Bible Text: Matthew 1:1-17 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: A Christmas Blessing, Matthew, You Mean This is True

Recap of 12/23/12 (Matthew 1:1-17):
1.  Beginning with Genesis 3:14,15 God promised that One would come who would crush Satan and in so doing reverse the effects of the Fall.
 
2.  Matthew links Jesus with both the Abrahamic covenant(Genesis 12,15,22) and the  Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16).  This is important because in the Abrahamic covenant God promised that all the world would be blessed through Abraham’s seed (Paul relates this promise of a “seed” to Jesus in Galatians 3:16,22,24).  Secondly, in the Davidic covenant God promises that one of the line of David would reign forever on David’s throne.
 
3.  Matthew’s genealogy carefully demonstrates that Jesus is of the royal line and has a legal right to the throne of David.
 
4.  Matthew’s genealogy also clearly demonstrates that Jesus is virgin-born in verse 16.  Matthew does not say “Joseph, the father of” but rather he changes the expression used in the rest of the genealogy to “Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom (in Greek, a feminine relative pronoun) was born Jesus. . .”  This is essential to God’s saving purpose.
 
5.  As with the human ancestors of God’s Son, though we are weak, sinful and often unfaithful, God deals with us in grace