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March 2017 (Matthew 1)

NEW BIRTH, NEW KING, NEW PEOPLE

We are starting a new series in 2017 on the Gospel of Matthew.

Matt. 1:1 The Gospel of Matthew is often known as the “Gospel of the
King.”

It was written primarily for Jewish readers, who were expecting the Messiah
to be a king, to restore the kingdom of Israel back to its former glory.
- For this reason, Matthew focuses on the “kingdom” ― a word used at
least 55 times in this book.

Since royalty depends on heredity, it was important for Matthew to establish

Jesus’ rights to David’s throne.
- Matthew shows us His human heredity (Matt. 1:1-17), as well as His
divine heredity (Matt. 1:18-25).

Genealogies were very important to the Jews, because they proved the Jews’
rights to inheritances.
- The Gospel of Matthew gives us Jesus’ family tree through His foster
father Joseph. (Luke gives us Jesus’ lineage through Mary ~ Luke 3:23).
- This “list of names” is a vital part of the Gospel record as it shows that
Jesus Christ is a part of actual history.
- In fact, all of Jewish history has prepared the way for His birth.

Matt. 1:2-6 This genealogy illustrates God’s wonderful grace ― God’s

favor that we don’t deserve.

In those ancient times, it is very unusual to find the names of women in

genealogies. (Women then were often considered inferior to men.)
- But here, 4 women were mentioned: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba,
“the wife of Uriah.”

All of them had broken life stories that they were ashamed of:
□ Tamar tricked her father-in-law into having sex with her.
□ Rehab was a prostitute.
□ Ruth was a Moabite widow, someone considered “unclean” by Jews.
□ Bathsheba committed adultery with David.
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Other than the women, the men were also far from perfection:
□ Abraham lied about Sarah’s relationship with him.
□ Solomon was a playboy.
□ Rehoboam and Manasseh were terrible kings.

Yet, in spite of their severely fallen nature, the perfect and Holy Son of God
was not ashamed of their past, and is proud to be a part of their lineage.

Jesus Christ is NOT ashamed of your past!

- All of us have our backgrounds or upbringing we are not proud of … we
may even be very ashamed of our past sin and brokenness.
- However, God accepts us the way we are … and in the process,
transforms us to become like Him.
- In fact, He turns our past into a new future … our disappointments into
new appointments.

Matthew starts with the new birth of a new King to tell us that in Christ, we
have a new identity and new beginning (2 Cor. 5:17).
- In fact, it is Matthew who introduces us as the new people of God called
the “Church” (Matt. 16:18).

DISCUSSION: In groups of two or three, share:

- One or two new beginnings and changes you have experienced after you
received Christ.
- Get a few members to share with the CG.

v17 Chapter 1 doesn’t just show us that Jesus’ earthly lineage can be
traced back to David and Abraham … making Him the legitimate King!
- It is His supernatural virgin birth that links Him back to His divine
heredity ― that He is the Son of God!

v18 Joseph did not “beget” Jesus … He was born of an earthly mother
without the need of an earthly father.
- The virgin birth shows that salvation can never come through
human effort … it is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Nonetheless, Joseph had been hand-picked by God for a special mission — to

be the earthly caregiver of His Son Jesus Christ.
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- But his life was not without its trials and traumas.
- Joseph’s life is an encouragement for all of us ... that we can overcome all
our challenges by the grace of God.

Joseph was hit by 3 crises:

#1: THE TRAUMA OF SHOCKING DISCOVERY

Mary and Joseph were “betrothed” to one another.

- The betrothal period was an ancient Jewish engagement period.
- It was as binding as a marriage, except that the couple can’t live together
and engage in sexual relations.

All of a sudden, Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant.

- Mary tried very hard to explain that the child in her womb came from the
Holy Spirit but who had ever heard of such a thing?
- This shocking discovery threw Joseph’s entire life into a tailspin.

#2: THE TRAUMA OF SHATTERED DREAMS

Some scholars believe that Joseph was a young widower, and he was looking
forward to the day when he could share his life with a girl and raise a family.
- Like a cruel slap in his face, came the news that shattered all his hopes +
dreams: “Mary is pregnant and you are not the father!”
- All his dreams were shattered and fell into a million pieces!

#3: THE TRAUMA OF SHAMEFUL DESPAIR

v19 As “a just man,” Joseph was righteous and he kept the law.
- That means that he knew that a woman caught in adultery with
someone else must be stoned to death.
- Or Joseph himself could be accused of sexual immorality for
getting Mary pregnant out of wedlock.

However, there were 2 other options: he could divorce Mary and send her
away … or he could marry her and raise the child as his own.
- But no matter what decision he made, he would forever be shamed in
the community ... Joseph was in despair.

v20-21 Like Joseph, are you struggling with the shocking discovery of
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something bad? Or a shattered dream? Or shame and despair?

- Jesus wants to save you from all these traumas.

The angelic encounter gave Joseph the faith to step into his divine destiny.
- Faith is more than a mental decision to believe in something … it involves
a personal, supernatural encounter with God and His Word (Rom. 10:17).
- To walk with Jesus in this journey of faith, we must remain open and
expectant to the realm of the supernatural.

v22-23 Matthew describes this as the fulfillment of Is. 7:14.

The phrase “that it might be fulfilled” occurs frequently in Matthew.

- It was to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ is indeed the
fulfillment of the Old Testament.
- It also demonstrates God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises
to His people.

Notice the 3 names assigned to God’s Son.

(1) He is called “Jesus,” which means “savior” … and it comes from the
Hebrew name “Joshua” or “Jehovah is salvation.”
(2) He is also called “Christ,” which means “the Anointed One.”
(3) He is also called “Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

Therefore, Jesus is really God in human flesh!

v24-25 Joseph boldly obeyed the divine revelation and took Mary as his wife.
- He turned confusion to commitment ― it takes courage to obey
God.

DISCUSSION: In groups of two or three, discuss the following:

1. It has been said that the choices and commitments we make will (a) show
our values, (b) shape our lives, and (c) determine our destinies.
- How true is this statement? Why or why not? Discuss.

2. Do you agree it takes courage to obey God? Can you share one personal
experience when you boldly obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
- What was the outcome when you took that step of faith?
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CONCLUSION

The Gospel of Matthew describes Jesus’ earthly lineage, and more

importantly, His heavenly lineage and divine connection to God.

All of us have an earthly lineage, some of which we are proud of and others
which we may be embarrassed of.
- The important thing is that in Christ, we have more than a natural
heredity … what we have is a divine heritage.
- In Christ, we can trace our spiritual DNA and identity back to God our
Heavenly Father ― we are now children of the Most High God!

MINISTRY

Spend some time praying in the Holy Spirit and praying for ourselves.
- Pray for a revelation of our divine heredity, one that surpasses all our
earthly limitations.
- Thank God that He uses our past to create a glorious future.
- End with a corporate prayer.