Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 1:1-17 ESV
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Key Points
- The genealogy of Jesus reveals he is King of the superstars, the outsiders, the failures, and the nobodies.
- Jesus knows what it’s like to be in a position of power, but he gave up his rightful position as King in heaven to come serve here with us and lay down his own life for us.
- The inclusion of five women in Jesus’ genealogy at this point in history was incredibly significant. Each woman had to operate outside the bounds of established power and influence, and she is praised for it.
- Jesus became the ultimate outsider for us, so we could be adopted into the family of God.
- Jesus died for failures, but in Christ, we are not failures, but trophies of God’s greatest success – monuments of God’s creative and redemptive grace.
- We may feel unimportant, unnoticed, and unlooked for, but we are not unknown before God. The most important person to ever live knows us and wants to draw close to us. He remembers us and writes our names down in a book of life.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.’”
-John 10:27 ESV
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: Have you ever heard a sermon on the genealogy of Jesus before? Why do you think our pastors thought it was worth dedicating an entire week to the Gospel of Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus?
2: When you explore Matthew 1:1-17, what seems to stand out to you more today than in times past?
3: What do you think it means for Jesus to be “King of the superstars?” Why is that good news?
4: What do you think it means for Jesus to be “King of the outsiders?” Why is that good news?
5: What do you think it means for Jesus to be “King of the failures?” Why is that good news?
6: What do you think it means for Jesus to be “King of the nobodies?” Why is that good news?
7: When you consider what it means to feel like a superstar, an outsider, a failure, and a nobody, which descriptor most resonates with you in this current season?
8: How are you encouraged to know Jesus is your King today and always?
Pray
Lord, you are worthy of our praise. Who are we, that we are worthy of your presence? You are the King of all kings, the King of all creation, and the King of all time. You are the one true King – the great I AM – there is no other. But it’s not enough for you to be the King – you want to be our King. So, come rule and reign in our lives, Lord Jesus. Take your rightful place on the throne of our hearts. We want to bow down in worship before you, our King of glory.
*Note: We invite you to pray with us in Ellis Chapel Monday through Friday from 11am to 1pm through April 15, 2022.
