The Gospel According to Matthew

We're going to read it here in just a minute. And let me turn my microphone back on. There we go. Alright, Matthew chapter one we will read in just a moment. Alright.

I assure you Al and Joe are not upset. They have another appointment to be at this morning. So, I appreciate Al sticking around to sing with the choir. So, alright. If you wish to understand who Jesus Christ really is and why his birth was such a pivotal moment in all of human history, you must begin with the promises given by God to his people in the Old Testament.

Promises concerning one called the Messiah, the chosen, or the appointed one. He would redeem them and establish his everlasting kingdom. I'm gonna read through several verses here quickly. So, don't need to turn there to stay at Matthew one. Just listen.

I want you to get the context of of the Old Testament concerning prophecies about Jesus, the Messiah. Genesis twelve three says, God says to Abraham, I will bless them that bless thee. I will curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 4,910, the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a law giver from between his feet until Shiloh come and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Psalm one thirty two eleven, the Lord has sworn in truth unto David.

He will not turn from it. Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. Isaiah seven fourteen, therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. Isaiah sixty two eleven, behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world.

Say you to the daughter of Zion, behold, thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. Jeremiah twenty three five and six. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. In his days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called the Lord, our righteousness.

Daniel nine twenty five, knowing therefore, know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to rebuild, to restore, and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah, the prince, shall be seven weeks, threescore, and two weeks, and the street shall be built again in the wall even in troubles times. Micah five two. But thou Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, get out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler of Israel. Whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting. In Zechariah nine nine, rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion.

Shout, oh daughter of Jerusalem, behold, thy king cometh unto thee, his just and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an and upon the colt. The foal of an Do you remember awaiting Christmas day as a child? The suspense you felt as you looked at the presents under the Christmas tree? Do you remember awaiting the visit of a relative that you long to see? Do you remember waiting to go on that trip that you were really looking forward to.

The Jews had been waiting for hundreds of years for the fulfillment of these words. For the coming of Messiah, the king. The anointed one of God. To restore their kingdom, to bring salvation, and righteousness back to Israel. Matthew's gospel begins with the announcement of his arrival.

That's what Matthew does in Matthew one. He tells the people, you do not have to wait anymore. The Messiah has come. Look, if you would in Matthew one, we'll start reading in verse one. The book of the generation or the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Now, most of you know this by now but Christ means Messiah. So, every time you see Jesus Christ, you're reading Jesus the Messiah. The book of the generation of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob, Jacob begat Judas and his brethren. Judas begat Pharez and Sarah of Thamar.

Pharez begat Ezra and Ezra begat Aram. Aram begat Abinadab, Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nathan, Naason begat Salmon. Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab, and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth and Obed begat Jesse. Jesse begat David, the king. David, the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriahs, that would be Bathsheba.

Solomon begat Reboam, Reboam begat Abijah, Abijah begat Asa, Asa begat Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begat Joram, Joram begat Uzziah, Uzziah begat Jotham, Jotham begat Ahaz, Achaz, and Achaz begat Hezekiah. Hezekiah or begat Manasseh, Manasseh begat Ammon, Ammon begat Josiah, Josiah begat Jechoniah, and his brethren about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begat begat Salathiel, Salath, Salathiel begat Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel begat Abiud, Abiud begat Eliakim, Eliakim begat Azor, Azor begat Sadiq, Sadiq, and begat Achim, Achim begat Eliud, Eliud begat Elijah, and Elijah begat Nathan, Nathan begat Jacob and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ or the Messiah. So, all the generations of Abraham to David are 14 generations and from David under the carrying away into Babylon or 14 generations from the carrying away into Babylon under Christ are 14 generations. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise.

This is how he was born. When as his mother was a spouse to Joseph, they were essentially engaged. It's a little bit more than engagement today. But we're not married yet. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then, Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example was minded to put her away privily or privately. Molly thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream. Saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife. That which conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son.

Thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. Now, all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. Bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God with us. Then, Joseph being raised from sleep, it is the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took unto him his wife and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son.

And he called his name Jesus. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day and this opportunity. To be reminded of Jesus. Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, and the savior of the world.

Thank you Lord for being our savior. Thank you for coming into this world and leaving heaven's throne. To be the king in our hearts today. Lord, thank you for your grace, mercy, and love that led you to the cross of Calvary. Thank you that you are a risen savior.

And thank you Lord for accepting our worship today. May everything we do bring honor and glory to your name. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. The sermon this morning might might be entitled why?

Because I'm going to answer several why questions this morning from the book of Matthew. Why? We're going to start out with this one. Why begin the gospel, the good news? This is a good news about who?

About Jesus. Why begin the gospel message with a genealogy? Now, as I read through that, and I read through it kind of quickly this morning. As we often do with genealogies. We get to a genealogy and we go, oh, well, I gotta get through this.

And because we're in such a hurry to get through this, sometimes we miss the point. Why begin the gospel with a genealogy? Well, because of God's promises we read about in the Old Testament to begin the message this morning. God's promises given by prophets of God who gave us the lineage of the Messiah step by step. Through the Old Testament until we come to the birth of Jesus Christ.

We begin with Eve and then Seth and then Noah and Noah's son Shem and then we work our way down to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It's an Abraham that Matthew picks up his genealogy which brings us through Jacob's son, Judah, and then through David, the king. And the line of the kings of Judah. And then the lineage of Joseph Why begin the gospel with the genealogy? Well, because the Messiah was prophesied to come from a specific lineage.

In order to declare Jesus the Messiah, he had to have a particular lineage to claim that title. To be that person. When you read through those genealogies in the Old Testament, it links these people together, Eve, Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, all of them. That's why the genealogies are there. Not to make it difficult for us to read.

But to make those links so that when we get to Matthew one, Matthew can go back and he can review those and he can bring us right to Jesus. Next question, why are Abraham and David focal points in Matthew's genealogy? Why Abraham and David? Well, except for Moses who was also highly regarded by the Jews. Abraham and David would have been the other two most highly recognized and honored Jews in Judaism of the day.

Abraham is the father of the nation of Israel and the one through whom all the what? All the world God promised would be blessed. This specific lineage here for the Jews begins with Abraham and he is a vitally important starting point for Matthew. Matthew is a Jew. Matthew is trying to persuade and open the eyes of the Jews to see that Jesus is the foretold Messiah, the one for whom all the world would be what?

Would be blessed. By his sacrifice on the cross. And that he indeed was of the seed of Abraham. Why David? Well, because God made promises specifically concerning David.

That the Messiah would be a descendant and offspring of David. Isaiah nine six and seven. Among other passages and there are several communicate this to us. So, let me read that for you. Isaiah nine six, for unto us, a child is born.

Unto us, a son is given. The government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. That verse is talking about who? It's talking about Jesus. But it continues.

Verse seven, of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of, anybody know what goes next? David. Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it, to establish it with judgement and justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

David, the Messiah was to be of the seed of David. I read earlier from Jeremiah chapter 23 where it says, behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. This is a consistent part of the prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah was that he would be the seed of David. So, thus, to the Jews, Matthew declared this Jesus is the descendant of who? Abraham.

This Jesus is an offspring of who? David and he is the person of whom the prophets foretold. He is the king of whom they spoke. He is the anointed, the appointed one, Jesus the Messiah. That's why the emphasis on David and Abraham.

Why mention certain women? Now, usually, in these Old Testament Hebrew genealogies, it mentions the man but doesn't often mention the women. Why does Matthew mention that Solomon was born to David of the one who had been the wife of Uriah which would be Bathsheba. Why does Matthew include that in this genealogy, he includes Salmon who begat Boaz of Rahab in verse five and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth. He mentions Ruth.

He mentions Rahab. He mentions even Bathsheba. Why mention the women? Well, Genesis three fifteen and I've mentioned this last week. Genesis three fifteen says, God says, I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed.

It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel. That is the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent. If you bruise or give a blow to the head of a serpent, you will likely kill it, defeat it. That's what it's speaking of there and in God's prophecy, it he specifically references not the man but the woman, the seed of the woman. Therefore, women are mentioned.

Although a woman, Eve was deceived and partook of the forbidden fruit, women also played a pivotal role in the redemption of mankind. Thus, some of them are here mentioned in Matthew's genealogy. It is a woman who will give birth, a virgin who will give birth to the son of God. It is women who give birth to the next generation who have the opportunity to become part of God's what? Kingdom through salvation in Jesus Christ.

God shows his grace and mercy and his almighty plan. Through emphasizing the mothers that were part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Yes, Eve sinned, so did Adam. But God is a god of grace and mercy and he is a god of redemption and so Eve and Mary and others played a pivotal role in in our salvation in the coming of the Messiah. In the mentioning of Ruth and Rahab, we also see God including people in the genealogy of Jesus Christ who weren't Jews.

Ruth was a Moabite. Rahab, a Canaanite. Yet, God made an exception for Rahab. Why? Because she put her faith in the God of Israel.

Not only did he make an exception for Rahab, but he made her part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. So, we see Matthew including women for these reasons. Why did Joe, why Joseph's lineage and not Mary's? Joseph wasn't the biological father of Jesus. He was the legal father of Jesus.

He was the adopted father of Jesus so to speak but he was not the biological father of Jesus. Why give the lineage of Joseph and not Mary? Well, by giving Joseph's line and not Mary's, he is underscoring Christ's legal right to the throne of who? To the throne of David. The promise is that it will be a descendant of David who will sit on the throne of David and rule forever.

Joseph's line doesn't just trace back to David but Joseph's line traces through the royal line of kings after David over Judah beginning with Solomon. And so Jesus is specifically of the royal line of kings that is legally of Judah. You say, well, what about Mary? Well, we won't take time this morning but if you want to look in Luke chapter three verses 23 through 28, I believe there we have the lineage of Mary and guess, whose marriage lineage goes back to. It also goes back to David.

Mary is a descendant of David through his son, Nathan. While Joseph is a descendant of David through his son, Solomon, but they are both the descendants of David but Joseph, the kingly line, thus, legally making Jesus heir to the throne of Israel. Isn't it interesting that Joseph who would could have been in a essence the heir to the throne of Israel is a carpenter in a little town of Nazareth. Why mention, why mention the Holy Spirit here? The birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise when as his mother was a spouse of Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Why take the time to mention that here? Well, to emphasize that Jesus is more than a mere man. That he is God incarnate. That means God in human flesh. He is not just a man born biologically to a man and a woman just as the rest of us.

Mary conceived with the help of the Holy Spirit miraculously and God became a what? God became a man. Thus, making Jesus both the son of man and the son of God. John tells us in John one fourteen and the word became what? Flesh and dwelt among us.

How amazing is that? The Messiah, the son of man, also the son of God. Sinless son of God. Why why so many quotes? Why so many quotes from the Old Testament?

Matthew one twenty three, if you look there. Matthew one, we'll start in verse 22. Now, all this was done. Matthew writes that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God with us. Look over in Matthew chapter two and look in verse verse three, when Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled in all Jerusalem with him and when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ, the Messiah, should be born and they said unto him in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus, it is written by the prophet and thou Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel.

So, why the quotes and the quotes continue all the way through the book of Matthew again and again and again, Matthew who is writing to his people, the Jews, specifically, though also to us. As he writes to his fellow Jews, to show them, to reveal to them, to persuade them that Jesus is the Messiah. He uses something that was common to them and that is the Old Testament scriptures. Today, most of the people in our world don't know the Old Testament scriptures but in Matthew's day, the Jews did and so he kept taking them back, taking them back. This is what the prophet said.

This is what Jesus is. This is what the prophet said. This is what Jesus did. So, he keeps taking them back to remind them, to show them. Don't just accept me blindly.

Don't just accept my word. Listen to the words of the what? Of the prophets. This is what they said about the Messiah and Jesus fulfilled them So, he quotes, to verify that Jesus was the one who was the promised Messiah to make the linkage. Why call him Jesus?

Now, Matthew references Isaiah seven fourteen and thou shalt call his name what? Emmanuel, that's a title. It means God with us. What it's saying is this, Jesus is God come to Earth with who? Us, human beings.

That's what Emmanuel means and so it described who Jesus is. The Jews didn't clearly understand that the Messiah would indeed be God with us but as Matthew goes back to Isaiah, he reveals indeed. He is God incarnate but he tells Joseph and Mary, the the angel does in Joseph's dream to call his name Jesus. Why Jesus? Well, the name Jesus means in Hebrew, the Lord is salvation or the Lord saves.

The name Jesus that they were called to name their newborn son. Meant the Lord saves. The Lord saves. The Lord delivers. The Lord rescues.

It identifies him all throughout his ministry as the savior. Every time you read Jesus, you are reading the savior of the world. Jesus means the Lord saves. Why call him Jesus? Because as Matthew put it here in Matthew chapter one, and verse verse 21 and he she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt he call his name Jesus.

Why? For he shall what? Save his people from their sins. Christ did not come to save them from Roman oppression. He came to save them from the oppression of sin.

And Satan. Isaiah 62 in verse 11 I read earlier, it says this, behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world. Say you to the daughter of Zion, a Zion's another name for Jerusalem. Behold, thy salvation cometh. Behold his reward is with him and his work before him.

Their salvation is a person. His work, his reward, his name Jesus. The one who came to save his people from their sins. Zechariah nine nine, rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion. Shout, oh daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold, thy king cometh, he is just and having what? Salvation. As Paul put it, for Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Of whom I am chief. Why call him Jesus?

Because he came to save his people. And all who will put their faith in him from their sins. Look if you would in Matthew two. Matthew chapter two and verses one and two and then drop down to verse 11. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem.

Saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews? For he have seen his star in the East and are come to worship him. Look down if you would in verse 11 and when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshiped him and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. In Luke chapter two, the announcement of Jesus birth was given by angels and the angels announced his birth to who? To whom?

Shepherds. Shepherds in the field outside on the hills of Bethlehem. The angels announced it to the shepherds. The shepherds, as Luke recorded, immediately went and found and worshiped too. Jesus.

But in Matthew, Matthew doesn't record the shepherds. Instead, Matthew tells us about the wise men who came to worship Jesus. Why? The wise man, wise man, and not the shepherds. To emphasize that Jesus is the king the Jews.

Who is Matthew writing directly to? His people. The Jews. To convince them that Jesus is their king, their Messiah. He doesn't mention the shepherds instead.

He mentions the wise men. The wise men are Magi. They were not likely kings. They were likely servants. Of a king.

To the East of Jerusalem. Maybe Arabia or maybe Persia. They were either displaced Jews themselves or were they were those who had heard of the coming of the king of Jews through displaced Jews. Remember when Assyria conquered Israel, they took captive the people and they took them and spread them throughout their kingdom. When Judah was conquered by Babylon, the Babylonians took many of the people captive like Daniel and his friends and they spread them out throughout the Babylonian Empire and so communities of Jews grow up, grew up in all the nations surrounding Israel that had been part of these kingdoms.

These kings were either displaced Jews themselves or they were those who knew and had heard from these displaced Jews that their king was to be born. And they were watching, watching for any sign of the coming of the Messiah. And this star to them was a sign. And so they followed it. And they found Jesus and they brought to him gifts fitting for a king.

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As they bowed before the king of kings and Lord of lords. But these these gifts were not only fitting for a king but they were also fitting for a for a priest. They were also fitting for a priest. Remember, Matthew is writing his fellow Jews to show them that Jesus is their king but Jesus also is their high priest.

A priest is one particularly the high priest was one who stood between God man. The priest was one who made atonement for the sins of man. By the sacrifice of the lamb or the animal. The priest, the high priest, one who bridged the gap between God and man. The gap that was made by sin.

The priest being the one who represented man before God and who represented God before men. Why these gifts? They were reminder of Jesus was king but also a reminder that Jesus was their high priest. Who as John would put it was the lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. The first time Christ came, he came not to reign on earth but he came to reign in our hearts by making atonement for our sin.

By bridging the gap, Mark ten forty five, for even the son of man came not to minister, to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom. For many. First Timothy two five, for there's one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ, Jesus. One mediator, Jesus, the God man. Second Corinthians five twenty one, for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

God hath made Christ to be sin for us, to take the penalty, to pay the penalty, to take the punishment for our sin on the cross, that we might be made the righteousness of God through faith in him. The Jews king had come but he'd come not to save them from Rome right now but to save them from sin. And they needed to receive him as such. The Jews were awaiting the coming of the Messiah. As we wait the return of our Messiah today.

He shall come for his own. He shall take up the throne of David. He shall rule and reign on the earth and forevermore. The question this morning like Matthew writing his fellow Jews. Is are you ready?

For the coming of the Messiah. Are you ready to meet your Lord? Because you will either meet him in the air or you will meet him at death. But either way, it's appointed on the man wants to die but after this, the what? The judgment.

Will you meet him as king? Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. Will you meet him as king? Having humbled yourself and accepted him as Lord and savior in this life or will you be forced to bow and face the penalty of sin after? Is your name written in the book of life?

Have you received him? As your king, as many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Interesting the man who wrote this gospel, Matthew, we also know by the name of Levi. Levi, I assume of the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe of Israel. Levi, who when we meet him is a cast off, a castaway.

Why? Because Levi rather than choosing to serve his God. Had chosen to serve the gods of Rome and the gods of money. He had become a tax collector for the Jews oppressor, the Romans. He was hated by his own people.

He was cast off and cast away from the practices and the worship of Israel. But yet who found him? Who saved him? Who forgave him? Who restored him?

Jesus Christ. And Matthew wanted his people to know. Their Messiah. The way he did. And for them to be prepared the way he now was.

Romans ten, nine, and 10, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord for your word today. Thank you Lord For our savior Jesus Christ, who's not only the Messiah of the Jews but the savior of all mankind. Thank you for the testimony of Matthew and of your holy spirit to us today and we pray Lord if there's one that's not yet to trust Christ as savior, you would help them to see of their need today and come as we sing this song of invitation.

In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. If you take your hymn