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.”’””
David is thus the king thru whom the future Messiah was promised thru this Davidic Covenant, which signifies an eternal kingship. And because David’s line is actually completely exhausted with Jesus, there can never be any other claimant to this Messianic Kingship!
DAVIDIC Argumentation:
Mat. 22:41-46—“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’? “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” Recognize the Divine aspect of the Messianic King.
Mat. 12:23-28 “And all the multitudes were amazed & said, “Could this be the Son of David?” Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” But Jesus knew their thoughts, & said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, & every city or house divided against itself will not stand. “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
B:—ABRAHAMIC Covenant
Gen. 12:1-3—“Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.””
Gen. 22:16-18—“& said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, & have not withheld your son, your only son-- “blessing I will bless you, & multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven & as the sand which is on the seashore; & your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.””
This promise is directly reiterated at least 4X in the OT.
Thru the Jews by Jesus this “blessing” comes!
ABRAHAMIC Argumentation:
Acts 3:22-26—““For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. ‘And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ “Yes, & all the prophets, from Samuel & those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. “You are sons of the prophets, & of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.””
Gal. 3:7-18—“Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), *that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham & his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred & thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”
Argumentation:
NT APPROPRIATION:
Mat. 16:13-20—“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, & others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered & said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered & said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh & blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, & on this rock I will build My church, & the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, & whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.”
*Jesus is the culmination of both the Davidic & Abrahamic Covenants. The eternal King & The source of blessing for the entire world!
Illustration:
Marriage Covenant/Vows/COVENANT
Application:
?Is Jesus the Messianic King by COVENANT for You? Why? Why not?
?Is Jesus the Messianic King for You?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
What does Christmas mean to you?
?Secular, holiday songs & stories epitomize & convey your reality?
Action:
Jesus is uniquely the Messianic King by...
1. COVENANT(:1)
Presented12/11/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
