The Gospels in Harmony  Sermon #4-111616

Matthew 1:2-17 
2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judah and his brethren; 
3 And Judah begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 
4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 
5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 
6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah; 
7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 
8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 
9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 
10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 
11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 
13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 
14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 
15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 
16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations. 

    As we pick up in Matthew in verse 2, we begin with the second in line to receive the promises God made to and through Abraham.
2 Abraham begat Isaac-----
Isaac; the son of promise! God promised a son to Abraham through his wife Sarah. Ishmael was not the son of promise although the son of Abraham. Ishmael was the son of Abraham's efforts with a woman that could bare him a child. Isaac was the son of Abraham through a woman that had to receive the grace of God to conceive. The blessing of God toward Abraham continued to be all of God! This is also the beginning of the doctrine of the elect. God knows His purpose for each one of us. All things work for the good, but it is always for the glory of God.

Think about. How would it glorify God to just make an offer to several so-called God-fearing men. Let them proceed to raise children and see which one would appear to be the most God glorifying in the eyes of the world. A worldly view of righteous person doing Gods work. Let me assure you the world is fooled daily by such nonsense.  

   No, God knows who He will call to do His work, and He knows how to show it can only be Him making it happen. A man and woman past the age of child being chosen to have a son for Gods glory is for them to know. But a barren woman past the age of child baring being with child can only be viewed by the world as a miracle of God. 
   God is in control of all things as our designer, creator, and sustainer. Here once again we will have people reading this and thinking to themselves, "what if I am not one of God's elect?" 
Well stay with us in this series and I will clear up a few things for you.
But for now, if you are deeply concerned then perhaps you should take a long hard look at yourself, your actions and thoughts, your relationship with Jesus Christ and the brethren, then be honest with yourself and confess and repent at every feeling and remembrance of wrongdoing. Oh, my beloved, if you are that concerned, that willing, that fearful of not being a child of God, then you will be saved! You would not fear being without Jesus or sinning against God if you were not being called to salvation by the Holy Spirit. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and savior, and you will know what salvation really is.

  The child of promise came to Abraham and Sarah at a time when both were passed the age of procreation. The child grew and lived under the promise of blessing toward his father. When Abraham died, all the blessings of God's promises came directly to Isaac. How were they poured out on him?
Through faith and obedience just as they were for his father.
Genesis 25:11
11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi. 
Genesis 25:21
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 
Genesis 26:1-6
1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 
2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 
3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 
4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. 
6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: 
Gerar was in the land of Canaan which God had promised Abraham would be given to his descendants.
It was later in the land of the tribe of Judah. 
  So, Isaac was faithful and obedient in the land of King Abimelek of the Philistines. Now this was ninety years after Abrahams visit and original covenant of peace in this same land. So, this was not the same Abimelek. However, Isaac knew to fear them for their practices of taking what they wanted, by force if necessary and he applied the same ploy that His father had to save himself from them killing him to take his beautiful wife, Rebecca. 
   I find it noteworthy. Because of their faith and obedience, these two men were blessed with women so beautiful, that even kings desired them. 
Now I understand why my wife is so beautiful! 

Wow! Thank You Jesus!

   But God put fear in the hearts of the Philistine leaders, and they proclaimed that Isaac and Rebecca not be harmed. 
Isaac planted and God made his labors produce 100-fold.
He prospered so much the people of that land became envious and Isaac was told to leave because they feared him, for he had become so great in strength and number. So, he moved eastward but every time he dug a well the herdsmen of that area claimed it for themselves. So instead of fighting he would pack up and move. Here is another feature of faith and obedience in the son of Abraham. God did not tell him to make a stand or fight or take anything that was not his. God said (paraphrase)--do not go into the land of Egypt. Go where I tell you and you will be blessed. 
  Now sometimes we are moved and things change around us so we must deal with current events, but that does not mean God is not there the whole time with a watchful eye and a helpful hand. When God is ready to move you on to the next step in His plan, He will tell you. Isaac moved from place to place but was forced to move over and over because of the herdsmen in the area. Peacefully he would move and God would continue to bless and guide and provide for him. 
  2-------and Isaac begat Jacob-----
Matthew was writing to confirm the lineage of Jesus through the promise made to Abraham.
But in stating each one of these people he was bringing the remembrance of the presence of God in the lives of them all to our attention. Throughout time God has made Himself manifest in the lives of all men for His purpose.
As we continue looking into the lives of each one on Matthews list, we will begin to see the character of God. Each one is a stone in the architects finished work which comes to a head in Jesus Christ.
   Let's continue.
Jacob the second born of twins. It is hardly possible to mention Jacob without thinking of Esau also.
Here I will expound on the doctrine of election.
Before Jacob and Esau were ever born God knew them.
Genesis 25:21-23
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 
22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. 
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
Romans 9:10-18
 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. 
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 
11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 
12 It was said to her, The elder shall serve the younger. 
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. 
17 For the scripture saith to Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 
  Now, many would say Esau didn't have a chance. 
Oh, but he did! He was raised in the same God-fearing household as Jacob, but God knew his heart before the world was formed. God knew he would not fear Him nor follow his commands. 
  Many would say Esau was treated like a pagan, like Pharaoh himself, yet even Pharaoh saw the greatness of God firsthand and would not believe. There are them who only get one opportunity to come to God and others are called for many years. Jacob by no means was sinless in thought or action many times in his life, yet he believed God was with him and it was counted to him as righteousness as it was with his father and grandfather.
We must understand, God is sovereign. It is His perfect will for all things to work for the good. God's mercy is on them he knows will come and compassion on them that do. But them who will not, He knows, and even hardens their hearts so they cannot come to Him and be saved.
 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 
     I would like everyone to notice verse 11 of 2 Thessalonians 2 says----that they should believe a lie: 
This is a choice made by the unbeliever. A choice to ignore everything else and in doing so God does not hinder them but makes the lie more than believable. It is what their hearts desire.
This is why Scripture says: Esau have I hated. 
In the same sense He says: ---Jacob have I loved. God knew Jacobs heart and He never left Him.
Is God unrighteous for giving us what our hearts desire? Not at all! 
One thing we must all remember. God gave us free will! And we are free to accept or deny the truth of even His existence. But God already knows and to them that will desire Him, He has mercy and to them who will not, His mercy is withheld to the point of total blindness toward Him.
  You cannot blame God for your sinful refusal to come before His Son in confession and repentance. If you choose a hard heart, a hard heart is what you will receive.
Everyone has been given a seed of faith. It is what you put that seed in to grow that will be for your eternal glory with God or your eternal damnation. Faith grows in lies as quick as it does the truth!
   So as Matthew lists the names of all who came in line to Jesus Christ, Jacob is remembered for many things in his life. 
He bartered with Esau for His birthright which Esau willingly gave up to satisfy his stomach.
He followed his mother's plan to deceive Isaac for the blessing that Esau had already willingly given up.
He did not always follow God's directions to the fullest or the quickest but nun the less, he was faithful and even though Laban used and abused him for his services Jacob dealt honestly with him.
   Jacob had 12 sons through his obedience and faith to his father and God. Jacob was blessed because of his persistence in believing God would be with Him and his willingness to set his face like flint on God blessing him to continue, without harm, to walk the path God had set before him.
 Dedication and devotion to even wrestle against his fears to serve our almighty God. 
And oh, was he blessed! 
It would do us all good to open our Bibles and read once again from Genesis Chapters 24-33.

     Are we beginning to see the importance of the naming of the earthly descendants of Jesus? As we read this list, instead of skipping over it to get on with the Book of Matthew, we can begin to see the character in each of them that God has used to show us Himself in Jesus Christ.
Each one has something to teach us about what God looks for and uses in each of His servants and as we will soon see, what God will use to achieve His purpose. 
Romans 9:13
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Genesis 26:34-35
34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: 
35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah. 

How do you live?
Are you like Jacob, who admits and faces his fears, and cries out for God to be with him?
Or are you like Esau who credits his own hands for his prosperity?
Are you a blessing to your parents or a grief of mind to them?
Are you persistent in your desire to come closer to and honor and glorify God? 
Or are you high and mighty all by yourself?
It is by these very people that we can see and know what is righteous in the sight of God and what is not. By the time we get to Jesus we will know Him by His righteousness.

Open our eyes to the truth in your Word, Father, that we would not believe the lies of the world.
In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN!

Pastor Steven Freede
Down Home Preaching Ministry
Original sermon date---11/16/16