‘Ancestors and descendants: Lessons from Jesus’s family tree’ (Matthew 1:1-17, 12:46-50)

https://bendigopc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bpc20161218.mp3

All of us fit somewhere into a family tree. None of us would be alive were in not for those who have gone before us. Just as many family trees make for interesting studies, so too the family tree of Jesus whioch is recorded in Matthew 1:1-17, one that even has one or two ‘black sheep’ who might be something of an embarrassment to the family. Old Testament characters such as Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba all feature. These women were either from the wrong side of the tracks or who had some shortcomings that the Bible notes. King David is included too and even though he was a great King, even then his own sin and failure are not hidden from the pages of the Bible. God graciously included such people to show that he receives sinners, something that Jesus did through all His life. And what of His descendants? Well there are no physical descendants of Jesus, but He has plenty of children whom He adopts as His own. They are those who come to Him in repentance and faith and trust Him to save them.