God Is Working Through Our Mess

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 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.

1. Jesus came into this world through a mess.

Abraham

Failed to trust God time and time again.

He failed when there was a drought.

He failed when there was danger in his his life.

He failed when God seemed to delay his promise.

He tried to figure things out himself and it made a mess.

He allowed fear to drive his decisions.

Isaac

Was scammed by his wife and youngest Son and gave the birthright to him.

Jacob

His life began with a struggle - fighting his twin brother in the womb.

While Esau was the the hunter, Jacob was content to “stay at home among the tents.” (Gen25)

Isaac clearly favored Esau

Rebekah favored Jacob.

Then Jacob was scammed by his uncle trying to marry his wife.

He worked for 7 years and the bride was switched for her sister at the wedding.

He worked another 7 years.

There were family issues between the sisters.

Judah

Second youngest brother was Joseph.

They hated him and plotted to kill him.

The ended up selling him into slavery.

Tamar

A story of desperation born out of a shattered hope.

The daughter-in-law of Judah.

Married at separate times to his two oldest sons.

These were evil men who died under God’s judgement.

Judah then promised her his youngest son when he came of age.

He never intended to keep that promise.

So she disguised herself as a woman of ill repute and had twins by her father in law.

Their names were…

Perez and Zerah

Vs 3

Rahab

A gentile woman.

A prostitute living in Jericho

She gave birth to…

Boaz

A gentile who married Ruth.

Ruth was a descendent of Lot and his daughters.

Bathsheba

Not even called by name.

“David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.”

2. Jesus chose people that were a mess.

Matthew 4:18–22 ESV

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

2. Jesus chose people that were a mess.

Three stages of Jewish education.

Bet Sefer (House of the book)

This takes place from the ages of 5-10

Took place in the synagogue

Focused on reading, writing, and memorizing the Tora.

Bet Talmud (House of learning)

ages 10-12

The focus was on the study and interpretation of the Tora

At 12 is when the boys were considered adults.

Bed Midrash (House of study)

The focus was understanding and applying the Torah and oral Jewish tradition to daily life.

This was only for the gifted students.

They would catch the eye of a famous rabbi and receive an invitation to follow that rabbi.

The student (called the talmid - disciple) would attach himself to the rabbi everywhere.

Traveling with him.

Eating with him.

Learning from him.

His goal was to become like the rabbi.

Historians say you would know who a disciple’s rabbi was by watching them.

They would begin to talk the same.

They would dress the same.

They would eat the same.

The more revered the rabbi the better they considered your education.

If the students were not gifted.

If they did not catch the eye of a rabbi, they found work with their hands.

Often helping their father with his business if he had one.

What were Peter, Andrew, James and John doing?

They were fishing.

They were not learning under a Rabbi.

They were not good enough to make it.

Acts 4:13 ESV

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

2. Jesus chose people that were a mess.

They were uneducated and common.

In the world’s eyes they couldn’t make the cut.

These are the men Jesus chose.

They messed up several times.

They even gave up on Jesus and went back to fishing.

When we get to Acts we see an amazing thing.

The people were in awe of them.

Not because of their education.

Because they had been with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:26–28 ESV

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,

2. Jesus chose people that were a mess.

3. Jesus left and the people He chose were still a mess.

Matthew 28:17–20 ESV

And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

3. Jesus left and the people He chose were still a mess.

“Some doubted.”

Really?

How many doubted?

Who doubted?

What did they doubt?

The only other time this word was used was when Peter was sinking after walking on water.

Jesus reached out his hand and said: O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

There doubt seems to be a lack of faith.

What do we seem to know about the doubters?

The doubters doubted publically.

4. If God didn’t work through our mess He wouldn’t get the glory.

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 ESV

4. If God didn’t work through our mess He wouldn’t get the glory.

God chose to use people that the world thinks aren’t good enough so He will get the glory.

Every excuse we give in another reason for God to use us.

God new every area that we aren’t good enough before he saved us.

That didn’t stop him, He still chose to save you.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He chose us before we were born.

That means He chose us knowing the mess we were.

He laid out good works before saving us by His Amazing grace.

That means those works were planned before we ever made the mess we would be.

4. If God didn’t work through our mess He wouldn’t get the glory.

The point of this sermon is not to give us an excuse to stay in our mess, but take away the excuses we use because of our mess.