Introduction

Consider beginning the message by highlighting some of culture’s unlikely heroes. There are pop culture icons like Chesley Sullenbeger (airplane pilot), Zanjeer the Labrador (rescue dog) and Rosa Parks (activist). Consider animated heroes like Carl Fredrickson in UP, Remy in Ratatouille and Marlin in Finding Nemo. Lastly, think about a personal experience when you’ve known someone to be a hero and least expected it. The common thread for each of these examples is that their heroism came as a surprise. Not because there was lack of potential, but because the potential was not recognized until their heroic acts unfolded.

Today we begin a 4-week series called Matthew: Discover the Kingdom. Over the next few weeks we’ll be looking at the Kingdom that God established through His son and the implications of the Kingdom for all man-kind.

Let’s begin the journey in the same place Jesus did; as a baby born in a manger.

Let’s begin the journey in the same place Jesus did; as a baby born in a manger.

Main Teaching

Some of the most amazing heroes come from unlikely places.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in his mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:18-21 NIV

Admittedly, this is not exactly the way you’d imagine the saviour of all mankind beginning His story. His mother, Mary, was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph was going to divorce her quietly but an angel sent from the Lord intervened and revealed to him that Jesus would be the messiah they’d been waiting for.

This within itself would have been shocking and contrary to what you might consider to be the origins of King Jesus. This takes place as a fulfilment of prophecy as well as proof that the baby to be born is of God and not of man. The book of Matthew was written specifically to Jewish people as a proof that Jesus was indeed the Messiah King. Most would say that the hero of the universe would have taken on the form of anything else besides a baby. But we know that God has been raising people up from unlikely places since the very beginning.

In Deuteronomy 7:6-7 we learn that God chose Israel not because they were an abundant nation but because they were an insignificant one.

Out of this group of insignificant people God chose the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd boy, to be the King of all Israel. His name was David, and he also happens to be the great-great-great grandfather of Joseph, the man who would eventually become the earthly father of the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus.

Heroism can take on many forms and can arise from the most obscure places ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium