When the Expected Happens in an Unexpected Way, Part 2

Night with Jimmy Greer shows us that God's ways are unexpected. They are wonderful. Nobody saw this coming right, they they they thought was a mighty conqueror. They thought he would come as a judge to end all oppression, but that's how Jesus said, if you call what they expected. He could not help us you would've crushed us and it might. I'm your host Molly bit events. One part of Scripture that most of the skip over the genealogy. You know those long list of names about who begot him and let's be honest you started reading through St. Matthew and you kind of skimmed and skipped ahead until you got to the good stuff right that today on the program.

Pastor JD explained that those lists are actually critical to understanding God's plan. We are looking at the genealogy of Jesus. Learning how God has been working through all of history to reveal the plan of salvation as part of our teaching series called the whole story and as always you can catch up on previous messages were studied to transcripts when you visit clear.com right now let's dive back into the message. He started yesterday called when the unexpected happened unexpected one book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Notice verse one that Matthew was going to call his whole gospel book of the genealogy. In other words, all the rest of the gospel of Matthew is an explanation of what he introduces in the first 70 verses many points out of the MB organization pattern and that's important to use as there are three sets of 14 generations, now 14 is 27 and seven is the biblical number of completion or perfection, but he presents it in this way, according to B's three sets of 14 to show that God has superimposed his perfection onto world history shaping it entirely and perfectly around Jesus, which is number one. Matthew is trying to show you that, though it often does not seem so Jesus is the center of history. Matthew shows you that despite what it looks like on the surface, God is guiding all of history. According to his perfect plan with Jesus Christ right in the center and what that means for Matthew in his day and what it means for us in our day is that despite what it looks like on the surface, the powers of the world. Those who think they control everything are really an illusion. The book of Proverbs explains the king's hand is like a river in the hand of the Lord. Many turns in whatever way he chooses in the way he chooses to turn it is in pursuit of the great commission Jesus at the center, a sign of Christian maturity is when you begin to view everything in your life. Every blessing every teardrop, every holiday and how it can be used to help the great commission. The mission of Jesus which brings me to point number two. Matthew shows us that God is working even in the chaos in the junk of your life. This genealogy is unusual because typically genealogy is only listed out the father's name. That's the way they Record the reason that he mentioned Sarah and tame our is because he wants you to think about that story. The story is found in Genesis 38 is a man named Judah. Judah has three sons, one of his sons, his oldest son was married to Groening trademark.

But his oldest son dies leased to Marshall window before they can have children. And so, in those days, but the law was that if your brother died in his wife didn't have children that you were supposed to take his wife into your house and you were supposed to give him children through her. I metal you would continue the family line so man who is the second brother refuses to have kids with her.

So God is not guilty.

So now because Missy Stamos. Most of the third son right, but Judah God the dad is like okay this girl came are limited to amounts on the number of dead concert of the world. Bad luck, so he stalls like you and I'll give everybody what Kmart gets really ticked off about this because she figures out never to get married, and there you have kids and so she take matters in the romance so she goes to the place one night were Judah likes to go to the bar and waits till you know he gets a little tipsy. She gets in Cronk and then seduces him to sleep with her because it's his daughter law because you know you so Cronk so they sleep together and she gets pregnant with Perez and Sarah okay so three months go by. She starts to show that she's pregnant. Judah says my daughter lost pregnant jobs got pregnant out of wedlock that gnaws at his babies. Of course she's gotta be stone so they drag this girl out to stone her in right-of-way stone or she reaches inside of her pod will just wait. I got the belt of the man whose babies they are and you pulls out you dispel now. Talk about an awkward moment right you feel better about your family yet. This is some messed up stuff get caught. Here's what Matthew trying to show God arranges even all of this messed up dysfunctional stuff into his perfect 14 and I shared that because there's a lot you got some messed up dysfunctional families of your own right.

But what you should see is that God has one overriding purpose in your life and God stamps his perfect 14 on even the chaotic mess of your life is third thing you shows you number three is the gospel is for the outsider can't hear what Matthew dies is he shows you that for women, all of whom have a shady past are going to be a part of Jesus's life and just in case you missed the fact that there are these chaotic stories he puts in details what you'll think about verse five got Rahab another prostitute.

The second prostitute in Jesus is line a Gentile that God saves from Jericho got Ruth the Moabite homeless girl verse six got David and the wife of Uriah. Why would he say wife of Uriah and not just give her name, her name is Bathsheba who try to make you think of the story. She's not just Bathsheba. She was David's best friend's wife and David slept with her and had Uriah kill to cover it up and all that is supposed to give you a very clear message Jesus came to include you different mindsets like this. These names are included in the line that leads to Christ, so that you and I can be assured that our names can be included in the line that leads from Christ's Christ coming this King perfect King would have crushed us had Jesus actually come as the fair judge to repay all evil. The way these disciples wanted. That would've left us all without hope of Christ that came with the blood of adulterers and murderers and Gentiles flowing his veins. That's a God who can identify with us and save us. He took our sins and our sorrows we say and he made him his very own. He took on our simple flesh. He bore our burden to Calvary. There he suffered and died alone because he was made simple flesh like mine can identify with simple flesh like my, you cannot just judge you can redeem and he can save so that means two things about us number one. It means that even if your personal history. The story of your life reads like this genealogy if it's filled with embarrassing mistakes means that God can still redeem it all into his perfect 14 you might think your life is over this weekend.

You might've come into this church on the merits, just as all the divorce is final. The kids will no longer speak to you. You lost your job again. Then you got kicked out of school. You think your life is over.

This genealogy shows you that Jesus may just have begun his greatest work in you, he is a Savior who specializes in the broke the broken and the week. That means that he can help you second think it shows a summit search is that our message of this church is primarily for the outsider. We have always said that we do not want to be a church that simply puts on a better show than the other churches in the area so that we can attract more Christians from other churches, be a part of our club. We know that the ministry that God has given us is primarily be focused on those that are outside of the community that you and I would be a part of because we are not trying to do it.

We don't do that because it helps the attendance at our church. We do that because we know that people who have been impacted by the gospel become like the gospel. We know that Jesus came for the outsider.

That means our focus also was going to be on the outside before things genealogy shows us. Matthew shows us that Jesus is our long-awaited rest now shows you the beginning that this genealogy is three sets of 14 right. I know it's been a while since you been a math class but 314 this is the same as six sets of seven fair which would make Jesus the seventh 77 is the most significant biblical number is the number of completion. It signifies rest, God rested on the seventh day, that the Sabbath every seven years in Israel. According to the book of Leviticus.

The farmland was supposed to rest the let the soil lie fallow so that the nutrients could replenish. And then on the year of the seventh seven the 50th year that was called the year of Jubilee. That was a special time in which all debts were forgiven in Israel and all indentured servants were free. When Matthew shows you the Jesus comes as the seventh seven.

He is trying to say that Jesus is the ultimate year of Jubilee is the ultimate Sabbath. The ultimate rest in him, all debts will be forgiven.

All slaves will be free. He came not just to redeem what is broken and dysfunctional. He came to set the prisoners free, and I noted every week into this church. We got people that are under bondage of all kinds.

We have some better under the bondage of addiction, some that are are under the bondage to relationships that you know they shouldn't be in their lives, but they can't shake some better under the bondage of just a destroyed self image some better under the bondage of being controlled by money or control of the appraiser. People somewhat overwhelmed by the burden of trying to please God are trying to please others. Some feel crushed by the burden of trying to sustain themselves to take care of their family to provide for themselves, to make life work. Jesus proclaims in Matthew come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest is what I could. I wish I could get some of you to see about the gospel because you think of exactly the opposite. You think that coming to Jesus takes you from a place of rest. Moral rest for you to feel guilty all the time your burdens on you and my job and we can tell you how bad you are doing to make you feel guilty people more burden on that's not the gospel. The gospel is, is that it begins in rest for begins at rest by me proclaiming to you that that that that that the price for your sin has been paid. Not 1 ounce by you at all by Jesus that God gives you his favor.

Not a response to how well you do how much you pray how much you read the Bible. He gives his favor to you as a gift in Jesus Christ. Yes you work as a Christian, yes you fine Christians are often very busy people. But we do it not in order to earn the favor of God, we do it in joyful response to having been given the favor of God. That's a totally different kind of work. One leads you to weariness because it's never enough. The other lead you to overflowing joy work you just say I love doing what I do because it's the overflow of my heart there. Many of you that are overwhelmed by this burden of trying to please people all your life you you tried to earn the acclaim of others. When you have Jesus's face when you have Jesus's favor. You find yourself relieved of the burden of always trying to prove yourself. Everybody early on in my ministry.

I realize I was tired I wouldn't hire because of working too hard. I wouldn't hire because the demands of this church were too much.

I was tired because I was always living for the approval of different groups of people and it never seems to be enough. You'll never realize how tired you are from trying to earn the love and the attention of others until you been freed from it for even just a little bit to Olympic divers from the United States won the silver medal you saw this David, but I think and still Johnson if I got the names right so they get the silver metal and NBC reporters up after them after they win and she asked a couple questions and then she has the was David. She said I'm so she said you know we really nervous, but his last dive. No. And that's this was it like you know like this would determine whether or not you get a metal and I was like his face and he said no. He said because we know that our identity is in Christ, not how well we do on this platform and that means whether we get a metal or not. Our identity is fixed and we don't depend on this or that place you in that we don't depend on that for our identity is in Christ, watches other interview or where he was explained. He said you know if we bellyflop.

We are perfect in we come down the same identity. We were up on the platform with and that identity is in Christ, be the behavior was like Thursday. I got put in his face and in the sky was like well will say my friend David said it exactly right. Our identities in Christ not in how well we perform.

You understand the confidence that can give you in life when you are relieved of the burden of trying to prove yourself by how pretty your when you no longer feel like I gotta be the prettiest girl in school I got away this writer look like that or I got.

I make this much money write an address like this in order to earn people's approval. It suddenly becomes free because I now have the opinion, the highest opinion of the only one whose opinion really matters and that frees me from tyranny to your opinions. Some of you are under that bondage. And what Jesus says I can give you rest. From that and then what's even more when you know that you're his favorite child when you really realize you're his favorite child. The worries of the world lift off your shoulders as you start to say things like Paul, what then shall I say to these things of God is for me. Who could be against me. He who did not spare his own son, but freely gave him up for us all, will he not also with him graciously give us all things. One, the one Jesus said who the one who knows how many hairs on your head and there's one sparrow falls on the Scrabble. He also care for you. Why should I be discouraged, why should the shadows come.

Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven home because Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is he, his eyes on the sparrow, I know he watches me. You'll find that there is a rest that goes with being a child of God that is freeing like nothing else.

Client Jesus is coming to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And that is what some of you most need this weekend for shooting rest from trying to find acceptance rest and trying to prove yourself all the time. Rest from bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders. That rest is in Jesus. Lastly, and missing from the big point for today to pull them altogether.

Number five shows us that God's ways are unexpected, God's ways are unexpected but they are wonderful know nobody saw this coming right, they they they thought is, the mighty conqueror.

They thought he would come as a judge to end all oppression, but that's how Jesus said, if you call like they expected. He could not help us, he would've crushed us so we came in a totally unexpected way, but I was in for our frustration became in a totally unexpected way for our salvation. Here's what I want to ask you listen, if that's what God did back then. If you save them in an unexpected way. It became unexpected because he was trying to save them. Not frustrated, is it not also possible that when God does something unexpected in your life today, but it doesn't mean that he's forgotten you.

It doesn't mean he's neglected you. It means that he is working on a better grander plan that you just don't see yet doesn't the coming of Jesus teach you at least that is a versa.

Christians love the quote Isaiah 55 89 you you probably heard it quoted my ways are not your ways, my thoughts are. You're not your thoughts. First, the heavens are above the earth. That's a much higher my thoughts are that your thought we applied it to a situation where we don't understand. Most people don't know that that verse was written primarily about God's plan of salvation back and read the context God was saying my phenomena come in a different way and save you differently than you expect. Because my thoughts and your thoughts are not the same.

I understand more than you did what I have for you is is try to show you is if God plan of salvation happened in an unexpected way, doesn't it make sense that God will continue to do things in your life that might confuse you but it doesn't mean that he's forgotten you. It just means that he's leaving all of this according to his perfect 14th a better plan than you would've originally bought it for yourself anyway. Their company, just a curiosity. You are what we would call planners timing like I mean like OCD. I make a plan to have a plan, plan, or go it agenda.

You will recall, spontaneous) you like to think of yourselves of adventurous, but the ones that us. Planners will be taken care of when you're old okay do so. I am a total planner actually treated as I hate the plan that I hate even more than I hate planning I hate not having a plan and what I most hate is when things don't go according to my plan right, but later single and that you don't have children deafly don't take them overseas for seven weeks was a slave that I'm in a sense I think all of us. Whether your reasonable plan are not having all of us are like that. I would like to have their plans changed. Unlike other expectations on that right… In the phrase there's been a change of plans and cringe, but nothing good ever comes after that right like you want to dinner tonight, but there's been a change of plans. That's always back.

I want you to realize listen that the greatest things that God did in the Bible always happen when God deviated from the plants you everything but that they always happen when God deviated from the thing about Mary Woodward, the birth of Jesus.

Mary was not planning on getting pregnant was when Gable shows up and said hey I know you not very mature to be pregnant.

That was a change of Lance Mary was planning on a wedding, but God was planning to change the world. God's plan was better. There are things that happen in your life that are unexpected and unplanned, and God is not doing it the way that he obviously should do it is as always for your salvation. You see, there is a genealogy that leads to Christ that is filled with randomness and chaos and dysfunction and confusion, but it was a perfect 14 that led to Jesus.

There's also a genealogy that leads from Jesus and it also is filled with randomness and chaos and dysfunction and confusion of the annual see God for that over and it's all done according to the perfect 14's and it's all to be now when Jesus of the center.

You see, if you're not a Christian. Listen to this.

If you never met Jesus. Everything in your life up to this point has been designed to bring you to Jesus it's been God trying to reveal Jesus in the to bring forth Jesus from if you are a Christian and everything AV after Jesus in your life is designed to reveal Jesus through because God is writing the plan for history. It is according to a perfect 14 and Jesus said this is at the center was at one time. You're not a Christian. Everything in your life up to this point everything every good ever bad part of it is been designed to bring forth Jesus and I never received him. If you are Christian everything in your life.

From that point is been designed reveal Jesus through you because he's the center we should buy your heads. If you would all campuses by your heads mass state that last thing in the form of a question if you're not a Christian you realize maybe this is speaking to you in your blessings making you thankful he's been trying to wake you up for your pain telling you you need them ever surrendered to him all the good news.

Salvation is easy, simple, simple because Jesus did all the work he paid it all became as the Savior, the Redeemer, all you have to do is receive, you can receive them by saying something to him like this for Jesus. I believe that you're the Savior believe you came for me to determine your end in your heart. I receive you as my Savior, I surrender to you is Lord if you voted on that you know that your follower of Jesus may be rhinitis anymore. Jesus help me to trust you. Better to go to the badger revealing Jesus through me to others to my children to my neighbor's to my parents probably pray.

We pray according to Matthew one. Pray that your perfect 14 would come through in our lives that we would trust you every step of the way reveal Jesus through us to others reveal Jesus and us. We pray in Christ interesting Jesus to reveal himself to others you offering yourself as a living sacrifice, not you can start today. You're listening to Senate life with pastor JD Greer and a message from her teaching series called the whole story if eaten in a little late today or if you've missed any previous programs in this study.

You can find them all online@jdgreer.com when you give today we have a unique resource that we like to send you to say thanks for set of books of the Bible cards and you JD one of my favorite things about this teaching series be to in lately. You're challenging us to take a fresh look at these familiar Bible stories yet you and I think sometimes, especially for those of us who venture for a while so familiar with these Bible stories that they sound a little bit cliché. There were no longer looking for God to use them to speak. So in this series I'm hoping you'll be able to set those preconceived notions aside and just see the stories that include new lands in a fresh way and show you may be missing the greatest thing show all point to the cross to go along with the series and help with that perfect resource called the books of the Bible cards a set of cards that will help you as you read books of the Bible to connect with the context of the original audience.

Maybe even more importantly, the overall scope of the one story. The Bible is is going to give you details about the book was written to when it was written on three key two rooms that are gleaned from the book where the book points to Jesus and reflection questions. I can promise you, you want to keep these handy as you are in the books of the Bible you like who is this for what they say and what biscuit was Cardinal Health connect what you're reading to the bigger picture of what God is saying doing is giving today and remember to ask for your kind, you're welcome to request support history $25, 86 633-5285 20 working easier. You can get online I'm inviting you to join us tomorrow.

Ministry see Wednesday. On Sunday night