1

God's Love Revealed in the Genealogy Chapter

2

Bible verse : Matthew 1:1 (NIV)

A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

3

In other words, chapter 1 of Matthew tells us that it is a genealogy chapter.
Here, the genealogy from Abraham, the ancestor of faith, through King David to Jesus is recorded.

4

The genealogy can be divided into three parts. It has the characteristics of 14 generations from Abraham, the ancestor of faith, to King David, 14 generations from King David to the captivity of Judah to Babylon, and 14 generations from the captivity to Babylon to Jesus.

5

In the genealogy of Jesus, there are many people we can recognize just by hearing their names. Abraham, who came out first, obeyed the word of God at the age of 75. He left his hometown for Canaan and was 100 years old when he got Isaac.
We call Abraham the father of faith.

6

Another person lived as a fugitive for 20 years for deceiving his father and stealing Esau's blessing. He wrestled with the angel of God in the Jabbok River and got the name Israel. He is Jacob. Jacob is also the father of twelve sons who become the twelve tribes of Israel.

7

Also, the names of King David of Israel, who enjoyed exalting and praising God by playing the lyre well, who defeated Goliath, the giant who insulted the name of God, with a sling stone, and King Solomon, the son of King David, who built the temple.
It is recorded.

8

There is also the name of King Josiah, who became king at the young age of 8.
While King Josiah was repairing God's temple by faith, he found the book of God's law. King Josiah did a courageous act by burning and destroying all the idols in the land of Judah. In addition to the people mentioned above, the names of many other people are recorded in the genealogy chapter.

9

Today, I would like to talk about a very special part that can be found in the genealogy chapter. People who are unlikely to be recorded in this genealogy chapter are recorded. The names of four women are recorded here, where the genealogies of men are recorded.

10

The first woman to appear is a woman named Tamar. Tamar's father-in-law, Judah, did not keep her promise to her father-in-law to carry on her family line. She is a woman who has done very special things.

11

The second woman is a woman named Rahab. She said that this woman was a  Gentile and that she had a lowly job as a prostitute in Jericho.
With her faith in God, she helped the spies of Israel and helped Israel conquer Jericho. As an act of faith, she was listed in this genealogy book.

12

The third woman is a woman named Ruth. This woman, too, was not an Israelite, but a Gentile from Moab. She chose to come to Israel to become God's people.
She later married a man named Boaz and became an ancestor of Jesus and was named in her genealogy book.

13

The fourth woman is Bathsheba, recorded as the wife of Uriah.
There was a time when King David committed a great sin by killing his subordinate Uriah to take away his wife. In the genealogical book, it says of Bathsheba, “David gave birth to Solomon by Uriah’s wife.”

14

What is so amazing is that these women recorded in the Bible today are ethically problematic people. Nevertheless, what was recorded in the genealogy of the most holy Jesus shows the heart of God. What is God's heart?

15

It showed that no matter what kind of person God is unable to save, there is no one. No matter what a person comes from, God can save.
He is showing us this by recording Rahab and Ruth in the genealogy chapter.

16

Also, even if that person had pain in the past, God can save him.
Tamar and Bathsheba were women who had pain. However, God showed us that they too can be saved by healing, embracing and saving them with God's love by recording them in the genealogy of Jesus.

17

God's love is a great love that can save anyone. There is no one whom God cannot forgive. We too are people who have received this great love.
Therefore, we should be thankful for the great love that God has given us and become people of faith who strive to do what pleases God more.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)