A Promised Christmas: The Promised Messiah

Glad you're here with us this morning. I hope you have your copy of

God's Word with you, and you'll turn with me to Matthew, the Gospel

of Matthew. This morning we're going to pick up in our Christmas series.

This morning, we're going to be working through the book, the first part

of the Book of Matthew for our Christmas series. Title of our series,

this Christmas is a promised Christmas. I promised Christmas. Now, I don't

know about you. I don't know if you've ever had a time in your

life that someone made a promise to you and they broke that promise and you

were devastated. They made some just assured you of some things, or made

some promises to you, and you were just devastated that that promise was not

kept. I remember I was a student pastor. I believe I've told you

the story before, but I was a student pastor in a church in rock

Hill, and I remember having a phone call from a teenager and it was

it was actually I'm sorry, it was the grandparent of the teenager. And

the grandmother said that the teenagers in my youth group was very upset, and

he was in his room. He was crying, and she wanted me to

talk to him. Wouldn't talk to anybody. So finally she got the on

to him, and he was he was he was weeping. He could barely

talk, he was crying so much. And I said, what is wrong?

What, what are you what are you so upset about? And he

says, he did it again. I remember those words, he did it

again. And I said, what what do you mean? What? Who

did it again? And what happened? And the young man began telling me

that his father had promised that week. His parents were separated, and his

father had promised that week that he was going to come and get him after

on Friday. It was his week to come get him. They had shared

custody and it was his turn that weekend to come get him. And he

promised all week that he was going to come that Friday, He's gonna come,

and then we'll spend the weekend together. And that week he was so

excited. He had gotten his bags packed, he's gotten his things that for

overnight to stay for the weekend. He was so all week long he just

looked forward to being with his dad. And Friday came after school and his

dad didn't show up, and he eventually tell me that his dad had gotten

arrested, and the reason why he didn't come is because he had been incarcerated,

but he was devastated that his father broke his word. Today we're going

to look at a promise not broken, but a promise kept. You know,

we all discouraged as men or individuals break their promises. But can I

tell you today, as we come to Scripture, that God also makes promises.

But listen, God always keeps his promises. And as we come to

Matthew chapter one, Matthew, the writer of the Gospel, wants you and

I to see Man may disappoint us, man may fail us, but God's

word will never fail. Nor God's promises for us will never fail. So

today we're going to look at God's promise promise Messiah, and what God said

about this promise Messiah? What would he do? What would he do for

you and I? You know, this year, as you're thinking about Christmas,

you may think about what someone might give you at Christmas this year.

Maybe you may have made your little Christmas lists, and you may wonder,

I wonder if I'll get that this Christmas. Well, this morning, I

want you to see this morning what God desires to give you this Christmas through

Jesus the promise Messiah. So just think about that this year, as God's

made promises to you, and what promises did he keep? And in that

promise, what does He desire to give you in that promise kept? Amen?

And so I want us to look at this today, God's Promise Messiah,

and look at this what he said and what he promised in the Old

Testament, and how Jesus fulfilled those promises and what God desires to give his

people this morning through this promise Messiah. So today we're going to start in

chapter one. You stand with me and reading in God's Word, sorrying a

verse one, and we'll see how far we get in this, all right?

The genealogy, it says verse one, the book of Genealogy of Jesus

Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham and Abraham fathered Isaac and

Isaac father Jacob and Jacob, the father of Judah and his brothers, and

Judah father Perez and Zarah by Tamar and Perez, the father of Hezron and

Hezron the father of Ram and Ram, the father of Bemidad and a Benidad,

the father of Nashon and Nashon father Salmon, and Salmon fathered bo As

by Rahab, and Boas fathered Obd by Ruth and Obd father Jesse, and

Jesse fathered David the King, and David was a father of Solomon by the

wife of Uriah. Let's stop there, let's pray. Father, we thank

you for this morning. We thank you for this book that you've given us.

We thank you for the Gospel. We thank you that as we look

this morning, we look at your promises that you made Lord to Abraham and

to David, and how Jesus fulfilled those promises. And today may we as

we look at your promise, Messiah, and the fulfillment of those promises,

and how you fulfilled your word to Abraham and David. God, may we

see the promises that you've made to us, Lord, what you desire for

us, what you desire to give us this Christmas. And may our hearts

today receive the gift of promise Messiah. So Lord lead us today. Lord,

I pray you know today as we come to gathered, we come to

worship you, We come to hear from you. Lord. We don't come

to hear my words or my thoughts. Lord, we come to hear your

words. So Lord, I pray today, may you speak through me.

May you anoint me. You know the things I've prepared. You know the

things that you've brought to mind. Lord, you know my preparation, And

Lord, I pray that all that would be put to side, and that

you will truly speak through me, your messenger. Cleanse me today, Father,

then I might speak your word. And Lord, may your spirit feel

this place, Father, and may you open up our hearts and our minds

to your truth. Lord. We know today we desperate Lord for you,

and that you would speak today to our hearts and through me, your messenger.

So Lord, lead day in your name, we pray, Amen,

you may be seated. As we come to this book at the very beginning

Matthew's Gospel, actually there's four gospels, and two of the gospels we see

the gospels begin with genealogy, and Matthew starts his book by saying, the

book of genealogy of Jesus Christ. Now we know if you read the whole

book of Matthew, the entire books, not genealogy. But as we come

to the very beginning of Matthew's book, he does start that way, and

he starts with Jesus' genealogy. Now, as you come to this, there's

several things I think is important that you understand about this genealogy. It is

that genealogies were very important in the New Testament times. Most people you may

have done some genealogy work in your family. You may have done the ancestry

dot com or whatever it may be, and try to follow your roots.

But and it's not something that we follow as much now. But then you

would it was a common practice that you would know your genealogy. It was

common practice you would memorize it. Actually that that believers in the Old Testament

people in the New Testament times would would memorize their genealogy. And so this

is why this is important to Matthew for you to understand what is the genealogy

of Christ and for people in the New Testament times to understand his genealogy just

like they would understand their own genealogy where they came from. And so that's

very important. I think it's important to see that he starts with this.

Now, as you come to and you look at this genealogy account, if

you would took some time. And you took Matthew's genealogy account and you actually

examined it against Luke, you're going to actually notice they are different. Well,

that brings some problems. How are they different? How are these genealogies

that are supposed to be so important? How are their differences? And there

are two different accounts for Matthew. Matthew begins his with Abraham and he moves

forward through through Luke and ends with Jesus. I'm sorry. He begins with

Abraham, moves forward through David, and ends with Jesus. And Luke he

kind of reverses it. He kind of starts with Jesus and he works his

way backwards all the way as far as back of Adam. And so there's

really some differences in there. Kind of one traces Jesus of genealogy through Nathan,

that's Luke's. Matthew takes Jesus genealogy through Solomon. So there are some

differences. There's two theories of why they're different. Some would say first that

Matthew's genealogy is Joseph's genealogy and Luke's genealogy is Mary's lineage, and so that

would be the difference. Some would say that that's one theory. Another theory

would say Luke is providing Josephs actually real genealogy, and that Matthew is showing

the succession of Jesus from the throne of David. And so there's there are

different things that are important. But I really think as you come to this

passage of scripture, you would say, what does Matthew, Why is he

telling this some genealogy? Why is this important? I really think it starts

from through your beginning. So look at the verse one with me, the

Book of Genealogy of Jesus Christ. Now I want to just stop there.

You read that, and I think this is so important. Why are pastor

why are you preaching through the genealogy of Christ? Because I believe, as

Scripture says, all scripture is profitable for teaching. There's not one part of

God's Word that we should skip over. There's all of this. There's a

reason why it's in God's Word. And Matthew wants us to see very beginning,

as you come to the Book of Genealogy Jesus Christ, you hear those

words Jesus Christ, and that's common name for you for Jesus, but that

was not a common name for a Jew. For you to call someone Christ

was to call them Messiah. Christ actually means anointed one. It actually means

Messiah. So Matthew is saying, from the very beginning of his gospel today,

I'm going to give you the lineage or the genie theology of the Messiah

he is. It's like a it would be, it would just shake the

foundations for them. Messiah was an important title. You just didn't give that

to anybody. This is I mean, three hundred prophecies had been about this

Messiah, and the Old Testament Jews have constantly been looking. Even today,

our Jews across our world, they're still looking for the Messiah. Matthew starts

this gospel by saying, listen, I have found him, and his name

is Jesus. He says, from the very beginning, in bold decoration,

this is Jesus, and Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus the Messiah. This

these words are very important, the anointed one. Again, three hundred prophecies.

This word Jesus, by the way, Jesus is it was a common

name. It actually means in the Old Testament. It actually is Joshua,

and it means he always saves. Listen to that. If you just put

that together, he always says, and who is it? It is the

anointed one, He's the Messiah. So here he begins, and then he

kind of works from there to really start with two distinct things. The verse

one, he says, the book of genealogy of Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

And then he starts with two very important things. He says, the

son of David and the son of Abraham. Those for Matthew, Matthew is

wanting you to see. He's wanting you and I to see. He's wanting

unbelievers to see. Okay, all right, I'm telling you that Jesus is

the Messiah. Okay, So okay, Matthew, on what basis would you

say that Jesus is the Messiah? How do you know he is the Messiah?

And Matthew would say, based upon two promises. There are two promises

that were given on the Old Testament that Jesus fulfilled, and the fulfillment of

those promises shows that Jesus is the Messiah. And that is one on God's

promise to Abraham, and two God's promise to David. And so this morning,

I want you to see those two promises that God made to Abraham and

how Jesus fulfilled that promise. And then God's promise to David, and how

Jesus fulfilled that promise. So the very first thing that Jesus wants you and

I to see about this promise Messiah, is that was a promise of grace

for all people. There's a promise of grace for all people. I want

you to go back with me to the Old Testament, Go all the way

back with me to Genesis twelve. All right, so you have your Bible's

turned with me there, or you can put it in your app and skip

on there if you want to do that. Genesis twelve, in verse one,

God made a promise to Abraham. You remember Abraham was the father of

Israel, right, father Abraham, and many sons, many sons have meant

father Abraham. And so God had made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham

fathered the nation a visual so and in that promise God made a covenant.

Right, it was a it was an agreement with Abraham that I will be

your God and what you will be my what people? You remember that and

said, and in that promise, he made a promise to Abraham. And

let's look at the promise. It's verse one, and we through verse three.

It says, now the Lord say to Abraham, now go from your

country and your kindred in your father's house, to the land that I will

show you, and I'll make you what. Here's the promise. I'll make

you a great nation. And here's part of that great nation. I will

what. I'll bless you. I'll make your name great, so you'll be

a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will dishonor

I mean in him who dishonors you. I will curse in you, all

the families on earth shall be blessed. Right says God's Covenant with Abraham.

Abraham, I will be your god. I'll make you a great nation,

and you'll be blessed as a nation. You'll be a blesses the people.

And I will honor those who honor you, and I will curse those who

dishonor you. Right but from you, Abraham, and from your people,

and from your seed, right right that seed, your people, I will

bless not just Israel, with all the nations. That's the end of the

promise. Right, So I will make your great notion. There's the promise

I will bless you, right, and that you'll be a blessing and you'll

bless others. But look at the very end in what you all families of

the earth shall be blessed, Abraham, through you and through your descendants and

through your nations, there'll be a promise one who will bless not just Israel,

what, but every nation, every tongue. Right. So there was

a promise. If you go back to if you go on down to Genesis

twenty two, and you don't have to turn there, I'll read it to

you just is twenty two eighteen. God kind of even digs a little deeper

into this promised Abraham, and he says this, and in your offspring shall

all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because you've obeyed my voice,

He says to Abraham, Abraham, through your lineage, through your descendants,

there will be an offspring, and in that all spring they'll bless every nation.

Right. So there was the promised Abraham, Abraham, there is going

to be one from your descendants, one from your offspring, and that individual

will bless every nation, not just Israel, but all nations. And so

as we come to the book of Matthew, Matthew's showing how Jesus fulfilled that

promise. He says, this is the book of genealogy of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, and he is what he is, the son of

Abraham. And so what Matthew begins to from the very beginning of this genealogy

is it begins to show one how Jesus is one of Abraham's descendants. He

is one of Abraham's offspring. And then he so the very first part,

if you go from verse two on the verse six, it's showing Abraham's descendants,

right, Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac father Jacob, and Jacob the father

Judah, and on and on. He just goes all the way through Abraham's

lineage, and he's showing that what Jesus came from what the line, the

line of Abraham. And therefore he is one of the promised descendants of Abraham.

He is the fulfillment of Abraham's promise that through Abraham's seed all nations will

be blessed. Jesus is that offspring. Is what Matthew is saying, he

is the one that God foretold, even as far as back to the early

father Abraham. God told Abraham there was a missay Aya was coming, and

it was through Abraham's lineage. And and Matthew was saying, and Jesus is

his name. He was the he is the promise one. And he promised

to be a blessing. And he promised in this promise it was a promise

of grace. It's a grace for all people. And then I think what's

beautiful about this passage of scripture is that not only does he show how he

fulfilled God's promise to be that one who would bless all nations, but he

shows how he does it with grace. I won't you just see something in

this passage scripture. When you come to genealogies in the Old Testament or in

the New Testament, one thing that was common is that most genealogies only just

told males. It didn't say anything about women, not at all. It

only talked about the male descendants. In jesus genealogy that actually talks about five

women. Five women are listed in Jesus's genealogy of Matthew. Four of the

women are seen as of women who really have sketched past. If you will,

three out of four women were involved in gross sexual sins. You know,

if you think about Matthew and him giving names, he does something just

abnormal that he would list women. But you think even if he did that,

that he would maybe do some of the patriarchs like Deborah or not Deborah

or you know, Rebecca or Sarah or some of these just ladies who just

love the Lord. But he doesn't do that. He just show ladies love

the Lord. But it shows ladies who are who've been calling sin. I

want you to see this just in this passive scripture, he lists Tamar.

Tamar, by the way, was the one who enticed her father in law

into incestual relationship. In Genesis thirty eight, he lists Rahab, who is

a gentile who was in the land of Jericho, who had to practice her

who was involved in prostitution, who was leading prostitution in Jericho. He lists

Bathsheba, who was married to a Hittite, which is an unbeliever for a

gentile, and then she also commits has an affair with David. When David

goes so far to kill Uriah to cover it. Up. These were three

of the four ladies that were in there that were mentioned in this passage of

scripture. Not only were many of them involved in gross sin, three of

the four were not Israelites. There were gentiles. Ruth was a Mobit.

She was not from Israel. Rayhab was from. I'm not sure exactly what

Tamar is not also an Israelite. Forgot exactly where she is from. But

many would believe that when you married someone, you actually took on where they

were from. In Bathsheba, although she was Israelite, she married a Hittite,

So some would say four out of the five women who were mentioned were

gentiles. She come to this passage of scripture. You see, Matthew is

trying to you, you and I to see. Listen, God promised what.

God promised that through Abraham's descendants, all what nations would be blessed.

It didn't matter who you were or how bad your past were was. God

wanted what bless all people. God wants to what not only be blessed,

but God wants to give grace to all people. And that grace is even

found in Jesus's lineage with God, give grace to Tamar. God gave grace

to Rayhab called in prostitution. God gave grace to Ruth, a loner,

lost her husband, didn't have anyone except for mother in law. And God

gave grace to God gave grace to Bathsheba. You see, as we look

at the promise Messiah, we see a promise of grace, a grace for

all people. And by the way, is this not a fulfillment of Matthew

and Matthew and just a few verses in Matthew twenty one, listen to this.

Matthew tells us about this Jesus that's going to be born to Mary,

which is the fifth woman. And what does he say to Joseph, Your

wife will bear a son and you shall call his name what Jesus yah way,

listen this yaway saves and why should you call him that? For?

Listen to this because he will save his people. He listened to me this

morning. He will save his people what from their sins? When Matthew takes

you through Jesus's lineage, he wants you to see Jesus was the promise Messiah.

He was the one promised the promise. He would be a blessing to

all nations and give grace to all nations, just like God had done even

in David. I mean even in Jesus's life. He gave grace to Tamar,

he gave grace to Rehab, he gave grace to Bathsheba, he gave

grace to Ruth. He is a God of grace. I wonder today,

you say to me, pastor, what does God want me to have at

Christmas? What does God want to give me? What is the promise that

God gave me that he wants me to receive today? That God is a

God of grace. Listen to me for all people. You know you may

be here today and you say, Pastor, you know what. I'm struggling.

I got some things in my life. There's some sin of my life

right now, and I'm a lot like Bathsheba. The sin of my life

is caused a mess in my life. It has caused the mess of my

family's life. Can I tell you today, in accordance of God's word,

God came and he sent the promise Messiah that you might receive grace. It's

a gift of grace for all, no matter what you've done in the past.

Jesus wants to forgive and he wants to give you grace. Can I

tell you today, if you feel like today you're you know what? I

just feel like I'm outsider. I just feel like at times I don't really

have my people. I don't really if I have a group. I feel

like I'm an outside. I don't really have a lot of friends. I

just don't have much family. I just I don't feel like there's a place

for me. Can I tell you God gave grace to a lady named Ruth

who was all by herself, only had a mother in law, had no

friends and no family. And listen, God made her a part. Listen

to this into the part of the family of God. And today listen to

matter whether you feel outside or not, God wants to give you grace and

God wants to bring you into His family and that you would be a part

of the family of God. Today, would you receive the grace of God

that God's promised for you? Can I say to you today you may be

struggling if you've lost a husband, if you lost a child, just like

we've lost our husband, and just like bathsheb but lost a child, or

maybe today struggle with being childless as Tamar did. Can I tell you today,

God knows your needs and God wants to give you grace. And as

we look at the promise Messiah, listen, we see one coming in grace,

coming to give grace to all who receive him Today. Today, as

you think about this promise Messiah, He's promised to give grace to all people,

to all nations. Today. Have you received that promise today? Have

you said, Lord, I want you to come into my life today.

I want to receive your grace, receive your forgiveness. God. I want

you to forgive me of my sketch it past and make me new today.

I want you to see and only what does God want. God wants to

give you grace. God wants to give you Secondly, he wants to give

you power. The first promise that Matthew wants you and I to see is

the promise of grace for all people. But the second promise that Matthew wants

you and I to see that the Messiah fulfilled, was a promise of sovereign

power. As she come to this passage, look at verse one the book

of genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham,

and verses two through six we see just the lineage of how Jesus fulfilled the

promise to Abraham. But he no one wants you and I to see how

Jesus fulfilled the promise to Abraham. He wants you and I to see how

Jesus fulfilled the promise to David. And that's why we see the son of

David here versus six and on. We see the lineage of David. Again.

That's important because in Second Samuel, as David was coming to the end

of his life, God made him a promise. And this is the promise.

It's Second Samuel seven if you want to write it down and follow on

later or read it later. And Second Samuel seven eleven through sixteen, he

says this, from the time that I appointed judges over Israel, I will

give you rest from all your enemies. More of it. The Lord declares

that the Lord will make you a house. And when your days are fulfilled

and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after

you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom,

and he shall build a house for my name, and I will establish

the throne of his kingdom forever, and I will be to him a father,

and he shall be to me a son. And we commit some iniquity,

I will discipline him with the rod of men and the strikes of the

son of men. But my stepfast love will not depart from him, as

I took it from Saul, and whom I put away. Before you,

and your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me, and

your throne shall be established forever. God made a promise to David David's coming

in his life, and he tells David. He said, David, I'm

sure you as you're coming to the end of your life, you're going to

die. But I'm worries of the son after you. And that son after

you is going to build a house for me. He's gonna build a temple,

and he's talking about that. And then he says, but from his

seed and from your seed, I will establish my throne forever, and he

describes your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever, and your throne

shall be established forever. It was understanding part of this covenant that God made

with David, that part of David's descendants would always be the king of Israel

and that kingdom would never depart from David's lyneage. Therefore, even as we

see in prophecy like Isaiah that it was from the root of Jessea's from the

lineage of Jesse, that the Messiah was coming, all Israel and all Jews

would understand it had to be through David's lineage that the Messiah must come.

Matthew is making a very strong declaration from the very beginning of saying that Jesus

is Christ, he is the Messiah, and I tell you he's Messiah because

he came through Abraham's line and he fulfilled the Covenant Abraham. Now he's saying,

now I tell you he is the promise of Messiah, because God promised

to David that it's through his lineage that he would be the Messiah would come.

And then in these verses from seven on, he shows how Jesus came

through the lineage of David. And he's saying, listen, this Jesus that

was born in Bethlehem, this Jesus in the Nazarie from Nazareth, not Nai

from Nazareth. This Jesus is the Messiah because he came from the lineage of

Abraham, and he fulfilled the promise of Abraham, but also he came from

the line of David, and thus he fulfilled the promise to David. But

you know, if you think about this promise, what is so powerful about

that? Well, when it gave him the to reign, right to right

to be king. It's very important. You had to be in the secession

of a king in order to be king, and so he had legal right

to reign, if you want to say it in that manner, but also

gives an understanding he has not only the right to reign, but listen to

me, he has the authority to reign. Do you understand that. You

know, you've had something a little dispute with your your children and and they're

wanting to question you on something. You say, well, I'm I'm I'm

the one who owns this house, right, or if you're going to live

in under my house or my room rules and you obeyed my word, what

are you trying to show by that by saying that, you're saying what you

have the authority as the head of the house or whatever it is, as

the parent to what for them to follow your authority? Right? Because they're

under your what they're under your authority. That's what you're trying to say.

That's what Matthew is saying here. Jesus is the rightful King, that he

rightfully is able to reign. But listen, through the lineage of David,

he has the authority to reign. This is not something that was given to

him or that he earned. No, he has the right and he has

the authority to reign in this world. And listen what David wants you to

hear. His kingdom reigns forever. Right every few years we get to do

president, and that president reigns. What he's saying here went through the lineage

of Christ. He reigns forever and ever and forever forevermore. Jesus is king,

and he's saying he is the Messiah. He is that King of promise.

I want you to think about something as you walk through these names,

if you took some time, and I'll try to go fast through this,

but as you took some time, if you read through these names and you

look through the different kings from and on, you're going to see that there's

kings that are listened here, the are good, and there's kings that here

listen are really bad. I mean, and I'm just gonna give you a

quick example. If you go to verse ten and eleven, you'll see Hazekayah

mentioned, and you see the father of Amos, and Amos the father of

Josiah. Okay, if you go to Kings and first second Kings twenty one,

you'll actually see another word for Amos as Amen, Amen was the father.

Amos was the father of Josiah. And this is what it said Second

King's twenty twenty one about Amen. It says this, and he did what

was evil on the side of the Lord, as Manassa his father had done.

And he walked in all the ways in which his father walked, and

served the idols that his father served and worshiped them. You'll see as you

walk through these kings, as you walked through that's listed here, there were

some kings that were great, and there were some kings that were evil.

And even listening in Jesus' genealogy or listen to some evil kings in these kings

when they had power, Listen when they had authority to reign. They had

because they had they were from the lineage, and they had the power,

and they had the authority. They use that. Listen to me, for

good or for evil. You understand that because they had the power, because

they had the authority, they used it either for good aimin for evil.

But his son Josiah, what for good? If you got a second King's

to twenty two one through two, you see Amin's son or Amos's son,

and his name was Josiah. Josiah was eight years old and he began to

reign, and he reigned for thirty one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name

was Jedediah. We'll move up past that. And he did what was right

in the eyes of the Lord. And he walked in all the ways of

David's father, and he did not turn to the right through the left.

And we saw, if you read through Josiah, he used his authority.

He used his power to reign to do good. So why if you look

at this as he's showing us, Okay, we understand as we look at

Abraham's, Moses's, Matthew's wanting us to see that he was a promise messiah,

and he's promised to be a blessed to all nations. And what was

that blessing that he would give grace and forgiveness to all who would come to

him. As you look at the promise that he would have power, sovereign

power to reign, what does Matthew wants us to see? He wants us

see you know what? In the past there are people who use their power

and their sovereign power for evil, and there were those who used their power

for good. Matthew wants see you and I to see this Messiah, this

Jesus who will reign forevermore. Listen, he only desires to do what good.

He's not a flawed king who will do things for evil. Right,

he is the one who is what a good king and this kingdom, this

good kingdom or reign forever. You know what, as we look at our

lives and every year or every few years, or you're getting this and we're

getting into this right now, we're getting into the election for next year,

and you're starting to look at the different presidential campaigns and you're thinking, you're

starting to look at, well, where he'll be a good president and what

would that do for our economy, and what will that do for and will

be good for our country, will be good for our world If he's the

if he's the president, and and you're you're you're looking at the future trying

to figure out who this individuals and whether they will use their power they're authority

for good and what will impact Can I tell you, Matthew and I.

Matthew wants you and I to see that Jesus listening came and he can feel

he fulfilled the promise of grace. But Jesus came, and listen, he

is the king today his when he came on this earth, and he came

born in that manger, he came as king, and listen, he is

a good king and he will reign forevermore right today and when he comes back

again, Scripture says, every new will bow and every tongue will confess what

that Jesus is. Lord, listen, Today you can you can choose to

say, you know what, Today God, I want your grace in my

life. But today I want to recognize that God, you are the king.

And it may not there's things in our world that happen up and down

all the world all the time. But today God, I could choose to

put my trust in the king that's coming and allow you, Lord, listen

and you and your power to reign in me, listen to me today.

Not only he has power over this kingdom, but he has power and authority

over you. You know, I don't know about you, but I get

a little frustrated when I try to do different things and I try to change

me. Right, You ever felt like that? You want to try God,

I want to do real good. And January first is coming, and

boy, I'm gonna preach forever. I better better be fast. We get

January first, and I'm gonna get my my New Year's resolutions. Right,

I'm gonna try to change John. Then you do that, and you do

real good for about a month, and you fall the wagon, right,

and you feel like I just don't having power God to even change my own

soul. Can I tell you Jesus has the power. He's the king,

and he's a good king. He can bring about changing the world. But

listen, He's the only thing that has power to change, to change your

heart, to change your life, by the way, And that's what Ephesians

one says, right that as Paul is praying, he talks about the power

that is at work within them. He says this in Ephesians one point fifteen.

For this reason, I've heard of your faith and Jesus and the Lord

Jesus, and your love toward all the saints. I do not cease to

give thanks for you, remembering you all my prayers, that the God of

our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you the spirit

of wisdom and revelation, the knowledge of him having the eyes of hearts and

light, and you may know what is the hope that which He's called you?

What are the riches of his glorious inheritance? And saints, what's the

measurable greatness of his power? Listen to this towards us who believe, according

to the working of his might, that he worked in Christ Jesus, when

he raised him from the dead, and seated right handed in the heavenly places,

far above the rule and authority, and power and dominion, above every

name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the

one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him

as a head over all things to the Church, which is his body,

the fullness of Him who fills all I love that imagery right, what is

the measurable greatness of his power? Towards us who believes, listen to me

drawll in today. What's Matthew wanting you and I to see? This promise?

Messiah is a promise one who wants to give grace to all, no

matter where you are, where you are in your faith, how far you've

maybe slidden or maybe just fallen over some this week. God Today he wants

to give you grace today. Would you say, God, today, I

want to receive your grace in my life. Can I tell you today that

Jesus wants you to see that he came at Christmas to fulfill the promise that

he has power. He has power to reign in this earth. But listen,

he has power to reign in your life that you might know his power

within you, power to lead you, power to change you. Today would

you say, Lord, I want to submit to your reign in my life.

Listen today, I want you to be listen to me, the king

of my heart, Lord, the king of my life. Lord, I

surrender to you today Today Listen, what does Christ want to give you a

Christmas? He wants you to give you grace. He wants to give you

his power today. Would you receive it? Would you pray with me?

Let's pray, Father, I thank you Lord, for this morning. I

thank you for Lord, your word for us, or I thank you that

you came at Christmas, Lord, that you might we might see that born

in that manger was the fulfillment of promise from the God of all grace,

the God of all power. You know today, Lord, I believe there's

people all across this place or watching on line, and they feel so unworthy.

Lord. They don't feel like to deserve you, God. Don't deserve

to be blessed by you. God, don't deserve to be forgiven. You

don't deserve your grace today. For today, Lord, we are reminded that

you promised long ago, Lord, that you would come for us, that

you would be that savior of that anointed one who came to heal the brokenhearted,

to bind up our wounds. And what I pray they'd be those who

are broken today ever sin, broken over areas in their life, and today

they would cry it to you God. Today I want to receive your grace.

God. I need your forgiveness in my life today. God, I

need you to leave me today. Lord, I pray they be those right

now that would do that, would pray to receive your grace and forgiveness in

their life. Maybe they're the first never receives you as the Lord and savior.

Today is today that they're going to place their faith in you for salvation

and right now with Lord, I pray you'd lead them to cry out to

you. Father. I pray there'd be those today that you know what,

They've been walking and living their life, not under your submission of your reign

in their life. But God, they're the king of their life. There,

live their life for themselves and not for any others. And today,

Lord, they don't know the power Lord of your reigning. Today they tried

to change themselves, try to change their lives, and God, they continue

to fall flat on their faiths. And today I pray they'd be those today

say Lord, I want your power to reign in me, as you let

us to pray. Lord, your kingdom come, Your will be done on

earth as it is in heaven. Today, may we say, Lord,

I want your power to reign in me like you reign in heaven. Today,

Lord, Lord, today I need your power me. Father, change

me, Lord, mold me. Father, Lord, today I need you

to be my king. Or I pray there'd be those all across this room

would just receive Lord, Lord, the promises that you have for them,

or we love you lead us in this time of invitation. I pray that

need to come, some that need to come to the altar and pray.

I pray you lead them to do that. Lord, If I could you

have those that come that I could pray with Lord, I pray there'd be

those that would do that today. Or however you lead us today, Lord,

may we surrender to you, or we love you and your name.

We pray Jesus to