Jesus the Messiah

Announcements:

Business Meeting after service today

Giving for the Bibles for the nursing home

We are going to take up an offering in December for our Benevolence Fund. Be praying about how much the Lord would want you to give.

This fund is to be used for acts of kindness

Paying someone’s electric bill

Buying someone groceries who are in need

For those who want to join us, we are going to celebrate Christmas Eve at Hilldale Baptist Church in Clarksville Tenn

It will be Christmas Eve between 3:00-5:00

If you want to go please see me because last year we had to preregister

INTRODUCTION

This morning we are starting our journey through the book of Matthew. And it is my prayer that this book changes our lives. Matthew’s gospel is the first book of the NT. And one of the main themes of this book is, “What it means to be a disciple”. Not what the world thinks, not what the church has adopted, but what Jesus teaches about discipleship.

I have divided this book up into 40 sermons. We will not cover every verse, but I am going to try to cover just about every topic. We will finish sometime around September so I want everyone to be as faithful as they can for the next year and do not miss what God is going to do.

Remember FAT: Faithful, Available, Teachable. We will never grow in our faith if we do not possess these qualities. Be faithful, be available, and be teachable.

MESSAGE

Jesus introduced a new age into this world

Matt 1:1

Matthew 1:1 NASB95

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

Matthew begins his gospel with these two words in Greek that literally means (The Book of Origin). This is the same phrase that used in Gen 2:4 referring to God’s new Creation.

When Matthew wrote this gospel the first thing that he wanted his readers to know is that Jesus brought in a brand new beginning.

The birth of Jesus divided the corridors of time from BC to AD

The birth of Jesus brought the Kingdom of God to earth through the Holy Spirit. When we get saved, we enter the Kingdom of God. Now we are not there yet, but we are sealed and guaranteed to receive that promise. Scholars call this the “already but not yet”.

The Kingdom of God exists in this world right now, but not in its fullness.

It’s fullness will come when the second advent of Christ comes.

Application

A New Creation began when Christ incarnated into human flesh. The entire OT has been waiting and anticipating the coming of the Lord’s Christ. This is what Matthew is saying, “Here He is!” This is the One we have all been waiting for!

This is why John says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

Jesus brought an entirely new way of life. Its not a life bound under the restraints of the law, but a life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

It’s a life that has experienced transformation and renewal. Its a life that no longer follows the thinking of this world, but has been reprogrammed to live for eternity. This is the age that Jesus inaugurated and that we currently live in.

This is why Paul says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah”

The word Messiah comes from two passages in the OT

Psalm 2:2

Psalm 2:2 NASB95

The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

Daniel 9:26

Daniel 9:26 NASB95

“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

The word Messiah means “anointed one”. In the OT, people were anointed with olive oil to make them fit for religious purposes. Kings such as Kind David were anointed before ascending to the throne, Priests such as Aaron were anointed before they could serve God, and the prophet Elisha was anointed for his ministry.

So the Messiah was the anointed One who would simultaneously hold all three offices of prophet (authoritative proclamation), priest (spiritual duties) and king (political ruler). He would be the reality and ultimate fulfillment of what it meant to be anointed in the OT.

The “Anointed One” or “Messiah” was this greatly anticipated ruler that had been promised in the OT. He was the entire source of hope for all of Israel. They believed when this Messiah came, he would deliver the people from all evil, from the oppressive Roman rule, and would bring in an era of peace and rest. They believed he would be like King David ruling with a rod of iron.

But Jesus did not come to rule this world and conquer the Roman empire. Jesus came to conquer sin and death. And when Jesus did not fit what they thought Jesus should be or do for them, they rejected Him.

They pictured another King David on a big white horse and Jesus the Messiah was a humble man who rode a donkey to His death to give His life as a ransom for many.

This is what the prophet Isaiah says about the Messiah:

“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him”

Application

Don’t let your expectations of who you think Jesus should be, cause you to miss the Messiah. Don’t let this world teach you what it means to follow Jesus. Don’t let this world teach you who Jesus is.

Many people relate Jesus to some modern day hippie who ignores sin, offers forgiveness to anyone without any allegiance, and would never lift a finger of wrath or judgement.

Others think Jesus is a cruel God who wants to squash people and send everyone to hell. Both are wrong!

Jesus does not turn a blind eye to sin, He came to save us from sin! Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it! Jesus did not come to take our life away, but to give us new life in Him! And there is no better place to understand who Jesus is than from the pages of Scripture!

One of my greatest fears is that the many people who sit in church houses every Sunday morning are going to die and go to hell. Because they do not know the Jesus of the Bible. They have made Jesus something they want Him to be rather than who He claims to be.

What a tragedy to die and be the one to whom Jesus says, “Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness”.

The Coming of Jesus is rooted in OT promises

This is why Christianity is so trustworthy even to the skeptics or the agnostics. Muhammad had a revelation and Islam was born. Jospeh Smith claimed to meet an angel and Mormonism was born. Buddhism is based upon the teachings of one person who is dead. Those entire religions are based upon one man’s word. The Bible is is written by over 40 different men over a 1500 year period and they all say the same thing. How can that be?? Because God inspired ever word. It is His revelation to us!

Son of David

God made a promise to King David in 2 Samuel 7:12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

Ps 89:3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations.” Selah.

Ps 132:11 “The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.”

Is 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him”

All of these Scriptures are saying that a descendant of David is going to reign on the throne.

So we know that the Messiah is going to come from the house of David.

Son of Abraham

Gen 12:2-3 “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Gen 22:18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice”

Why does Matthew trace it back to Abraham?

Because it was from Abraham that the Messiah would come. Abraham was the father of faith. From Abraham would come this great nation. From Abraham would all the families of the earth be blessed!

Application: That is also why we must not neglect the OT

The NT is the unveiled OT. It really bothers me when I hear Christians speak of the OT as if it no longer valid to us today or as if it can be ignored. It cannot be ignored and it is the foundation for our faith! The OT validates who Jesus Christ is. Without the OT Jesus is just another Jewish man in history.

If you want to understand the Bible, you must read the entire Bible. Read the NT and then read the OT and then repeat. The OT will help you understand the NT and the NT will help you understand the OT. And your faith will grow by seeing pictures of Jesus in OT and prophecies fulfilled in the NT.

Notice this big long list of names that Matthew gives us. How many of you when you read this yesterday were tempted skip over it? Why does Matthew spend almost an entire chapter giving names that we can barely pronounce? Because he wants to show us that Jesus is whom all the OT promises pointed to! He wants to show us Jesus’ roots and how we can know He truly is the King Messiah.

Jesus is the rightful Heir to the throne

(v 2-17) “Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. 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.”

Let me point our as few things from this list of names that the Messiah must be.

He must be an authentic Jew

Remember what God told Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed”

Only the seed of Abraham could claim this role!

And Abraham was first called a Hebrew.

His blood line traces back to the founding father of the Jews: Abraham. Abraham gave birth to Isaac, who had Jacob, from whom came Israel, from whom came the Jewish people.

And this Jesus is not a gentile, nor a half Jew, but an authentic Jew that has roots all the way back to Abraham!

He must be from the line of David

Kings were not selected from ordinary people. Remember the king was chosen by God. The succeeding kings would come from the sons of the king.

We have seen that God promised David that His throne would endure forever meaning that he was the last appointed king by God.

So the Messiah had to come from the line of David. It could not come from anyone else.

And how does the line of David connect to Jesus? Through Joseph who was a descendent of David.

He must came at the perfect time

(v 17) Notice that Matthew adds that there were 14 generations 3 times.

Half of 14 is 7. And 7 is a very significant number is the Bible because it means perfection or “completeness”. Creation was a period of seven days, , If you have 3 fourteens you end up with 6 sevens.

Remember Matthew introduces this gospel as the “Book of Origin” reflecting back on God’s creation. The sequence of 6 sevens points to the coming seven, the climax of history when the time of fulfillment has come.

It shows that the period of preparation is now complete, and that the stage is set for the dawning of the time of fulfillment in the coming of the promised Messiah.

Application

What does all this mean?

Jesus is the only true King worthy of our worship. Nothing else on this earth can do for us what Jesus can do. Trump cannot compare, Biden cannot compare, our spouses cannot compare, our children cannot compare!

Jesus is the only one who has the right to own us. He is the only one who has the right to get our worship and praise.

Who do you worship? Who would you lay down your life for? Would you die for your children? Would you die for your spouse? None of these have that right over Jesus. This is what it means to worship Jesus!

Rom 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

The Miraculous Birth of Jesus

Matt 1:18

Matthew 1:18 NASB95

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’s pregnancy was of divine origin

Before Mary and Joseph came together. Before they had any intimacy, Mary was found pregnant. Now what would you do if you were Joseph? The culture of those days gave him every right to divorce her. How about if God laid on your heart to stay with her or him?

v 19 “And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 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.”

Jospeh had every right to leave, but he was part of God’s plan. See it was Joseph the son of David who would accept Jesus as his son. Had Joseph walked away from that divine calling, imagine how how much he would have missed out on.

Application: Joseph pretty much leaves the picture after Jesus’ childhood. Some scholars think he may have died, but nothing is certain. But every Christmas story recounts the life of Joseph.

God uses insignificant people for very big things. We do not always get to see the outworking of those things, but trust that God knows what He is doing. Don’t your contribution doesn’t matter and do not miss an opportunity to sacrifice for the Lord’s work.

His divine purpose

(v 21) “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Many people think Jesus is there to fix all their problems but that’s not why He came. And others think Jesus came to give them a glorious life in this world, but thats not why He came. Others think Jesus came to bring judgement and condemnation, but that is not why He came either.

“For He will save His people from their sins”. Why dod Jesus come? He came to save us! He came to do what no-one or nothing else can do! Nothing else can take away our sins and there is no greater need in this life than to have our sins forgiven!

In Christ alone we have forgiveness, peace, rest, relationship, a future, a purpose, and a hope that nothing can take away!

If you come to Christ, don’t come thinking He has to fix all your problems! He will fix the greatest problem that you have and the result of that will make many of your problems go away. But never forget the real treasure in Christ is not what He can give, but what He can take away. Only Jesus can take away our sins.

CONCLUSION

Who is Jesus? He is the Messiah. He is the hop[e of the entire world. he can give us what no one of no thing can! He is the most precious gift anyone could ever receive and He is what Christmas is truly about.

Business Meeting

Opening Prayer

Reading of last months minutes

Any Questions?

Vote to approve last months minutes

Treasurers Report

Any Questions?

Vote to approve the treasurers report

Unfinished Business?

New Business

Motion to buy Shirley a chair with handles

Discuss budget committee

Christine

Marvin

Darrel Crawford

Myself

Any other new business?

Meeting adjourned