The Messiah Is Born

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27-36

New Series on the Gospel According to Matthew

Background On the Person Matthew

Matthew was a Jewish Man Who Worked for the Romans as a Tax Collector

We Find Out Throughout the Gospel Accounts How Hated Tax Collectors Were by Their Jewish Brethren

They Were Viewed as Traitors and Would Often Get Rich Off of the Over-Taxation of Their Jewish Brethren

But Jesus Made a Tax Collector One of His Closest Disciples

And Now We Have a Very Detailed Account of Jesus’ Life and Mission Because of Matthew

Background On the Account of Matthew

Don’t Look at the Gospel Accounts as Biographies Written for the Sole Purpose of Stating Facts about Jesus

Each Author’s Intention is to Organize the Facts and Give His Own Commentary on Those Facts

They Want Their Readers to Come Away from Their Books with a Certain Impression of Jesus

Mark is Like Fast-Moving Action Movie

It Focuses Heavily on the Miracles and Actions of Jesus

And it is Written to a More Gentile Audience

Luke is Like a Mix of Matthew and Mark

Matthew in that He Focuses on Jesus’ Teachings and How He Fulfils the Old Testament

Mark in that He Includes Gentiles in the Blessed Family of Abraham

He Also Emphasizes Jesus’ Ministry to the Poor, Sick, and Disadvantaged in the World

Matthew Wants His Readers to Recognize Jesus as the Anointed King Who has Fulfilled the Old Covenant

The Primary Theme of Matthew is the “Kingdom of Heaven”

Kingdom Refers to “Rule/Reign”

Matthew Shows Us How the King of Heaven is Bringing His Kingdom/Rule/Reign Down to Earth

He is the New David

He Focuses Heavily on How Jesus is the Fulfilment of the Old Covenant

Jesus Represents the Fulfilment of the Covenant Between God and Israel

He Represents Israel as the Perfectly Faithful Human Who Blesses All Nations by Bringing Them into a Covenant Relationship with God

And He Represents God Because He Forgives, Protects, and Offers an Eternal Home to His Faithful People

He is the Seed of Abraham

Matthew’s Biography of Jesus is Structured Around 5 Long Sections of Teachings by Jesus

Each Discourse Acts as a Commentary on the Things We See Directly Before the Discourse

The Discourses Directly Relate to What Jesus and His Disciples had Just Experienced

Jesus’ 5 Discourses: Chapters 5-7, 10, 13, 18-20, 24-25

These Discourses Cover a Range of Topics that Relate to the Kingdom of Heaven

5-7: The Sermon on the Mount

How Life in His Kingdom Consists of Upside Down Ethics

Obedience from the Heart

Willingness to Suffer for Righteousness

Going the Second Mile and Loving Your Enemies

10: Instructions on How to Evangelize to the World

13: Parables that are Descriptive of the Kingdom of Heaven

18-20: Characteristics of the Kingdom Community (the Church)

The Greatests in the Community are the Servants

Church Discipline

Forgiving One Another

The Sanctity of Marriage

The Communities Relationship to Money

Among Other Topics

24-25: The Olivet Discourse

Jesus Prophecies to His Disciples on the Mount of Olives about Things that will Come to Pass in the Near and Distant Future

Since We will be Going at a Slower Pace, We Might Not Notice Other Similarities to Another Old Testament Character

Jesus Teaches 5 Discourses on How to be God’s Covenantal People

Moses Wrote the Pentateuch (5 Books of the Law)

Jesus Leaves Egypt and Heads to the Jordan River for Baptism

Moses Lead Israel Out of Egypt to Cross the Red Sea and Eventually the Jordan River

Jesus Spends 40 Days in the Wilderness

Moses Spends 40 Years in the Wilderness

Jesus Gives His New Law on a Mountain

Moses Received the Old Law on a Mountain

Jesus is the New Moses

Matthew Wants Us to See that Jesus is...

The New and Better David (Descendant of David 2 Samuel 7)

The Seed of Abraham

The New and Better Moses

Matthew Chapter 1

Oh No! Matthew Starts His Book with One of Those Boring Genealogies!

(No Show of Hands) How Many of You Have Skipped Over the Genealogy When Reading Matthew Before?

I Have!

The More Familiar We are with the Old Testament, the More Interesting this Genealogy Becomes

We Don’t Have Time to Look at Every Detail of Those Listed in the Genealogy

But I Do Want to Look at the Very First Verse

Matthew 1:1 (NASB)

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

You Might Not Recognize it at First Glance, but There is So Much Packed into this Verse

Matthew Describes this List of Names as the Genealogy of Jesus

That is Unusual Because in the OT Genealogies Were Named After the Earliest Ancestor in the Lineage

This was Done Because the Earliest Ancestor was Considered the Most Important and Significant

But Matthew Names the Genealogy After Jesus

This was to Say that Jesus is the Most Important Person in the Entire Lineage

Then We Learn that Jesus is the Messiah (Anointed One), the Son of David

He’s the Descendant of David that will Sit on the Throne of David Forever and Rule God’s People with Righteousness and Justice

He is also the Seed of Abraham Who will Bless All Nations of the World

As You Travel Down the Genealogy, You’ll Find a Mixed Bag People

Men, Women (Unusual), Adulterers, Prostitutes, Heroes, Villains, and Gentiles

Jesus (YHWH Saves) is Savior of All People from All Places and All Backgrounds

Matthew Tells Us in Verse 17 that He has Structured this Genealogy in a Memorable Way

Matthew 1:17 (NASB)

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

This is Not an Exact List of Jesus’ Descendants Through Joseph, but a List Broken Up into 3 14s to Help the Reader Memorize the List

Matthew 1:18 (NASB)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Mary was Betrothed to Joseph

Betrothal = One Year Engagement Period

Were Arranged by the Parents

Were Legally Binding Like Marriage But Without Cohabitation and Sexual Intimacy

Could Only be Nullified by a Divorce

While in this Betrothal Covenant with Joseph, She was Found to be Pregnant

Likely in the 2nd Trimester When the Baby Bump Starts to Show

Joseph and Mary Hadn’t Slept Together Yet, so Mary Would Appear to Have Committed Adultery

But Matthew is Quick to Tell Us that She is Pregnant by the Life-Creating Power of the Holy Spirit

This is What the Holy Spirit Has Done from the Beginning and Still Does Today

He Goes into Lifeless Places and Creates Life

In the Beginning with a Lifeless World

In Mary’s Womb

In People Today When We Become Christians

When Jesus Returns and the Spirit Resurrects Our Bodies

Jesus was Not Only Human (Through Mary) But Also God (Through the Holy Spirit)

But Joseph Doesn’t Know Any of this Yet

Matthew 1:19 (NASB)

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

In the Old Law, a Woman was to be Stoned to Death for Committing Adultery

But Divorce for Such Cases had Become the Typical Practice

But the Adulterer Would Still be Publicly Shamed for Their Sin

Joseph, However, is Described as a Righteous Man

He Obviously Loved Mary and was Heartbroken

And His Love for Her Led Him to Pursue the Merciful Option, a Private Divorce

Matthew 1:20–25 (NASB)

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Before Joseph Could Act on the Divorce, an Angel Appeared to Him in a Dream

He was Informed of the Miraculous Conception

And He was Told to Name the Baby “Jesus”

“Jesus” is the Greek Form of the Hebrew “Joshua” = YHWH Saves

Unlike the Military Leader Who Lead God’s People Against Enemy Nations into Their Promised Land

Jesus Would Save God’s People of All Nations from Their Sins and Lead Them to Their Promised Eternal Land

Matthew Then Quotes Isaiah 7:14

This Prophecy Foretold of the Virgin Birth and the Other Name that Describes Who Jesus is

“God With Us”

God has Always Wanted to Dwell with His People

Now He was Going to be Able to Do that Through the Person of Jesus

And Jesus Will Bring about the Age When God will Dwell with Us Forever

Joseph Then Woke Up from the Dream and Obeyed Everything that He was Told

Applications:

Righteousness = Mercy

Joseph’s Righteousness Led to His Showing of Mercy

When Someone Does You Wrong, is Your First Instinct to Show Mercy?

Joseph’s Was

Righteousness isn’t All About Doing Everything Right

It’s Not About Beating People Over the Head with the Bible

It’s Not All About Having the Correct Doctrine on Everything

It’s About Showing Mercy and Compassion and Grace to Others

Joseph’s Righteousness Wasn’t Rightfully Shaming Mary for Her Sin in Which She Shamed Him (Sin and Shame in His Mind)

His Righteousness was Like His God’s Righteousness

Luke 6:36 (NASB)

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Let’s Remember Joseph and be Righteous this Week

Let’s be Merciful