Matthew 1- Immanuel God with Us

SLIDE   1 Welcome back, ladies. Tonight was a real taste of CBS core groups. I hope those new to CBS will feel free to share and bless others with your thoughts. It may take a little time to realize what the writers of these lessons are wanting in the questions. Don’t worry about it! That is why we share our answers in core group and I do the wrap up after core.  You bible scholars out there wait 10 seconds to answer. Give the new ladies time to process and gather up courage to jump in. Although Matthew’s parables and events may be familiar to us there are many nuggets worth digging for in this wonderful book. Our Theme tonight is God’s ways are not our ways.

SLIDE   2 Immanuel: God with us

·  Genealogy of Jesus Chris

·  Prophecy fulfilled

·  Emmanuel :God with us

God’s ways are not our ways.

 SLIDE   3 Genesis 17:-6 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 

As Jesus preached to the crowds during His earthly ministry many times…  They answered him, "Abraham is our father."  John 8:9 The Jews were proud of their heritage. It was important Matthew for to begin his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus proving his rightful place as King of the Jews.

SLIDE  4 Many prophecies for the Messiah are fulfilled through Jesus. As we go through the Gospel of Matthew, we will identify some of these prophesies from the Old Testament and relate how Jesus has fulfilled them ALL.  Many young men may have similar lineage and many more are named Jesus but no other man could fulfill a fraction of these prophecies. Hang tight ladies and prepare to dive deep into the Gospel of Matthew.  We must remember God’s ways are not our ways.

Let us pray.

Now ladies if you will open your bibles to Matthew 1.

Matthew 1: The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

¹    The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

SLIDE   5 ²Abraham was the FATHER of Isaac, and

Genesis 17:19 At 100 Abraham laughs when God suggest 90 year old Sarah will conceive. Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.” And that was the miracle God’s ways are not our ways.

 Isn’t that the way God works?...through extraordinary means.

verse 2.Isaac the FATHER of Jacob, Remember the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25. When Rebekah conceived twins … And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger." v.23

SLIDE  6 Rebekah like Sarah tried to make God’s promise come true by deceiving her husband Isaac by dressing the younger twin Jacob like his brother Esau.

Ladies have you noticed God does not need your help. Lay your burdens down at the foot of the cross and do not pick them up again.

SLIDE  7. verse 2  Jacob the FATHER of Judah and his brothers
 Jacob(Also known as Israel) which make the 12 Tribes of Israel. Did anyone wonder why Judah? Not Joseph? Can you say it with me God’s ways are not our ways.

Clickfor arrow Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

verse 3. Judah the FATHER of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and

SLIDE   8 Heritage and property are very important in the Jewish community. The eldest son was to inherit the greater potion. God saw wickedness in Judah first son Er, and took his life. Judah told his second son to “perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." Genesis 38: 8 Selfishly Onan refused to comply and God put him to death also. Judah tried to save his younger son from a similar fate and tricked Tamar to remain a widow in her father’s house. Tamar took initiative to make sure she conceived an offspring from the line of Judah. Genesis 28:26 ²⁶     Then Judah identified (the signet and the cord and the staff) and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah."

If God determined who he wants in the lineage of his Son, who is man to deny it! Because  God’s ways are not our ways.

SLIDE 9 As we look at verse 5 let’s talk about these two remarkable women in the geneology. Salmon the FATHER of Boaz by Rahab,

The story of Rahab from the book of Joshua and with is one of my favorite bible stories. Who but God would see the value in a woman of her profession? Ladies this is hope for all of our sister who have been trafficked into a lifestyle not of her choosing.

Rahab’s FAITH in the God of Israel saved the spies and the scarlet cord hanging from her window in the wall of Jericho won freedom for herself and her family.

  Remember God’s ways are not our ways.

When someone questions, “Can you believe…..what God did?” Yes, I can.

My God created the earth from nothing. He is almighty omnipotent Ruler of all creation.

SLIDE  10 verse 5 Boaz the FATHER of Obed by Ruth,

Ruth another of those faithful women in the bible left her homeland to care for her widowed mother-in-law. She fearlessly followed Naomi to her homeland where she met her Kinsman Redeemer, Boaz. Ruth produce an heir to the kingdom of God.

SLIDE  11 Don’t you see how God has a special place for women in the Bible in the lineage of the Messiah the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Sisters He is your Kinsman Redeemer, the Lover of your soul. And he has promised never to leave us or forsake us. I am so glad that God’s ways are not mans ways.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

v 6.  Jesse the FATHER of David the king.

Isaiah 11:1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. You know the story of Samuel seeking a new king from among the sons of Jesse.

SLIDE  12 1 Samuel 16:10  And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."¹¹Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here."   We see His choices as out of the ordinary, but God chooses who he chooses. That’s how I felt when I was chosen to be your Teaching Director. When I told one friend she laughed out loud. God’s ways are not man’s ways. 

SLIDE 13 Note the wording v.5 David was the FATHER of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

2 Samuel 11 speaks of the sins of David in coveting Uriah’s wife, committing adultery and having him killed in battle. God takes the child of their union, but gives David two more sons with Bathsheba: Solomon and Nathan.  

Hold on to Nathan for a minute. I discovered something I have never heard from a pulpit. Notice this name in verse 11 Josiah (one of the truly good kings) is the FATHER of

Jech o ni ah and his brothers,  at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

Let’s skip 12 generations to verse 16. Again notice the wording…
¹⁶ Jacob the FATHER of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

SLIDE  14 Interesting fact: in Jeremiah 22:30  King Jechoniah was cursed… none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah." Therefore if Joseph was the natural father Jesus could not be King.  Joseph was the legal father.

The lineage of royalty came from Mary, Jesus’ only biological parent.  It was through her ancestry that Jesus had a birthright in the bloodline of the Tribe of Judah. The genealogy of Jesus through Mary is through Nathan (the second surviving son of King David and Bathsheba.) God’s ways are not man’s ways. 

SLIDE  15 Jeremiah 23:5-6 Tells us Messiah will come through David.

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'

SLIDE  16 ¹⁷   So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

“750 years separated Abraham from David, 400 years separated David from the Babylonian Exile, and 600 years separated the Babylonian Exile from Jesus' birth."

We must recognize the definition of terms Matthew used which enlarges the notion of a generation. “Just as Matthew can use the word 'son' to mean any descendant in the direct line, so can he use the word 'begot' to mean any ancestor in the direct line.”

This division of the names in groups of 14 was doubtless adopted for the purpose of aiding the memory. Since the Jews did not have personal copies of the scrolls, they would memorize the major events in history. They devised plans to keep up the remembrance of important facts history.  As a side note.

Gematria /ɡəˈmeɪ.tri.ə/ is an Assyro-Babylonian system of numerology later adopted into Jewish culture that assigns numerical value to a word. From the Hebrew name דָּוִד (Dawid), which was probably derived from Hebrew דוד (dwd) meaning "beloved". If your leave out the vowels in DAVID Dalet counts as 4, Waw counts as 6, and another Dalet adds 4 more.

SLIDE  17¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

 ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

I really enjoy the verse that says “Joseph was just a man” Ladies how many times have you said that about your son, husband, workman. Just as God’s ways are not our ways? Men’s ways are not women’s ways. God’s ways are not man’s ways. 

SLIDE   18 What a compassionate man of God to try to spare her reputation and shame? To save his standing in the community he was going to divorce her quietly. But our God is full of surprises!

²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

That is also what Gabriel said in Luke 1:30  "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

SLIDE   19 ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

Ladies, that is what Jesus wants for you freedom from fear. Rest in the peace that passes all understanding.

²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

SLIDE   20 ²³"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel"(which means, God with us). Isaiah 7:14 God’s ways are not man’s ways. 

²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.