The Genealogy of Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
I came across this in my inbox the other day...
A link to an article that said this:
A terrifying new report has sent shockwaves throughout the Christian community, as rumors swirled that people who skim through the genealogies in their Bible reading will be barred from entering Heaven.
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"This is devastating news," said theologian Luis Garcia.
"Heaven will likely be far less populated than we would have expected.
We're all in really big trouble here."
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This new revelation has called into question whether or not some of the heroes of the Christian faith throughout history will, in fact, be present in Heaven when Christ's followers reach eternity.
"Many people may be surprised to learn that Charles Spurgeon was a fan of just skimming through genealogies," Garcia said.
"If this new information is true, the ‘Prince of Preachers' may have had the pearly gates shut in his face, which is a frightening thought for the rest of us."
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A spokesangel from Heaven stopped short of confirming the reports but reinforced the importance of reading all of the Bible.
"If it wasn't critically important, He wouldn't have put it in there," the angel said.
"This is God's written word to speak to mankind.
Are you really going to be arrogant enough to assume that there are parts of it that aren't important enough for you to read?
Really?
Well, when you're asked about the ancestral line from Shem to Abraham at the entrance to Heaven, you may feel differently."
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This article is from The Babylon Bee...
And this is clearly satire...
But every joke there is an element of truth.
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The reality is that many don’t see the value of the genealogies that are recorded in Scripture...
It just looks like a bunch of hard to pronounce names from a long time ago.
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As with all of Scripture...
Genealogies are God-breathed...
And have a specific purpose.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 3 and focus on verses 23 through 38.
Our message this morning is called, “The Genealogy of Jesus”
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word...
I would like to share that this message will focus on five main points:
Jesus Ministry Begins...
Son of David...
Son of Abraham...
Son of Adam...
And...
Son of God.
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
The Most High and merciful God of all...
Watch over your saints.
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We praise your holy name...
Every moment you deserve praise...
For all eternity...
And even then it would not be enough.
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Thank You for your perfect plan of salvation...
Thank You for your attention to us who are nearly lost in the vastness of your creation...
Thank You for sending your Son to accomplish the task that not a single person in all of history could ever complete...
A mission to save ruined sinners and make them brand new for those who put their trust in You.
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) Jesus’ Ministry Begins
1) Jesus’ Ministry Begins
Verse 23(a): Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph,
Please note the point that Luke highlights the fact of Jesus’ age being about 30...
This was very intentional...
The age of 30 it was a customary age for entering into the office of prophet, priest, and king.
For example...
Note what it says in Numbers 4:30 in regards to the Levites who served God as priests in the Old Covenant:
30 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting.
Take a look too at Genesis 41:46 as the Word of God records when Joseph came into his prominent office in the land of Egypt :
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
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The age of thirty was the very same age when David became the King of Isreal as recorded in 2 Samuel 5:4:
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
And in Ezekiel 1:1 we see that the prophet of the same book’s name also became the herald of God’s Word...
Starting his ministry as a prophet of the Most High:
1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
So, the age of thirty was seen by many people in the area of the Bible as the appropriate age of someone about to embark in a significant role and office.
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This all points to the time that Jesus starts Him ministry was no random but all part of God the Father’s plan.
As Mark 1:15 puts it:
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
And as Matthew 4:17 says:
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
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Before we move on to our next point...
Consider this from Scholar James R. Edwards regarding the next phrase in our opening verse to our passage...
When Luke records that Jesus is “the son (as was supposed) of Joseph”:
“Jesus is ‘supposedly’ the son of Joseph, but his genuine pedigree derives from Adam, the ‘son of God.’
The word for ‘suppose,’ nomizein, is a favorite Lukan word, occurring nine times in Luke-Acts, in all but one instance of supposing wrongly.
This reinforces and furthers the point made in Luke 2:48–49: Jesus is adequately understood not as Joseph’s son but only as God’s Son.
In Greek, nomizein occurs precisely where ‘son of’ should occur, inviting readers to find Jesus’ true and ultimate Father in ‘the son of God.’”
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So, Luke again makes it clear as his readers would have understood...
Jesus was not the actual son of Joseph...
He was born of the Mary who was a virgin that was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.
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Now Luke goes through Jesus’ genealogy and shows how Jesus is the Son of God in many ways.
And this takes us to our next point.
2) Son of David
2) Son of David
Verses 23(b)-31: The son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
So, let’s take our first pause here in this genealogy and discuss a little about this list...
This genealogy contains seventy-seven ancestors...
Some of those names you will recognize from Scripture.
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The Word of God records other genealogies...
In fact, Matthew has his own recorded in his Gospel account...
So, we should consider what makes Luke and Matthew’s lists similar and also unique in comparison.
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To assist with this...
Let us consider this note from the MacArthur Study Bible:
“Luke’s genealogy moves backward, from Jesus to Adam; Matthew’s moves forward, from Abraham to Joseph.
Luke’s entire section from Joseph to David differs starkly from that given by Matthew.
The two genealogies are easily reconciled if Luke’s is seen as Mary’s genealogy, and Matthew’s version represents Joseph’s.
Thus the royal line is passed through Jesus’ legal father, and His physical descent from David is established by Mary’s lineage.
Luke, unlike Matthew, includes no women in his genealogy—even Mary herself.
Joseph was “the son of Eli” by marriage (Eli having no sons of his own), and thus is named here in verse 23 as the representative of Mary’s generation.
Moses himself established precedent for this sort of substitution in Numbers 27:1–11 and Numbers 36:1–12.”
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Additionally, consider this note from The Expositor’s Bible Commentary on Luke were the differences between Luke and Mathew’s genealogy are listed in five points:
“1. Matthew begins his Gospel with the genealogy, thereby establishing an immediate connection with the OT and with Israel.
Luke waits till the significant part of the ministry of John the Baptist is completed and Jesus stands alone as the designated Son of God.
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2. Matthew begins with Abraham, stressing Jesus’ Jewish ancestry;
Luke, in reverse order, goes back to Adam, probably with the intention of stressing the identification of Jesus with the entire human race.
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3. Matthew groups his names symmetrically;
Luke simply lists them.
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4. Both trace the lineage back through ancestral lines that diverge for a number of generations from Luke’s, though both meet at the generation of David.
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5. Matthew includes the names of several women (a feature one might have expected in Luke because of his understanding and respect for women).”
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There is a reason for the difference in the genealogies of Luke and Matthew...
This note in the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says this:
“There is nothing strange in it that the genealogical table of Jesus existed at that time.
Under the guiding hand of God the Jews preserved their genealogical tables with remarkable accuracy through all the centuries before the birth of Jesus and also during the first century after His birth (cf. the numerous genealogical tables in the Old Testament).
Ever since the earliest times the lineage lists were compiled and preserved as accurately as possible.
After their return from the Babylonian exile the Jews again thoroughly fixed their genealogical tables by committing them to writing and bringing them up to date, and this was continued until the time of Josephus.
In his Autobiography Josephus states that he reproduces his genealogical table as he found it ‘in the public records.’
And in his work Against Apion he relates how Jews—even those who lived outside Palestine—sent the names of their children to Jerusalem to be officially recorded.
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It is also well known that the famous Rabbi Hillel at about the time of the appearance of the Saviour was able to prove his Davidic descent from the public registers.
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Especially would persons like Joseph and the family of Mary, who were of Davidic descent, preserve their genealogical tables with special care because the Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be born of the house of David.
Apart from the public registers, numbers of Jewish families kept private family trees in their homes and handed them down from generation to generation.
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Thus Luke, probably through the instrumentality of Mary herself, or of persons intimately connected with her, obtained possession of the genealogical table of Mary’s father Heli and committed it to writing in his Gospel.
However, because it was not customary (among the Romans as well as among the Jews) to insert the name of a woman in a lineage list, he added the words ‘(as was supposed) the son of Joseph.’
He was not afraid that his readers would get the impression that the genealogical tree was that of Joseph and not that of Mary, for in Luke 1 and 2 he had pointed out expressly that Jesus was solely the son of Mary and not of Joseph and Mary.
Why should he then reproduce the long family tree of Joseph which ends with the words ‘which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God’ if he has already informed his readers that Jesus is in fact not Joseph’s son but that uninformed people only ‘supposed so?’
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In the case of Matthew matters are entirely different.
There he expressly reproduces the family tree of Joseph himself (and for this reason it naturally differs to such an extent from that given by Luke).
He does so because Jesus was in the eye of the Jewish law the legitimate descendant of Joseph.
For although He had no earthly father Joseph was nevertheless married to His mother and this established the legal relationship.
Matthew writes for Christians of Jewish descent and they (especially those who could not yet understand the fact of the virgin birth) would have liked to know whether the man who was known as the father of Jesus was really of Davidic descent.
With a view to the ministering to unbelieving Jews who before their conversion would naturally not attach any credence to Jesus’ conception by the Holy Ghost, it was particularly necessary that Matthew should draw attention to the fact that Joseph, Jesus’ legal father, was himself of Davidic descent.
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But since Luke writes for Romans and Greeks with whom the Davidic origin of Jesus was no matter of topical interest, it was unnecessary for him to reproduce the genealogical table of Joseph.
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Above all he wanted to show that Jesus, as regards His actual human descent, is through David, Abraham, and finally Adam, the Son of God. For this purpose the genealogical table of Joseph would have been of no use to him.
For he specifically desires to prove the solidarity of Jesus with the human race, and of what benefit would it be to him to give the family tree of one who is not actually the father of Jesus?”
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So, now that we have a better understanding of Matthew and Luke’s genealogies of Jesus...
Let’s pick up with the name on the list we stopped at...
King David.
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Luke show’s Jesus’ connection to David...
This was a major point as the promised Messiah was to be the Son of David.
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Jesus is often given this title in Scripture as seen in passages like Matthew 12:23:
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
And in Matthew 20:30–31 which says:
30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowds shouted this title of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 21:9:
9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
So, Luke gives us the evidence of why Jesus was given this Messianic title over and over again.
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This all makes sense as prophesies about Jesus in the Old Testament highlight this fact as it says in Isaiah 9:7:
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
No one in all of history can even come close to fulfilling the description of the person mentioned in Isaiah 9:7 except for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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New Testament authors like the Apostle Paul proclaim this truth in their writings too..
Just look at what the former Pharisee turned Apostles says in Romans 15:12:
12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”
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It is not just the Old and New Testament authors who proclaim this truth about Jesus...
But Jesus Himself makes this clear as it says in Revelation 22:16:
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
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From David, Luke continues to list the ancestor’s of Jesus until we get to Judah...
And this takes us to our next point.
3) Son of Abraham
3) Son of Abraham
Verses 32-34(a): The son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
Another major requirement and sign of the true Messiah was that He cam from Abraham’s line...
As Galatians 3:16 says:
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
The promises made to Abraham were for His offspring...
And that offspring is Christ.
Just like Matthew also showed Jesus’ connection to David he also showed His connection to Abraham...
In fact, for Matthew’s purposes he ends his genealogy here.
However, Luke goes beyond Abraham to make another clear message...
One that will be seen in our next point.
4) Son of Adam
4) Son of Adam
Verses 34(b)-38(a): The son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
It was necessary to show that Jesus came from the line of David...
It was necessary to show that Jesus came from the line of Abraham...
And now it is necessary to establish that Jesus also came from Adam...
What is the point of this?
Well, it was vital to make it clear that the salvation one receives from Christ is not just for Jews...
But Gentiles are now offered the same choice...
For if they to repent and believe...
They will be saved!
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Luke wanted to make it undeniable that the Gosepl message was not just ment to be proclaimed to one group of people but to all who have an ear to hear!
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We are all connected to Adam, Beloved.
Scientists have confirmed it too...
Modern secular scientists have proved based on our genetic make up that all humans have the same common parents...
We know who they are as Scripture is way ahead of modern science and recorded a very long time ago that Adam and Eve are our parents.
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As Genesis 2:7 says:
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
And we see in Genesis 1:27 it says:
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
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For those who like to mock the Bible they should study the laws of science and biology...
Our culture may be confused but we are not...
Because the truth found in the Bible is a mile high...
And the world’s understanding of science is always playing catch up.
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Not single fact mentioned in the Bible has ever been proven to be in error.
Archeological finds and scientific discoveries have only further proven the validity of Scripture.
The faith it takes to be an atheist or agnostic is shocking!
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I simply do not have that kind of blind faith...
But God’s Word is true...
As God has given us a reasonable faith...
And the understanding the we all come from Adam is vital to the Gosepl message...
For only a son of Adam could pay the price for the sin of Adam.
We needed a second Adam...
A new Adam...
As 1 Corinthians 15:45–49 says:
45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
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So, Adam was then called “the son of God” because God had created him directly in His own image.
And this leads us to our final point.
5) Son of God
5) Son of God
Verse 38(b): The son of God.
So again, Adam was called “the son of God” because God had created him directly in His own image.
Adam had no other earthly father...
God was truly the only person that can be considered his father.
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This connects Jesus with God the Father...
For He is the true Son of God even more so than Adam.
For Jesus was never created but always was the Son of God.
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The Son of God title of Jesus is found to attributed to Him all through out the Scriptures...
1 Chronicles 22:10 says:
10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’
Psalm 2:7 says:
7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
This truth is found through out the New Testament too...
Hebrews 1:5 says:
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
Acts 13:33 likewise says:
33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’
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In Matthew’s record of his geneology for Jesus he did not go as back as Luke as he had a differant audience as we have established...
Yet he did see Jesus as the Son of God as he recorded in Matthew 3:17:
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The Apostles Paul says this in Romans 1:4:
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
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Even those who rejected Christ understood that all of Jesus claimed to be the Son of God...
The problem was that they thought Jesus was either a liar or a lunitic...
However in reality...
He was exactly who He said He was...
We see this in John 5:18:
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
So, when Jesus presents Himself as the Son of God He was showing that He was equal to God...
And that had to be the case...
Just like we established before...
Jesus had to be the son of Adam for it was a son of Adam who had to take the penalty given to man due to the Fall...
Likewise only the true Son of God could ever take on the whole wrath of God the Father...
Only the Son of God could be sinless and be qualified to pay the price of the sin of man.
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So, the whole point of Luke’s genealogy was to encourage the followers of Christ to present the pure Gosepl message to the world...
To make it clear that Jesus work on the cross was not meant for just on select group of people...
His saving work was meant to save all who will believe in Him and trust Him for salvation...
All people from all tribes and of all languages.
So, if you are one of His followers...
Share this truth with others...
If you don’t believe this...
If you have never experienced His love...
Then be warned...
Your running out of time.
To die without Christ is pure insanity and a guarantee of eternal punishment.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
There is an old story written in history books and one which reveals the tragedy of the Conemaugh Valley, the Conemaugh Dam.
The engineers were sent to the valley.
They checked the dam and said it was going to break.
They pointed out certain weaknesses that made the dam unsafe.
After they made their investigation, the engineers rode down the valley, and began to warn the people saying,
“Move out!
Get on higher ground!
Get rid of everything and get away from the danger!”
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The engineers went away and the people remained.
Then the engineers returned a second time.
They checked the dam again.
Then they warned the people again, urging them to move before the dam broke and the entire valley flooded.
This time the folks laughed.
They said,
“You were here a short time ago and nothing has happened.
Everything is just as it was.”
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The engineers again went on their way, knowing that they had done their best.
Then for a third time they came back—this was in the spring of the year.
This time their warning was more urgent.
They told every man, every woman, every child, everyone,
“You must get out at once!
Move out of here!
Get to a higher place!
To a safer place!”
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The people again scorned their warning.
“You are trying to get our land.
This is rich and good land, and we are not going to move.”
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The engineers rode out of the valley.
In fifteen days’ time there came a man riding swiftly, on horseback as in the olden days, crying as he rode,
“The waters are coming!
The dam is breaking!
The waters are coming!”
He kept on shouting and screaming and crying, and still, they tell us, some people stood and laughed at him!
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He was not out of their sight before they could hear the sound of the waters, for the Conemaugh Dam had broken, and in just a few minutes thirty-three hundred people had lost their lives.
It took over six weeks to dig their bodies out of the refuse, the muck and the mire.
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They had been warned, not once, not twice, but three times...
The same is true with the truth of Jesus Christ...
Turn to Him!
Repent and believe!
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Turn around from your life of wickedness...
And experience the eternal security and life that is found in only one person...
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.