The Sovereign Lord Fulfills His Promise
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Last week: The sovereign Lord provides a sacrifice - to Day of Atonement to the Manger
The Lord has provided a substitute for you, someone to be your substitute, your savior, to provide forgiveness for your sin.
But wait, there’s more (myrrh
I don’t know what you did growing up, but at Christmas a big part of my childhood was going to the shopping center and sitting on Santa’s knee and telling him what I wanted. Then we’d go to the Brass Rail, this big tavern in downtown London where my dad was a bouncer and Santa would give us a gift. A few years later we’d go to the Chrysler dealership and have all you can eat McDonald’s hamburgers, the little 25 cent ones with the strange onions on them, and Santa would give us a gift.
Then there was this one December worship service, during the second year after we’d come to San Jose, and this one beautiful hymn came up, It Is Well , When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll - it’s just beautiful. And we get to a really powerful part of the song , Though satan should buffet… but it doesn’t say satan - it says Santa.
Santa, Santa, Santa. Do you remember when you found out that Santa wasn’t real? I think I was in my 20’s.
Anyway, I found out that Santa doesn’t provide all this stuff you get. It was your parents, or your grandparents or someone else.
Someone else was doing all this stuff in the background, while you were asleep, and you were like , look at all this stuff that just magically appeared - FOR FREE! But it didn’t just appear and it definitely wasn’t free. Someone was orchestrating all of this , putting it all together.
The Lord has provided a substitute for you, someone to be your substitute, your savior, to provide forgiveness for your sin.
Matthew 1:1-2:
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,
8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,
9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,
15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 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.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
But wait, there’s more (myrrh
This morning, as we read our passage, I want you to highlight the word fulfill and to note whenever God does something for someone or through someone.
The title of the message is: the sovereign Lord fulfills his promise. Let’s see how this theme is played out in this Christmas story:
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,
8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,
9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,
15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 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.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Matthew 1:1-17
Matthew 1:18-25
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
(1) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of a lineage (1:1-17)
(1) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of a lineage (1:1-17)
Fulfillment through the unexpected
What God does here is completely unexpected - the people he sovereignly chooses. The events he brings together.
Jesus is the fulfillment of two great covenants.
Promises to Abraham and David
The Abrahamic promise, The promise to David of an heir to reign upon his throne.
The Abrahamic promise, The promise to David of an heir
Jesus is the fulfillment of two great covenants.
1:1. From the very first words of his Gospel, Matthew recorded his central theme and character. Jesus Christ is the main character in Matthew’s presentation, and the opening verse connected Him back to two great covenants in Jewish history: the Davidic (2 Sam. 7) and the Abrahamic (Gen. 12; 15). If Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of these two great covenants, is He related to the rightful line? This is a question the Jews would have asked, so Matthew traced Jesus’ lineage in detail.
1:2–17. Matthew gave Jesus’ lineage through His legal father, Joseph (v. 16). Thus this genealogy traced Jesus’ right to the throne of David, which must come through Solomon and his descendants (v. 6). Of particular interest is the inclusion of Jeconiah (v. 11) of whom Jeremiah said, “Record this man as if childless” (Jer. 22:30). Jeremiah’s prophecy related to the actual occupation of the throne and the reception of blessing while on the throne. Though Jeconiah’s sons never occupied the throne, the line of rulership did pass through them. If Jesus had been a physical descendant of Jeconiah, He would not have been able to occupy David’s throne. Luke’s genealogy made it clear that Jesus was a physical descendant of David through another son named Nathan (Luke 3:31). But Joseph, a descendant of Solomon, was Jesus’ legal father, so Jesus’ right to the throne was traced through Joseph.
How is he the Lord of the unexpected in your life?
He is the Lord of the broken - a broken line, a broken life
The lord is able to work in unexpected ways - a new life, a new start, new friendships, new hope
Are you saying, it stops here, I can’t go on?
Are you like so many who would say that they weren’t looking for God but he found you and he changed you?
(2) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of a virgin (1:18-25)
(2) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of a virgin (1:18-25)
Fulfillment through the miraculous
Salvation from sin
Fulfilling the promise of a savior with a miraculous sign
the explaintion - God with us
(3) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of a king (2:1-12)
(3) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of a king (2:1-12)
Fulfillment through the supernatural - the heavens declare the glory of God
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Daniel, working on the house next door, takes a photo and the Lord speaks to him and he comes into my office
The Lord has his reason for everything. When hard times hit, it is easy for us to second guess the Lord. We would rather pray and see the Lord makes everything right than having to struggle through challenges, trials, or persecutions. Maybe the Lord is telling us to flee, but we obstinately refuse. Maybe the Lord is telling us to let go, but we want to hang on. We will not understand the Lord’s great plan unless we learn to trust in Him. It is best to trust in Him. His timing is always perfect.
When we entered Vietnam 21 years ago, we struggled with being restricted from sharing the Gospel. This dragged on for many years. We would have given up staying in Vietnam had we not felt strongly that the Lord called us to stay and serve. We are still under restriction today, but the Lord is revealing His plan to us. The children and teachers in areas we serve are hearing and learning about the Lord. The orphans are receiving Christ’s love and their lives are changed. Students at the Hanoi Bible College are becoming pastors and serving in local churches.
We had our own plan of how to present the Gospel. We had a time frame to complete, but we had to flee from our plan and time frame. We have been humbled to learn that it is Christ’s plan and time frame that we need to follow.
(4) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of protection, deliverance and salvation (2:13-15)
(4) The Sovereign Lord fulfills his promise of protection, deliverance and salvation (2:13-15)
Fulfillment through the obedient
The gifts, Joseph, the timing.
Trusting God during the questions
Missionary An Nguyen
The Lord is all powerful so why did Joseph and Marry need to run? Would it have been better if the Lord just struck Herod dead, so they would not have to face the burden of fleeing while carrying baby Jesus? The Lord certainly could have done this because later, He struck a different Herod dead for not honoring Him (). The Lord let it happen to fulfill the prophecy He gave to Hosea hundreds of years before ().
The Lord has his reason for everything. When hard times hit, it is easy for us to second guess the Lord. We would rather pray and see the Lord makes everything right than having to struggle through challenges, trials, or persecutions. Maybe the Lord is telling us to flee, but we obstinately refuse. Maybe the Lord is telling us to let go, but we want to hang on. We will not understand the Lord’s great plan unless we learn to trust in Him. It is best to trust in Him. His timing is always perfect.
When we entered Vietnam 21 years ago, we struggled with being restricted from sharing the Gospel. This dragged on for many years. We would have given up staying in Vietnam had we not felt strongly that the Lord called us to stay and serve. We are still under restriction today, but the Lord is revealing His plan to us. The children and teachers in areas we serve are hearing and learning about the Lord. The orphans are receiving Christ’s love and their lives are changed. Students at the Hanoi Bible College are becoming pastors and serving in local churches.
We had our own plan of how to present the Gospel. We had a time frame to complete, but we had to flee from our plan and time frame. We have been humbled to learn that it is Christ’s plan and time frame that we need to follow.
Since God is Sovereign, he reigns over all creation
He is the Lord of the unexpected
of the miraculous
of the supernatural
of the obedient - when you trust and obey
sometimes he does the unexpected, the miraculous, the supernatural
He is the Sovereign Lord who fulfills his promise
the promise of a savior
the promise of eternal life
the promise of his presence
Is he YOUR sovereign Lord - do you worship God or do you worship the mighty, caring, personal God who desires to be intimately involved in your life and to walk with you and to lead you and to guide you.
Have you placed your faith in the one who knows all things, can do all things, is able to do immeasurably more than you could ever ask or imagine?
Have you humbled yourself before this sovereign Lord and simply said, have your won way, I surrender
Do you adore him, worship him, seek to serve him?
