An Inheritance of Forgiveness

Advent 2021  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  46:07
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Introduction

Second of Four Advent weeks
Last week we saw the prophecy, now we will examine the genealogy.
Matthew 1:1–17 ESV
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.
Author: Matthew
Audience: A primarily Jewish Audience
Content: The genealogy of Jesus from Abraham
Context: Abraham and David were the sources of covenants that are fulfilled in Jesus.
Comparison: The Luke Genealogy: Lk 3:23-38
Matthew 1:1 ESV
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew calls attention to two particular ancestors
What Abraham and David have in common are unconditional covenants made by God to be fulfilled well after they died.

The Abrahamic Covenant

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “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.”
Reaffirmed in Gen 15, when Abram says he is childless and his estate would pass to a member of the household.
Genesis 15:5–6 ESV
5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Reaffirmed
Genesis 17:4–7 ESV
4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
Finally
Genesis 22:16–18 ESV
16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

The Davidic Covenant

2 Samuel 7:12–13 ESV
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Restated in 1 Chron 17:11-12
1 Chronicles 17:11–12 ESV
11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.
This is what we observed last week in Jer 33.
Jeremiah 33:15 ESV
15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
The kingdom is to be established forever.

The Fulfillment In Jesus

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.
The Abrahamic Covenant is fulfilled and through Jesus all the families of the earth will be blessed.
The Davidic Covenant is fulfilled and through Jesus the throne of Israel is established forever.

The Genealogy

Why the endless list of names?

The Genealogy reveals Jesus as the rightful inheritor of God’s Kingdom.

First, as discussed, Matthew was undoubtedly tying Jesus to the covenants of Abraham and David.
If you have been reading the devotional “The Dawn of Redeeming Grace” by Sinclair Ferguson, you would have read this on Thursday:
The Dawn of Redeeming Grace
Ferguson notes: … He has sorted the names into three groups of 14 generations each… Why?… And why three groups of 14?
One attractive explanation is that to Matthew’s Jewish readers, the number 14 had special significance… To a Hebrew who loved numbers, 14 might well seem significant: it was King David’s number! In Hebrew his name was written D-V-D, using the consonants dalet (D), vav (V), dalet (D). In antiquity letters also denoted numbers (even today we might write the year 2021 using “Roman numerals” or letters: MMXXI). In the Hebrew alphabet dalet is the fourth letter; vav is the sixth letter. D-V-D therefore is 4 + 6 + 4 = 14.
Matthew goes out of his way to make the point that the number of generations is significant. In case we miss it, in verse 17 he tells us three times, notice the 14 generations. So did his first readers hear “David, David, David” playing in the background to these verses?
So Matthew has made specific allusion to God’s promises that Jesus is fulfilling.

The genealogy fulfills messianic prophecy.

Of the line of Abraham
Genesis 17:19 ESV
19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
Of the line of Judah
Genesis 49:10 ESV
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Of the line of David & Solomon
2 Samuel 7:13 ESV
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Born of a virgin
Isaiah 7:14 ESV
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:16 ESV
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

The genealogy is filled with stories declaring God’s grace and forgiveness.

Abraham - Adultery with Hagar, giving Sarah to Abimelech
Isaac - Gave Rebekah to Abimelech, favored Esau over Jacob
Good News: God can take the unrighteous work of our hands and fulfill His purposes.
Jacob - A liar and a coward
Good News: God can put the cowardly onto the solid rock of Jesus, where their feet falter no more.
Judah & Tamar & Perez & Zerah - Judah impregnates his widowed daughter-in-law and Perez and Zerah are the twins that are born.
Good News: God can save whole households of wickedness.
Ruth - A Moabitess. From a people of idolatry.
Good News: God can rescue the child raised knowing nothing but immorality.
David & Solomon - Great kings who each had massive failings. David has Solomon with the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba), and Solomon takes many wives and concubines.
Good News: God didn’t base his promises on David and Solomon being good enough.
There are many kings from this point, most are known for wickedness, few for true righteousness.
Of the few good kings, Josiah was anointed at a young age did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. And, yet, when the book of the law was brought before him and he heard its words he tore his clothes and wept and repented.
Good News: Even those raised in a Christian home must confess Jesus is Lord and be saved. And the same God who saved
Repent of your sins and ask God to lead you in the way everlasting.
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