Starting with some church specific chat, we start here...

So we're going to start this series called Advent, and I’m going to do something a little differently than I normally do. I’m going to take my time. A lot of times when I start a series, I look at how many weeks I have and think, How am I going to get all this in? I try to compress all this information into a certain period of time. But this year, I’m not saying, I’m going to get through this amount of Scripture. Instead, every week, I’ll do what needs to be done, put it together, and whatever we cover over the next several weeks is what we’re going to get—because I’m going to slow down.

I really want you to see the power of the Advent story. I want you to see it in a new and fresh way.

We’ll have this weekend, next weekend, and the following weekend. We’ll even touch on some of this at Christmas on Main, which is on the 23rd. We’ll touch on it again at the candlelight services on the 24th. We’re doing two this year—thank God—because last year was crazy. If you were here, you know there was no room at the inn.

Then, on Christmas morning, you’ll hear another message that will finish out this series. And then on New Year’s, we’re going to have online only, so you’ll be getting a service at home. We’ll give everyone a break.

The Big Idea

Let’s get into what we’re doing here. I usually work with a big idea—at least, I try to.

The big idea for this series, which we’ll probably spend mostly in Matthew (we may get to Luke, but I doubt it), is this:

In the Advent story—the accounts in Matthew and Luke—Jesus is intentionally presented to the reader for careful theological consideration.

This is important. When you read these documents, these Gospels, understand that they weren’t just thrown together to create a biography. They weren’t just thrown together to give us history. They were intentionally crafted so that you and I would have to interact with Jesus.

And it’s intentional.

The Gospels are theological documents. Yes, they contain history. Yes, they contain aspects of Jesus’ life, almost like a biography. But at their core, they are theological. They are telling us who Jesus is.

Not only that—these Gospels don’t just invite careful theological consideration. Simultaneously, they create authentic self-reflection.

You may ask, What do you mean by that?

Well, let me explain what I mean by my big idea.

The question “Who is Jesus?” is asked in these stories over and over and over again.

  • Who’s Jesus?
  • Do you know who Jesus is?
  • Are you sure you know who Jesus is?
  • Have you truly understood who Jesus is?

Because it’s in understanding who Jesus is that we understand who we are.

Without understanding Jesus, we don’t truly know who we are.

Now, some of you may say, I disagree with that. I know who I am on my own. I don’t need someone else to tell me who I am. I don’t need that.

Well, let me push back on that and try to make sense of it.

If I were to take you and put you into a cave where you never met anybody at all—just you in that cave—can I tell you something? You would never know if you’re kind. You would never know if you’re generous. You would never know what kind of temper you have.

Because we only come to understand ourselves through relationships with others.

Many of us got married and didn’t realize how selfish, greedy, or impatient we were until we had to navigate life with another person. At the same time, we also discovered incredible things about ourselves—things we never knew were there.

Nothing does this more than having children. Children will teach you how patient you really are. They’ll show you whether you’re generous, whether you enjoy life. But they’ll also show you where your nerves are at!

You have to have others to truly understand who you are.

That’s how God created the world.

Why? Because God, in His very essence, is relational.

God is Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

He needs nobody else for relationship, yet He has chosen to have a relationship with you and me.

And because He is relational, so are we.

This is why Scripture tells us, over and over again, that if we don’t get Jesus right, we’ll never fully understand who we actually are.

Who is Jesus?

This is why the Gospels are constantly asking, Who is Jesus?

  • Who is Jesus?
  • If we get Him wrong, we get ourselves wrong.
  • If we get Him right, we start to understand who we are.

This is why Matthew, right in the middle of his Gospel, gives us that powerful moment where Jesus asks Peter:

“Who do you say that I am?”

Because who Jesus is determines who we are.

Matthew’s Genealogy

So, with that understanding, let’s look at the text.

We’re not going to go through a lot this weekend, but let’s start in Matthew:

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1)

Nothing moves people to verse 18 faster than verse 1—because then you realize the passage continues with a long list of names.

And I would bet that 60-70% of Christians, if they were honest, would admit:

"Yeah, I jump to verse 18. Yeah, I do, Chip. I’m just being honest with you."

But the genealogy is important.

I’m not going to go through the whole genealogy with you, because that would bog us down—I want to focus on Advent. But I want to point something out.

The word genealogy in Greek is Byblos, which means Genesis.

Is that significant?

Yes.

Because Genesis means a beginning.

Is Matthew telling us that in Jesus, we can finally understand the beginning—because now we can see the end?

A New Creation

Who is Jesus?

Matthew tells us:

"The book of the genealogy (Genesis) of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Why not Adam?

Why David?

Why Abraham?

Well, David was a king—and Jesus is the King of Kings.

Abraham was the father of faith—and Jesus is the fulfillment of faith.

And then we see a pattern:

  • 14 generations from Abraham to David.
  • 14 generations from David to Babylon.
  • 14 generations from Babylon to Christ.

This is not just a random list of names.

This is theological.

This is structured to make us ask:

Who is Jesus?

Who is He?

A king?

A deliverer?

A new Moses?

Who is Jesus?

The Birth of Jesus

Then, Matthew shifts:

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way..." (Matthew 1:18)

That word birth is the same word—Genesis.

This is creation language.

This is a new beginning.

And if this is a new creation, then we should expect the Holy Spirit to be at work.

We should expect the Holy Spirit to be creating something new.

This is Matthew saying:

"Pay attention! I don’t waste words. Every word here is important."

Why?

Because he wants us to answer the question:

Who is Jesus?

Closing Thoughts

We will continue unfolding this story over the next few weeks, but I want to leave you with this:

If you feel lost…

If you feel like life is out of control…

If you feel like you don’t know who you are…

Jesus is the answer.

He is the homing beacon.

He is the GPS coordinate that finds you.

And when you find Him…

You find yourself.


Last modified: Monday, February 3, 2025, 12:08 PM