Matthew 1:1-25

“Immanuel” – God With Us

Matthew 1:1-25 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key Verse: 1:22-23 12-06-09

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’”

Today we want to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Next week Pastor Teddy will preach on Matthew 2. This chapter is a great prep for what we will hear next week. Focusing on this chapter, Matthew stresses that Jesus is the King promised by God for this genealogy is one of a king, the King, the Christ of God. Through this genealogy we can learn how God works, who Jesus is, and how to be one of the blessed ones who are called to participate in God’s history.

First, Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (1).

Jesus came into this world at exactly the right time. Look at verse 1. “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Jesus was born some 2,000 years ago. He came into the world and lived in real time. The gospels are the story of Jesus’ life and work. The name “Jesus” means Savior. Matthew 1:21 says, “..he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus came to solve the sin problem, the real problem of mankind. Matthew knew personally how Jesus saved people from their sins for before he became an apostle, Matthew had been Levi the tax collector. He was lonely and despised, but Jesus became his friend and changed him from a petty, selfish man into one of the most great and sacrificial men in history. he was a recipient of God’s amazing grace. Matthew introduces the Savior Jesus to each one of us.

The name “Christ,” means “the anointed one of God.” In the Old Testament, God anointed people whom he had called. Kings, prophets and priests were all anointed to be used by God. Among those chosen few, there would be one unique anointed one, called the “Christ.” He is Jesus Christ, the son of David, the Son of Abraham.

First, Jesus Christ, the son of David. David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, and he was a shepherd boy. David took care of his father’s sheep with all his heart, and sometimes he risked his life to rescue them from lions and bears. God noticed David’s shepherd’s heart. When God needed someone to be king of Israel, he chose David. God instructed the prophet Samuel to anoint him with oil. Then the Holy Spirit came upon David in power. David’s life was marked by his love for God and his shepherd heart for God’s people. This is revealed by putting his life on the line to fight and defeat Goliath. Later, while running for his life as a political criminal, David accepted God’s sovereignty over his life and future. In the midst of hardship, David thanked God and wrote many songs of praise. They became the Psalms. One time, about four hundred men came to David with all kinds of problems. In modern terms, they had excessive credit card debt, failing transcripts, and broken families. They were difficult to care for. But David accepted and cared for them and put hope in them. Later, each of them became a key member of David’s kingdom.
Under David’s leadership, Israel became a united kingdom and entered into a golden age. It was a glorious theocracy where God was honored and there was righteousness and peace. It became a model of the kingdom of God. God was pleased by David’s life of faith and love for God. God promised David that a king would be raised from his line whose kingdom would last forever (2 Sa 7:12-16). The Israelites looked forward to the coming of the son of David who would rule eternally with righteousness and peace. Jesus is the Christ, the son promised to David. (Isa 9:6-7).

Next, Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham. Abraham was 75 years old when God called him. His human desire was to have a son and to be a noble father. However, his wife Sarah was barren. It seemed that no matter how hard he worked his life would end with his death and he would leave nothing behind, but his dust. This made Abraham fatalistic. One day, God said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). Abraham put his faith and hope in God’s promise and obeyed God practically by leaving his country, people, and father’s household to go to the land God would show him. Abraham lived by faith, building many altars of worship to God. But after ten years, he felt that living a holy life was pointless. At that moment, God gave him his word of promise and“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations....” (Rom 4:8) God blessed Abraham’s faith by making him into a great nation, and ultimately by sending the Christ, Jesus, through his line. Indeed, God is a God of history. God uses people who have faith in his promises to accomplish his world salvation purpose. All those who make a personal decision to obey God’s calling and believe God’s promises can participate in this history and be blessed just like Abraham.

Second, God Rules History (2-17).

Matthew organized Israel’s history into three periods. Look at verse 17. “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.” The first, from Abraham to David, was the period of the patriarchs (2-6a). God helped these patriarchs, to pass their faith and blessing from one generation to the next. The patriarchs obeyed God’s word absolutely, believed God’s promises and lived holy lives. God blessed them by being with them, protecting and prospering them. Ultimately, God blessed them with the hope of heaven (Heb 11:10). We can learn here the importance of raising one man until he has the unshakable faith of a patriarch. I can see such modern day Patriarchs being raised, like Dr John Lee Jr of Springfield UBF and Andrew Martin of NKU. There are many others.

In the patriarchal period, three women are mentioned. They are Tamar, Rahab and Ruth. They were all Gentiles. Matthew includes these three women because they had the faith that pleased God. God works through faith, regardless of gender or nationality. By faith, theses women turned terrible human circumstances into God’s abundant blessing. Tamar was an abandoned widow after the consecutive deaths of her two husbands, the sons of Judah. (Gen 38) Judah promised to give his third son to her, but reneged. When Judah was emotionally weak after the death of his own wife, Tamar dressed as a prostitute, slept with Judah and conceived. Her act was regarded as an act of faith, unorthodox though it may be. Her act of faith almost cost her life. Yet her action was propelled by wisdom and motivated by a desire to honor her dead first husband. When she acted in faith, God had mercy on her, her life was spared, Judah repented, and God granted twin babies. She was no longer fruitless. She prepared Judah’s heart for future repentance and could also carry on the name of her first husband in the history of Israel.

Rahab was a prostitute living in the wall of Jericho when the Israelite army was poised to destroy the city to carry out God’s judgment. But she believed God ruled the heavens and the earth and that he would surely fulfill his purpose. She had faith in the Creator God, the God of Israel. So she sided with the people of Israel. She risked her life to hide Israelite spies and she encouraged the Israelite army by telling them how fearful the people of Jericho were. Humanly speaking, she was a traitor. She risked being hated, but God saw her faith and spared her life and the lives of her family members. Moreover, God included her in the genealogy of Jesus.

Ruth was a Moabitess and the daughter-in-law of Naomi. When Naomi’s husband and sons died early, Naomi was left destitute. Ruth decided to stay with Naomi and followed her back to Israel. She would be subject to societal prejudice. She seemed to lose everything. But God blessed Ruth’s decision and established her family with Boaz. She became the great-grandmother of King David. By her faith, her sorrowful widow’s fate was turned into God’s amazing blessing. What about Mary? In brief, Mary trusted God when it meant becoming pregnant before marriage in a strict, legalistic society. She too was ready risk loosing Joseph and even her own life, but God used her faith to bring Jesus into the world.

The second period, from David to the exile to Babylon, was the time of the kings. Those mentioned in verses 6b-11 are all kings of Judah. Some were good kings and others were bad kings. The “good” kings sought to love God and to honor God and to be good shepherds of their people like David was. God blessed them and their people when they did so. There were also “bad” kings who ignored the word of God and David’s example and used their kingship for selfish benefit and pleasure. They fell into idol worship and became instruments of the devil. God’s people suffered terribly under their reign. But God bore with the evil kings and remained with his people for the sake of keeping his promise to David. God is faithful, even when his people are unfaithful.

God is even with is people when they sin. In verse 6 Matthew says that David’s son Solomon was born through a woman who had been Uriah’s wife. This exposes David’s terrible sin of adultery and murder. Matthew did not hide this sin, but exposed it clearly. God could have nullified his covenant with David. By God’s help, David repented his sin before God. God forgave his sin and restored his soul. Thus, King David could stand in God’s redemptive history solely by God’s grace. In the final analysis, people are included in God’s history by his grace alone.

The third period is from the exile to Babylon to the Christ. The exile to Babylon was precisely God’s punishment on his people for their sins. In that time of punishment they were driven from the Promised Land and sent into Babylon. They lost all their privileges and became slaves. Their human condition became as bad as it could be. Yet, for many exiles, it was that very time that they began to remember the promise of God to send the Christ. The hope of God began to burn in their hearts. Those whose hearts the Lord had touched, returned to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls with great zeal. God sanctifies his people through the divine discipline, of exiled life. It is very costly, but in this way, God faithfully carries out his work through undeserving people so that they could live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Could God be subjecting you to divine discipline for the same purpose? Definitely!

Third, a Jesus-Centered House Church (18-21;24-25).

So far in Chapter 1 we have learned that though his people are unfaithful and sinful, God is faithful. He works though his people of faith to fulfill all of his promises. Now, in verses 18-25, Matthew focuses on one family to reveal how the promised Savior, Jesus Christ was born and how God used the faith and obedience of Joseph and Mary. He used ordinary people who loved and obeyed him. Maybe we can apply this to our own lives. Let’s see. Look at verse 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.” Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. Mary’s heart might have danced with joy and excitement as she prepared the day of her wedding, trying on her wedding dress again and again. But one day something happened to interrupt her daydream. An angel of the Lord appeared to her with a message: She was chosen as the mother of the Messiah. It was the great blessing of God but very costly. She could loose her fiancé Joseph or loose her very life. It required an immediate decision of faith. Mary did not hesitate. She accepted God’s grace and plunged her life into the providence of God. Then the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the baby Jesus was conceived.

Verse 18 says that Mary was found to be with child. Joseph found out about her condition through the obvious change in her body shape. Joseph could only think that Mary was unfaithful
But look how Joseph responded in verse 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.” He could have become angry and self-righteous and have Mary thrown in the middle of living room in front of all her relatives, cursed her and dragged her out to stone her. This happens in some countries even today. He did not do this. Joseph was a righteous man. He saw this event in God. He remembered that he and Mary had both made a pledge before the holy God. Though he could not save Mary from the repercussions of this pregnancy, he could try his best to save Mary’s life and dignity while maintaining the laws of God. He retained his objectivity and had in mind to divorce her privately. We learn from Joseph how to make godly decisions in a crisis. First, we must see things in God, obey the law and at the same time revealing mercy. Second, we must think of others before ourselves. Then we can make a sound decision in the sight of God.

God saw the anguish of his heart and intervened. Look at verse 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.’” To God, Joseph’s decision making process was pretty good, but his conclusion was wrong. it was because Joseph did not recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. God did not want Joseph to divorce Mary and so he intervened and told Joseph to take Mary home as his wife. Joseph had to change his mind because God had his own plan in this matter. Then he could be used in God’s redemptive history.

When the angel addressed Joseph, he called him “Joseph son of David.” As a legal heir of David, Joseph could register Jesus in David’s line. Humanly speaking, Joseph was a poor Jewish carpenter. But God regarded Joseph highly because of his spiritual heritage. Joseph was a son of David in spirit and character, as well as in name. God chose this Joseph to be a human father to Jesus. God does not look at the obscurity of our human condition, but spiritual heritage as people of faith.

Joseph was to name the newborn baby, like a good father. Look at verse 21. “...you are to give him the name Jesus....” God trusted Joseph to provide a good environment for Jesus and to protect Jesus like a father. This would involve hardship, even risking his life. But God entrusted his precious Son Jesus to Joseph, for Joseph was trustworthy.

Joseph obeyed God absolutely. Look at verses 24-25. “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” First he took Mary home as his wife. People in his community would question his integrity. Yet Joseph bore their reproach, defending Mary. Also, Joseph named the boy Jesus. In doing so, Joseph expressed his faith in God’s word. Joseph believed that Jesus really was the Savior of the world. Joseph’s faith and obedience made him very useful to God. Joseph and Mary had the most fruitful house church in history. It was through their faith in God and obedience. God was at the center of their hearts. God was at the center of their family. We pray to raise Jesus-centered house churches for every campus in the world.

Fourth, Jesus Saves His People From Their Sins (21).

People think that they need cold-hard cash or i-tune gift cards for Christmas. But from God’s point of view, what people need is salvation from their sins. Look at 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.” To God, sin is the real problem. Yet there are so many people who have no idea about the sin problem. What is sin? Sin is to separate or to cut one’s relationship to God through disobedience. Some symptoms of sin are meaninglessness, depression, guilt, shame, fear and despair. Sin paralyzes us inwardly. Sin makes us helpless to serve God’s purpose in our lives. Sin robs us of spiritual desires and forces us to live petty lives. Sin makes us blames the system and other people. Sin is the problem. We must repent and come back to God and be saved.

But Jesus came to save his people from their sins through his death and resurrection. While on earth, Jesus served all kinds of needy people. Jesus healed the sick, drove out evil spirits and raised the dead. Most of all, Jesus planted the living hope of the kingdom of God in the hearts of people. But Jesus was despised and rejected by men. Finally Jesus was crucified. Though Jesus was treated in such a way, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34a). Then Jesus bowed his head and breathed his last. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Isaiah 53:4-5 says: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Jesus’ death is the sacrifice of atonement that God accepted for our sins. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection opened the way for us to have eternal life in the kingdom of God. While on earth, we can live as God’s precious children and serve his holy purpose. (Lk 1:74,75) In this way Jesus saves us from our sins. Praise Jesus!

Jesus is also, Immanuel – God with us. Look at verses 22-23. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’–which means ‘God with us.’” How could he be with us? First, Jesus humbled himself to be with us. (John 1:1-3) Jesus is the Creator God. Jesus is infinite. Jesus is eternal. Jesus is Almighty. Yet Jesus came down to this world and entered human history as a baby. Jesus became weak and vulnerable, giving up everything, in order to be with us.

Second, Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised his disciples to send his Holy Spirit to those who love and obey him (Jn 14:23). The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our source of strength. Ultimately, Jesus dwells in our souls through the Holy Spirit to sanctify us as his children. Let’s us pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.

Third, Jesus is with us always. Jesus’ last words in Matthew’s Gospel are, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:20b). Jesus promised to be with his people always, to the very end of the age. Jesus is not a fair weather friend. Jesus is with us always, in good times and bad times; in times of struggle as well as times of blessing. Jesus is with us when no one else can be with us. Jesus is with us until he completes the work he began in us (Php 1:6). Jesus is with us until he comes again in glory as King of kings.

In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Matthew sees history from God’s point of view. God rules history and will accomplish his redemptive purpose without fail. Trends of the world come and go, yet God remains faithful to his promise. God’s promises are trustworthy. God’s word is true. Let’s put our trust in God’s promises and obey God’s calling in our times just as Joseph and Mary did in theirs. Let us accept Jesus, who came to this world as a baby to be with us. Praise Jesus who solved our sin problem through his death and resurrection. Praise Jesus who is willing to dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Let’s accept Immanuel Jesus in our hearts deeply this Christmas.

1. What were God’s promises to Abraham? (Ge12:1–3; 17:6; 22:18) To David? (2Sa7:12–13,16) How is God’s faithfulness in keeping these promises revealed in the history of the patriarchs? (2–6a) In the history of the kings of Judah? (6b–11) During and after the Babylonian exile? (12–17; Ps145:13–14)

2. Note the unusual mothers Matthew names (3,5,6,16); what might be his intention in including them here? How had they overcome their desperate situations with faith and borne sons who were included in Jesus’ genealogy? What does this reveal about God’s vision for world salvation?

3. How is God’s grace revealed in Judah’s story? (3) In David’s story? (6b) Note how only David is called “King” (6a; 1Ki15:5). How did God maintain David’s kingdom by his grace through the reigns of good and evil kings in Judah? (7–11)

4. How is Joseph described? (16,20,19a). When he learned of his fiancée Mary’s pregnancy, what did he decide? (18,19b) How did God help him change his mind? (20–21,24–25) What can we learn here from Joseph? About the lineage of Jesus? (Ro1:3)

5. What was unique about Jesus’ conception? (18,20) What is the significance that he was “conceived by the Holy Spirit”? (Php2:6; Col2:9; Heb2:17; 1Ti2:5) Read verse 21. How is he uniquely qualified to save all people from their sins? (Heb4:15; 9:12–14)

6. Read verses 22–23. How did God finally fulfill his promises in the birth of Jesus? What can we learn here about God, especially his humility and his love? (Jn1:14; 3:16) How was Immanuel Jesus with his people during his life and ministry? (4:15–16,23–24; 8:17; 11:28–30; 12:20–21; 28:20)

7. How was Immanuel Jesus especially meaningful to the author, Matthew? (9:9–13) At this Christmas, how is this message a source of comfort and encouragement to us personally and nationally?