Mary The Mother Of The Christ Series

MARY THE MOTHER OF THE CHRIST

Matt. 1: 16, 17 (P681) December 23, 2012

INTRODUCTION:

14 generations fro Abraham to David, then 14 generations from Kind David to the Jews exile in Babylon…and 14 generations from the exile to the birth of Jesus.

42 generations in all recorded in Matthew’s genealogy…this amazing genealogy includes your women… Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Mary.

It includes names you would know…like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…David, and his son Solomon…but it also includes names you read over very quickly in your “read through the bible in a year” journey…names like Jehoshaphat and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel…

Our text traces the line all the way to Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary…

If you’re really one of those people who love history and love genealogies...you can go back to Genesis chapter 5….”It’s the written account of Adams line all the way to Noah”…Genesis chapter 10 called, the table of nations…is the account of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s son (it’s a description of how the nations begin to be formed through the sons of Noah)…

And if you haven’t slipped into a genealogy “comma” yet…Genesis eleven records how “Shem’s line leads all the way to Abraham.

Biblically speaking you can trace by name from Adam to Jesus, the providential line from Sin to perfection…coincidently or possible “God incidentally” its 77 generations.

I’m often asked “why did Adam, Seth, Methuselah (969 yrs.) get to live so much longer….Adam lived 950 years?” I don’t know, but possible it’s because they were much closer to perfection…and after the flood God limited the number of years we would live to much fewer.

But for each of these generations…and through each of these people God was fulfilling a promise made to Adam and Eve after their sinful fall in the Garden of Eden….It’s found in God’s pronouncement to the serpent of Old in Gen. 3: 15 “The Lord God said to the Serpent…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.”

When we talk about Jesus Christ we need to understand Christ isn’t Jesus last name…it’s his title…it means, “Promised One.” Every Jewish man and woman anticipated, looked for…hoped for “the One that was promised to come…” the One who would establish His Kingdom and reign forever….you know…”the Son of David, “The son of Abraham.”

Matthew is clearly saying “Wait no longer…hope no longer….Mary, the wife of Joseph has given birth to Jesus…the promised one!

Jesus came through….

I A PROMISED BIRTH

Matt. 1: 18 “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.”

She is betrothed…promised to Joseph…It’s more than an engagement…it’s a covenant arrangement between families…Joseph’s family and Mary’s family ...especially her father or the male overseer of her clan..they don’t date and fall in love…they become of family and choose to love each other…neither family is wealthy…they are blue collar, Joseph is a carpenter…a man with calluses on his hands…but not on his heart.

Breaking this Covent wasn’t like severing a relationship today it required something more…”A certificate of divorce.” And Mary is pregnant…it’s not his child and he knows it…He could have made himself look innocent and butchered her “in the press”…their community…but we learn a lot about Joseph, even before a miraculous interposition.

Matt 1: 19

Joseph has a righteous heart….one in right relationship with God, so instead of “Public disgrace for Mary…He chooses quite protection…

But he will soon see how god is keeping His promises…and what part he would play….after Joseph has consider all his options…and devices a quite plan…God’s messenger intervenes.

Matt 1:20

I don’t know why God chose a “dream appearance” for Joseph and a “Gabriel face to face for Mary.” These are matter of faith…maybe Mary needed the real thing for all she was going to go through!

But both Mary and Joseph knew God’s promises. Both knew Isaiah the prophet had written…Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the Virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Micah the prophet even records his birthplace…

“But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Jerihath, out of you will come for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)

Joseph, son of David…don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife…This child is conceived through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph knows his heritage…it’s what will lead him to Bethlehem at the time of paying taxes…

Luke 2: 1-4 (p724)