This morning I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 1, as we read together and consider in a particular way the very first portion of that chapter, as Matthew records for us the genealogy of Jesus before he talks about the birth of Jesus, explaining his human origin, his earthly origin. Probably not the most exciting portion of scripture to read with all these names, but we do consider them together. Hear now the word of God. A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez, the father of Hezron. Hezron, the father of Ram. Ram, the father of Aminadab. Aminadab, the father of Nashon. Nashon, the father of Salmon. Salmon, the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz, the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed, the father of Jesse. And Jesse, the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife. Solomon, the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam, the father of Abijah. Abijah, the father of Asa. Asa, the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat, the father of Jehoram. Jehoram, the father of Uzziah. Uzziah, the father of Jotham. Jotham, the father of Ahaz. Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah, the father of Manasseh. Manasseh, the father of Ammon. Ammon, the father of Josiah. and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon, Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel the father of Abayud. Abayud the father of Eliakim. Eliakim the father of Azor. Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok the father of Akim. Akim the father of Eliud. Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eliezer the father of Mathan, Mathan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Thus, there were 14 generations in all, from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from the exile to the Christ. A beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, because of the economic woes that surround our society today, there are many who are afraid that they will not have a good Christmas. Maybe you heard some of the interviews with individuals in the malls on Black Friday or any one of the days since Thanksgiving time, and there's that fear out there because of the economic situation, because of the crisis that faces us, there's not enough money to go around, that many will not be able to buy the gifts that they would like to purchase, and therefore many will not have a good Christmas. But what is a good Christmas? What does it mean? Well, it has to do with understanding what Christmas truly means, doesn't it? You see, boys and girls, it's not about how many gifts you may receive or what those gifts are. In fact, beloved, it's not even about family gatherings, although that's wonderful this time of year. We look forward to that. We cherish that. It's a wonderful thing. But it's not about those kinds of things. Instead, it is about knowing God's gift by faith. It's about knowing why He came. It's about knowing what it is that He accomplished. Christmas, as Dr. Godfrey beautifully reminded the youth of yesterday and the Christian Fellowship this past week at the Christmas party, Christmas is about God in action in and through His Son. For the world, we know that it's about who's naughty and nice and those who are nice being rewarded. But the truth is, it is about God acting on behalf of those who are only naughty, only sinful through and through, not giving them what they deserved. but instead giving them what they don't deserve. And that, then, is indeed a reason to rejoice and to celebrate. You see, beloved, Jesus came to save an unlikely family line, which includes you and me. But as Matthew points out here, He also came by way of an unlikely family line. As Matthew shows us in these first verses of this first chapter, the Savior's unlikely family line, that first of all fulfills His prophecy. Secondly, publishes His necessity. And third, it reveals His purpose. First, the Savior's unlikely family line fulfills His prophecy, the prophecy of Him. Very clearly, what we have here, as is stated in verse 1, it's Christ's genealogy. And if we consider the content of what we find here, Most likely, if I were to ask you what is your favorite passage in all of Scripture, I doubt any of you would raise your hand and say, well, Matthew 1, verses 1 through 17. I love it. I suspect not. And if you were asked to lead the devotions at some sort of a gathering, I suspect that you would not choose this passage. It wouldn't be the first one on your mind. And as we think about the names, all those names that we had to pronounce in there, some of them are difficult to pronounce. It takes practice. And even then, they're hard. And as we read this, if you are faithful, for example, in your own Bible reading or family devotions, as we get to this portion, it is so easy and tempting to skip over a dozen verses or so until we get to, say, verse 16, where it talks about Joseph, the husband of Mary. Now that we can identify with. But maybe you found it too as we read it that, of course, many of these names are familiar to us and even the very mention of these names recalled for you stories that you are familiar with of Old Testament history. But at the same time, there are many names recorded here that are not very familiar. We've never heard of them and we probably don't find them listed anywhere else. That's the content. But then notice too the arrangement of this genealogy. In verse 17, we read that Matthew divides his genealogy into three groups of 14. Nice and simple. Even, huh? But we understand that it's not meant to be all-inclusive, and this does not include every single generation that existed, but it highlights, Matthew highlights here, the three key movements in Israel's history. Three key periods. And with that first period, those first 14, the origin of David's house is confirmed. Abraham is the founder. He's the father. In the second set, in the second period, we see very simply the rise and the fall of David's house, of his kingly line. And then in the third section, as one commentator says, we see David's house eclipsed. Now, boys and girls, you know what an eclipse is. When an eclipse takes place, it means something is hidden. For example, when the moon is in front of the sun, there's a partial eclipse of the sun. But something is hidden, something is removed from sight. And that's what takes place in that third period, in a sense, in what we call the intertestamental period, the 400 or so years between the last prophet and speaking from the Lord and the time of Jesus. We see the eclipse of David's house until the genealogy ends with Jesus Christ, the one of whom Isaiah spoke when he said in Isaiah 11, chapter 11, a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a branch will bear fruit. That stump of Jesse was that time of eclipse. That's the arrangement of this genealogy. But what about its purpose then? Well, very simply, on the one hand, its purpose for Christ, I believe we can say, points to His historical family line. It points to the fact that He is not a myth, as some would have us believe, but He is a historical reality. He was a person in history. He is indeed, as John says, the Word of God become flesh. He became one of us and lived in history on this earth. But even more than that, the purpose of this genealogy fulfills prophecy of him, about him. Which was Matthew's purpose. Again, verse 1, a record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Now we read this, and we read this genealogy, and maybe to some of us it's like no big deal. Because I know there are even some among us here who have gone back to trace our family lines, maybe three, four, five hundred or more years or so. So in a sense, a genealogy is no big deal. But it was a big deal to Matthew's original audience. And it ought to be a big deal to us. He was writing primarily for Jews. And to the Jews, genealogies were significant, especially when it came to inheritance. And it was a reminder to them of their heritage, of their family line. A reminder to them bringing their minds back to Abraham, their father. And they knew from Scripture that the Messiah was to come from the line of David who was promised to have a son sit on his throne forever. The Jews knew prophecy. They knew their lineage and it was important to them. And Matthew's message in the very first verse is this is the one. He is the fulfillment of prophecy. This Jesus Christ is the divinely appointed and anointed Savior. He is the rightful heir to David's throne. He is the true seed of Abraham. And then, of course, Matthew traces the line from Abraham to Jesus. Now, Matthew, along with the other Gospel writers who is going to tell the story of Jesus Christ, give the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. We know that the Gospels and all of the New Testament writings were written sometime after, of course, Jesus lived and died and rose again. But he begins his Gospel outlining for his audience from history this Jesus of whom he would indeed preach was rejected and crucified, died, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven, that this Jesus Christ is the Messiah whom God promised. He is the one whom they had expected. He sets that record straight. He brings their minds to their family line. Only then, to give the angel's announcement to Joseph of what kind of Messiah that he would be. We read that in verse 21. The angel said to Joseph, 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. Of course, we know that when Christ's generation, those who were alive when he came, expected a totally different kind of Messiah. But Matthew sets forth, this is the kind of Messiah that he would be. And then a look back over this genealogy shows that that's the kind that they needed. It shows that their need was far more serious than they thought as this unlikely family line in the second place publishes his necessity. It clearly publishes or tells why he was so urgently needed. And it shows that he was needed urgently in a general sense. These names quickly remind us again of Old Testament history with the sin and the misery included in this family line. Now, we know that as we read this line, it includes those whom we call heroes of faith. Yet the truth is, it's nothing to brag about. Some may have expected Christ's human family line to be like a hall of fame, but it's more accurate to call it a hall of shame. It'd be a bit like some of us finding out that our genealogies included organized crime connections or prostitution or murder or any sort of embarrassing things. He was urgently needed, generally speaking, but also we notice it specifically with this genealogy as we consider some of the well-known names. Even these well-known names, these heroes of faith, remind us of sin and the result of that sin, beginning with Abraham. Abraham's father was an idol worshiper from Ur. That was his background. That was what he was taught as he was growing up. Abraham and Sarah thought that God needed a little bit of help in fulfilling His promise to them, so they brought Hagar, her maidservant, into the picture. And we know that in a sense from that came a battle between Sarah and Hagar. And ultimately a battle between the two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, that continues somewhat today between the Arabs and the Jews. And then we can think of Jacob. Boys and girls, you remember Jacob. Jacob was a deceiver. He stole the birthright and the blessing of his brother Esau. Esau's descendants are the Edomites, who were enemies that we read throughout the Old Testament. Enemies of Israel, and even at the time of Christ's birth, there was an Edomite on the throne. Herod was an Edomite. We know that he tried to kill this one who has been born king of the Jews. And then the genealogy includes Jacob's son Judah. And we think of Judah along with Tamar. Judah, we know, took to himself a Canaanite wife, which was against the law of God. And at some point, he took a wife for his oldest son. Her name was Tamar. When that son died, then he gave his second son to Tamar. When that son died, he held back his third son from her. And Judah later went into one whom he thought was a prostitute but was not, was instead Tamar, his daughter-in-law, and she became pregnant. We see a pattern here. Sin in the line. And then there's Rahab. Rahab, we know, was a Canaanite from Jericho. She made her living by way of prostitution. And there's Ruth. Now, we don't read any specific sins of Ruth, but we know that she was a Moabite, and the Moabites were cursed when Balaam was called upon. in Deuteronomy 23, when Balaam was called to curse the Israelites instead by the influence of the Holy Spirit, he blesses Israel and curses the Moabites. And the Moabites, we know, were the product of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters, Moab being the son of the oldest daughter. And then we come to David. And we want to breathe a sigh of relief, don't we? After all this other sin in the line, certainly David is a high point in the line, right? He's a man after God's own heart, the Bible says. We know he was a war hero. Got to be a high point in this line, right? Wrong. In fact, the genealogy doesn't even point to any of the good stuff about David, but reminds us, kind of like a piercing sword in verse 6, reminds us of his sin when it mentions Uriah's wife. And we understand what that means, those of us who grew up with these stories of the Bible. And very quickly, we are reminded that David violated no less than at least commandments 6 through 10, if we look back. Adultery, stealing, murder, coveting, lying. And he tries to cover it up. His sin was terrible. And the result is that he is told the sword will not depart from his house. We know the young son of him in Bathsheba dies. We know that then later on, his son Amnon rapes David's daughter from another marriage, Tamar. And then, of course, Tamar's brother Absalom murders his half-brother Amnon. And then Absalom rebels against David. The sin in the line continues. And so on with Solomon. 700 wives, 300 concubines. In Deuteronomy 17, it said a king was not to take to himself many wives, lest his heart should be turned away from the Lord. And that's what happened with Solomon. And it resulted in the Lord raising up an adversary named Jeroboam. And there's more. There's Rehoboam. There's Manasseh. There's Jeconiah. We remember all of them. And many other names listed. And there's a sad commentary in Scripture about each and every one who served as king. He did more wicked than those before him and did not follow in the way of David. But it's not over yet. Verse 12 introduces us to the time period after the exile to Babylon. And we don't know much about those individuals until Joseph. We do know that after captivity, no longer did any one of David's sons physically rule on the throne. We know that God's people at that time were subject to foreign powers. We know that the kingdom was reduced, as it were, to dust and ashes. We know that there is sin throughout this genealogy. That even the most faithful in this list stood in need of redemption by the blood of the promised Redeemer. And we know that this genealogy of Jesus Christ then represents the urgent need cosmically. It wasn't just in this family. This line represents the sin of the world. This line reveals over and over why Jesus Christ had to come because of the sin of the world. God did not choose Abraham and Israel because they were better than the others of the world. Or because they were innocent or pure. They were just like the world. They represented the sinfulness and the neediness of the world, but also they represent God's people, those He came to save, as this genealogy in the second place reveals His purpose. Again, verse 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. It reveals His purpose. You see, salvation is also pointed to throughout history in and with God's covenant people. As we see His undeserved favor in dealing with a sinful and rebellious people, noticing God's undeserved favor, again, first of all, on this very same family line. And we can think of the very same individuals whose sin we are reminded of. God did not completely wipe them out. He always preserved a remnant, a line leading to the Savior. Again, beginning here with Abraham. Abraham was chosen by God from among all the people of the earth. He was brought to the promised land. God made a covenant with him and gave Abraham his promises of grace, of land, that he would be a great nation, that the world would be blessed through him. And God confirmed that promise, physically speaking, with the miracle child Isaac. And then we remember God's favor upon Jacob and Judah, his son, on behalf of all of his sons. He brought them down to Egypt where they might grow into a great nation without fear of being swallowed up by the wicked people of Canaan around them. You see, boys and girls, Egypt was like an incubator that isolated and protected Israel. that she might grow and that she might be preserved to be the line of the Messiah. And then we think of Rahab and Ruth. They were foreigners. They were Gentiles who were grafted, brought into, graciously brought into the covenant community, and both of them are in the line leading to Christ, and they represent the world that God intended to save, those from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation. And then our beloved David again. David was spared from the death that he deserved because of his sin with Bathsheba. He lived to see a son on his throne. And the ultimate favor, Jesus is called the son of David. His throne will continue eternally through Christ. And then those four women, Tamar and a few we've mentioned, Rahab and Ruth, as well as Bathsheba, Uriah's wife. Normally, women were not included in genealogies. But these women are all in the line leading to the Messiah. And also they are all a picture of the impurities as well as the foreign blood in the royal line. And these four women, along with all of the other names listed, are a picture of God's sovereign electing grace. None of them deserve to be in this line. All of them were chosen by the grace of God. And through these four, God fulfills His promise to send a Savior. And then there's Manasseh. We didn't mention anything about Manasseh's sin. But Manasseh is a beautiful and a powerful picture of God's undeserved favor. The Bible says that he was more wicked than the Amorites and the Canaanites. It says that he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. It says that he sacrificed his own son, boys and girls, to the flames. in idol worship and abomination to God. He was a wicked king and the Bible says that God says that He will do things that will make the ears of all who hear tingle. Captivity was announced with Him. He Himself was taken captive for a while by Assyria, but while He was a captive, by the grace of God, Manasseh repents and God hears His prayer. He restores Manasseh to the throne and he begins a revival that was continued by his grandson, Josiah. All throughout, we see God's favor again and again. Throughout Old Testament history, beloved, Satan struck the heel of the woman over and over and over again, but he could not kill her line. God preserved that line so that all along this line, his promises were still alive. And his promises were fulfilled. and the coming and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. His was an unlikely family line. Yet this line, beloved, represents you and me and God's undeserved favor on us. You see, the names on this list and the sins that we have recounted from it have nothing over us. We may read the Bible and we may read these episodes and we may read of all these sins and think, man, that was terrible. I would never have done that. But the truth is we are guilty of the same hideous sin. We are deserving of the same judgment reflected throughout this genealogy, yet we too are recipients of the mercy and the grace of God. He has given us, by faith, new life in Jesus Christ. We have been given salvation. We have been given all the merits of His work by faith, not because God tolerates or overlooks sin, but because Jesus Christ came and He took our place. You see, just as those who were listed did not deserve to be a part of Christ's earthly family, we do not deserve to be a part of Christ's heavenly spiritual family. We, along with them, are the reason he had to come, to satisfy God. And not to satisfy God in the same way that we think of our appetite being satisfied by a good meal, for example. He came to satisfy God against our sin, to satisfy God's anger, his righteous indignation that could have thrown you and me into hell forever and ever. He came to turn God's anger that was against you and me, against Himself. And to take our penalty upon Himself, to pay for our sin, to satisfy God. That God might keep us from destruction in hell. And keep us for Himself in glory. And now we, beloved, because the penalty has been paid and because God's wrath is gone, We have been adopted in Christ as children of God. We are legitimate members of God's family. We are a part of that unlikely family line. Praise be to God. And you see, this is what makes a good Christmas. Knowing Jesus Christ by faith. And having confidence of His salvation. There are so many who celebrate Christ's coming. Not literally, they celebrate Christmas. Which, of course, you and I know is about Christ's coming. But there are so many who, in a sense, in that way, celebrate Christ's coming. Mixing the baby Jesus, because many of them do think of a baby, we know. They've got their manger scenes in the front yard with Santa Claus on the top of it. They mix baby Jesus with Santa Claus, treating the Savior as if He were an extra special blessing upon a world that really was pretty good already. A little bit like sprinkling a little bit of extra sugar on sugar-coated cereal. To so many, beloved, the baby Jesus is nothing more than an added bonus to those who deserve Him, and therefore they don't think they really need Him. But His family line, as Matthew shows us, and our lives with them, tell a much different story. He came because of our sin. He came because of our offense against God. He came as a baby to a world that did not deserve Him, but instead despised Him. Yet we rejoice and we celebrate people of God because He came. Because God so loved the world that He gave His one and only sign that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. That's why he came. That's God's promise to all who look to him in faith. He is hope for all who trust in him. And the coming of Jesus Christ, beloved, points to God's hatred for sin. On the one hand, that hatred for sin which will cast those who reject him to hell forever. But it also points to His love for the souls that He made, that Jesus came to save. And therefore, as those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, we are called to respond by rejoicing in Christ our Savior in all that we say and do, and by telling others, not only this time of year, but all, every day, telling others that He is the one. He is the one we need. There's no hope without Him, but there is every hope with Him. At Christmastime, our hope and heart's desire is not to be whether or not we get everything or even anything on our list. But our hope and heart's desire is to be the Lord Jesus Christ, redemption's only spring. Because, beloved, apart from Him, this will just be another empty Christmas. It will soon be over. It'll be forgotten. It'll be nothing but another retail statistic in the record books. But in Him, by grace through faith, Christmas and every day is truly good because He has come for us and He is with us forever. Amen. Let's pray together. Father, indeed in the season of the year, as there is much talk about the true reason for the season, we do thank You that You have taught us and that we believe by the power of Your Spirit that indeed it is all about Your action on our behalf through Your Son. the coming of Jesus Christ, indeed, to bring joy to the world. But not for this life, but for the life to come. And indeed, O Lord, we are, as Your people, filled with joy, even as we walk day by day through this life. But we thank You for that peace that You have given to us with Yourself through Jesus Christ. That peace which is to draw forth from us our worship and praise of your most holy name every day of our lives and that joy which we look forward to celebrating forever in your courts one day and therefore Father bless our rejoicing and our celebrating in this season but also every day of our lives and may we truly give thanks that Jesus Christ came that he gave himself for us that we might have life everlastingly in Him. Hear us for Jesus' sake and in His name we pray. Amen.