Jesus The Messianic King(2011)-1

JESUS The MESSIANIC KING-I—Matthew 1:1-17

Attention:

For many, Christmas is about the change of physical seasons. With our sentiments being stirred by specific & secular, holiday songs & stories. White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, & of course the Night Before Christmas.

But none of these even approach the magnificent mystery of Christ’s taking on human flesh to redeem us for God’s works & heaven!

Those secular appropriations are a paltry attempt by the lost, to redeem the celebration for themselves.

Need:

Jesus was no doubt a very intelligent teacher. But What is so special about Him?

Is there any evidence for what the Church believes about Him?

Matthew’s audience is provided a telling look at Jesus’ right to Messianic rule.

Jesus is uniquely the Messianic King.

Why is Jesus uniquely the Messianic King?

OR

What makes Jesus uniquely the Messianic King?

5 qualifiers making Jesus uniquely the Messianic King.

1—Jesus is uniquely the Messianic King by...

COVENANT(:1)

Explanation: (:1) Forebears/Ancestors

:1—“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:”

This portion of Matthew’s gospel is a “book” of Jesus’ genealogy. This particular “Jesus” in question is Jesus the “Christ”(:17) or Messiah or Anointed One.

“Matthew’s intent is not to have the reader digress into a study of each person listed, but is to show that all of these persons point to the royalty of Christ.”—John MacArthur

This genealogy serves much the same purpose as that of Adam thru Seth in Gen. 4:25—5:32. That genealogy’s focus is to not list everyone but to reveal the undetected path thru which God’s providence produced a savior in Noah.

The Jews were sticklers for maintaining their genealogies due to the fact that their entire religious, ceremonial & civil lifestyles were built around tribal familial kinships.

This Jesus, who is Christ, also has a viable Hebrew pedigree. He is the “son of David” as well as “of Abraham.” These are two obvious progenitors/benchmarks/hallmarks in establishing Judaic history. Such a pedigree, particularly in regard to kingship, would garner the person great respect.

*Both David & Abraham are the two progenitors thru whom the crux of Messianic expectation originates.

Though David follows Abraham by 12 generations (or rather 14 per :17 including Abraham & David). Matthew finds it of great importance, to record for his audience, that first & foremost, “Jesus Christ” is “the son of David.”

And why does Matthew state that David is the son of Abraham(by genealogy)—which he indeed is—something he restates thru the actual genealogy below(:2-6)? It is to emphasize the genealogy’s purpose.

The purpose is to show Matthew’s audience that Jesus is the true King of Israel. In His being that King, He is obviously the promised Anointed One(Messiah) of God!

A:—DAVIDIC Covenant

David plays heavily into Jewish identification. David was the first the king of Israel who was a man after God’s own heart(1Sam. 13:14).

1Sam. 13:14—““But now your[Saul] kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, & the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.””

Acts 13:21-22—““And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony & said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’”

Please keep in mind David sinned horribly against God. Yet generally speaking, David’s heart was aligned with God. His heart compelled David to seek the desire of God...to repent & act appropriately.

Just as importantly & probably more pertinent to Matthew’s purpose, David is promised an eternal kingdom.

2Sam. 7:12-16—““When your[David’s] days are fulfilled & you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you[Solomon], who will come from your body, & I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, & I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, & he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men & with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house & your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”’””

1 Chron. 17:11-14—““And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; & I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build Me a house, & I will establish his throne forever. “I will be his Father, & he shall be My son; & I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him[Saul] who was before you. “And I will establish him in My house & in My kingdom forever; & his throne shall be established forever.”’””