The Book of Matthew is the Book of the King!
Matthew 1:1-17 (Pastor Heo)

There are two lines concerning the coming of the Christ: 1. He was to come as a savior from sin.
2. He was to come as a king with a kingdom.

He came as a double role.
We studied John for about 2 years.
John emphasizes Jesus as SAVIOR.
Matthew emphasizes Jesus as KING.

In Christian’s life, faith and work, mission and life, privilege and responsibility go together. 
If we have faith - we have fruit.
If we are sons of God - we are to live as princes and princesses of God.

Sonship and kingship go together all the time. 
This is the gospel according to Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, a bridge from the OT to the NT. It starts with a family tree.

In the OT, after the Fall, one of the themes was the geneaology of Adam. The NT starts with Jesus (the Second/Last Adam). 
 The OT gives the history of Adam’s family - that is a sad story - Jesus came to save the generation of Adam. Through the story, from no choice of our own, we were born as Adam’s family - but by our own choice, through faith, we can be born into the family of Christ.

Why is he introduced as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham? Because in the OT there was a covenant with David and Abraham
Genesis 12 - God promised a son and line through Abraham - his own son.

God promised he’d make Abraham into a great nation, all people were to be blessed through him. This covenant is being fulfilled by Jesus Christ - God sent his one and only son, and left his home and came into this dark, dirty world as his mission field. Whoever denies Jesus will be cursed, whoever believes in him will be blessed. 

God gives him the name above all names, so that all knees will bow and worship him. So that all peoples on Earth can be blessed by Jesus.

That’s why Jesus is introduced as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham.

This (boring) story still has 3 points - even MORE! (But we’ve only got like 30 minutes):

1. Look at the names of the women (important)
2. See the stage of generation divisions
3. Look at the keywords in this story

#1: The names of the women (WOAH! women? In the geneaology? Who is the author? Not a typical dude of that generation)
Women were not counted in number at that time (census, when Jesus fed 5,000, they were regarded as property - to use as a man wanted)
So, in a Jewish man’s prayer, he used to say, “Thanks God that I’m not a Gentile, a slave, nor a woman!” Wow!   So this is shocking, exciting, surprising. 
These must have been amazingly GREAT women, right?

Nope...
5 women:
1. Tamar - dressed like a prostitute to get her father-in-law to get her pregnant - her husband was killed, and her father-in-law Judah said, just wait a bit until my son is older, but he didn’t do his duty, so she lured him in to make a baby with her.
2. Rahab - prostitute
3. Ruth - Gentile woman - according to Deut 3:23? No Moabites, no Amonites could enter into the assembly of the Lord, yet here she is.
4. Bathsheba - King David raped her, and killed her husband in battle, then he took her as his wife, and his first son was killed by God in punishment - but he eventually got Solomon from her
5. Mary - was a virgin, but when she was found with child...people talk

So, this is a very shocking geneaology. Nobody can judge these women - if you judge them, you also will be judged. 

Jesus came to destroy all barriers
Galatians 3:28? Neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, but all are one in Christ - he himself is our peace, he has destroyed and broken down the walls of hostility between all men (and women).

There is no sinner who cannot be forgiven in Jesus Christ. 
1 Tim 1:15 “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: That is Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom, I’m the worst (the chief).” 

“If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John?)

#2: The stage of generation divisions.
verse 17: 
14 generations Abraham -> David
14 generations David -> Exile to Babylon
14 generations Exile -> Jesus

Each stage has 14 generations.
It is very good for us to memorize this thing. 
Sometimes, the number 7 = perfect in the Bible - so here 14 = double perfect.

Now here, these divisions show us something symbolic.

Stage 1: Up to David
He unified Israel into a nation and made them a power in this world - he was one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history.

Stage 2: The Great Depression - Destruction, Ruin, Tragedy - they lost EVERYTHING

Stage 3: Renewal in Jesus
They are liberated and rescued from their slavery. He turns their mourning into dancing, again..

This shows the spiritual reality of man’s world.

Stage 1: Man is created with greatness! With power, with blessing, in God’s own image. Fill the Earth, subdue it, be fruitful and multiply. Man was given dominion over ALL things and designed for fellowship with God. God’s dream for man was a dream of greatness.  If man were a servant of God at that time, God would be king over all Creation. If man loved him, feared him, worshiped him, then ALL Creation would follow along.

Stage 2: Man became a slave of sin rather than a  servant of God 
So, man lost his hope, fellowship, life, blessing from God.

Stage 3: Man can regain his greatness through Jesus Christ. God didn’t allow man to be destroyed by his foolishness. That’s why God sent his one and only Son to restore our communion and blessing and relationship with God. 

This is our spiritual story with God.

#3: Keyword (Father of)
....sooooo many (39 times - and actually, coincidentally there are 39 books of the OT).
King James says, “Abraham begot Isaac”
begot = 39 times 

The King James version is better to be close to the original Greek. 
Begot = pregnant and produce new life.

If we see the genealogy in Genesis 5, we see, “his son lived XXX years and then he DIED.” (Keyword = DIED)

In the genealogy of Jesus (BEGOT).
What does this mean spiritually? 

This is why the Bible says, “In Adam, all die and in Christ, all can be alive.” 
Adam became a living being from the dust of the Earth, but lost his life through sin. 
Jesus came as a life-giving spirit to undo what Adam had done.

In our first birth, we automatically belong to Adam. We are dust, sinners, we will die. Adam’s destiny is our destiny - nobody can escape.

That’s why Jesus came to give us new life, eternal life. That’s why we must be born again. To accept Jesus as our life.

One more lesson from “begot”
There are so many people involved: kings, priests, shepherds, carpenters, beggars, prostitutes - but there is only one common thing that is essential and necessary to be involved in this genealogy of Jesus.
Who could be involved in this?
Only those who “begot” new life.

Matthew 25 “This gospel will be preached to ALL nations and THEN the end will come” (so don’t get your hopes up earlier)

Revelation 22 “Behold, I’m coming soon.”
King James “Behold, I’m coming quickly!” 3 times repeated.

In heaven, another genealogy of the Second Coming of Jesus is being written, not on paper, but in God’s heart. 

Whose name can be written in the genealogy of the Second Coming of Christ? 

Pastor? Deacon? Elder? Brother? Sister? Christian? Korean? Westerner? No, no, no.

Only those who “begot” new eternal life, continually, continually, will be written in this new genealogy of the Second Coming of Christ.

***If we “get” eternal life in our Savior, we MUST “beget” eternal life for Christ in others.

God bless us all.