today being the Sunday before Christmas, I want us this morning to focus on the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and specifically what the Gospel of Matthew has to say about Messiah coming into this world. You see, the Gospel of Matthew was specifically written for the express purpose of convincing the Jewish people, who would be the readers of Matthew, that Jesus is their long-awaited Messiah and king. And so to accomplish that purpose we find Matthew giving us some information about Christ that no other gospel writer includes in their account of our Lord's life. And that's why Matthew uniquely opens his gospel account by telling us about Christ's family tree, his lineage, in order to show that Jesus is the rightful heir to David's throne as King of Israel because he is in the royal line of King David. So I'd like you to open your Bibles or tablets to Matthew chapter 1 and I want to Read to you verses 1 through 17 and hopefully pronounce these names correctly. This is a genealogy. The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab the father of Nashon, and Nashon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba, who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam the father of Abijah and Abijah the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat the father of Joram and Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham the father of Ahaz and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Ammon, and Ammon the father of Josiah. And Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Sheltiel, and Sheltiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor was the father of Zadok, or Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Mathan, Mathan the father of Jacob, Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon, 14 generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, 14 generations. Now, although these verses contain and constitute really the first verses of the New Testament, they are really unfamiliar to most of us, even to those who are very familiar with the other parts of the Bible. And the reason is obvious. The reason for this lack of familiarity is because these verses present the genealogy of Jesus. And we all know that nobody reads the genealogies of the Bible, right? There are about 50 genealogies in scripture and they are considered by most to be amongst the dullest parts of the Bible. They rank right up there with the tedious details of the tabernacle and the sacrifices of Leviticus. In fact, it's usually the genealogies that pose the first obstacle to anyone who's planning to read the Bible through in a year. If you can make it through the genealogies found in Genesis, you have a good chance of continuing your goal of reading the entire Bible. Why do we have such a hard time with genealogies? Well, because they seem completely irrelevant to us. They appear totally unrelated to the real problems and issues of our lives. Not only do we have difficulty pronouncing most of these ancient names, and I have no idea if I pronounced them correctly. We don't know. But we can't seem to see how they could possibly be important to us. But they are important. They were extremely important to those living during Bible times, and they do remain an important source of truth for our spiritual lives as well. I remind you that Paul told Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3.16 not only that all scripture is inspired, meaning it's God breathed out, but he said it is also profitable, all of it, and that would include the genealogies as well. So they must be beneficial to us because the Bible says they are, and they actually are. So to begin with, how were genealogies important to the people who lived during Bible times? Well, it's important to understand that the basic purpose of a genealogy was to record one's ancestral lineage. And for Jewish people, it was absolutely critical for them to know their lineage for a number of reasons. For example, After the conquest of the land of Canaan under Joshua, the land was divided amongst the tribes of Israel. Each family within that tribe was given a specific area that they were able to settle in, and therefore they needed to be able to prove which tribe they belonged to. And how did they prove this? Well, they proved it by referring to their genealogy. Likewise, genealogy was also necessary to be able to transfer property since you had to be able to prove your tribal family. In addition, accurate family records were required for priests to prove that they were descendants from Aaron within the priestly tribe of Levi. Otherwise, they were not allowed to function in the priestly role. In fact, the Book of Ezra tells us that upon returning from the Babylonian exile, to the land of Israel, certain men were not permitted to serve as priests because they could not locate their ancestral registration. In other words, they couldn't locate their genealogy. They couldn't prove that they were priests. Even under Roman rule, it was important for Jewish people to be able to prove their lineage because they were taxed according to the tribe that they belonged to. which is precisely why Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to register for taxes because as descendants from King David, they were both from the tribe of Judah and Bethlehem was part of the territory of that tribe. Also, for some Jewish people, their genealogy was a source of respect. It was a source of esteem within the Jewish culture and Jewish community. To come from a highly valued tribe was considered very prestigious. This is why the Apostle Paul said these words in Philippians chapter 3 verses 4 and 5. He said, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh, if anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more circumcise the eighth day of the nation of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law of Pharisee. Now he's using this to say that he once had great pride in all these things, he doesn't now. But let me explain. Paul was brought up He brought up his ancestral background here. He tells them that he was a member of the tribe of Benjamin. Why? Because amongst the 12 tribes of Israel, Benjamin was a noted and an honored tribe, since it was from this tribe that some of the greatest heroes in Jewish history came forth. There was King Saul, the first king of Israel. He was a Benjamite. Jonathan, his godly son, from that tribe. Esther, Queen Esther was from the tribe of Benjamin and her cousin or uncle, we're not sure, Mordecai was from the tribe of Benjamin. And only the tribe of Benjamin stood with the tribe of Judah in forming the southern kingdom when the nation was divided into two countries. Now Paul speaks of his background as a Benjamite to show that although he came from this prestigious tribe, and it once meant a great deal to him in his pre-conversion days, now that he knows Christ and has received Christ's righteousness, his tribal background, he's saying, has no meaning to him. It doesn't matter to him anymore because his confidence is not in that. His confidence is now in Jesus Christ, not his ethnic background. But in the culture that Paul grew up in, your tribe still meant a great deal, and it was the genealogy that proved which tribe you belong to. So genealogies, folks, did serve several important purposes in Bible days. But listen closely, because the most important, the most significant function of a genealogy was that it could identify for the Jewish people who their Messiah was. You see, back in the Old Testament, God said that the Messiah would be a direct descendant of King David. And the only way to prove it was by an accurate genealogy. And this is why the Gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus. You see, in keeping with Matthew's overall purpose in writing his Gospel account, that of presenting Jesus to the Jewish people as their promised Messiah and King, he begins his book by presenting the fact that Jesus has the royal credentials to be the king of Israel. In other words, in light of Christ's claim to be Israel's king, he can actually prove that he's the true king because he comes from the royal family line of King David. Now, this may not seem important to us today, but it is very important. For one thing, it affirms and it strengthens our faith that Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be and that we've not been deceived by some messianic fraud. Someone who came along and just said he was the Messiah, but he was a charlatan. Secondly, just knowing some of the basic truths about Christ's genealogy It'll help you in telling others about Jesus, especially Jewish people. I found that most Christians struggle knowing what to say to a Jewish person about Jesus. But one of the best things you could do is ask them how the Jewish people would recognize the Messiah if he came. How would you know he was the Messiah? It's very likely they wouldn't know how to answer this question. In fact, They may be secular rather than religious in their outlook and not even know that the Old Testament promises a Messiah. But regardless of what they know or what they don't know, you can take it upon yourself to explain to them the case for Jesus being Israel's Messiah. Because in addition to all the prophecies in the Old Testament that point to him, his genealogy absolutely proves the legitimacy of his claim. You see, there are no ancient genealogical records amongst the Jewish people today because they were all destroyed in the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. So if someone today showed up and claimed to be the Messiah as a rabbi from Brooklyn, New York did several years ago, they could never trace their lineage back to King David to prove their claim. because those records simply don't exist anymore. But we, we can trace Jesus Christ's claim to be Israel's king by showing them from his genealogy that he came in the messianic and the royal line. As someone has stated, Jesus Christ is the last verifiable claimant to the throne of Israel. So genealogies, far from being a dull and dreary list of hard to pronounce irrelevant names, were important to the Jewish people living in Bible times and they are important to us today because they strengthen our faith and they help us in evangelizing, but they also help us in another way. They serve us in another way. See, not only does Matthew's genealogy verify Christ's claim to be the true king, but it also indicates, watch this, it indicates what kind of a king Jesus is. In other words, there's more to Christ's genealogy than just the proof of his kingship. You see, as we look over the names of those mentioned in this genealogy, there are several individuals mentioned here that stand out because they stand out because they give us insight into the type of king that Jesus is. That is to say, Christ's genealogy reveals some key truths about what he is like in terms of his character and makeup. And so this morning, in anticipation of Christmas this Wednesday, we want to look at Matthew's opening genealogy, not by examining every name he lists, I know that's a relief to you, but by highlighting several people in the royal family that help us to gain an understanding of the kind of king our Lord is. Before we do that, it would be helpful for me to clarify for you some certain terms mentioned by Matthew in his opening statement. So this will help you in understanding things. The opening statement is the record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. First of all, let me point out to you the word record is the Greek word biblos, which means book. This is where we get the term Bible from. The Bible is a book. But byblos can also refer to a record or to an account. And that is how Matthew is using it here. So what we have here then is a record, but a record of what? An account of what? It's the record of the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah. So what is a genealogy? Well, a genealogy literally means beginning or origin. So what Matthew presents to us is the record of the human origin of Jesus the Messiah. There's great significance to his name, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus, and the title Messiah. You see, the name Jesus means Jehovah saves. As you'll recall, this was the name that the angel told Joseph to give him because he would save his people from their sins. And the term Messiah is a translation of the Greek word Christos, which means anointed one. The Hebrew form of this word is Mashiach, from which we get our English word Messiah. So when you hear the term or the word Christ, understand it is synonymous. Synonymous means the same thing as the word Messiah. The word Christ is based on the Greek language. The word Messiah is based on the Hebrew language. But they both mean exactly the same thing. And what do they mean? They mean the anointed one. As I've told you before, Christ was not the Lord's last name. It was his title. He is Jesus, the anointed one. And why was he called the anointed one? Well, in biblical times, Jewish priests, prophets, and kings, they were all anointed with oil as a religious statement that God was setting them apart for sacred use. But Jesus is all three. He is our high priest, he is the perfect prophet, and he is the king. Therefore, he is the ultimate anointed one of God. And so the New Testament opens by giving us an inspired, God-breathed account or record of the human family tree of Jesus, the one that God the Father set apart to be the King and Messiah of Israel. But what kind of a king is he? As I said earlier, Matthew's genealogy doesn't simply establish Christ as the true king, but it also reveals the kind of king that we have ruling over us. From this genealogy, Matthew gives us three key truths about the character of our king, with the first one being that he is a gracious, merciful king. Now it's important to know that the Jewish people of Christ's day, to whom this genealogy was directly addressed, they prided themselves, but in a very sinful way. They prided themselves on being God's special covenant people. Blind to their own sin, they looked down. upon non-Jews, upon Gentiles, who they considered to be beneath them spiritually, morally. This led to all sorts of negative attitudes, negative relationships, hostilities as Jewish people mocked and they defamed Gentiles as being the uncircumcised. That was a term of great derision since circumcision was the outward sign of belonging to the covenant people. Here's how one historian summed up the hostility, the disdain that existed between Jews and Gentiles. He said the Jew had an immense contempt for the Gentile. The Gentiles said the Jews were created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell. God, they said, loves only Israel of all the nations that he made. It was not even lawful to render help to a Gentile mother in her hour of sorest need, for that would simply be bringing another Gentile into the world. Now the Apostle Paul, who prior to his conversion as a zealous Pharisee, held to these prejudiced views of Gentiles. But once Paul became a Christian, he attacked Jewish pride and arrogance by showing that the Jewish people aren't morally superior to the Gentiles at all. Not only are the sons and daughters of Abraham guilty of breaking God's moral laws just as much as Gentiles, but in doing so they're even more culpable. Why? Because in living the way they did, they dishonored God's name and his reputation amongst the Gentiles. Here's how Paul attacked Jewish pride. Romans chapter 2, starting at verse 17. But if you bear the name Jew, and rely upon the law, and you boast in God, and know his will, and approve the things that are essential being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, he's talking again about their attitude towards Gentiles, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, You therefore who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who are poor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, through your breaking the law, you dishonor God. For the name of God is blasphemed amongst the Gentiles because of you, just as it is written. You see, they were self-righteous hypocrites, completely blind to their own sin, but only too happy to point out the sins of the Gentiles. Now, the tragedy of this blindness to their personal sin was that since so many people, Jewish people in our Lord's day, failed to see their sinfulness, they also failed to see their need for a Savior. They considered themselves already righteous and therefore they looked upon themselves as spiritually fit for the kingdom of God. but they were so wrong because what they considered to be righteousness was nothing more than mere external conformity to their religious rules, regulations, without any internal godliness, without any right attitudes and motives in their hearts. It was all outward performance. That's it. Jesus addressed this very problem in Matthew 9. Verses 12 and 13, when he said, it's not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. This was our Lord's indictment against Jewish self-righteousness. And this was the major reason why so many Jewish people of that day refused Christ's call to repentance. They didn't think they had any sin to repent of. And if you have no sin to repent of, at least if that's what you think, then how can you recognize your need for God's grace of salvation in your life? You simply can't. You can't. And that's why, follow this, that's why Matthew's genealogy reveals Jesus as a king who is full of grace, full of mercy for sinners. But Matthew does this in a very unique way. Because he does something that is very uncharacteristic of a Jewish genealogy. He lists the names of several women included in the royal family. And not just any women, but women who were at one time outcasts. Outcasts either by their sinful behavior or by their ethnic status. You see, women were usually not included in Jewish genealogies because ancestral lines were normally traced through the men as head of the family. That was the norm. So it speaks volumes. It speaks volumes and it's intentional that Matthew included four women who had less than sparkling backgrounds. Three were Gentiles, One was a prostitute, another had sexual relations with her father-in-law, a third committed adultery, and the fourth was part of a people created out of incestuous union that was cursed by God. So let me introduce you to these four bad girls of the Bible. The first woman mentioned in Matthew's genealogy is a woman by the name of Tamar. Tamar. And we read about her in chapter 1 verses 2 and 3. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac the father of Jacob. Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram. And what we are told in these verses is that Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, was the father of two twin boys, Perez and Zerah, by Tamar. In other words, Tamar was the mother of these twins and Judah was their father. Now, what makes Tamar stand out as a recipient of God's grace was her wickedness that led to her conception of these twins. You see, Genesis 38 tells us that Tamar was a Canaanite woman who married one of Judah's sons, but he died, leaving her to be a very young widow. Judah then promised Tamar that another one of his sons would be given to her as her husband when he grew up, but Judah failed to keep his promise. So one day Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute, and she deceived her father-in-law Judah into having sexual relations with her, in order to have a child. And from that incestuous and immoral union came two boys, one of which was Perez, the next person in the royal line leading to the Messiah. You see, even though Tamar was guilty of deception, prostitution, incest, and illicit sex, the fact that she is listed in the royal family, folks, it's an act of pure grace. Pure grace. And the implication is that the Messiah is the King of grace. The King who receives even the worst of sinners. Sinners like Tamar. Sinners like us. But Tamar isn't the only female recipient of grace mentioned in Matthew's genealogy. The next sinful woman mentioned in the genealogy is a woman by the name of Rahab. And we read about Rahab in Matthew chapter 1, verse 5, the beginning of verse 5. Salman was the father of Boaz by Rahab. Now, unlike Tamar, Rahab did not commit an isolated act of prostitution. She was a professional prostitute. Joshua 2 reveals that Rahab was also a Canaanite woman. She was an inhabitant or a citizen of the city of Jericho, and she protected two Jewish men sent by Joshua as spies to spy out the land. And in Joshua, as well as in the New Testament, Hebrews chapter 11 and James chapter 2, she is called by her profession, she is known as Rahab the harlot. So this woman was a prostitute, and yet the Lord was so gracious to her, not only by preserving her from Jericho's destruction, but in bringing her into the Messianic line by giving her a Jewish husband by whom she gave birth to a son by the name of Boaz, who became the great-grandfather of David the king. Now, the third bad girl of this genealogy was Ruth, who actually wasn't a bad girl at all. In fact, she was a very good girl. Ruth was a good, godly, sensitive, kind woman. But Ruth was a Gentile, and not an ordinary Gentile at that, but she was a Moabite. A Moabite. Now, why is that significant? Well, it is significant because the Moabites were a people formed by incest. Genesis 19 tells us the sordid story of how Lot's two unmarried daughters got their father drunk one night and in that drunken stupor caused him to have sexual relations with them. And a son by the name of Moab was the result of this union with his oldest daughter. But that wasn't the only mark against being a Moabite. You see, the Moabites became relentless enemies of Israel. So much so that according to Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse 3 God actually cursed them by excluding them from worshiping with the Jewish people until the 10th generation. They were just excluded from the Jewish community and Jewish worship. But take note of God's grace in Ruth's life because by his grace Ruth is brought into not simply a Jewish family but into the Jewish royal family. Because by her husband Boaz, Ruth gives birth to the grandfather of David, a man by the name of Obed. As we read. in chapter 1, the second part of verse 5, and the beginning of verse 6. Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. In other words, Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David. Now that's grace. That's absolutely grace. From the background of incest and religious exclusion, this former pagan outcast is brought into the royal messianic line. Now the fourth woman Matthew includes in his genealogy is Bathsheba, infamous in scripture as the woman that David committed adultery with and then later married. But God was gracious to Bathsheba. and the second son that she and David had was Solomon. And Solomon continued the messianic line and we read about this in the second part of verse 6. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. Now it's interesting to note that in the original text Matthew does not even mention Bathsheba's name. The translators have inserted this. The way the original reads is, Her of Uriah, which appears to be a reminder of the terrible horrific sin that she was associated with, adultery and then murder. So folks, think about these four women. These four women mentioned here by Matthew. Two were harlots, one was the product of incest, one committed adultery. Now, if that doesn't strike you as a death blow to Jewish pride, then I don't know what will. You see, by including these women in the royal genealogy, Matthew is telling us that not only does the Jewish king come from a line of sinners, though he himself is pure, he is without any sin, but that he is gracious because he chooses sinful and wicked people to be part of his family. And that's not only true of his physical family, it is also true, it is especially true, note this, of his spiritual family. Jesus is a friend of sinners and he chooses those who are wicked and sinful He chooses them to be his precious bride and his redeemed people. Listen to what the Apostle Paul had to say to the Corinthians about their backgrounds. First Corinthians chapter six, starting in verse nine. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Now watch this. Such were some of you. Such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God. What Paul is saying is you were like this and God saved you out of that wicked lifestyle. Listen, Jesus extends grace to save those who were once involved in this kind of behavior and even more. Never think that you are too sinful Too wicked to be saved. Never think I've done so many bad things that the Lord wouldn't possibly love me or save me. That's not true. Jesus died for sinners. He said he didn't come to save the righteous, but sinners. People who are guilty of the most horrific sins imaginable. And He not only tells you this, He welcomes you with open arms. I love these words in John chapter 6 verse 37. All that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. In the Greek language this is very emphatic. I will never ever cast you out. If you come to Him, no matter what your background is, no matter what you've done, He'll receive you. He'll receive you. So come to Him. Come to Him with a heart of repentance, which means forsaking your sin, and faith, which means trusting in Him as the one who died on the cross for you. Regardless of what you've done in your past, He will never turn you away if you come to Him. with a heart of faith and repentance. And even if your background isn't overtly wicked, you're still a sinner at heart. You're still a sinner at heart and you need saving. And he will save you by his amazing grace because he is gracious by nature. You see, at one time all of us, the Bible says, were dead in our sins and trespasses, not sick, dead. We had no life of God in us. We had no hope of ever having eternal life, of ever having a saving relationship with Christ. But he made us alive and transformed us. He made us alive spiritually. This is exactly what we read in Ephesians 2, starting at verse 1. Listen to these words. This is us. All of us. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins. in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and of the spirit that's now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too, Paul says, we too, we who are Jews, we too formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, he made us alive with Christ, whereby grace are you saved, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For all of eternity God is going to show forth his grace displayed in us who know him. For by grace, again here's that word grace, undeserved favor, for by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of work so that no one may boast. No one in heaven can boast about their righteousness because they have none. It's all of grace. What an encouragement this should be to all of us. Christ Jesus came into this world. This is what Christmas is about. He came into this world, the Bible says, to save sinners like us. because he is a king who deals with us on the basis of grace and not law. But listen, being gracious doesn't mean that he lowers his standards of holiness, of righteousness, because from Matthew's genealogy, we see a second truth about the character of our king. Not only is he a gracious king, he is also a righteous king. Going back to the genealogy, we read, starting in verse six, Jesus was the father of David the king, David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam the father of Abijah. Abijah the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat, the father of Joram. Joram, the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham, the father of Ahaz. Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh, the father of Ammon. Ammon, the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. You may wonder, didn't you just read that? Why'd you read it again? I had a reason. There's a method to my madness. These verses, starting with David, these verses are a list of the kings, of the line of the kings who have sat on Judah's throne. That's what this list is. And the reason these men in particular are listed is because God made a wonderful promise to David that one of his descendants would rule as king over Israel forever. Here's what we read. Here's the promise spelled out in 2 Samuel chapter 7, starting in verse 12. When your days, meaning the days of David, are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you who will come forth from you and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I'll be a father to him, and he'll be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men. But my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever, and your throne shall be established forever." Now this is a promise that has, note this, it has both a near as well as a far fulfillment. In the near sense, this promise is fulfilled in Solomon, who built the temple and did have to be corrected because of his iniquity. But in a far sense, this prophecy is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, a direct descendant of King David, who will eventually sit upon David's throne as the eternal king. Now this is known as the Davidic Covenant because it is a divine promise made to David that one of his physical descendants would sit upon his throne as ruler of an everlasting kingdom. But more than just a ruler, this covenant was later expanded on by the prophets, by God through the prophets in later years to reveal that this descendant of David, who would rule upon his throne, he would rule, not just anyway, he would rule differently than any other king, he would rule with perfect righteousness and justice. A number of Old Testament verses teach this, but perhaps the best known one is a prophecy that is associated with Christmas. It's Isaiah chapter 9, verses 6 and 7. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, Verse 7, there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it, note this, with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Now in telling us that the Prince of Peace will rule on the throne of David with justice and righteousness, it reveals that Messiah will be perfectly righteous and that his rule will be characterized by perfect righteousness, holiness, justice. There's only one person who qualifies for this and that's Jesus of Nazareth. Only one person. Not only is he a physical descendant of David, which is the major point of Matthew's genealogy, but he alone is the only righteous descendant of David. In fact, he's the only perfectly righteous person who has ever lived. Now what this tells us about our king is that he's a king who demands justice. He can't get away with sin in his kingdom. He rules over our lives with perfect justice and righteousness. He may be a king who forgives because of his gracious character, but he won't let sin go unpunished because of his righteous character. In fact, that's really the point of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reveals that the standards of his kingdom are standards of not outward righteousness that appears good, but internal, inner righteousness, as opposed to mere outward conformity to a set of legal codes. Matthew 5 20, a profound verse that must have just shook the Jewish people. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, they were meticulous in their keeping of the law. Unless your righteousness surpasses them, you'll not enter the kingdom of heaven. Later in his sermon, Jesus clarifies that his standards, his righteous standards involved inner attitudes of the heart, something the Pharisees and scribes did not have. So that as far as he is concerned, if we've hated someone, if we've hated them, Jesus said, you've murdered them. You've murdered them because God sees your heart. And if a man lusts after a woman in his heart, Jesus said, then he's committed adultery in his heart. It's not enough to love those who love us, he said, we're to love those who hate us, who persecute us. It's all about inner righteousness. Now, if these are God's standards of righteousness, then how in the world can anyone perfectly meet them? The answer is you can. No one can. No one can except Jesus Christ. You see, Christ is perfectly righteous, which means, folks, that he flawlessly obeyed every one of God's laws, both outwardly and inwardly, and he never once sinned. But we've sinned over and over and over and over and over again, and the law of God demands justice and punishment for all of the sins we have committed. But rather than letting us experience God's judgment for our sins, Christ experienced it. Because Christ satisfied God's holy justice by his death being payment for those sins. And the moment we trust him to save us by his grace, he not only forgives us, but he actually places on our account his own perfect record of righteousness. a part of the gospel we don't often hear about, but it's so true. Second Corinthians 521, he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Now these are remarkable words. And when God looks at us, he sees Christ's righteousness. Remarkable words, but can Jesus actually do this? I mean, that is to say, can Christ by his death actually accomplish the work of forgiving our sins and imputing his righteousness to us? The answer is, of course, yes, he can. And the reason he can is because not only is he a gracious king, not only is he a righteous king, but the third key truth we see from this genealogy about our king's character reveals that he is a divine king. Now put on your thinking caps. Let's look at Matthew chapter 1 verse 12. This requires some concentration. After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Sheltiel and Sheltiel the father of Zerubbabel. Now in this verse, Matthew mentions a descendant of David, a man by the name of Jeconiah. He's also known in the Old Testament, he goes under, I don't know why, but a few different names. He's also called Coniah as well as Jehoiachin. He was the reigning king of Judah when they were taken into captivity. Now, that may, that might not mean a whole lot to you, but Jeconiah plays a very important role in the Messianic line. You see, although Jeconiah was a descendant in the Messianic line of David, yet because of his sin, he was an evil man, God said, through the prophet Jeremiah, that none of his descendants, meaning none of Jeconiah's descendants, could occupy the throne of Israel. Here's what Jeremiah said. Jeremiah 22, starting in verse 28. Is this man, Jeconiah, a despised shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out and cast into a land that they had not known? O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, write this man down childless, a man who will not prosper in his days, for no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah. In other words, while Jeconiah would have children, he would have physical descendants, none of them, none of them could become the Messiah and rule on David's throne. None of them. Now folks, that's a problem. That's a problem because Jeconiah is in David's royal family line. And therefore, that line and that line alone has the legal right to the throne. It belonged only to this line, the legal right to David's throne through this line. But after Jeconiah, that line became cursed, meaning that no physical descendant in that line could legitimately occupy David's throne. Now that is what we call a theological dilemma. Because if Jesus is a physical descendant of Jeconiah, then how can he be the Messiah king? He can't. But notice what we read in Matthew chapter 1, verse 16. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. Now in this statement, Matthew tells us that Joseph, Mary's husband, was a direct physical descendant of Jeconiah. And as such, he and his male children inherited, note this, the legal right to sit upon the throne. But they couldn't sit on the throne because of the curse, the curse upon Jeconiah. But watch this. Jesus wasn't a physical descendant of Joseph, because Joseph was not his biological father. He had no biological father, because Jesus was born of Mary, who was a virgin at the time of conception. However, Jesus was the legal son of Joseph, Mary's husband, through adoption. Joseph adopted him, and therefore he bypassed the curse of Jeconiah because he wasn't a physical descendant coming through that line. And keep in mind, in Bible times, adoption gave you all the legal rights and privileges of a biological son. But there's still a problem. There's another problem that needs to be solved. You see, although Jesus did have the legal rights to sit upon David's throne, yes, he had that, but he still had to be a physical descendant of David's because that was the promise made in the Davidic Covenant. One of your descendants would be the Messiah. the Messiah had to be a physical descendant of David. And you know what? Jesus was a physical descendant of David because Mary, his mother, was also a direct descendant of King David. But through another of David's sons, not Solomon, but another son by the name of Nathan. In fact, Luke's genealogy in chapter 3 of his Gospel narrative appears to trace Christ's lineage through Mary, while Matthew, his genealogy traces the lineage through Joseph. In other words, through Joseph, Jesus has the legal right to sit upon David's throne. And through Mary, Jesus has the blood rights to sit upon David's throne. And the dilemma has been solved. But don't miss the point. Don't miss the point of all this. Which is that Jesus had to be born of a virgin in order to be qualified to be the king. He had to be. And what that means is he is a divine king. He is deity. He is God in human flesh. Totally God, totally Man. Which is precisely what Matthew goes on to tell us in the next section. Chapter 1 verse 23. Behold the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel. Which translated means God with us. You see the king isn't just a son of David. The king is also God the Son. That's why his death is so significant. In Jesus Christ the eternal God became a human being, a man, so that in paying the debt of sinners, his death on the cross would be, note this, it would be an eternal sacrifice, meaning that his grace offers eternal, everlasting, forever forgiveness to you. And the righteousness that he puts on your account the moment you trust him as Lord and Savior, it's also forever. It's not temporary, it's forever. You see, this king is not only gracious and righteous, but as the divine king, he is the king of kings and lord of lords. Therefore, as the divine king, he demands absolute allegiance, loyalty to him, to himself, above everything else, above everyone else. So take Christ to take Christ as your savior. What does that mean? It means that you must recognize him to be the gracious king. the gracious one who can forgive all of your sins because he forgives sinners just like you. It also means that you must recognize him as the righteous one who, if you trust him, will put on your account his perfect righteousness because you have none of your own. You need his. It also means that you must recognize him as the divine king who you submit to because there is no one greater than him. If you come to him Folks, you must come to him on his terms. Those are his terms. If you'd like to speak to one of our pastors about coming to Christ for salvation, then just see me. I'll be up here at the front. Some of our pastors will be with me. You want to speak to one of them, just come up and tell me as we close the service. Father, we thank you for your mercy. Thank you for sending Christ for us. Lord Jesus, thank you for being so gracious, righteous, divine, all at once. You are beyond our total comprehension. Lord, we thank you that you receive sinners like us, like me. I pray for those who are thinking they're too sinful to be saved, that what they've heard today, they would dismiss that thought. That's just a lie. I pray that some would come to you in their hearts, if not coming up here after, would come to you to know you in their hearts would repent of their sin. And I pray for all of us, Lord, all of us who know you, that we would be encouraged by what we have heard, because we look back at our salvation and we think how gracious you have been to save us, to keep us saved. How gracious you have been to place your righteousness on our account. How gracious you have been, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, to even care about us. Lord, we bow before you. You are our King. Save some today and encourage your people. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.