Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.09UNLIKELY
Fear
0.08UNLIKELY
Joy
0.64LIKELY
Sadness
0.5LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.53LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.91LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.55LIKELY
Extraversion
0.3UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.61LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.59LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction
Second of Four Advent weeks
Last week we saw the prophecy, now we will examine the genealogy.
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 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
Reaffirmed in Gen 15, when Abram says he is childless and his estate would pass to a member of the household.
Reaffirmed
Finally
The Davidic Covenant
Restated in 1 Chron 17:11-12
This is what we observed last week in Jer 33.
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
Of the line of Judah
Of the line of David & Solomon
Born of a virgin
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.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9