The Promised King

Matthew 1

Introduction

In 16th century England a struggle took place that would have changed world history - and our history as a nation if things had been different.

Henry the VIII was dead - and his last surviving wife, Mary was queen. As Mary, a devout Catholic, lay dieing, she knew that unless she ordered the death of her half sister Elizabeth - the younger woman would ascend to the throne, even though she was a hated protestant.

But if Mary had Elizabeth killed - the throne would pass from her family - as her marriage to Spanish King Philip, had produced no children.

Elizabeth, we know, became queen and ushered in the most powerful period in English history.

We here in the United States are unaccustomed to the importance of Kings and the right of ascension to the throne. And although God doesn't put much stock in our earthly rulers He does care about the rightful ascension to His throne - a place reserved for a king who became a servant - Jesus Christ.

The earth serves a king - his name is Satan. He ascended to earth's throne because Adam and Eve gave it to him by swearing their allegiance to him rather than the God that created them. But the real king of the earth, the heavens, the entire universe - is Jesus Christ. Had He not come to claim His throne, our world and our future would be much different - and much bleaker.

Today we begin a study of one of four accounts of the life of this King - that written by a Jewish tax collector named Levi, whom Jesus renamed Matthew.

In Matthew we will see the same kind of intrigue that Elizabeth encountered in England - namely: attempts by those in power to keep Him from the throne. Jesus, Matthew records for us - was the rightful heir both in earthly and heavenly terms - but was rejected by the political and religious powers of the day.

The gospel has much to teach us as we learn the real character of Jesus the King - the King who became a servant.

Today we will look first at the background of the nation of Judah, and the background of Matthew's book. Then we'll look at Jesus the King's pedigree, His conception and the intrigue that surrounded that conception. And we'll learn some lessons about our plans, our decisions, our relationship with God, and how God brings comfort to our lives.

Historical Background

In the 400 years from the last prophet (Malachi) to the birth of Jesus, Judah passed from a tiny Persian province under Babylon, to control by the Greek empire, the Ptolemies, then the Seleucids (two of the four parts the Greek empire broke up into), and finally.

In 165 B.C. the Jews revolted and won independence from Greek rule - only to be taken over again, a hundred years later, this time by the Romans. In 40 B.C. Rome allowed and Edomite family, known as the Herods to govern the area. Edom, of course, was founded by Jacob's brother Esau and was not a part of the nation of Israel.

Book Background

Matthew is one of four accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Matthew is one of the "synoptic" gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They are called "synoptic" because they generally tell much of the same stories, but adding detail that makes each book unique.

In fact, each of the four gospels provide us with a different picture of Jesus Christ.

Mark - Jesus the servant
Luke - Jesus the son of man
John - Jesus the Son of God
Matthew - Jesus the King

Matthew - also called Levi - wrote the book some 20 years after Christ's death.

Some interesting notes about Matthew:

o It is the only gospel containing the word "church"
o It is the most systematic gospel with organization around sermons, miracles, and parables.
o Matthew emphasizes final punishments and rewards. The words judgment, hell, fire, hypocrite, or woe are found on almost every page.

The gospel is broken up into 10 sections.

1. Introduction of the King
2. Proclamations of the King
3. Power of the King
4. Opposition to the King
5. Parables of the King
6. Revelations of the King to His own
7. Instructions of the King to His own
8. Presentation and rejection of the King
9. Predictions of the King
10. Death and resurrection of the King

Our Study Today

Today we will make it through the first half of section 1 - Introducing us to the King Jesus Christ. At times, like today, we are going to fly over the text, touching down here and there for a closer look. At other times we will move much more slowly, looking carefully and intently at places.

Chapter 1:1-17 Genealogy

To the Jews, the family line was everything. You were who you came from. In fact, after the Babylonian exile, Jews who could prove their ancestry were excluded from serving as priests in the temple.

This genealogy traces Jesus' lineage from his stepfather Joseph, back to Abraham. Luke uses Mary's lineage through her father Heli.

Why this difference - and, why would Joseph's line matter anyway?

1 - The society was patriarchal, so lineage was always through the father. It was important to show the line to David because Jesus is a king.

2 - In that culture men considered their sons-in-law as sons so it is not as unusual as it might seem.

3 - Mary and Joseph's lines converge at David - so no matter which way you go, Jesus is still a direct descendent from "the man after God's own heart" and a king.

4 - Something to point out: Matthew uses four women in the line (unusual for genealogies of the day) - Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Ruth. The first three either committed or were victims of sexual sin - and Ruth was a gentile. It shows that God uses anyone and that He shows no favoritism between men and women.

The Conception

After the King's lineage is set forth - we see how this king was born.

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. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

We tend to read "She was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit" and we say, "okay - let's move on." But think about the magnitude of that statement. This is the first and only time that this took place - and it's for a special reason.

Jesus had to be human in order to die for us, but he had to be God to make that death the payment for our sins. How did it happen? We don't know, but Jesus is fully God and fully human - which means He understands ALL of your struggles - yet He didn't sin - so He can help you not to sin too.

Remember as we go through the book that Matthew presents Jesus as the rejected King. Here, when Joseph finds out that his betrothed was pregnant - wants to divorce her without fanfare.

He could have, under Jewish law, had her stoned. A betrothal was a period, usually of one year, where a couple could be considered married but would have no relations and after the year the bride would live in the husband's house.

Interestingly - Mary did not explain her situation to Joseph - but left it up to God. Sometimes I think we try to explain the ways of God through our own understanding. Sometimes its best just to say it like it is - "God loved me, died for me, and now has saved me and He can save you too."

The Dream

Interestingly - Joseph decided to divorce Mary quietly - that was the wrong decision, yet it was a good decision based on who he was and what he knew. God the intervened to set him right.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

God will do that for us as well - no He won't send an angel - but we don't need to worry so much about missing God's "perfect" will like he's Regis Philburn asking us if that's our "final answer" before kicking us off the show.

o Know God
o Be pliable in God's hands
o Use common sense
o Pray
o Seek counsel
o Be open to God changing your mind

I like the angel's words. He didn't say: "Joseph you're wrong - you marry Mary." He said: "Don't be afraid." You see - God does care about our feelings. He knew Joseph was afraid, perhaps of ridicule, perhaps of not pleasing God - and God answered his fears by saying "Don't worry."

I also like how Joseph responded - he woke up, obeyed the Lord - but also didn't take advantage of the situation in a worldly way. He could have taken Mary into his home and legally had relations with her, thus legitimizing her pregnancy. He didn't.

The question for us is, do we try to obey God but still make ourselves look good? As an example - let's say God told you to stop listening to a certain type of music because it's content tended to draw you away from Him and was a poor witness. You stop listening but you leave up the posters around your place in order to show your friends that you're still cool. Obey God even if makes you look bad.

What Do We Learn

1. Your life is planned - just as God planned out the time when Christ would be born, ordering the generations and the cultures and languages and rulers - so too He orders your life to fit His plan - and do you really think you can mess up a plan that God institutes? I know we have free will - but how small is your God? That doesn't mean that we purposely mess up to see if God can straighten it out, but we trust that as long as we are committed to Him, He is committed to us to bring about His plan in our lives.

2. His name means "God with us" not God the almighty superior being - but WITH US. We need to take comfort in that. He is here and he loves you and cares about your feelings and wants to help you obey.

3. God can use you no matter who you are or no matter what your background is. Pastor Rick Booye is fond of saying - "if God can't use our mistakes He wouldn't have anything to work with." Rahab was a prostitute, Ruth was destitute - you see its God, not you, that matters.

4. God cares about helping us make right decisions. He could have arranged things differently - even simply had Mary explain herself to Joseph so he'd understand. But God is about changing individual lives - so if He takes you on a roundabout course sometimes to learn things - don't think He thinks less of you or you are a ding bat - remember, He wants you to rely on Him to make the right choice, even if it hurts.