Northlake Church | November 26, 2017 | Mike Garner
Waiting For Jesus | Wait With Faith | Matthew 1:1-16
Locations & Times
Northlake Church
3610 Lohman Ford Rd, Lago Vista, TX 78645, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Northlake Church!
Welcome! We're glad that you found us! As you get to know us, you'll see that we are just like you, people learning what it means to follow Jesus in their everyday life. In order to take away some of the mystery of what happens on Sunday mornings around here, we've jotted down a few tips on visiting Northlake Church for the first time, click the link below to visit our website to get to know us a little better! We pray that today, you are encouraged, that you feel welcomed and that you are reminded just how much Jesus loves you!
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Wait With Faith | Matthew 1:1-16
KEY THOUGHT...
"Because we know the BEGINNING and the END of the STORY,
we can WAIT WITH FAITH for JESUS in the MIDDLE"
"Because we know the BEGINNING and the END of the STORY,
we can WAIT WITH FAITH for JESUS in the MIDDLE"
MATTHEW 1:1-16 ESV
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wifeofUriah [Bathsheeba], 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos [Amon], and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wifeofUriah [Bathsheeba], 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos [Amon], and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
LINES...WAITING WITH ANXIETY
According to a Timex survey, Americans wait...
- 20 minutes a day for the bus or train
- 32 minutes whenever they visit a doctor
- 28 minutes in security lines whenever they travel
- 21 minutes for a significant other to get ready to go out
- 13 hours annually waiting on hold for a customer service
- 38 hours each year waiting in traffic: those living in Big cities wait in traffic more than 50 hours annually
- Add it all up and it equals 37 billion hours a yr waiting in line somewhere
- Human beings spend approximately 6 months of their lives waiting in line for things, which equals about 3 days a year of lining up
- The average person spends about 43 days on hold with automated customer service in one lifetime
- Those who take the bus will wait about 27 days of their lives waiting around on the platform or at the bus stop
---> Source: http://www.mobilestatistics.com/mobile-news/23-days-a-year-spent-on-your-phone.aspxhttps://www.reference.com
Football Game...
- 3 hours 12 minutes long...only 11 minutes of live action play
We don't just wait on small things...but big things too...
- I can't wait to get to the next season of my life...when my dreams will finally come true! [elementary to middle school to high school to college to first job to better job to retirement...going from single to married to kids to no kids...
- waiting to finally be loved
- waiting to finally be healthy
- waiting for peace on earth or at a minimum peace in my own life
- waiting for life to be what it was meant to be
We wish there is a shortcut to get there...cut the line...skip the waiting!
- Sometimes we use God as a shortcut, magic genie, Santa Claus, Amazon.com on Demand, our servant
- We twist the gospel to think God is here to serve us, to wait on us
- He needs to work on our timetable, give us what we ask for and make our life happy and smooth
But to believe the Gospel...
- we have to refuse the shortcuts
- we need to embrace the waiting and see it as a mark of our existence
- waiting is believing
- waiting is handing over our dreams, our hopes, our very lives, to Jesus
- waiting is believing that Jesus will weave everything together to make something beautiful
This Advent Season...
- we will look at this idea of "WAITING FOR JESUS"...together
- we will wait with anticipation
According to a Timex survey, Americans wait...
- 20 minutes a day for the bus or train
- 32 minutes whenever they visit a doctor
- 28 minutes in security lines whenever they travel
- 21 minutes for a significant other to get ready to go out
- 13 hours annually waiting on hold for a customer service
- 38 hours each year waiting in traffic: those living in Big cities wait in traffic more than 50 hours annually
- Add it all up and it equals 37 billion hours a yr waiting in line somewhere
- Human beings spend approximately 6 months of their lives waiting in line for things, which equals about 3 days a year of lining up
- The average person spends about 43 days on hold with automated customer service in one lifetime
- Those who take the bus will wait about 27 days of their lives waiting around on the platform or at the bus stop
---> Source: http://www.mobilestatistics.com/mobile-news/23-days-a-year-spent-on-your-phone.aspxhttps://www.reference.com
Football Game...
- 3 hours 12 minutes long...only 11 minutes of live action play
We don't just wait on small things...but big things too...
- I can't wait to get to the next season of my life...when my dreams will finally come true! [elementary to middle school to high school to college to first job to better job to retirement...going from single to married to kids to no kids...
- waiting to finally be loved
- waiting to finally be healthy
- waiting for peace on earth or at a minimum peace in my own life
- waiting for life to be what it was meant to be
We wish there is a shortcut to get there...cut the line...skip the waiting!
- Sometimes we use God as a shortcut, magic genie, Santa Claus, Amazon.com on Demand, our servant
- We twist the gospel to think God is here to serve us, to wait on us
- He needs to work on our timetable, give us what we ask for and make our life happy and smooth
But to believe the Gospel...
- we have to refuse the shortcuts
- we need to embrace the waiting and see it as a mark of our existence
- waiting is believing
- waiting is handing over our dreams, our hopes, our very lives, to Jesus
- waiting is believing that Jesus will weave everything together to make something beautiful
This Advent Season...
- we will look at this idea of "WAITING FOR JESUS"...together
- we will wait with anticipation
ADVENT...WAITING WITH ANTICIPATION
- Every year we retell the story
- Spoiler Alert! Jesus is born!
- We know the beginning and the end of "The Story" but find ourselves WAITING WITH FAITH in the MIDDLE
- Over the next few weeks we will go on a journey meeting different characters who were waiting for Jesus...Mary, Joseph, and 42 men/5 women listed in Matthew's genealogy account in Matthew 1:1-16
- Every year we retell the story
- Spoiler Alert! Jesus is born!
- We know the beginning and the end of "The Story" but find ourselves WAITING WITH FAITH in the MIDDLE
- Over the next few weeks we will go on a journey meeting different characters who were waiting for Jesus...Mary, Joseph, and 42 men/5 women listed in Matthew's genealogy account in Matthew 1:1-16
GENEALOGY...A HISTORY OF WAITING
- Usually, the wordy genealogy found in the early verses of Matthew are the part you skip when reading the Nativity story
- This genealogy is the story of an entire nation waiting for Jesus
- 3 sections, 14 generations each [skipped a bunch of people]:
1. Abraham to David 2. David to Babylonian Captivity 3. Babylonian Captivity to Jesus
- Matthew's Audience: Jews...he was affirming Jesus' rightful claim to the throne, answering the question: Jesus came from Abraham and David
- This genealogy consist of 42 men and 5 women
1. The First 14 [MT 1:1-6a]...Abraham to David
- Matthew doesn't start with Adam or Moses or Noah...he starts with Abraham...why? Because God made a covenant or a PROMISE with Abraham
- Abrahamic Covenant [Genesis 12]: God would give him a land and a people and through him all nations would be blessed...it all begins with a PROMISE...and the waiting started [Abraham didn't see it fulfilled]
2. The Second 14 [MT 1:6b-11]...David to Captivity
- After 1000 years, the promise was beginning to be fulfilled
- In verse 6, we are introduced to David...God also made a PROMISE to him
- Davidic Covenant [2 Samuel 7]: God PROMISED David he would have an heir that would rule forever
3. The Third 14 [MT 1:12-16]...Captivity to Jesus
- After 500 years of captivity, God continued to fulfill his promise of a King who would come.
- In verse 12, they finally come out of bondage and are told of a coming King who would bear their iniquity [Isaiah 53], he will be a child of Abraham, of David and will reunite the people to God
- The climax of the story unfolds in verse 16 when we learn of Joseph, Mary and Jesus
- "...of WHOM Jesus was born, who is called Christ."
"of WHOM"...
- Significant word...whom...Matthew chose this greek word specifically...it was a feminine pronoun pointing directly back to Mary. Jesus was born of Mary, not of Joseph, proclaiming his virgin birth.
- Usually, the wordy genealogy found in the early verses of Matthew are the part you skip when reading the Nativity story
- This genealogy is the story of an entire nation waiting for Jesus
- 3 sections, 14 generations each [skipped a bunch of people]:
1. Abraham to David 2. David to Babylonian Captivity 3. Babylonian Captivity to Jesus
- Matthew's Audience: Jews...he was affirming Jesus' rightful claim to the throne, answering the question: Jesus came from Abraham and David
- This genealogy consist of 42 men and 5 women
1. The First 14 [MT 1:1-6a]...Abraham to David
- Matthew doesn't start with Adam or Moses or Noah...he starts with Abraham...why? Because God made a covenant or a PROMISE with Abraham
- Abrahamic Covenant [Genesis 12]: God would give him a land and a people and through him all nations would be blessed...it all begins with a PROMISE...and the waiting started [Abraham didn't see it fulfilled]
2. The Second 14 [MT 1:6b-11]...David to Captivity
- After 1000 years, the promise was beginning to be fulfilled
- In verse 6, we are introduced to David...God also made a PROMISE to him
- Davidic Covenant [2 Samuel 7]: God PROMISED David he would have an heir that would rule forever
3. The Third 14 [MT 1:12-16]...Captivity to Jesus
- After 500 years of captivity, God continued to fulfill his promise of a King who would come.
- In verse 12, they finally come out of bondage and are told of a coming King who would bear their iniquity [Isaiah 53], he will be a child of Abraham, of David and will reunite the people to God
- The climax of the story unfolds in verse 16 when we learn of Joseph, Mary and Jesus
- "...of WHOM Jesus was born, who is called Christ."
"of WHOM"...
- Significant word...whom...Matthew chose this greek word specifically...it was a feminine pronoun pointing directly back to Mary. Jesus was born of Mary, not of Joseph, proclaiming his virgin birth.
WAITING...A MESSY STORY
Abraham [vs2]:slept with Hagar (Ishmael), lied about his wife Sarah multiple times
Tamar [vs3]: deceived Judah and disguised herself as a prostitute...become mother of twins Perez and Zerah
Rahab [vs5]: a prostitute who lived in Jericho and provided shelter for Israeli spies
Ruth [vs5]: a good and noble woman but not a Jew...a foreigner from Moab...idolatrous nation
David [vs6]: a man after God's own heart...but even so he was an adulterer and a murderer
Bathsheba [vs6]: the wife of Uriah
Rehoboam [vs7]: a wicked king, son of Solomon, abused and oppressed the people of Israel severely
Joram [vs 8]: son of Jehoshaphat, an evil king who defied God
Ahaz [vs 9]: built idols of metal to be worshipped, sacrificed his sons as an offering to Baal, destroyed the articles of the Temple and closed its doors
Manasseh [vs 10]:became king at 12, reigned for 55 years, reinstituted idol worship, erected altars to Baal and placed them in the Temple, worshipped the stars, worshipped and offered sacrifices to idols, Baal worship, star worship, he sacrificed his own son in the fire, sought out mediums/spiritists and practiced divination
Amos (Amon) [vs 10]: son of Manasseh, worshipped idols and sacrificed to them, practiced star worship and sacrificed to the god Molech in which human sacrifices were common
Mary [vs 16]: an unlikely, young girl...more about her next week...
WHAT A FAMILY TREE...
- This list doesn't read like a prestigious, royal lineage...it reads more like "The Young And The Restless"...what a mess
- But...it reveals what God is able to do with a mess, with messy people. He is able to invade that world and bring hope, peace and restoration. Redemption through sinfulness, order out of chaos, hope in the face of hopelessness.
Abraham [vs2]:slept with Hagar (Ishmael), lied about his wife Sarah multiple times
Tamar [vs3]: deceived Judah and disguised herself as a prostitute...become mother of twins Perez and Zerah
Rahab [vs5]: a prostitute who lived in Jericho and provided shelter for Israeli spies
Ruth [vs5]: a good and noble woman but not a Jew...a foreigner from Moab...idolatrous nation
David [vs6]: a man after God's own heart...but even so he was an adulterer and a murderer
Bathsheba [vs6]: the wife of Uriah
Rehoboam [vs7]: a wicked king, son of Solomon, abused and oppressed the people of Israel severely
Joram [vs 8]: son of Jehoshaphat, an evil king who defied God
Ahaz [vs 9]: built idols of metal to be worshipped, sacrificed his sons as an offering to Baal, destroyed the articles of the Temple and closed its doors
Manasseh [vs 10]:became king at 12, reigned for 55 years, reinstituted idol worship, erected altars to Baal and placed them in the Temple, worshipped the stars, worshipped and offered sacrifices to idols, Baal worship, star worship, he sacrificed his own son in the fire, sought out mediums/spiritists and practiced divination
Amos (Amon) [vs 10]: son of Manasseh, worshipped idols and sacrificed to them, practiced star worship and sacrificed to the god Molech in which human sacrifices were common
Mary [vs 16]: an unlikely, young girl...more about her next week...
WHAT A FAMILY TREE...
- This list doesn't read like a prestigious, royal lineage...it reads more like "The Young And The Restless"...what a mess
- But...it reveals what God is able to do with a mess, with messy people. He is able to invade that world and bring hope, peace and restoration. Redemption through sinfulness, order out of chaos, hope in the face of hopelessness.
OUR WAITING...
It doesn't seem like we are the 'waiters' in this story...the OT people were the waiters, right? True...but we are waiting, with faith, too! The manger to the cross has been fulfilled...but the working out of that promise being fulfilled in all of creation is still incomplete. We are in the middle of the story- still waiting for Jesus...in our own lives...in our own pain...in our own sin...in our own mess...for him to complete the work he started...
- God chose ordinary, messy, sinful, broken people to set the stage for Jesus
- The line to Jesus certainly wasn't STRAIGHT, it took lots of unexpected turns along the way
- Generations of people WAITED WITH FAITH for the fulfillment of the promise of a coming Messiah...but most did not see it happen
- God did COMPLETE HIS PLAN...although he did it in a way that was unexpected and surprising
It doesn't seem like we are the 'waiters' in this story...the OT people were the waiters, right? True...but we are waiting, with faith, too! The manger to the cross has been fulfilled...but the working out of that promise being fulfilled in all of creation is still incomplete. We are in the middle of the story- still waiting for Jesus...in our own lives...in our own pain...in our own sin...in our own mess...for him to complete the work he started...
- God chose ordinary, messy, sinful, broken people to set the stage for Jesus
- The line to Jesus certainly wasn't STRAIGHT, it took lots of unexpected turns along the way
- Generations of people WAITED WITH FAITH for the fulfillment of the promise of a coming Messiah...but most did not see it happen
- God did COMPLETE HIS PLAN...although he did it in a way that was unexpected and surprising
WE ARE STILL WAITING...
We are still in the middle of the story, WAITING WITH FAITH for JESUS…in our own lives…in our own pain…in our own mess…in our own sin…to complete the work he started in us!
While we wait for Jesus in our own lives, during this Advent season let's remember...
1. God still works through messy, broken, sinful people to accomplish his purposes...he can and is using you…WAIT WITH FAITH
2. God’s plan still doesn’t move in a straight line…his ways are unexpected and surprising...usually not in our way or in our timing…WAIT WITH FAITH
3. God is still faithful and is actually working out his magnificent plan...right now, in your life, through your life...it will be done, it will be good, and in the end it will be more beautiful than you could ever imagine…WAIT WITH FAITH
We are still in the middle of the story, WAITING WITH FAITH for JESUS…in our own lives…in our own pain…in our own mess…in our own sin…to complete the work he started in us!
While we wait for Jesus in our own lives, during this Advent season let's remember...
1. God still works through messy, broken, sinful people to accomplish his purposes...he can and is using you…WAIT WITH FAITH
2. God’s plan still doesn’t move in a straight line…his ways are unexpected and surprising...usually not in our way or in our timing…WAIT WITH FAITH
3. God is still faithful and is actually working out his magnificent plan...right now, in your life, through your life...it will be done, it will be good, and in the end it will be more beautiful than you could ever imagine…WAIT WITH FAITH
WAITING WITH FAITH...
"As I wait with faith, God I will trust you with _______________"
"As I wait with faith, God I will trust you with _______________"