illuminated by Jesus, the light of the world:
(Mat 28:20) "Behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age".
Father God is not only powerful and purposeful. He is relational, he is with us.
He is Daddy to each one.
Jesus' story invariably shows Him to be very close to His Father. In the same way Father God was always close to Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and the Epistles are exciting adventures. Drama. The Kingdom of God breaking in on the world.
Jesus died to bring me to Father. Now His Dad is my Dad. Eternally. Forever.
Problems On Earth
Even in times of war we see people who seem to rise above their circumstances: in the Nazi Concentration Camps, Christians in Arché province in Indonesia, the persecuted Christians of Somalia, India, Britain, the USA. Christians in jail in China. These people cleave to their Father God and to their Saviour, Jesus.
They are our brothers and sisters. We are all in the same family. God is with us all; but there is no promise of a bed of roses.
You have problems?
• Satan loves to give us problems – he is the great deceiver – he lies, destroys and kills (John 10:10).
• God will help us see a stronghold or problem, then will bring truth and a solution. Thus He is able to bring good out of what was intended for bad.
• Light from darkness. Jesus (John 1:4-5).
(Romans 8:28) We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
Immediate Righteousness And Forgiveness For Christians
We are fully righteous in Christ. God will always forgive. Whatever your sin, repent. Father God will always respond with forgiveness. Always. So lovely!
Old Covenant - temporary and partial forgiveness:
(Isaiah 55:7) let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
New Covenant– immediate, complete and eternal forgiveness:
(Romans 10:4) For Christ is the fulfilment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
(2Corinthians 5:21) For Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf; so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
We are righteous in Christ. God brings solutions. Father God will always be on your side.
Jesus' Delight In His Fear Of The Lord
Jesus loves his Father. We see this throughout the Scriptures and in everything he did.
Isaiah wrote about Jesus:
(Isaiah 11:2-3) The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
Jesus considered that being God's Son was something more precious and majestic than anything else imaginable. Glorious. He lived for it. He died for it. And He rose to take His place in all of Creation and all of history to fulfil it. His "fear of the Lord" revered and honoured God’s moral authority, His perfect love and perfect judgement.
(Exodus 20:20) Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won't sin".
(Psalm 46:10) "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth".
Jesus' holy fear of the Lord motivated Him to preserve humanity as royal sons and daughters, set over the entire created order:
(Romans 8:17,21) Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ . . The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to corruption and decay, and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
ADOPTED
I used to see life as chaotic . . as though God had taken His hands off the world's controls for the Twentieth Century.
Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) saw life as: "then comes the day of the Laodiceans, when you know you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, and with the visage of a gruesome, grieving ghost you go shuddering through nightmare life".
(Proverbs 13:12) Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
If we turn and seek our eternal Father He will surely come:
(Proverbs 8:17) I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.
(Jeremiah 29:13) You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.
(Ephesians 1:4-5) . . even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.
Father God fulfils His greatest wish for us; He makes us His child, alongside His beloved Jesus. Jesus' sonship was His greatest treasure during His time on Earth. Jesus was ever aware that He is Father God's Son, beloved, precious, eternal. Even when He was taking on all the sin of the whole world, Jesus clung to his sonship.
(Psalm 22:1-2) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don't answer; in the night season, and am not silent.
Yet He still clung to His Father; He had "the faith of God" (Mark 11:22): But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3).
He vowed to continue to give glory to his Father: I will declare your name to my brothers. In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you (Psalm 22:22).
Cleave To Father God, through Jesus, By Holy Spirit
Encouragement for our lives, each one of us:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.
For you didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ;
if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
(Romans 8:14-19).
Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus.
Amen.
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Praise Jesus.
