A King Is Born—in A Dysfunctional Family Series

A King is Born—In a Dysfunctional Family

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

6 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.

Introduction:

Good morning! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. While we don’t need a special day to show gratitude, Thanksgiving is something I absolutely love.

It’s a time to reflect on all we’re thankful for—and to enjoy some of my favorite things: family, friends, and food!

But let’s be honest—the Holidays can be tough.

They’re not always picture-perfect, especially when you’re a sincere believer surrounded by family and friends who may not share your faith.

Have you ever felt like your family was… complicated?

Maybe even a little dysfunctional?

After Thanksgiving, how many of you would say, “Yep, my family is definitely dysfunctional”?

For those not raising your hands… maybe it’s because you’re the reason your family is dysfunctional!

But seriously, family tension, politics, misunderstandings, and broken relationships are all too common.

And the truth is, no family is perfect—including the family Jesus was born into!

As we step into this Christmas season, I am starting a new series titled “A King is Born.”

Looking at the the world and surroundings Jesus stepped into.

This week, we’ll take a closer look at the story of Jesus’ birth—not the sanitized, Hallmark version we often see this time of year, but the raw, real, and messy version.

When we look at Jesus’ genealogy, we don’t find a lineup of saints and heroes.

Instead, we see liars, outsiders, adulterers, and even murderers.

And yet, through this dysfunctional family, God brought forth the Savior of the world.

If you’ve ever felt like your family situation disqualifies you, or that your past makes you unworthy, I have good news: God specializes in turning dysfunction into destiny.

Jesus’ family tree is proof that He can redeem and use anyone for His purpose.

Look at Matthew 1… and no we are not going to read it all, but lets look at the first six verses.

Matthew 1:1–6 NLT

1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram.

4 Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse.

6 Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).

I encourage you to read the whole genealogy and study the names of the people—find out about their lives.

In doing so, you will see that this genealogy of Jesus is not a list of perfect people.

Rather, it is a tapestry of broken lives and messed-up people woven together by God’s grace.

Today we are briefly going to look at the stories of Rahab, Ruth, and David.

Showing us that God’s plan is for everyone—dysfunctional families, broken people, and even outsiders.

Jesus’ family tree shows that God can redeem and use anyone, no matter how broken their past.

God Redeems Broken Stories

1. God redeems the broken stories of people and gives them a position in His eternal plan.

a. Let’s start with Rahab.

Matthew 1:5 NLT

5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).

Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).

Obed was the father of Jesse.

a. Her inclusion reminds us that our worst mistakes don’t define us—God’s grace does.

b. Rahab was a woman who lived in Jericho who was a prostitute.

c. When you consider what manner of woman she was, one may determine that her life choices are far from the example of what we may expect in the lineage of a King, much less… Jesus, the King of Kings.

d. Rahab’s actions of faith, though unconventional, were honored by God.

e. Her story is one of redemption.

f. When the Israelite spies in Joshua 2 came to Jericho, with intentions to attack it, their paths crossed with this woman, whose occupation was a sex worker.

g. Worse than that, she was a GENTILE sex worker.

Joshua 2:1 NLT

1 Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.