JESUS The MESSIANIC KING-III—Matthew 1:1-17
Attention:
Time To Go:
Esther had a heart attack & was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a dream, during which she saw God & asked if this was the end for her.
God said, "No" & explained that she had another 25years to live.
As soon as she had recovered, Esther figured that since she had another 25years, she might as well stay in the hospital & have a face-lift, liposuction, breast augmentation & tummy tuck that she had always promised herself. So she did & she even changed the color of her hair!
Some weeks later, as Esther was leaving the hospital, she was knocked over & killed by a car.
When Esther arrived in front of God, she asked, "I thought you said I had another 25years?"
God replied, “Sorry about that, but I didn't recognize you.”
There has never & will never be a problem identifying God’s promised Messianic King, as Jesus of Nazareth & vice-versa!
The awesome mystery surrounding the magnificence of Christ's taking on human flesh to redeem mankind for God's works & heaven, is worth celebrating on a personal level all year, & even to the point of outlandish celebration!
Need:
You may be asking yourself, ?Can I ever consider myself as part of the church? You may be telling yourself that, ‘I’m just not good enough.’ ‘My past is too much of an obstacle to ever be accepted in a church.’...
*That kind of thinking will keep you in bondage! I want you to listen today & know that God can use even you, ‘warts & all.’!
Matthew’s audience is provided a telling look at Jesus’ right to Messianic rule.
Jesus is uniquely the Messianic King.
But Why is Jesus uniquely the Messianic King?
OR
What makes Jesus uniquely the Messianic King?
How do we know that Jesus is uniquely the Messianic King?
Last time we were in Matthew Chapter 1, we discovered that Jesus is uniquely the Messianic King by...
1. COVENANT(:1)
2. COVENANTAL CONTINUANCE(:2-16)
Today we’ll find that:
3-a—Jesus is also uniquely the Messianic King by...
INCLUSION(:3)(:5, 6, 16)
Explanation: (:3) Grace/Forgiveness
“Matthew could have highlighted Jesus’ connection to Sarah, Rebecca, & Rachel, the matriarchs of Israel. But instead, he mentions Canaanites, prostitutes, & Moabite women, who would be associated with Israel’s sin & covenant failure.”—BibleProject.com in ‘Jesus & Genealogies’
The inclusion of 5 women(here Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsehba, Mary) is both “unnecessary & unusual in Jewish genealogies.”—Craig Blomberg
By Matthew’s adding them, their stories become significant to his audience, including ourselves.
A common factor among all 5 of the women mentioned, is that the circumstances of their being accepted as legitimate ancestors or progenitors, becomes questionable. The strength/veracity of their witness is potentially marred, being surrounded by & tainted by “suspicions of illegitimacy”, in the eyes of humanity.
TAMAR(:3):
:3—“Judah begot Perez & Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, & Hezron begot Ram.”
“by Tamar”—
Judah’s, or rather “Perez’ ” genealogical entry is different in that his mother is listed.
Perez’ mother is “Tamar,” who is a noteworthy person known by having craftily tricked her lying, debaucherous father-in-law(“Judah”) into an illicit, one-time, sexual relationship as she posed as a practicing harlot. This shamefully contorted & sordid event, recorded in Gen. 38, produced Perez(& “Zerah” his twin).
In Gen. 38, the focal point of recording/relating the embarrassing events surrounding Tamar’s conception, “is the succession of Judah’s family, which is jeopardized by the behavior of the men of the household.”—Kenneth A. Matthews in ‘Genesis’ of NAC
Gen 38:1-10—“It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, & visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, & he married her & went in to her. So she conceived & bore a son, & he called his name Er. She conceived again & bore a son, & she called his name Onan. And she conceived yet again & bore a son, & called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, & her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, & the LORD killed him. And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife[Tamar] & marry her, & raise up an heir to your brother.” But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; & it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.”
Gen. 38:11-19—“Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.”[?perhaps Judah had married-off Er sooner than he should have?] And Tamar went & dwelt in her father’s house. Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; & Judah was comforted, & went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he & his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil & wrapped herself, & sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, & she was not given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. Then he turned to her by the way, & said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?” Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” So she said, “Your signet & cord, & your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, & went in to her, & she conceived by him. So she arose & went away, & laid aside her veil & put on the garments of her widowhood...””
Gen. 38:24-27—“And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.” So Judah said, “Bring her out & let her be burned!” When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are--the signet & cord, & staff.” So Judah acknowledged them & said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again. Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb.”
Those sordid historical facts also remind us that the Bible is indeed truth! If someone were trying to 'blur the lines of reality,' they would have no doubt intentionally painted a much softer picture. However the Bible presents God’s truth, & man’s rebelliousness in relation to that truth, in it’s pure, unadulterated, & shocking glory!
*So when we discover that your ancestors were thieves & murderers & the like, don’t let that keep you from trusting that the Lord God can use you now to do His will now!...
Remember the Messiah was eventually produced thru such sinful situations as you yourself have been involved with!...
This does not mean that God wants your sinful situations to remain unchanged ‘sinful situations.’ After all, Jesus died to remove sin from our lives!
*Don’t ever think that God cannot use you to honor Him!...In fact, your ‘sinful sordid past’ inevitably colors & draws out God’s work in your witness today!
1Cor. 5:11—6:11—“But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?[of the Church] But those who are outside[not of the Church] God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”” “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, & not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, & that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong & cheat, & you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus & by the Spirit of our God.”
Illustration:
River water has a large number of impurities in it—chemicals & organisms/It should not be drunk without proper treatment/Raw river water can be run thru a series of physical & chemical steps, by which impurities that are dangerous to physical life, are removed/The end result is necessary for life‚pure water!/The dirty water is INCLUDED knowing that it can be scrubbed!
Like dirty water, Your PAST failures should NEVER keep you from participation in the work of the Kingdom of God!
•God overcomes your past failures. God uses your failures as glaring examples of a life changed. That life is changed by His working in you. And thru your allowing God to work in you thru Christ Jesus, then the lives of others become awakened to God thru Christ Jesus!
With the ‘Exclusive Inclusion’ found in Jesus Christ, God’s grace takes precedence!
Application:
?Does Jesus the Messianic King’s INCLUSION compel YOU to give Him precedence & thus glory in your life?
?Why? ?Why not?
?Is Jesus the true Messianic King?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
There is no VIABLE question as to the Christ's identity.
But remember that the face-lift, liposuction, breast augmentation, & tummy tuck made the woman unrecognizable!
Being enamored with the things of this world makes you unrecognizable as a Christian...
And that makes Jesus unrecognizable to a lost world that is headed for hell!
?Church, What does a ‘New Year’ mean to you?
?Do secular celebrations of it convey your reality?...
...?Or rather, is God’s awesome truth confirmed in your reality?
Action:
Jesus is uniquely the Messianic King by...
3. INCLUSION(:3, 5, 6, 16)
a.-Tamar(:3)
1. COVENANT(:1)
2. COVENANTAL CONTINUANCE(:2-16)
Pt.#3-a only! Presented 01/03/2020am to:
1BCCbelle(Video to YouTube shared to Facebook @ ‘Byron Sherman’ & ’First Baptist Church Carrabelle’)
206 SE Ave. A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 2-4 Presented12/11/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
