” When Out Becomes In”

Upside Down Christmas Series Lesson 1

Sermon Notes

December 3, 2023

I. Inside Jesus’ Family Tree…

A. The coming of Jesus turned everything upside down, or at least, that’s how the people of His day saw it!

B. To a Jewish audience, nothing was more interesting or more important than one’s

! (Matthew 1:1)

1. Genealogies, which served as family records, were used to establish all kinds of legal matters like who can inherit property and who can carry on the family name. They were even used to determine sacred assignments.

C. The family of Jesus is made up of real people from history! In another words, the genealogy of Jesus answers the question: Where is your family record? (Matthew 1:1-17)

D. But, Matthew is not just presenting a genealogy; he is also presenting a

. (Matthew 1:16-17)

1. In many ways, Matthew is preaching a sermon to people who are looking for a
   Reveal Answer
   !

E. Life Group Discussion Question: Have you ever spent time reviewing or studying your family’s genealogy? If so, what did you learn or discover? Why would a genealogy be important in our day? Why would Jesus’ genealogy be important, particularly to Jewish people?

II. What Is The Genealogy of Jesus Saying To Us??

A. First, it is saying that God came in the

!

1. Jesus was deity poured into humanity! He was born of a woman through the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. While Joseph was the legal father of Jesus, Matthew is careful to make it clear that Joseph was not the

   Reveal Answer
   father of Jesus. (Matthew 1:16)

3. The affirmation of the incarnation is absolutely critical to becoming a Christian!

That’s why for 2000 years before anyone can be baptized, they are asked this

question: Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 4:2-3)

B . The coming of Jesus reveals the wonderful

of God!

1. Jesus has always been the center and focus of

   Reveal Answer
   ! That is Matthew’s point about 14 generations. To the Jewish mind, the number “7” represents perfection, and thus “14” represents double perfection! (Matthew 1:17)

2. If you read Matthew in the original Greek language, it begins with the: “book of

   Reveal Answer
   .” (Matthew 1:1)

3. The only way you can accurately understand history is to start with the birth of the ruler of the world!

C. Jesus came to bring a new

!

1. That’s why Matthew begins the genealogy with a reference to

and not Abraham. (Matthew 1:1; II Samuel 7:13)

2 . Here’s the thing about God: Broken people cannot make God break His

promises! Matthew is establishing the right of Jesus to reign!

(Matthew 2:2)

3 . Christmas to Matthew is not just the birth of baby Jesus; it is the arrival of

Jesus!

D. Jesus came to establish a kingdom that leaves no one out!

1. Matthew goes into the family story and gets some of the ugliest skeletons out of

the closet! Consider the stories of Tamar (1:3), Rahab (1:5), Ruth (1:5), and

Uriah’s wife (1:6).

2 . Matthew wants us to know that the Messiah came out of one hot family mess!

3 . There is no part of your story that Jesus cannot

! (John 3:

16)

4 . Life Group Discussion Question: Which of these four truths about the coming of Jesus is most overlooked or misunderstood during the Christmas season and why? Which of these four truths about the coming of Jesus most resonates with you at this time in your life and why?