The Son Of Abraham Series

Introduction

When Robert Moffat, the Scottish missionary to South Africa, came back to recruit helpers in his homeland, he was greeted by the fury of a cold British winter. Arriving at the church where he was to speak, he noted that only a small group had braved the elements to hear his appeal. What disturbed him, even more, was that there were only ladies in attendance that night, for he had chosen as his text Proverbs 8:4, “To you, O men, I call.”

In his disappointment, he almost failed to notice one small boy in the loft who had come to work the bellows of the organ. Dr. Moffat felt hopeless as he gave the message, realizing that few women could be expected to undergo the rigorous experiences they would face in the undeveloped jungles of the continent where he labored.

But God works in mysterious ways to carry out his wise purposes. Although no one volunteered, the young boy assisting the organist was thrilled by the challenge. Deciding that he would follow in the footsteps of this pioneer missionary, he went on to school, obtained a degree in medicine, and then spent the rest of his life ministering to the unreached tribes of Africa.

His name was David Livingstone, the celebrated missionary and explorer in Africa! (Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times [Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996], 482).

God calls people to himself in different ways, as we shall see in today’s lesson.

We are currently in a series of sermons that I am calling “Bloodlines: The Genealogy of Jesus” from Matthew 1:1-17. What at first seems to be just a list of names is very important in helping us understand the person and work of Jesus.

Today, we are going to see that Jesus, “the son of Abraham,” is the fulfillment of God’s call to Abraham.

Scripture

Let’s read Matthew 1:1-17:

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Lesson

In Matthew 1:1-17, we learn that Matthew calls Jesus "the son of Abraham" because Jesus fulfills God's call to Abraham that one of his descendants would bless the whole world.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. God’s Call Is Necessary

2. God’s Call Is Gracious

3. God’s Call Is Personal

4. God’s Call Is Non-Negotiable

5. God’s Call Is Missional

6. God’s Call Is Fulfilled

I. God’s Call Is Necessary

First, God’s call is necessary.

We read in Matthew 1:1, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew wanted his readers to know that Jesus was not only a descendant of David but also a descendant of Abraham.

Abraham is a very significant person. The three major world religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It may surprise you to know that adherents to each of these religions consider themselves to be children of Abraham. To understand world civilization, one has to know the story of Abraham.