The Shocking Good News: God Redeems the Ungodly | Matthew 1:1-17

INTRODUCTION

The Shocking Good News in the Bible. The Bible – God’s life-giving word – that leads us to life in Jesus. What a great privilege you and I have to have a book or a device – earlier scrolls. In the following passage, you will see  the Shocking Good News that God Redeems the Ungodly people

Matthew 1: 1 – 17 

• How did you feel reading this passage? Boring?
• O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, And Ransom Captive Israel … 12^th century Latin song – Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, Captivum Solve Israel
• Advent is a season where we anticipate the coming of the Messiah – the long wait of God’s people in exile.
• Also captures the longing of all people, everywhere – as, for example, in the Upanishads: Asato ma sadgamaya; Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya; Mrtyorma Amrtam gamaya (Lead me from ignorance to truth; from darkness to light; from death to immortality.)
• The Lord Jesus fulfils these aspirations: “I am the way and the truth and the life. I am the light of the world. I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 8:12; 11:25; 14:6). And, God came to redeem ungodly
• Biblos geneseōs Iesou Christou huiou Dauid, hoiou Abraam. Genesis – origin, birth (also in 1:18)
• Reminds one of Genesis – and the last book of the Hebrew Bible – 1 Chronicles – chaps 1-9 – genealogies
• This gospel – aimed at a Jewish audience
• Jesus – legally is from the line of David – throne

What is so striking and Shocking in Christmas Story? Many questions

• 1:1 and 1:17 – three people – Jesus – the Messiah, David and Abraham
• Abraham – father of Israel – Gen 12:1, 3 – chosen to begin the story of the redemption of the whole world – I will bless you, make you a great nation (Israel) … 12:3 – all people on earth will be blessed through you
• David – 2 Sam 7:16 – everlasting line – Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.
• Thus the Messiah, the great king from the royal line of David has come! Jesus is firmly located within God’s Story of Redemption – but as the unexpected climax of this millennia-long story.
• From where is this material? Genealogy – from Ruth 4 (10 names, Perez –> David); 1 Chron 3:10-19 (16 names, Solomon –> Zerubabbel)
• Some names are different: Uzziah / Azariah etc

Fourteen Generations

• 3 Sections – 1:17 – Fourteen generations?
• There are gaps – 1:8c – Three gens between Jehoram and Uzziah
• Fourteen? The Bible means what it means
• Symbolically –Da Vi D (4+6+4 = 14) – artistically

The Good News Realities in Christmas Story 

• Isaac and Jacob were not firstborn
• The Good News of Jesus from Judah, not Joseph
• Judah, not the firstborn (of Leah), Tamar (Gen 38) – unedited
• Abraham – Gen 15 – Gen 16 (Hagar) – Gen 20 – Gerar – Abimelech takes Sarah
• Jacob – “heel-grasper”
• Women – 4 women – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Mrs Uriah (Bathsheba, loyal to her husband)
• Tamar? Why not Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah?
• Rahab – Josh 2 – of Jericho, immoral woman
• Ruth – Moabitess – Gen 19 – from Lot
• Mrs Uriah – David kills a loyal soldier
• All Gentiles – Women – Not an afterthought – Matt 2 – Wise men – Matt 28 – the gospel for all nations
• Joseph gives Jesus his legal name – Luke 3 – Mary’s bloodline
• David – Rascal – Jesus, called the son of David
• Women bear the brunt of this broken world …
• Solomon – wise? 1 Kings 11 – self-obsessed, trying to outdo others – Rehoboam – worse
• Hezekiah – good; but his son, Manasseh – wicked
• Jeconiah – son of Jehoiakim – who burnt the scrolls of Jeremiah – cursed Jer 36:30 – God redeems curses
• No hiding of facts – Jesus’ family line – full of ungodly people and rascals

This God, and this royal king, this Messiah, works with and through messy people / ungodly rascals

God works with the Ungodly and God Redeems the Ungodly

• All our families are messed up
• God’s love – background – our dark sin! (Diamond – black)
• Jesus – shocked people with His love – and identified with the sinner – glutton and winebibber
• Matt 9:12-13: Sacrifice < > Mercy
• God loves to redeem the ungodly
• Peter – Luke 5 – “I am a sinner”
• While we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8)
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – an innocent man who escapes an incarcerated world and shows the way out for another man —
• In The Idiot (1869) – Fyodor Dostoevsky – Prince Myshkin – “Beauty will save the world”
• [For those who may wonder about the use of “secular” illustrations, see Acts 17:28 and Titus 2:13]
• A God who goes after the ungodly who have wasted their lives, the lost sheep who are lost – until he finds them!
• Jesus revealed to us a God of mercy and grace who enters into our broken world and redeems us – a huge shock to the Bible people of the time.

Romans 5:1-11 

• Romans 5:1-11: Christ has pulled us, is pulling us, into the people of God (Israel – John 15).
• While we were powerless, ungodly, enemies of God, sinners – God reconciled us to himself in Christ Jesus (see also 2 Cor 5:17-21)
• In Christ, we are pulled into Israel (John 15)
• Jesus – identified with sinful Israel – Baptism of JB – on behalf of sinful Israel
• simul iustus et peccator (simultaneously just and sinner)
• Titus 3:4-7 – Grace leads to godliness
• The Holy Spirit works on our horror and turns it into true Christ-like beauty
• Our most significant identity is now in him – not in the biological communities we come from.
• This is the shocking good news – we are called to live and proclaim!

How Marvelous

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene;

And wonder how he could save me,

A sinner condemned, unclean. 

How marvelous, how wonderful,

And my song shall ever be,

How marvelous, how wonderful,

Is my Saviour’s love for me.

For more related Sermons

A Saviour has Been Born | Luke 2: 10 – 11

The Shepherds’ Jubilee | Christmas Sermon | Luke 2: 1 – 20