The King Has Come Part 2

Sermon Title: The King Has Come part 2

Scripture: Matthew 1:1-17

Occasion: The Lord’s Day

Date: August 24th, 2025

Big Idea:

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims that the King we desperately need has come — fulfilling every promise, establishing His kingdom, and sending us on His mission with the promise of His presence.

Opening Prayer:

Father in heaven,

We come before You today grateful that You have not left us in darkness or silence, but have spoken in Your Word and fulfilled every promise in Your Son.

As we open the Gospel of Matthew, remind us that the King has come — the Messiah promised from the beginning, the rightful heir who reigns in righteousness and mercy.

For those who are weary, strengthen them.

For those who feel far off, draw them near.

For those who have grown complacent, awaken them.

Let every heart here see Christ as Matthew saw Him — worthy of all our trust, worship, and obedience.

By Your Spirit, give us ears to hear, hearts to believe, and wills to follow.

And when we leave, may we go as joyful citizens of your Kingdom and faithful servants of your mission.

It’s in the Kings name, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.

Introduction:

If you were writing the greatest story ever told, how would you begin

With a dramatic miracle?

A sweeping prophecy?

An epic battlefield scene?

Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, begins with… a genealogy!

It’s not the hook we expect.

But it is the hook we need.

Because Matthew’s opening line is not meant to entertain you — it’s meant to establish something.

Before you see Jesus heal the sick, walk on water, or rise from the dead, Matthew wants you to know:

The King has come — the King promised from the beginning of God’s redemptive plan, the King who fulfills every covenant promise, the King who changes everything.

Now, let’s remember for a moment who Matthew is and why he’s writing.

Matthew was once a tax collector — a man despised by his fellow Jews for working with Rome, a man whose life was about extracting as much as he could from others for personal gain.

And yet, one encounter with Jesus changed everything.

This man who once sat at a tax booth now writes to tell us of the King who saved him.

His Gospel is the longest of the four and was likely written in the late 50s or early 60s A.D., to a predominantly Jewish audience.

Why that matters is this — Matthew’s aim is to prove that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-promised Messiah and rightful King of Israel.

Every chapter drips with Old Testament promises brought to life, because Matthew wants his Jewish readers — and us — to see that God’s plan has not failed, His promises have not been broken, and His King has arrived.

But here’s the question you might be asking:

“That’s great, Pastor… but why do I need that today?

Why should I care about the Gospel of Matthew right now, in my life, in this season?”

Maybe you walked in this morning with a heart heavy from grief, or a mind distracted by bills, or a conscience weighed down by guilt.

Maybe you’re tired of broken promises, fractured relationships, and the headlines that keep reminding you our world is not as it should be.

Some of you feel like you’ve lost your footing spiritually — you’ve drifted from the joy you once had in Christ.

Others feel like you’ve been holding on for dear life in the middle of suffering, and you’re asking, “Is God still with me?”

Matthew’s Gospel speaks into this moment because it declares:

The King has come. (which is the title of my sermon today)

We need the King – because life without Him leaves us restless and searching for someone worthy to follow.

We need His Kingdom – because the kingdoms of this world are broken, and only His reign will set things right.

We need His Commission – because our lives are meant for more than survival; they’re meant to serve His mission with the promise of His presence.

Matthew is not just recounting ancient history — he is unveiling the living King who rules over us today, the unstoppable Kingdom breaking into our world right now, and the life-altering mission that gives eternal purpose to every breath we take.

This Gospel is exactly what the human heart needs for this time, for this hour, for this season — whether you are coming in here weary or rejoicing, searching or certain, broken or whole.

We need Matthew because we need Christ — the King who has come, the Kingdom He brings, and the Commission He gives.

Here’s where we’re going today:

The King – His royal and covenant credentials.

The Kingdom – His reign of mercy, righteousness, and truth.

The Commission – His call to follow and make disciples with the promise of His presence.

Transition: Matthew isn’t just telling us a story — he’s unveiling the living King, His advancing Kingdom, and His life-shaping mission.

But notice — he doesn’t start with a miracle or even the birth of Jesus.

He starts with a list of names.

Why?

Because before we can live under the Kingdom or join the mission, we must first meet the King.

The genealogy is the frame around the portrait, showing us exactly who He is and why He’s worthy.

So Matthew begins with the King’s credentials — proof He is the promised Messiah and rightful heir to the throne.

1. The King (vv. 1–6, 17)

Matthew begins with a statement that functions like a headline for his entire Gospel:

Matthew 1:1 ESV

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

That opening verse is not filler — it’s a theological declaration.

In just a few words, Matthew anchors Jesus in the two greatest covenant promises of the Old Testament.

Son of David

By calling Jesus the Son of David, Matthew is tying Him directly to the promise God made in 2 Samuel 7 — that David would have a descendant who would sit on his throne forever.

That promise is more than a royal succession plan; it’s God pledging that a King would come to establish justice, peace, and righteousness forever.

The prophets kept this hope alive.

Isaiah spoke of a shoot from the stump of Jesse (Isa. 11:1), Jeremiah of a righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5), and Ezekiel of one shepherd, my servant David, who shall feed them (Ezek. 34:23).

By starting with David, Matthew is sounding a royal trumpet:

The King you’ve been waiting for has come.

Illustration

In the ancient world, royal legitimacy mattered.

When a new ruler rose to power, his pedigree was examined to prove his right to the throne.

Imagine a courtroom where the crown is contested — the advocate for the true heir lays out documents tracing every step of the royal line.

Matthew’s genealogy is doing exactly that — showing Jesus as the rightful King.

Son of Abraham

But Matthew doesn’t stop there.

He calls Jesus the Son of Abraham, reaching even further back to Genesis 12, when God promised Abraham that through his seed all nations would be blessed.

This is the missionary heart of the gospel.

Jesus is not merely King of Israel — He is Savior of the nations.

Paul makes this crystal clear in Galatians 3:16:

Galatians 3:16 ESV

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring...who is Christ.

In other words, Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise that salvation would reach beyond the borders of Israel to the ends of the earth.

Illustration

Think of Abraham standing under the stars, hearing God say,

“So shall your offspring be.”

That night wasn’t just about family growth — it was about gospel expansion.

Every believer here today is living proof that God kept that promise.

We are Abraham’s family by faith, gathered under the reign of his greatest Son — Jesus.

The Shape of the Genealogy

Verse 17 may feel like a throwaway summary, but it’s actually the final stamp of Matthew’s theological intent:

Matthew 1:17 ESV

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

This threefold structure is deliberate.

In Hebrew, the numerical value of the name “David” (דוד) is 14.

By grouping the genealogy this way, Matthew is shouting, David! David! David! — everything is pointing to the rightful King.

This structure also moves us through redemptive history:

From Abraham to David — Promise and nationhood.

From David to exile — Kingship and failure.

From exile to Christ — Waiting and fulfillment.

The arrival of Jesus is not a random event; it is the climactic chapter of God’s unfolding plan.

Historical Note

Jewish genealogies were not always exhaustive; they were often arranged for theological or mnemonic [Nemonic] purposes.

Matthew selects and arranges names to make a statement:

History has been moving toward this King.

Even in the seeming silence of God during the centuries between Malachi and Matthew, every generation was part of God’s countdown to Christ.

Application

When life feels unstable — when news headlines shake us, when personal trials unsettle us — remember that our faith rests not on feelings or guesswork BUT on the unshakable fact that the real King has stepped into real history.

He is not a mythical figure or an inspirational idea.

He is the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the One who fulfills every promise.

Illustration

During World War II, occupied nations would whisper,

“The King will return.”

That hope sustained them through the darkness.

Christian, the King has not only come — He reigns now.

And He will come again.

Transition to Point Two

But Matthew doesn’t just prove who the King is — he shows us the kind of King He is.

And that brings us to the next theme of the Gospel:

The Kingdom He brings.

2. The Kingdom (vv. 6-11)

If the Kingdom Jesus came to bring were only for the morally impressive, Matthew’s genealogy would read like a list of saints in marble — flawless names, untarnished reputations.

But Matthew shocks his readers by including four women, which was already unusual for a Jewish genealogy, and even more shocking, these women’s stories were wrapped in scandal, tragedy, and outsider status.

Tamar — The Canaanite Caught in Scandal

Genesis 38 tells of Tamar, a Canaanite woman widowed twice and wronged by Judah, who disguised herself as a prostitute to confront his injustice.

Her inclusion reminds us that God’s purposes often work through messy, morally complicated situations.

He is not embarrassed to weave redemption through the broken threads of human sin.

Rahab — The Gentile Prostitute of Jericho

Rahab’s name comes from Joshua 2 — a Canaanite prostitute who hid the Israelite spies, declaring,

Joshua 2:11 ESV

…The Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

She went from a brothel to the hall of faith (Heb. 11:31).

Her story shouts that citizenship in God’s Kingdom comes by faith, not pedigree.

Ruth — The Moabite Outsider

Ruth was a Moabite — and according to Deuteronomy 23:3, Moabites were barred from the assembly of the LORD for ten generations.

Yet Ruth’s loyal love to Naomi and faith in Israel’s God brought her into the covenant family, where she became the great-grandmother of David.

Her story is a foretaste of the day when “all nations” would be welcomed in Christ.

“The Wife of Uriah” — Bathsheba in the Shadow of Sin

Matthew does not even name Bathsheba directly, but calls her “the wife of Uriah,” reminding readers of David’s adultery and murder (2 Sam. 11).

Her name carries the memory of human failure, yet through her came Solomon — and ultimately Christ.

God’s grace is greater than our deepest shame.

Why are they here?

Matthew is preaching a silent sermon before he even tells the birth story:

This King’s Kingdom is a Kingdom of mercy!!

It welcomes outsiders, redeems the morally and socially broken, and builds on grace, not human merit.

Before Jesus ever touches a leper or dines with a tax collector, we are told — this King came for sinners who will come to Him in faith.

Historical Illustration

In ancient Rome, genealogies were often “airbrushed” to omit embarrassing ancestors.

Augustus Caesar traced his line to the goddess Venus, erasing any scandal.

Matthew does the opposite — he highlights the “blemishes” in Jesus’ line to magnify God’s grace.

Modern Illustration

Imagine a church website listing not only the elders and members but also their past sins and failures, front and center, as a testimony to God’s mercy.

That is exactly what Matthew does with the genealogy.

Application:

If you believe your past disqualifies you from God’s love, Matthew’s genealogy is God’s way of saying, “You belong in My Kingdom by grace.”

The Kingdom is not for the perfect but for those who confess their need and come to the King in faith.

Transition:

This Kingdom of mercy and righteousness is not an accident of history — it is the outworking of a God who keeps His word, no matter how many centuries pass.

And that’s exactly where Matthew takes us next.

3. The Commission (vv. 12–17, cf. Matt. 28:18–20)

The genealogy’s final stretch sweeps us from the bleak days of exile to the birth of Christ — nearly six centuries of waiting.

Babylon’s chains had been struck off, but for Israel, the promises of God still felt distant.

The Davidic throne sat empty.

The prophetic voice was silent.

Generations lived and died, and still… nothing.

BUT Matthew wants us to see something profound:

God was not absent in the silence!

Every single name in verses 12–16 — names we barely recognize — stands like a mile marker in redemptive history, testifying that the covenant-keeping God was still moving His purposes forward.

He was weaving history toward the moment when, in the fullness of time, “Jesus was born, who is called Christ” (v. 16).

This is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The God who spoke to David and swore that a son would reign on his throne forever.

The God who preserved a people through judgment and exile.

Matthew’s genealogy is a living monument to what Charles Spurgeon once said:

“The promises of God are certain, though they may appear to be delayed; He is never before His time, and never too late.”

From Fulfillment to Commission

The crescendo of Matthew 1 finds its echo in Matthew 28.

The baby born in Bethlehem grows to be the risen King who stands before His disciples and says:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Vv. 18-19)

The One who fulfills every covenant now extends His reign through His people.

His authority is universal, His mission is global, and His presence is perpetual — “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (V. 20)

This is not the passing of a torch from one leader to another.

It is the ongoing reign of the same King who entered the world in Matthew 1.

And as in the genealogy, where the most unlikely people are included, the Great Commission calls unlikely people — you and me — to carry the news of this Kingdom to the ends of the earth.

Historical Illustration: Carey and the Rope

When William Carey urged the church to take the gospel to unreached lands, some doubted.

But he famously told his friend Andrew Fuller,

“I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the rope.”

Fuller and others committed to “hold the rope” through prayer, resources, and support.

That image captures the Great Commission perfectly:

The King sends, and His people go — but no one goes alone.

The authority of Christ and the fellowship of His people are the unbreakable rope.

Application

If Jesus truly has all authority, then the Great Commission is not a suggestion for the zealous few — it is a command for every citizen of His Kingdom.

The genealogy reminds us that God’s plan spans centuries, crosses cultures, and uses ordinary, often overlooked people.

The question for us is not whether we are “called” — the King has already called us.

The question is:

Are we living under His reign and advancing His mission?

Transition to Conclusion

From Abraham to David, from exile to Christ, from Bethlehem’s cradle to the empty tomb, the story has always been the same:

The King has come.

And now, the King reigns.

His Kingdom is here.

And He sends us — in His authority, with His presence — until the day the genealogy is complete and the last name written in the Book of Life.

Conclusion

I pray that we can see this morning, that Matthew’s genealogy is far more than a list of hard-to-pronounce names.

It is a trumpet blast announcing the arrival of the King who wears the Crown promised to David, who rules over a Kingdom of grace and mercy, and who sends His people on a Commission to the ends of the earth.

From Abraham to David, from exile to Christ, every name whispers the same truth:

God keeps His promises.

Even in the silence.

Even in the exile.

Even when it seemed history had stalled, God was weaving every thread into the tapestry of redemption until, at just the right time, the Messiah stepped into history.

This King is unlike any other.

Earthly kings secure their thrones by power and politics; this King secures His by a cross and an empty tomb.

His Kingdom is not for the spotless but for the stained—outsiders, the broken, the scandal-ridden, the repentant.

And His Commission is not for a select few but for all who will bow the knee to Him in faith.

The genealogy begins with a promise and ends with a Person.

And that Person—Jesus Christ—ends His earthly ministry by sending His people to declare that promise to every nation.

So the question Matthew leaves hanging over us is not “Do you know the story?” but “Are you in it?”

Will you bow before this King?

Will you enter His Kingdom by grace through faith?

Will you join His Commission with your life?

As Charles Spurgeon once said,

“You are either a missionary or an impostor.”

The King has come.

His Kingdom is open.

His Commissioyesn is clear.

Let us then go—confident not in our ability, but in His authority; not in our presence, but in His promise:

Matthew 28:20 ESV

… And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

PRAY

Resources:

Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary: The Christbook, Matthew 1–12, Revised and Expanded Edition, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), 22.

John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 86.

https://yetanothersermon.host/_/christchurchchicago/sermons/56999/matthew-1117/ (transcipt / David Helm)