Why You Should Put Your Absolute Trust In Jesus

Introduction

Read the Text—”The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”— Mt 1:1 (ESV)

Pray

There are two timelines for us to examine here:

The first timeline is when Matthew wrote this Gospel (in the first century, covering events between roughly 5 B.C. and A.D. 33). Roughly two-thousand years in the past from where we are. Scholars think that this Gospel was probably written about A.D. 60-70, which means Matthew is talking about events that happened roughly over thirty years in the past for him.

The second timeline is where you and I are today. The twenty-first century.

Let’s take a look at the first timeline. In the first century we are looking at Palestine. This region at one time was ruled by God’s people, the Israelites. But in 587 B.C. Babylon destroys the temple of Solomon and the people of Judah and the the capital, Jerusalem, are taken into captivity for 70 years. In Approximately 475 B.C. there will be one final prophet to speak on God’s behalf, Malachi, and then over 400 years will pass where there is no prophetic word from God. The heaven is brass it seems to the people of Israel. They struggle along, trying to survive and retake their land, but it never endures. In 63 B.C. Rome conquers Palestine and will rule over it for generations to come. Actually, by the time we fast forward to the first-century A.D., Rome has been in power over 90 years. Rome is a pagan nation which worships multiple false gods. In fact, they erect stations throughout the cities with shrines to their emperors demanding that people offer incense and sacrifices in worship to the emperors as gods. The people of Israel are beaten down. They’ve rebelled against their conquerors time and time again, and time and time again they’ve been reconquered. The promises of a Messiah coming who would lead them to victory against the idolaters still stirs the embers of some hearts, but some doubt they will ever know freedom from oppression and experience the blessing promised to Abraham and his descendants. Some are disenfranchised, and some still hold to the dream of a glimmer of a hope. They’re hoping someone will rise up and lead them to victory against Rome. That a man some where, some how will be able to help them fix this life and make it the way it was meant to be.

Now fast forward to today. We live in uncertain times. Here in the United States our government structure is unstable and unpredictable, we have no idea what our leadership will do next, our culture is arguing for a morality that changes with the sinful desires of the individual (what I want as an individual person is most important), our economy is continually fluctuating on the edge of moderate stability and complete disaster, and we are facing a pandemic that has been active for almost two solid years, taking the lives of loved ones and seeming to leave our lives in a type of holding pattern. Most people seem to be alternating between an attitude of pessimism and hopelessness. Often times during hardship we tend to ask extremely deep questions in our own heart, but fail to take the time and consult the appropriate sources to answer those questions. In a state of panic, fear, frustration, stress, or hopelessness we answer our heart’s questions with only our own flawed, sinful, limited understanding of our existence in the universe. We wonder why life is so messed up.

We don’t know who to trust. We keep hoping that presidents, senators, state officials, law enforcement,…somebody will be able to pick up the pieces of this mess and finally get things on track. We hope they’ll do the right thing, stand against injustice, confront wickedness, help us out,…but when push comes to shove it seems like the main agenda being pushed is “whatever is good for me is what matters. What makes me feel good. What is going to help me survive.” Every person comes and goes and may do some good along the way but it all ends up falling right back into a heap of dashed dreams and broken hopes.

But I have some good news. And it’s the same good news that the people of the first century in Palestine needed to hear. The good news is that you won’t find an answer in humanity alone. Search the scientific fields, search artistic fields, search in books, movies, conversation, wherever you want and the only solutions you find are temporary and fleeting. Sure, we make an advancement here, experience a minor break through there, but all in all, if we’re honest, it all ends up being the same old thing. In fact that Bible even talks to us about this.

“18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. 21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”—Ec 2:18–23 (NLT)

So you say to me, “I thought you said you had good news. This doesn’t sound like good news.” You’d be right except for one thing. It’s true that there isn’t any hope of ever finding any genuine peace, hope, love, goodness, or justice in humanity alone. We’re just too far gone, too broken...But we weren’t meant to find hope in what this world offers. 1 John 2:17 says, “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (ESV)

The Bible says there isn’t anything you can find in this life that can be trusted to get you through to the end and truly be satisfied. Careers, retirement, money, health, relationships, etc…all end up failing to fill the void and bring meaningful hope. John writes that the will of God will abide forever. God’s desires are what will ultimately stand the test of time. But what is the will of God? Jesus tells us in John 6:40—“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” This is the point of the message this morning: You should put your absolute trust in Jesus. I’ll say that again. You should put your absolute trust in Jesus. Not just some of it. Not just the parts of your life that are easy convenient or not important. I’m saying that God’s Word tells us that all our trust must belong to Jesus. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." But what does this have to do with the problems we’re facing in our government, economy, in our corporate and personal lives? What does trusting Jesus have to do with my life here and now? I want to give you four reasons you should put your absolute trust in Jesus today. They are all found in the one verse we read right at the beginning. Let’s look at it again: Matthew 1:1—“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Here’s the point of the message today:

Thesis—You should put your absolute trust in Jesus because he is the only one who brings salvation, deliverance, leadership, and the blessings of God.

Why Jesus Deserves Our Absolute Trust

You should put your absolute trust in Jesus because he is the only one who brings salvation.

The meaning of “Jesus”.

Jesus is the transliteration of the Greek name Ἰησοῦς, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew name יְהוֹשׁוּעַ, which in English is Joshua. The name means, “The Lord saves.”

What would this mean to a Jewish audience? The divine Son of God didn’t come to earth to simply fix the economy, stabilize the government, destroy the Romans, and give Israel all their land back. Jesus came for a much deeper and much more important purpose. Jesus came to reconcile us to God. All of humanity has sinned against God and those sins have broken our relationship to God. Isaiah 59:2 says, “...but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” And Romans 3:19 tells us that, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” Most Jews were looking for someone to deliver them from Rome, but no one was expecting someone to come who would be able to forgive sins completely. The sacrificial system that the Jews had been using for centuries didn’t wash sins away, it simply covered them or atoned for them. But they had to keep offering sacrifices all the time to maintain relationship with God. Hebrews 10:11-14 says, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,...” This would have been extremely hard for a Jewish person to process. Instead of the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrificial system continuing, God had come in human form to make a final sacrifice of Himself to provide the way for God’s people to be made right with Him. Jesus didn’t come to conquer physical enemies for a physical kingdom alone. He came to conquer sin and death, reunite God’s people to Himself, and establish God’s eternal kingdom both spiritually now and physically in the future. It’s not about the Jews getting Palestine back. It’s about God getting His creation back!

What does this mean to us in 2021? We need someone to deliver us. This means that you and I today often have our hearts desire in the wrong place. We want to see God “make America great again”, stabilize the economy, heal all the sickness, get rid of all the wickedness, so on and so on. While God intends to make all those things right, they are secondary to why Jesus came. He came to seek and save the lost. Each of us needs to be reconciled, made right with our Creator. We are sinners, rebels, and enemies of God. God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against the ungodly and we face a day of judgment without any hope, unless we turn to Jesus. If we trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection we have sure and solid hope that we are truly forgiven of our sins, are made right with God, and have eternal life! That’s the first reason you should absolutely trust Jesus!

You should put your absolute trust in Jesus because he is the only one who brings deliverance.

The meaning of “Christ”. The name Christ is a transliteration of the Greek word Χριστός, which is also a transliteration of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means “Anointed One.” A person who was anointed was separated out from the rest of the people by God for a special purpose. In the OT people were anointed with oil as an outward sign of their separation from the group and their dedication to God’s special purposes. Jesus was the ultimate Anointed One because He was set apart for the ultimate purpose of reconciling man to God and ushering God’s kingdom which will last forever!

What would this mean to a Jewish audience? Logos Bible Software describes the meaning of Messiah as “A future deliverer and savior who would rescue his people and usher in a time of prosperity and blessing."

The Bible gives many clues as to the purpose of the Messiah:

Genesis 3:15 (NIV) “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 49:8–12—“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

Deuteronomy 18:15, 18—The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him...I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.

Jeremiah 23:5–6—“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.

Micah 5:1–5—Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace...”

The Jews were looking for a man like them who deliver them from the physical enemies. But Jesus’ kingdom was not of the this world, and while Jesus will ultimately rule over everything, He did not come to destroy Israel’s physical enemies, but humanity’s spiritual enemies (sin and death).

What does this mean to us in 2021? We someone to deliver us. Most humans are focused on allegiances to other humans that are just as flawed and just as broken as they are. We don’t need deliverance from our problems, we need deliverance from ourselves. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:16-18—So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” The Kingdom of God is both here now in the present and coming to fruition in the future. Christ’s ministry, life, death, and resurrection ushered in God’s Kingdom. He came to deliver God’s people from every bondage. That means anything that keeps us from being the people God created us to be. We are created in God’s image to reflect His glory. Sin tainted that image in us, but through Jesus we are being restored to the state that we were meant to be in from the start. Christ delivers us from the destruction of sin and frees us to live for God in holiness and righteousness. We may face compromised political powers, broken economies, sickness, death, disappointment and any other number of sufferings. Jesus says in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” 1 Peter 4:13-19 says, “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

You should put your absolute trust in Jesus because he is the only one who brings leadership.

The meaning of the phrase “son of David”.

What would this to a Jewish audience? In 2 Samuel 7:12, and 16 it speaks to us about a covenant that God made with king David. “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...And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” In the immediate context this passage is referring to actions of Solomon, David’s son, who would build the temple for God’s presence to dwell among the people of Israel. However, this verse also refers to a man who would establish David’s throne forever. The OT continually reflects back on this promise and shows glimpses of what this king’s reign will be like. Psalm 89:3–4 says, “You have said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah. Isaiah 9:6–7 speaks of this king by saying, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” The Jewish people were waiting for a king who would lead them, but not to what they expected. Php. 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

What does this mean to us in 2021? We need someone to lead us. My personal autonomy isn’t what matters. It’s not about my feelings, or what I want, or fulfilling my dreams. Paul tells us, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”—Php 3:7–11.

You should put your absolute trust in Jesus because he is the only one who brings the blessings of God.

The meaning of “son of Abraham”.

What would this mean to a Jewish audience? The Jewish people revered Abraham because he was the founding Patriarch of the Jewish people. In Genesis 12:3 God made a promise to Abraham that “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.” This was one of the foundational promises that the Jewish people hoped in. But many of their hearts were only focused on the betterment of their personal circumstances or at best the circumstances of their nation. But Jesus ultimately died to save the world, not just Jewish people. Gentiles, those who were considered unclean, were to be welcomed into God’s family. Jews couldn’t fathom that God would allow Gentiles, non-Jews, to be part of His chosen people. The ironic thing is that Jesus came first to the Jews because they were God’s chosen people. However, when they rejected Him He opened the door to everyone. John 1:11-13 says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

What does this mean to us in 2021? We need someone who can truly bless us with what we need. Galatians 3:15–29 (ESV) 15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Conclusion

Thesis—You should put your absolute trust in Jesus because he is the only one who brings salvation, deliverance, leadership, and the blessings of God.