Call to Commitment

 

Rachel and Mike

I have promised earlier that I would try to write and publish some sermons by our two sons, who are pastors. Dan is pastor of Swanton Christian Church, in Swanton, Vermont and Mike is pastor of Church of Hope in Elk River, Minnesota. I need to print a sermon by Dan, actually preached to Mike´s church from Mike and Rachel´s home during the first days of Covid. Dan talks about Jesus’ ministry in Capernaum, Galilee, especially of the salvation and healing of a paralytic, who was let down through the roof in his bed. 

Today, I am posting an outstanding message by Mike, given in 2021, about the four women in the genealogy of Christ. It was of great encouragement to me, and I think you will also find it to be something, which will feed your soul.

 

Jesus´ Family Tree (Matthew 1:3, 5-6)

 

Mike Brueckner, Christmas 2021 

The prophet Isaiah said that God´s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. In fact, he says, Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, that’s how much higher His ways and His thoughts are beyond us. In 1 Corinthians 1, it teaches that God uses the things that the world would consider foolish, or not usable, and uses those things, so that He may be glorified.

 This is a biblical principle and when you think about the Christmas story, you think about Christ coming to this earth, and that He could have been born in a palace. If anyone was worthy of that, He was worthy. Yet, He was born in a manger and the world would call that foolish. He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords… but there’s no room for Him in the inn. No matter, who was in that inn, they should have put him out, to make room for Jesus.

 Then, you look at His disciples that He selected. They were not the cream of the crop, but they were going to carry on the mission that He began. I repeat that this is a biblical principle, that’s shown throughout the Word of God. It’s there to encourage us today and it’s there to give us hope.

 I want to focus on Christ’s family tree. In ancient times, family trees were a big deal. They were like a background check, especially as related to royalty. If you wanted to expose your family line, you should have to come from the right line, the purest line that you could possibly present. It was not uncommon, that if someone had a blemish in their family line, one who was there, but wasn’t welcome, the family tree would be changed. They would pull it out and put another name to replace it.

          

                 The Holy Spirit even inspires genealogies

Emily, Elayna, Jaykin, Erica

 However, in Matthew 1, the Holy Spirit is authoring Jesus’ family line. I want to say today, that nothing was changed from the reality of the people, who were actually in this line. In fact, the Holy Spirit highlights the otherwise unwanted ancestors. This genealogy, as in all the others throughout the Bible, could have only given the male names, the father in each case. The Holy Spirit saw fit to put people in this genealogy, so that a man of the world would think… “These people should not be in here. This is a blemish and this line is not pure.”

 The Holy Spirit has a purpose in it. He wants us to know why Jesus was born in a manger 2,000 years ago and the purpose that He was to accomplish. He highlights four women, whom we are going to study today. Throughout the genealogy he gives the male name, as is common, but here in the beginning he gives women’s names.

 In the day that Jesus lived, women were looked down upon, they were considered less than men. God is showing that there is equality and He has a plan, a purpose, upon their lives, just as among men. He came to elevate people’s understanding of God’s call upon women.

 

Tamar

 The first woman that we will look at is Tamar. The verse is Matthew 1:3: “Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar.” It tells us by whom Judah had twins. Who was Tamar? First of all, let me point out that Joseph is so prominent in the Old Testament that you would think that Joseph’s offspring would be in the line of Christ, but it was not. The line of Christ ran through “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” Joseph’s brother. He was the one with the worst idea of all the older brothers, who wanted to kill Joseph, because they hated him. Judah wanted to get profit from Joseph, by selling him into slavery… a worse fate than death.

 In Genesis 38, it gives us the history of Perez and Zerah. Now, Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law and he had three sons. Er, the oldest, was Tamar’s husband, but he displeased the Lord and God killed him. Then, it was custom that the next youngest brother take his wife, and raise up an heir for the oldest. So Onan, the second son, was to take Tamar, but he took precautions, so that she wouldn´t get pregnant. That displeased God.

 There is one son left, but he is not of the age to marry. Judah begins to think that the common denominator in the death of his sons is Tamar. So, he tells her that in due time, Shelah, the youngest, would become her husband. Time goes by and Judah doesn´t keep his word. So, after Judah´s wife dies, Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute. Judah is lonely and looking for companionship. Sinfully, he takes this prostitute, not knowing that it was his daughter-in-law. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to Perez and Zerah.

 The story is longer and you can study it in this chapter. By the way, if you’re looking for good stories, you don’t need to go to Hollywood, because the Bible is packed with them. Tamar enters the lineage of Christ and in Matthew, chapter 1, the writer could have told of Judah and then go on to Perez, but the Holy Spirit sees fit to mention that the descendant of Judah was by Tamar.

 

Rahab

 The second woman that is mentioned in the genealogy is Rahab in verse 5. “Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab…” Who is Rahab? You have to go to Joshua, chapter 2; maybe you know this already, but Rahab was a non-Jew, a prostitute. She kept the Jewish spies safe in her home, while they were developing their plan to conquer her own city. She hid them and said, “The word is getting around and people are trembling over it.” That is the understanding that people need to have of God. When He does things, there is reason to shake in your boots, because God is leading Israel through different nations and they are conquering them. People were wondering, if they might be the next city to be defeated.

 Rahab hears it also and asks for mercy. The spies give her advice: She is to hang a red cord from her window… I think that is significant. It was a sign, similar to the blood being applied to the doorposts in Egypt, when all the firstborn of the Egyptians were killed. Moses had been telling Pharaoh, “Let My people go!” Now, because of the red cord, Rahab’s entire house was safe… it was redeemed. Not only that, but this prostitute is put into the lineage of the Messiah. The Holy Spirit sees fit to highlight it in Matthew 1:5. He didn’t have to, but He does.  

 

Ruth

 Thirdly, Ruth enters the lineage of Christ, also in verse 5: “…Boaz begot Obed by Ruth.” Who is Ruth? The book of Ruth tells us that there was a man named Elimelech and his family was living in Bethlehem, of all places. Coincidence? I don’t think so. There is a famine in the land and they went to live in Moab. The Moabites were enemies of Israel, but that is were Elimelech goes to live with his wife and two sons. But, he died and his sons married Moabite wives. And shortly after that, they died.

 Now there is a problem. Who is going to provide for the women? Naomi, the wife and mother says, “I’m going back to Bethlehem, my home town, and you, Orpah and Ruth, should go back to your town.” Orpah does go back to her family, but do you remember Ruth’s response: “Where you go, I’m going. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God.”

 It’s a fascinating story, as Ruth, who wasn’t a Jewess, goes back with Naomi. She begins to fend for her mother-in-law, harvesting barley after the reapers, and ends up in Boaz’s field. He happens to be a relative of Naomi and Boaz is blown away by the loyalty of Ruth. Here is a foreign girl in a foreign land, looking out for the wellbeing of her mother-in-law. Boaz is a noble man, as well. Naomi is in trouble, as you can imagine, with her husband and her sons gone. She sold the land that belonged to her husband and the future did not look good. The custom in those times was that the closest relative would help redeem the family of the dead husband and father, if he was able.

 Boaz was a relative, but there was another relative closer still. He had the first responsibility and opportunity to redeem them. He agreed to do it, but on the day that he heard of it, he hears that he also has to marry Ruth, in order to provide an heir for the oldest son, who had passed away. He then says, “I’m out. I won’t take that deal.” And that was what Boaz was waiting for, so he says, “I’ll do it.”

 I love the story of Ruth, because it oozes with gospel, throughout the four chapters. Boaz takes Ruth as his own wife. Review this story from the beginning and see how Ruth has a son named Obed, who, in turn has a son named Jesse. Jesse has a son named (help me, people…) David, King David. Being part of that line, Ruth is in the lineage of Christ. The Holy Spirit sees fit to highlight Ruth’s name, a non-Jew. He shines a spotlight on her and that is an amazing fact!

 

The wife of Uriah

 Number four is Bathsheba. Who is Bathsheba? It’s interesting that Matthew doesn’t even use her name, but highlights her first husband’s name.  We just spoke of David, as a descendant of Boaz and Ruth. Verse 6 says: “David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.” David, a man after God’s own heart, should have been with his men, who were at war. Instead, he is on his rooftop, looking at a woman, who is bathing. He does not walk away and save himself from temptation, and he begins to lust. The lust grows and he inquires, “Who is this?” He finds out who her father is and also her husband. It’s one of his men, who is in battle. One would think that that would be enough for David to back off, but he persists in his sin. He sends messengers to call for her, he sleeps with her, and she gets pregnant.

 That becomes a big problem.  David has an opportunity to repent, come clean, and get it out in the open. Instead, he begins to strategize, thinking, “What am I going to do? I know, I’ll have her husband come back from battle.” He comes back and talks business with the king. How are things going in the battle? David tries to sound legitimate and sends a gift package with him to his house. The only problem is that Uriah doesn’t go home; he was a man of character, knowing that all his men were in battle, so decides, ‘I’m going to sleep outside with the servants of the king. Should I enjoy life, while they are battling?’ David tries to get him drunk to get him to go home, but, even drunk, Uriah would not do it.

 David has another opportunity to repent, with guilt setting in, because he sees a man of honor, making wise choices. Instead, he sends word to Joab, his commander, “I want you find a heated battle and put Uriah at the front, and then, leave him alone.” It was a sure death sentence, Joab complies and Uriah dies. Bathsheba grieves for her husband and when she is done grieving, David thinks he is free. He takes Bathsheba as his own wife, thinking that nobody would find out, and the child comes after they marry.  

 Friends, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Nathan, the prophet, comes to David to tell him about a situation, he saw happening: “You have a rich guy who has hundreds in his herd. You have a poor man, who has one sheep. He has it like a pet in the house, even eating with the family. A visitor came to the rich man and instead of going to one of the hundreds and thousands of his own sheep to prepare a meal, he steals the one sheep of the poor man, butchers it and prepares it for his guest.” Nathan adds, “What should we do?” David is ticked, angry! He says, “As sure as there is a God, this man is going to die! Not only that, but four times what he took, will be restored to the poor man.” That was the right sentence; in fact, it’s lawful. Then Nathan says, “You’re that man! It’s what you’ve done with Uriah and his wife.”

 What a moment of truth! Now, David repents and he finds mercy. He’s told in the same chapter that God would forgive his sin. He suffered severe consequences; this child, by the way, that Bathsheba conceived by David, was not Solomon. This child died, which was one of the consequences of David’s insistence on doing his own thing. Solomon came later and in Matthew 1:6, the wife of Uriah is highlighted as part of the lineage of Christ, the Messiah! The original Greek puts it: “David, the king, begot Solomon by her of Uriah.” God didn’t have to say that, but He saw fit to.

 

Biblical principle works today

 

Mike teaching in Sweden

What does all this mean? This is what the Messiah came to do and the message is shouted loud and clear from rooftop to rooftop, from mountaintop to mountaintop. God takes that, which has no business or right to be in His eternal purposes and He uses it! Ultimately, He gets all the glory. Psalms 46 gives us an invitation: “Come, behold the works of the Lord.” Do you want to see something amazing? You watch what God can do. He takes what is dead and makes it alive. He takes what is broken and makes it whole. He is saying to us, “This is why I came. Don’t exclude anyone from what I have come to do. Don’t write your own rules as to who can come. Find the outcasts, the down-and-outers, because those are the ones that I am calling to be part of My kingdom.”

 Seeing how God works, will thrill our hearts and blow our minds. Don’t miss the gospel transformation that takes place in every single one of these stories that we have just observed. Judah was transformed from trying to sell his brother into slavery, into someone, who offers his life in place of another brother. From trying to profit for himself, he now gives himself. He is totally transformed and that is the work that God does. He always engages sinners, takes these people, who don’t have it together and He transforms them. He doesn’t leave them the same as they had been before.

 Not only was Rahab’s entire family saved, but God used her to defeat the city and the Israelites took the land, beginning when the walls of Jericho came down. Naomi’s family is redeemed by Boaz and gives Ruth incredible favors, finally marrying her. That wasn’t her situation, when the story began, was it? This is what God is in the business of doing. David is transformed, he repents and we have Psalms 51, one of the most beautiful Psalms of repentance. “Against You only have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight.” But he calls out for mercy: “Blot out all my iniquities... Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

  It’s the cry of every person, who sees himself as a sinner, before a holy God. There is only one thing that will cleanse and that is the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s the work that He is in the business of doing. So, for all to see, Matthew gives the lineage, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to say this: “This is My way and these are the ones I use. The Messiah is here and here is His lineage. Christ, the Savior, the Lord, is here and has come to seek and to save that which was lost. He does it in a way, in which He will receive all the glory, when all is said and done.

 The enemy would like you and I to believe, that our past is unforgiveable. He tells us that we are unredeemable and that the cross of Christ is different than what we are trying to say today. But no, this is why Christ came, to seek and to save that which was lost. Don’t believe the lie of the enemy. As a believer, the enemy would like to get you to believe that God can’t use you and has no specific plan and purpose for your life in His work. He says that salvation is as far as you can go, but my prayer is that you will be set free. Don’t listen to what the devil is trying to feed you.

 As a new creation in Christ, the old is gone and the new has come. You will be amazed at what God can do in the life of someone, who is broken. Man would say, “You have no business being a part of God’s plan.” About that same person, God says, “There is a candidate that I can use.” What joy, what hope! You are, in fact, a perfect candidate for the purpose of Jesus Christ. Note today, that God can save anyone, who calls upon the name of the Lord and that He desires to use us all in eternal plans for His glory.