Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

The first couple of weeks of December are very special to me because they include the birthdays of my mother, brother, son and granddaughter. Therefore, this week we will focus on Jesus’ family.

Let’s begin with Jesus’ ancestry.

Today’s scripture, Matthew 1:1 (NLT) states…
[1] This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:

Consider…
Many people are interested in their ancestry. They want to know their origin story. This curiosity makes me think of
Ephesians 3:14-15 (NIV), which says…
[14] For this reason I kneel before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

While it’s great to know your biological beginnings, it’s even more important to know everyone’s true origin story, which can be found in Genesis 1:27 (NIV)…
[27] So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

We all come from God!

Still, based on today’s verse, earthly roots are important to the story beneath the glory.

The verse says Jesus the Messiah. Let’s pause here and share the meaning of Messiah. According to Britannica.com, messiah, (from Hebrew mashiaḥ, “anointed”), in Judaism, the expected king of the Davidic line who would deliver Israel from foreign bondage and restore the glories of its golden age.

This means Matthew begins His Gospel testimony asserting the fact that Jesus is the anointed one that God promised to King David in 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (NIV)…
[11] When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. [12] He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. [13] I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. [14] I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ ”

Jesus being the fulfillment of God’s promise to David is corroborated in Luke 1:31-33 (NLT), which attests…
[31] You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. [32] He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. [33] And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

This is a good place to pause and remind you that God keeps His promises.

But God’s promise to David included more than just Jesus. Remember God said, “He is the one who will build a house for me”? Well, Hebrews 3:6 (NIV), which testifies…
[6] But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

We are the promised house of God that Christ is building. As awesome as that is, it gets even better, because unlike the exclusivity of God’s chosen people during David’s reign, Jesus’ reign includes you and me. Ephesians 2:19-22 (NLT) confirms…
[19] So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. [20] Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. [21] We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. [22] Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Because of David’s descendant Jesus, everyone has an opportunity to be part of God’s Eternal Kingdom.

Revisiting today’s verse, I see the conjunction AND which is a coordinating conjunction. This type of conjunction is used to connect items that are grammatically equal: two words, two phrases, or two independent clauses.

Appreciate the promise offspring described to King David is also the promised descendant of his ancestor Abraham. Genesis 22:15-18 (NLT) testifies…
[15] Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven. [16] “This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that [17] I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. [18] And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Many of us already knew Jesus was the primary descendant that God was talking about. But if you look at God’s promise more closely you’ll discover a hidden treasure. Obedience is genetic and inherited. Stay with me here.

The scripture says that because Abraham obeyed God, that all nations would be blessed through his family tree. That means God’s promise to Abraham was rooted in obedience.

What promises has God made to you that depend on your obedience?

A couple that come to mind for me are:

Psalms 37:4-5 (NLT)…
[4] Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. [5] Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

And…
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)…
[33] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

…when we prioritize God, He promises to provide everything we need. Accordingly, when we’re lacking, it behooves us to double check our priorities.

As I write about the genetic roots of obedience, I think about Romans 5:18-19 (NLT), which says…
[18] Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. [19] Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous

We’re made righteous because of Jesus’ obedience.

As I let that soak in, I see Jesus’ words in John 15:9-12 (NLT)… Jesus said…
[9] “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. [10] When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. [11] I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! [12] This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

Philippians 2:7-8 (NLT), shares Jesus’ obedience testimony…
[7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Wow, this takes me back to Abraham’s willingness to give up God’s promised son Isaac. This gives us a nuanced understanding of obedience, which is willingly giving up what we’ve been given, promised or divinely privileged to have, when required by God.

What time, talent or treasure have you willingly given up for God as He required? What are you willing to give up for Him?

The Holy Spirit emphasized this is a good time to pause and remind us of
1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)…
[22] But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

I think we miss the point that at times God doesn’t want what we have, but instead our willingness to give back to Him what He has given us.

And Micah 6:8 (NLT) clarifies…
[8] No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

That sounds just like Abraham’s offspring Jesus. By the way, Galatians 3:29 (NIV) declares…
[29] If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

This means being connected to Jesus, connects us to His ancestry. That’s good news because God the Father is the only family tree that matters. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) explains…
[5] God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Which reminds me, as important as Jesus’ family lineage was, our transcendant Savior said in John 8:56-58 (NIV)…
[56] Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” [57] “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” [58] “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

So the next time you want to revisit your origin story, look no further than Jesus, the true author of your story and the King of Glory that you belong to.

Today’s Song is…
I Belong To You

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)