12.26.24 - (Matt 1:1)

Introduction

Hello Dwell, this is Kenneth. Thanks for joining us for today's Dwell Kids Daily! Today is Thursday, December 26th.

For the next few minutes, I invite you to join me as we look to our Great King by opening our hearts to hear from Him through the words of the Bible.

Silence

As we begin, let us remember that God calls His people, young and old, to be still and know that He is God. Let's take a few seconds to clear our minds, so that we can hear him better.

Opening Prayer‌ Father, when we spend time in your word and set our hearts on your teaching, we flourish like a lush tree planted by a stream of fresh water. Teach us today and nourish our souls.

Passage

Today our passage is from the Gospel According to Matthew chapter 1 verse 1 (ESV)

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Exhortation

Believe it or not, this might be my favorite verse in the whole Bible. Do you have a favorite verse, or passage, or story in the Bible?

Let me tell you why I love this verse so much. I love it because it says so much in just one sentence. Matthew manages to pack a ton of beauty and truth into a three person genealogy. Let me explain…

In the Old Testament, there are two big promises that God makes that shows us what he is up to after the tragic events of Genesis 3-11. Will he leave humanity exiled out of the garden of Eden, will he leave us scattered and confused after the tower of Babel? No, He makes a huge promise to Abraham that he will use Abraham's offspring to bring humanity back into his presence for blessing. So, in the story of the Old Testament we're looking to see how this promise will come true.

Hundreds and hundreds of years later, God makes another promise to one of Abraham's offspring, king David. God promises David that one of his offspring would rule over all people forever and ever. So, in the rest of the Old Testament story, we're looking to see how both of these promises will come true. But, the Old Testament ends without us ever seeing these promised fulfilled.

This brings us to Matthew 1:1, the first verse of the New Testament. Matthew is well aware of what we are looking for. When he tells us that Jesus is the son of David and the son of Abraham, He is telling us that the two big promises in the Old Testament come true in Jesus. Jesus is the everlasting king who is bringing humanity into God's presence for blessing. The whole story lands on Jesus, the saving King of the world.

Call to Action Let’s take a few seconds to meditate on today’s passage. Matthew has said SO much about Jesus, just by telling us that he is the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Closing Prayer‌ Let’s pray together.

Father, you are faithful to your promises of old. You knew all along that Jesus was coming to save us and call us into his everlasting kingdom. We are forever grateful. Please, by your Spirit, help us to honor him as King over our lives. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Outro

It's been great to be with you today.

Tomorrow, we'll be in the Gospel of Luke chapter 2. Until then, go in peace, and let the word of King Jesus dwell in you richly.