Skeletons in the Closet
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· 18 viewsJesus' family tree is a less than stellar lineup of ancestors. They were very broken, perhaps like your family tree. Looking at the history of where Jesus comes from fills us with home to know that our past does not need to haunt us. Jesus can bless us to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil
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False Gosple
Want to focus
True Gospel.
See Jesus
Book of Matthew
First thing...
Genealogies...
Most gain nothing.
we will glean much.
First little story...
The Rockefeller family is considered to be one of the most philanthropic families in the world, helping humanity globally in issues like economics, religion, education and environmental affairs. Yet the Rockefeller family tree is filled with many skeletons.
William Avery Rockefeller, "Big Bill," was a con man, womanizer and a thief of a traveling salesman. He advertised himself as a "Celebrated Cancer Specialist" and hawked "herbal remedies" and other bottled medicine charging $25 a bottle, a sum the equivalent to two month's wages. He often posed as "deaf and dumb" as he scammed others. He fled from a number of indictments for horse stealing, eventually living under an assumed name. He married Eliza Davison in 1837, and shortly thereafter brought Nancy Brown home, as a "housekeeper" who became an alternate lover and who also bore his children.
As the saying goes, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. His son, John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) was proclaimed to be the "most ruthless American" selling bootleg liquor to Federal troops at a high profit, which gained him the initial capital to embark into oil. In 1870 he and others incorporated their petroleum holdings into the Standard Oil Company (Ohio) and then either bought out his competitors or drove them out of business. By 1881, he had a near monopoly of the petroleum industry in the United States. By 1897, he had turned his interests toward philanthropy, funding the Baptist Church, the YMCA, and founding and endowing the University of Chicago with more than $80 million. He endowed major philanthropic institutions, and finally established the Rockefeller Foundation (1913), to promote public health and to further the medical, natural, and social sciences.
Maybe there are skeletons in your closet, too: embarrassing family members with a checkered past who have missed the mark in God's eyes. The story of the Rockefellers remind us that everyone has skeletons in their closets. But while some may have fallen short of God's will for their lives, no one is beyond redemption.
Jesus had them too...
Let’s take a look:
Eve
Eve
Luke 3:38 (ESV)
the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Didn’t mention it
but also
son of Eve.
Eve
first woman
first sinner.
Can’t start much
worse than that.
Some say
Adam
first male sinner.
There was a difference
Paul says:
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
Adam not deceived.
maybe worse
but understood.
chose to sin.
Adam did not
believe lies
of Satan.
Eve did
she wanted
“be like gods”
“knowing good and evil”
enlightenment
The actual result
God promised
hurt
pain
death.
Thankfully
story does not end.
First gospel promise.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Eve did not deserve it.
deserved death.
Promised life!!!
Genealogy of Jesus:
story of:
Gospel of Grace
Continuing Genealogy:
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah’s story...
not too pretty.
Judah not oldest
Reuben should have
gotten birthright.
Jacob passed him
sin with step-mom.
Judah...
Jesus is called
Lion of tribe of Judah
Judah not much better.
Story of:
Tamar
Tamar
story not found in
children’s story books...
and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
Judah had 3 sons
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.
Put to death
Unknown reason.
She likely Canaanite
Deut 25 Rules
Brother marries wife.
Why?
Second Son
also wicked
Bible says reason
read yourself.
God kills him too.
3rd Son
too young to marry
promises her...
but doesn’t
Dresses like prostitute
Judah’s wife dead
lonely.
No money to pay
collateral
signet, cord, staff.
About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.
Called incest.
brother required
father not allowed.
She deserved death.
Judah did too.
Horrible story
great story.
Story of grace.
Tamar in family
because of the
Gospel of Grace
Rahab
Rahab
and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
Rahab
most know story.
I’ll tell it.
Skip to punchline:
She is called
Josh 6:25 --
“Rahab the prostitute”
Conquest of Canaan
City of Jericho
2 Spies
Rehab hides them
and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
Save my family
agreement
And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
Not mere preservation.
Not business transaction.
Coming to faith.
Giving of grace.
She becomes believer!
Canaanite
Wicked
Sinner
Prostitute
Grace.
Great grandma
King David!!
Gospel of Grace
Lineage of Grace
Ruth
Ruth
and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
Ruth
book about her story.
From Moab.
Famine in Israel
Marries Ruth
dies.
Ruth returns with Naomi
Further back in history...
Lot and Daughters
Sodom and Gomorrha.
Thought last living
And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth.
Need to create baby.
incest.
“No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,
Oddly,
Ruth is grandma
King David
Great Grandma of
King Solomon
Built Temple!
Skeletons in closet
brokenness
Story of
Gospel of Grace
The Wife of Uriah
The Wife of Uriah
and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
Know this story.
David multiple wives.
bored one day.
On roof.
sees woman bathing.
wants her...
And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
David know him
personal friend
great soldier
Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.
Last on list of
David’s Mighty Men
Betrayed Personal Friend
Bathsheba no option
Rape...
Murder of Uriah
to cover the sin...
Solomon’s Parents
David and Bathsheba
Union of Sin.
Jesus Family...
Getting picture???
These mess up
people
stories
These are Jesus family!!!
Gospel of Grace
People come to me
“I’m lost”
“can’t be saved”
“too wicked”
These repentant sinner
Jesus ancestors.
If they can make it.
if they can repent.
so can you
so can I!
Gospel of Grace
You see
family of Jesus
like your family
broken.
The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour's sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life. DA 48.6
Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life's peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.
Manasseh
Manasseh
Others were women.
He is worst.
Takes the cake
wickedness.
Guess What?
He is on the list!!!
and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,
Worst of worst.
For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
Idol worship
in temple.
immorality
sacrificed sons
witchcraft
sorcery
Not end of story!
Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
Hardship comes
turns to God
Repents of sin.
Highhanded sin
not sacrifice
not in torah...
Story of
Gospel of Grace
Paul
Great apostle said:
This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” —and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Worst sinner!
Grace for the Worst!
Story of:
Gospel of Grace
Mary
Mary
and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
Joseph and Mary
not bad.
But looked very bad.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
“I’m pregnant by HS.”
Joseph doesn’t believe...
Breaking engagement...
Angel comes
says it’s true.
Other onlookers
never believe.
Later Jesus
argument with Jesus
want to kill him.
Jew claim
Father Abraham
Jesus says
Father is Satan
Jews fight back...
Jesus says:
You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
They accuse him
born out of wedlock
child without father.
child of Mary...
Actually true.
they don’t believe.
They attacked Jesus
skeletons in closet.
People say:
“My family is messed up.”
“My family is broken.”
“I experience trauma.”
“I’m most wicked.”
Your family is broken.
So is mine.
Join the family!
Family of Jesus!
Family of Grace!
Gospel of Grace
Not most wicked
stand in line
behind
Manasseh
Paul
Me.
Amazing that he lets
any of us
into family.
Brings me to my
final point.
You and I
You and I
Guess who else
gets to be
in family true.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
We are his children
broken
sinner
Yet,
amazingly
being transformed.
changing
different!
That is the story:
Gospel of Grace
You Got Baggage
I got baggage
Generational Sin
3rd and 4th generation
Hereditary sin!!!
what to do???
Review and Herald February 17, 1910: A Lesson in Health Reform
Only as we become partakers of the divine nature can we overcome our hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil.
What to overcome
broken family
human family.
Family of Christ
Indwelling Spirit
Power to
Rewrite your story.
That is the story of
Gospel of Grace