Emmanuel (2)

God With Us

-My older kids watched home alone for the first time last night

-Crowbars

Intro:

Often my wife and I argue concerning our kids

We argue where their bad attitudes come from or who gave them the good attitudes or genes

We give a lot of things to our kids

Physical attributes

Work Ethic

Habits

Accents

Good or bad

My son Colter

-you learn things about your kids weekly

-a super hero

-Pancakes

-From both of us comes a hybrid of stubbornness

Think about Jesus:

this season makes me think about his childhood

Did Mary and Joseph have a favorite

We know that Jesus had brothers and sisters

How nice would it be to tell your kid to do something and they always say yes mom

Can’t you be more like Jesus?

Might have been a little annoying that your son was the savior of the world

Joseph working on a house and hits his hand with a hammer

Usually you can get a decent guess about a person’s upbringing on how they act as an adult

What kind of Family were you born into?

-Throughout history social classes were a direct influence of what family you were born into

The lineage of Jesus is a critical piece to the Christmas story that we often overlook

Isaiah 9:7 NKJV

7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

For prophecy to be fulfilled:

He had to be from the throne of David

Have his bloodline

Be from the tribe of Judah

Born of a woman

Born of a virgin

There’s 47 prophecies in the old testament of the Messiah

Lets look at the bloodline of Jesus’ Through the eyes of Matthew:

Gospel of Mathew is directed to the Jews

Jesus’ bloodline starts at Abraham (Father)

Abraham a bunch of begots to King David, David Begot Solomon through Bathsheba(what used to be another mans wife)

Bunch more begots to a guy named Jeconiah and then more begots to Joseph, Jesus’ step Dad

A WHOLE LOT OF BEGOTTING GOING ON HERE

Abraham/David/Solomon/Ahaz/Jeconiah/Joseph

-Jewish tradition Males passed on the bloodlines

-Legally it was Important that Jesus be adopted into the bloodline of Joseph

Now Mary’s Pedigree from Luke:

Luke Gospel is written more to the Greeks

He starts with Adam the beginning and encompasses everyone

Where Mary differs here is from David is she is offspring of a different son Nathan

ADAM-Abraham-David-Nathan-Mary

-From here we have Jesus fulfilling the actual bloodline of David

Two different lineages fulfilling multiple prophesies here

When you think about who God entrusted the Savior of the universe you would think he would’ve maybe picked more qualified people

Look at some of Joseph’s relatives:

-Ahaz for instance

-He was a super corrupt king

-An idol worshiper

-sacrificed his own children

-desecrated the temple

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

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

Another relative of Joseph was a king name Jeconiah (JEK-Cone-IAH)

There’s actually a curse put on his family

Jeremiah 22:22–25 NKJV

22 The wind shall eat up all your rulers, And your lovers shall go into captivity; Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated For all your wickedness. 23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, Making your nest in the cedars, How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you, Like the pain of a woman in labor? 24 “As I live,” says the Lord, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans.

This is a generational curse that God put on Coniah that lead directly to the man God entrusted with the care and the protection of the SAVIOR of the WORLD

If I we had written the story maybe we chose Jesus to be born nobility of that day, or a war hero

Jesus could’ve been born in a palace at least a hotel room

A lot of why’s we could ask but God had a perfect plan

But at the end of all this God’s soul purpose was that he simply wanted to BE WITH US

The Best Part of God is that he chooses unlikely people to carry his Presence

Matthew 1:18–25 NKJV

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

I often think of Jospeh and what must’ve been going through his head

Probably saying:

This isn’t what i had planned

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be

You can’t use me i’m just a carpenter

from a bad family

From a long line of this or that

Why are you entrusting me with such a huge responsibility

I think He chose Mary cause she was brave, I think she would’ve done it alone if she had to

I think He chose Joseph cause he was simply obedient

KEYS

In closing:

-It’s funny that Mary’s genealogy was cursed too

-From the sin of Adam at the beginning of man a curse was brought upon this earth

-A curse of Man being separated from God

-That’s why he sent His only Son to become a curse for us and reconcile us back to him

-God wanted to be WITH US AGAIN

Maybe you don’t come from the best pedigree

Or the right side of the tracks

Or maybe you’re royalty

From a great family

No matter what we are all still in need of a Savior

Galatians 3:13 NKJV

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

John 3:16–17 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

We all have a choice in this life

We can chose to be back in right standing with God through Jesus

But Just like Joseph we have a choice too

We can keep going about our way of doing things or we can choose Jesus Today

Dear God, I am a sinner.

I’m sorry for my sin; please forgive me.

I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son

and that He died for my sins

I believe You raised Him back to life.

I want to invite Jesus into my heart

today.

I’m make your Lord of my life

In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.