The King has Come!

Matthew 1:1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ that births our King! Jesus is the One whom all of humanity needed and longed for, who all of Judaism expected and the Scriptures pointed to, and this is the proof.

Joy to the world, let us receive our King!

Matthew starts his gospel with a seemingly dry and boring discourse to which we may say, "What's up with this string of names?” We do not even give a thought or a glance to what personal or ecclesiastical benefit can be had here or what spiritual insight can be gleaned. However, this is a list of people—people like us who testify to how God works through the ages, through various people and through circumstances. This even tells us how God redeems and works with and through not only the people we may expect Him to, but also the unlikely people we would perhaps never consider as worthy. Jesus comes from an incredible line of diverse people, such as Patriarchs and kings whom we might expect; in addition, listed beside Him are righteous people as well as those who were improbable, dubious, and even wicked, such as captives, the obscure, and the insignificant—even traders, prisoners, adulterers, murderers, and harlots.

Matthew 1:1-17 is a pedigree seemingly unfit for a champion K-9, yet fit for the Ultimate LORD, Savior, and King of the Universe. It is a testimony and a testament of how God keeps His great promises, and shows Christ's right to the Kingship of the world through the lineage of David. Jesus is the King! And, the King has arrived! He is birthed, humble and supernatural. Spurgeon gives this passage and Book of Matthew the title, "The King Has Come,” to which we must respond, my God and my King! This is the anticipation from the very beginnings of God's introduction into humanity, through Adam and Eve's failure and sin, and God's promises to bring redemption through their descendants—a Savior to save us from our fall into sin. Here is that list (Gen. 3).

What can we learn today from an obscure list of ancient names, of which only a few may be familiar? These names are all born of promise and purpose, with mixed character and maturity, who struggled with carnality and life. None of these people were perfect; even David was an adulterer and murderer. All of them made both good and bad decisions, struggling with following their own will or being surrendered over to God. Some glorified God and some lived to themselves, just as we do personally and collectively as people today. Even Christian leaders and pastors have the same standards and call to be of faith and to obey. God works it all out for His glory as stated in Romans, chapter eight. God is indeed a friend to all who will call Him Lord. He is a friend to sinners, the obscure, the poor, and the friendless—His hand is always reaching out. Perhaps, this passage is a small glance into the mystery and wonder of God's Grace and incarnation, and how He intercedes and loves. It all points us to Christ, the One who saved us and the One whom we worship and trust as Lord over all—with our lives too!

Take this key point to heart and into the streets of your life: God is the God of promises. God made promises, and God keeps His promises! This means for you too! We all have hope beyond all hope, reason, and purpose! We have faith that is deeper and wider than we could ever imagine, a gift that we did not earn or deserve. Jesus the King, who was also the son of David and the son of Abraham, fulfilled that promise and demonstrated this faith! In addition, when you accepted Him, you became part of the promise and faith fulfilled.
Faith is not inherited! We cannot get it from our parents or our church, even though our lineage may be passed down for generations. Faith is personal and relational to Christ for each individual person who is in community with the Church, and it is to be real! As parents, we are responsible for bringing our children up in His light and character, but we are also responsible for receiving His grace and modeling His faith!

• We can have the faith and confidence that God does keep His word!

• We can trust Him with all of our needs, worries, and problems, even if we do not understand what God is doing!

• God transcends time. Therefore, when we are going though trials and tribulations, He is there—before, during, and after—carrying us through! Likewise, we can emulate Christ by keeping our promises to our faith, and our behaviors toward others around us!
• We are reminded of God's mercy!

Jesus is the ultimate humbler; He humbled Himself by taking on the likeness of a mere man; He was still also fully God when He came to this earth. He is God, Messiah, the Lord who was foretold and who has come, our Lord, our Savior and the King (Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 2:9-18)!

More here: http://70030.netministry.com/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=34574&columnid=3803