77 Reasons
THE PROMISE
“And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”
II Samuel 7:16 NKJV
THE FULFILLMENT
"But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.”
Luke 1:30-31 NIV
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.””
Luke 1:32-33 NIV
I know this all sounds beautiful. I know this all sounds wonderful. But like I told you two weeks ago…
A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN THE MIDDLE.
I told you two weeks ago that A LOT can happen in between and IT DID. Because as powerful as it is to see this prophecy in the Old Testament and the Fulfillment come to life in the New Testament, we can’t overlook the middle.Because in between II Samuel 7:16 & Luke 1:30-33 you have Isaiah 11:1 where it reads,
A shoot will come up from THE STUMP of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
Isaiah 11:1 NIV
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TREE?
WHY WAS IT CALLED THE STUMP OF JESSE, AND NOT THE STUMP OF DAVID?
Let’s deal with our first question…. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TREE? WHY IS IT JUST A STUMP?
The image here is of a tree that has been so devastated that only a stump remains.
The prophet saw that things were going to get very bad for the people of God. David's line would decline to such a degree that it would be essentially left for dead. History tells us this is exactly what happened, with David's royal dynasty all but dying out.
Nevertheless, Isaiah also saw that while David’s bloodline would seem to be dead, life would remain within the stump. A shoot—life barely detectable at first—would emerge. But once this shoot went forth, it would become a mighty tree. From this stump, King Jesus would emerge from these humble beginnings.
WHY WAS IT CALLED THE STUMP OF JESSE, AND NOT THE STUMP OF DAVID?
Many believe that Isaiah does not call him David, but Jesse; because the rank of that family had sunk so low, that it appeared to be not a royal family, nothing was left but a stump, BUT GOD WAS NOT DONE!
Maybe you’re here today and you feel as if your life’s been cut down to a stump. Or maybe you feel as if you’re faith, your family, your finances, your peace, your joy, your health, has all been cut down to a stump. If that’s you this morning, I’ve got good news for you…
📝 WITH GOD, THE STUMP IS ENOUGH!
A shoot will come up from THE STUMP of Jesse. A shoot will come up from THE STUMP of the remains. A shoot will come up from THE STUMP of the broken pieces. WHY? BECAUSE WITH GOD, THE STUMP IS ENOUGH!
David's bloodline declined to such a degree that it was essentially left for dead. All of this and much more before David happened because of the promise of the blessed Messiah all the way back to Genesis 3:15…
“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and HER SEED; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.””
Genesis 3:15 NKJV
From the beginning, Satan has attempted to destroy the chosen line of the Messiah. If the chosen line were destroyed, then God's plan to redeem mankind would be destroyed with it.
From that time on, the strategy to destroy that bloodline was deployed. As Jesus thought back on it all, Jesus Himself said in John 8:44,
“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. HE WAS A MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING...”
John 8:44 NLT
Why was he a murderer from the beginning? He was looking for the seed of Jesus Christ.
It’s no wonder that Cain killed Abel. It’s no coincidence that Satan attempted to corrupt the human race during’s Noah’s time, to the point where God would destroy everything that He had made. Satan was looking for the seed. After Noah, God raised up Abram/Abraham and told him in Genesis 12:1,
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
Genesis 12:1 NIV
““I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
Genesis 12:2 NIV
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed THROUGH YOU.””
Genesis 12:3 NIV
Since the promise was coming through Abrahams bloodline, then the attack must come on Abrahams bloodline. We soon see this in Exodus 1:16,
““When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, IF YOU SEE THAT THE BABY IS A BOY, KILL HIM; but if it is a girl, let her live.””
Exodus 1:16 NIV
It’s no wonder that in the Book of Esther we have an example of the attempted destruction of the entire nation. Esther 3:13…
“Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, KILL AND ANNIHILATE ALL THE JEWS—YOUNG AND OLD, WOMEN AND CHILDREN—ON A SINGLE DAY, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.”
Esther 3:13 NIV
We find Satan behind Herod in the slaughtering of the innocent babies in Bethlehem. In attempting to kill the baby Jesus, Satan was trying to keep Jesus from fulfilling His mission.
“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to KILL ALL THE BOYS IN BETHLEHEM AND ITS VICINITY who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”
Matthew 2:16 NIV
Satan, through Herod, was looking for the seed.
In spite of all of this, Luke 3:23 still says,
“Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli.”
Luke 3:23 NLT
“Heli was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Jannai. Jannai was the son of Joseph.”
Luke 3:24 NLT
For the next 13 verses, Luke begins to rewind the genealogy of Jesus, all the way back to the book of Genesis.
He concludes in verse 38 by saying,
“Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. ADAM WAS THE SON OF GOD.”
Luke 3:38 NLT
I used to think the genealogy of Jesus was boring. I used to think the genealogy of Jesus was a waste of time. But now I understand that the genealogy of Jesus was a pathway.
📝 The genealogy of Jesus is the pathway that God took to GET TO US.
God thank you for making your way to us. God thank you for making a way, when there appeared to be no way! You knew that we could never make it you, so you made your way to us, from Genesis all the way to the gospel according to Luke. The genealogy of Jesus is not just the pathway that God took to GET TO US…
📝 The genealogy of Jesus Christ is a MIRACLE!
God moved one promise, one seed, one chosen bloodline, through 4,000 years, through 39 books, 929 chapters in the Old Testament, all the way to the New Testament. God moved one seed from Genesis all the way to the gospel according to Luke.
God worked one promise, one seed, one chosen bloodline, through murder, through a flood, through famine, hurt, pain, disappointment, war, judges, prophets, kings, flawed people , lying people, murderous people, a prostituting people, etc.
The genealogy of Jesus isn’t boring not for one second. IT’S a miracle! I want to preach a message for the rest of our time titled…
77 REASONS
That’s our sermon title for today….77 REASONS!!! According to Luke’s genealogy, from Jesus all the way back to Adam was 77 generations. 77 generations that went through trials. 77 generations that went trauma. 77 generations that went thru tribulations but through it all, the promise of Jesus still made it. The promise of Jesus still came to life. For that very reason…
📝 When ONE thing goes wrong, I have SEVENTY SEVEN reasons to BELIEVE RIGHT!
When things don’t go my way, I have 77 reasons to believe that HE’LL MAKE A WAY!
The genealogy of Jesus Christ, is a testament of God’s POWER.
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”
Isaiah 40:29 KJV
“You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!”
Psalms 68:35 NIV
You can’t give what you don’t have. You can’t give, what you aren’t. He’s gives power, because He has power. He gives power because He is power.
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.”
I Chronicles 29:11 NKJV
The genealogy of Jesus Christ, is a testament of God’s SOVEREIGNTY.
“Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.”
Psalms 135:6 NKJV
“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.””
Romans 9:15 NKJV
The genealogy of Jesus Christ, is a testament of God’s MATCHLESSNESS.
“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:”
Isaiah 45:5 KJV
KEY VERSE:
📝 “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever PROMISEDand not carried it through?”
Numbers 23:19 NLT
📝 God KEEPS His Word.
📝 God PROTECTS His Word.
📝 God WATCHES OVER His Word.
“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see the branch of an almond tree.””
Jeremiah 1:11 AMP
The almond tree was known as the "awake tree”because it was the first tree Bud in the new year (late January). It was the symbol of watchfulness.
“Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am [actively] watching over My word to fulfill it.””
Jeremiah 1:12 AMP
So when the angel said in Luke Luke 1:32-33,
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.””
Luke 1:32-33 NIV
📝 When the angel showed up in Luke 1:32-33, it wasn’t just an ANNOUNCEMENT. It was a PRONOUNCEMENT.
It was a pronouncement that He’s God! It was a pronouncement of His power! It was a pronouncement of His sovereignty. It was a pronouncement of His matchlessness! It was a pronouncement that God keeps His Word. It was a pronouncement that God protects His Word. It was a pronouncement that God watches over His Word. Bottom line, It was a pronouncement that God is a Waymaker.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE WAY THAT HE’S MAKING?