Advent week 1: Grace for the Skeptic

Matthew 1:1-2, Genesis 17, Galatians 3

mps:

mpt: Jesus Christ is the promised Son. God is faithful to his promises and his people to the point of death.

God pursues

he engages them, he calls them to himself

God is patient with skeptics

God provides for skeptics

Problem:

Skepticism

Intro:

Good morning and Happy Advent!

I’m Pastor Taylor

Advent Series:

Roots of Redemption

5 weeks in the family tree of Jesus

Matthew 1:1a 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,

Christ- Title. The promised ruler and savior. God’s own Son.

Studying the genealogy of Jesus

earthly, fleshy genealogy

(John focusses on his heavenly origins)

Matthew is focussing on his Earthly origins

family tree

Roots of Redemption

why this is interesting:

Question: What kind of people does God involve himself with? who does he engage with, who does he call, who does he do business with?

Family ties are important.

While young couples in love are only thinking about each other- the parents of those kids are thinking of the other family, and who they are getting themselves involved with

afterall- they are going to share a name and a life together

and that family becomes your family and vice-versa

throughout most of history people did not marry or combine families that were in different social classes

throughout history marriage was an arrangement to benefit both parties financially, politically or otherwise

as we look at this genealogy, my question is:

What kind of people does God get himself involved with?

V1 Jesus Christ, the Son of David

not the beginning of the family tree

another title (like Christ)

Qualification on his resume

the Christ/Messiah would come from the shoot of David

Isaiah 11:1 “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”

**Advent Artwork inspiration

David is not the beginning of the family tree,

David is an important shoot in the tree

Abraham is the beginning

V1 the son of Abraham.

and where we begin the series today

Who was Abraham? what is his story and what kind of a man was he?

keeping in mind the question:

Who does God involve himself with?

v2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

-Abraham was the Patriarch of the Jewish people-

Great grandpa of Judah and the 12 tribes of Israel

All Jews- all of Israel trace their lineage to Abraham

Abraham is the patriarch of the jewish people

more importantly…

-Abraham is the patriarch of promise

God promised him a son and a nation and a blessing for the whole world

Because Abraham is the patriarch of promise…

-Abraham is the patriarch of faith

The prime OT example of someone who believes God, trusts his words and his promises

He is the primary OT example of being justified not according to your works, but rather according to your faith

Galatians 3:6-7 “…just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

and thats usually the story we get of Abraham

but thats not the whole story

-Abraham is the Patriarch of Skeptics

define skeptic. someone on the fence, someone who is unsure of God or his promises

we often think of belief as either something we have or we don’t

belief is a verb as well as a noun

are we believing? Or are we not believing?

even “believers” find themselves not believingFather of doubters, the confused, the hesitant, the weary, even the skeptic who laughs at God.

Abraham is the Father of Faith and the Father of skeptics

Who does God choose to interact with? What kinds of people?

first story we get to look at this Advent:

Abraham, the Skeptic

Title: Grace For the Skeptic

what does God’s grace for skeptics look like?

Whether you are the skeptical person on the fence when it comes to God and Jesus and the Bible

or a christian who finds themselves not believing

I want you to hear this today:

Who does God choose to interact with? What kinds of people?

YOU!

and me.

God calls the skeptic

P1: God calls the skeptic

[READ Gen 11:27-31]

Abraham lived in an age of skepticism

not just skepticism, complete paganism, outright rejection

everyone worshipped other gods

Chaldeans, Caananites, (next ch) Egyptians

Abraham lived in a family of skepticism

his family worshipped other gods

Genesis 31:19

“household idols”

Abraham might have been a skeptic - God was one option of many gods on the shelf

we do know that he came from a household of unbelief, a country of unbelief and a culture of unbelief

he came from a very skeptical situation

at the very least he was not theologically trained, had a ton of questions, doubts and concerns

at most, God was just another option, another god on the shelf and he really wasn’t sure about him anymore than the next guy

Abraham was probably a skeptic from the start- and God calls him

App:

God calls people from skeptical situations

God calls skeptics: people who don’t have it all figured out

pray boldly

Invite boldly

invite challenge: 1 person you think wouldn’t come

Boldly because it’s not our work- it’s God’s work

God calls Abraham

God engages first

[READ Genesis 12:1-4]

Those who are called, cannot ignore God’s voice

V12:1 God called Abram.

v12:4 So Abram went..

election

app:

people been feeling the tug of God but stiff arming him

don’t do that.

like a Repo man- do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?

God will repossess what is rightfully his. bend the knee now

Transition:

Who does God engage with? pursue? interact and get himself entangled with?

Skeptics, people from skeptical families, cultures, cities, countries, and schools

around the world and right here in your neighborhood

in your family tree

God calls skeptics

P2: God’s promises are true even when they are tough to believe

God’s promises are tough to believe

encouragement to skeptics

God’s promises are big:

What was God’s promise again?

Gen 12:1-3 “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God says,

leave your family

leave your land

leave your gods

I will make you a nation

give you newer greater land

bless the world and exalt myself through you

not just big… impossible:

Problem:

no children (Genesis 11:30 “Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.” )

2. 75 years old when he leaves his home (Genesis 12:4 “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” )

3. Sarai, his wife is 65 years old when she leaves Haran

real promise was a child to childless people advanced in years

ill: how many people do we have in this church over 60?

John Walker just turned 63 this last week…

God’s promises are tough to believe

Abraham Laughed

(Genesis 17:17 “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”” )

Sarah Laughed

(Genesis 18:12 “So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”” )

App:

tough to believe when things are hopeless on human terms

75 year old man and his 65 year old wife who’s probably been having hotflashes for the last decade

tough to believe

our economy, our culture, our corrupt government

when the math doesn’t add up, when there is an ingredient missing-

these are God’s moments

God’s promises are tough to believe

God’s promises are true even when they are tough to believe

Doubting God’s promises (word) means doubting his character

a man’s word is only as good as the man himself

Know the promises

know the one who makes the promises

God is faithful, true, loving, kind, gracious, just and never changing

1500 years later in another impossible situation, God follows through on his truer promise

sends the true son of blessing for the nations

through an impossible sitaution

mary- teenage virgin girl

And more impressively than that faithfulness and goodness

God’s son stuck to his word to

“come to take away the sins of the world”

being born a human so that he could die as a human for humanity

God is good, God is gracious, God is faithful

though his promises are tough to believe

he has the character to back it up

God’s promises are true even when they are tough to believe

Transition:

Tough to believe in the promises of God

Abraham and Sarah doubted

circumstances may be out of your grasp and control

but God is at hand

Tough to believe in the promises of God

Tougher when…

P3: God’s promises are true even when they are tested

tougher to believe when God’s promises are put to the test

not instantaneous

waiting for 25 years

it was tough when abraham was 75, but after 25 years

maybe God missed his chance…

it was a good ride

maybe God played me

doubt, laughter (not the good kind)

In a time when God seemed to have lost momentum, or had none at all- a child comes (Gen 21:5-7)

Sarah laugh for joy! Abraham is speechless

in a time when we feel like the world around us is devolving into chaos, less and less godly

have faith and

have kids because God moves in moments like this

Promise placed on the altar

Sacrifice your son (Gen 22)

Does God contradict himself? (theologically no)

will he? (Experientially we think he might…)

Good news: God placed his son on the altar

that we might be saved and be sons of God

Isaac was saved by a Ram (wild lamb)

We are saved through Christ, who takes our cross (the lamb of God)

born in a manger, among the sacrificial animals because he was one

the gift was not wrapped, but put on display

God keeps his promise

to the point of death

Jesus Christ is the promised Son. God is faithful to his promises and his people to the point of death.

Thats what Christmas is all about

God is the gift

solution:

Jesus- is the promised son. As Abraham waited for Isaac for 25 years, so the world would wait for the true son of promise for another 1500

and today we wait for his second coming. when he comes to stay and restore all things.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6  8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 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. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Every family has a story; His changes everything. This series focuses on Matthew’s presentation of the Lord’s genealogy–a rich declaration of the faithfulness of God, the sovereignty of grace, and the centrality of Christ in redemptive history. Jesus came from sinners for sinners.

Each week draws from key names in the genealogy to proclaim the gospel. Matthew 1:1-17 will serve as our anchor text, to which we will return weekly, while focusing on a few of the outsiders and outcasts as we progress to Christmas.

Week 1: Grace for the Skeptic (Matthew 1:1-2; Gen. 17; Gal. 3)

Advent Candle: Hope

Angle:

(Person in view: Abraham) God made an impossible promise to an old man. That promise became Jesus. Our ancient faith has modern meaning; God knows our doubt and skepticism and, in grace, covers us.