Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Christmas Prequel – Part 1



Matthew 1:1-17 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.”

A couple weeks ago, Pastor Kyle continued in our Advent season Sunday sermon series “The Christmas Story Most People Miss” and stated the basic reality that begins mean so much to the meaning for the rest of the story. Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. "Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's mass". The word is recorded as Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131. Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed"; and
mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.

Christmas draws the world focus on Jesus Christ, but unfortunately many know of Him, yet do not know Him or where He came from. Unbelievers wrestle with Christmas in their heart. They may deny God and the Savior of the world He gave to pay for the sins of the world by His atoning death on the Cross for the redemption and salvation for all who by faith repent, believe  and receive the greatest Christmas ever, but the reality is that God the Son came and dwelt among us that we might be forgiven and saved through Him. It took a perfectly sinless being to pay for the inequity of sinners, otherwise He would have to pay for His own sin. God provided One Way in sending Jesus Christ.

Luke 3:23-38 “:Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, … the son of Adam, the son of God.”

The Greek word for genealogy is genesis. Pastor Kyle listed two import lessons about Jesus from His genealogy. (1) Jesus had the right pedigree (from the lineage of King David) and fulfilled the right prophesy to be the Messiah. The mathematical odds of Jesus fulfilling all the prophesies about Himself are a staggering 10 to the seventeenth power. (2) Jesus’ life is the only one whose performance matched that of the Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit, living a sinless life, performing supernatural miracles and doing what only God can do.  

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; “Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

What are some important lessons about me in light of Jesus’ genealogy? (1) My past can be my professor to learn from, or my prison to keep me locked up. Sin is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as: “The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is against a just and holy God, our maker, Creator of Heaven and Earth, architect and producer of all that exists; the state of sin in which humanity has existed since the fall of man. Romans 3:22b-23 brings light that, “there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. We have a tendency to sweep our sins under the rug. Yet, God exposes all sin for everyone to see.

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on Jesus Christ in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

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