Matthew 1:1-23 ~ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken †

Matthew 1:1-23

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.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

This season is challenging. And evidently, people have been considering the time and the season more in Christmas 2022. I agree with the sermons I've heard, Sermons looking at the Purpose and Plan of our Father, Almighty God. The Theology Theory and Rumination of Time.

Time has so many aspects. Roots, Crown, Growth, Seasons of Lush, Verdant Growth, Drought, Drought Recovery and Hard Freeze. Glory!  

Or you could think of the blind man asked to feel the elephant and tell how this could be compared to God's Glory.  The children of God, the light of mankind, have God's understanding of time.

Is this whole shake down, by alphabetical order: Supply chain, pharmaceuticals, financials, families, death, children education and child hysterectomy and our values part of God's Plan? You bet. God is not worried. Life is the Prodigal Son. We ride the waves.

Really, are these situations adding to meaningful life?

Yes, our choices are going to make our lives meaningful. When we see the first 18 verses of Matthew 1, we see a lot of lives we don't know the information on. Was life Jabez?  Was life the Deportation to Babylon? Did they know the honey of Egypt? Or the wine of Rome? Or did they stay on the farm or wander like Ruth and Naomi? We won't know until Heaven. Jesus did give us some advice, as we wonder about times and seasons. Every generation had meaningful highs and lows and each generation was different. 

The peace is hard won. If you fake your values, it's a power game of nicey, Superficial. A polite veneer isn't love.  Being polite and merciful is always meaningful. Sincere is meaningful. Honesty for the path being goodness and mercy is extremely important. Polite. Polite is important. Let's not forget polite and sincere is meaningful. Truth. 

John 14:3

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

He has made everything beautiful in its time. 

Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, 

yet so that he cannot find out 

what God has done from the beginning to the end.

God, our Father, our Abba, does not treat us as servants, we are faithful because He has first Loved us.  He tells us we are His children and His friend. God gave us The Books of Kings 1 and 2 with the Books of Chronicles 1 and 2.  Jesus began His Ministry with the devil showing up to tempt Christ. There isn't a day or an event where good and evil don't bother one another. The seeds of mercy and goodness have to be strong. But the Light overcomes the darkness.  We can know some of the histories of the family of Jesus, the unknown family of Jesus by knowing these 4 books of the Bible. They may be kings, but God says the True Nobility are those who Believe the Promises of God. These books are our stories, parallel of our lives, the lives of the family of Jesus Christ. Lives of good interweaving with evil, Light shining, as we make our choices.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God "interweaves" 

for the good of those who love Him, 

who have been called according to His purpose.

I've read this is really closer to the Hebrew and Latin in Scripture. Interweaves.

Who loves God enough? Who is "Called" according to His purpose? 

Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof!

    

The world and those who dwell therein,

For He has founded it 

upon the seas

    and established it 

upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

    And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

    who does not lift up his soul to what is false

    and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord

    and 

righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him,

    who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

John 10:9, Psalm 23

I am the Gate. If anyone enters by me,

he will be saved. And will go in 

and find pasture.

7 Lift up your heads, O gates!

    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord, strong and mighty,

    the Lord, mighty in battle!

9 Lift up your heads, O gates!

    And lift them up, O ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord of hosts,

    He is the King of glory! Selah

All those prayers, questions, worries like the Apostles, we have, signs we ask for, people we love and pray for:

Romans 10:9-10 

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus 

and believe in your heart 

that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, 

and with the mouth confession 

is made unto salvation.

Ephesians 1:9,10

 Making known to us the mystery of His will, 

according to His purpose, 

which He set forth in Christ 

as a Plan 

for the fullness of time

 

to unite all things in Him, 

things in Heaven 

and things on earth.

Abba, Father, 

Making known to us the mystery of His will, 

according to His purpose, 

which He set forth in Christ 

as a plan for the fullness of time, 

to unite all things in Him, 

things in heaven and things on earth.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing

 in the heavenly places

Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, 

That we should be holy and blameless before Him. 

In love He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His Will, 

to the praise of His glorious grace, 

with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. 

In Him we have redemption through his blood, 

the forgiveness of our trespasses, 

according to the riches of his grace, 

which He lavished upon us, 

in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, 

according to his purpose, 

which He set forth in Christ 

as a plan for the fullness of time, 

to unite all things in Him, 

things in heaven and things on earth.

In Him we have obtained an inheritance, 

having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 

So that we who were the first to hope in Christ 

might be to the praise of His glory. 

In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, 

the gospel of your salvation, 

and believed in Him, 

were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 

Who is the guarantee of our inheritance 

until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus

 and your love toward all the saints,

 I do not cease to give thanks for you, 

remembering you in my prayers, 

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of glory, 

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, 

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, t

hat you may know what is the hope 

to which He has called you, 

what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 

and 

what is the immeasurable greatness of his power 

toward us who believe, 

according to the working of his great might 

that he worked in Christ 

when he raised him from the dead 

and 

seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 

far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, 

and above every name that is named, 

not only in this age but also in the one to come. 

And He put all things under His feet 

and 

gave Him 

as head over all things to the church, 

which is His body, 

the fullness of Him 

Who fills all in all.

Amazing Grace, Jesus is Lord.

Of All.

Amen and Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †