The Dawn of Redeeming Grace by Sinclair B Ferguson

 

THE DAWN OF REDEEMING GRACE

by Sinclair Ferguson

Chapter 1 - In the Beginning

Matthew's gospel has been described as "The Gospel of the Kingdom." Jesus taught about "the kingdom", how his miracles were signs of its presence and he explained the new and different lifestyle of its members - chapters 4 verse 23 to 6 verse 29. He ends his gospel with an indication of Jesus' kingship "all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me" chapter 28 verse 18

Matthew is about a new genesis. Matthew 19 verse 28 talks about the new world, literally the palingenesia, the beginning again.

Chapter 2 - The Hopes and Fears of All the Years

One turn of the page from Malachi to Matthew and we arrive at the the New Testament or new covenant. But why start with a family tree? Normally if we make out our own family tree we start with ourselves and work backwards. 400 years have passed and God's people were under Roman rule.

There are 3 ways in which Matthew is describing Jesus in this genealogy ...

Jesus is the Christ - mentioned 4 times in verses 16, 17 and 18. The word "Christ" is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah meaning the anointed king whom God had promised to send to deliver his people from bondage.

Jesus is the son of David, the king in Israel after Saul - a promise was given to David that his kingdom would stretch from one end of the earth to the other. 2 Samuel 23 verse 5 shows David's confession of faith in God keeping the covenant.

Jesus is also the son of Abraham.

Why the 14 generations between each? In Hebrew there are no vowels so David was spelled D-V-D. D is the 4th letter of the alphabet, the dalet and V the 6th letter, the vau - 4 + 6 + 4 gives you 14.

God keeps his promises! God directs history towards this moment - that is sovereignty and faithfulness!

Chapter 3 - Cherchez La Femme - Look for ht ewomen!

One word could summarise the inclusion of 5 women in the family tree of Jesus - GRACE. 4 of them were outsiders, not Jewish and Matthew goes on to show more outsiders included in the orchestration and future reign of his son Jesus - the wise men.

Notice the contrast to Luke's gospel. He describes poor shepherds as being the first visitors whereas the wise men in Matthew's gospel were rich. The shepherds were local but the wise men were from a distance.

Jesus extends his grace beyond the chosen people and brings Gentiles into his covenant - long before Calvary. God overcomes the effects of sin and shame as he works out his purposes. God keeps his promises in ways we could never have anticipated. At the end of Matthew Jesus instructs his own disciples to go to outsiders, indeed all nations.

Chapter 4 - A virgin conception

Notice how Joseph was dealt with by God - through dreams. In fact there are 4 in the opening 2 chapters of Matthew. We do not hear any words uttered by Joseph but we have a glimpse of his thoughts. All his hopes and plans for the future lay in tatters. His own reputation and social standing were gone. Everything looked so bleak. But he did not act in haste. He waited on God.

When Christ comes into our lives he turns them upside down and inside out, he changes everything. This was true not only for Joseph but for Mary, the wise men, Herod and his court as well as an entire city.

We have a glimpse of a man who came to receive Jesus into his home, into his life and into his heart. It is a glimpse into the way the heavenly Father was preparing him to nurture his incarnate Son. The man God uses he first bruises! Joseph was being completely cast upon the Lord.

Chapter 5 - A Waking Nightmare

Matthew describes Joseph as "a just man". The Greek word is dikaios. It is also used of Elizabeth and Zechariah in Luke chapter 1 where it is translated righteous. A righteous man in the bible is someone who belongs to God's covenant family, receives his blessings and lovingly seeks to obey his laws and statutes.

Joseph knew the Law and what should be done in view of his present circumstances. Mary had committed a capital offence. She had broken the entire second table of the Law - dishonoured her parents, in essence it was like killing Joseph, it was stealing what was pledged to him, she had lied to him and she had desired something that didn't belong to her. The just thing to do under the circumstances was to treat Mary as guilty and divorce her - an act of public humiliation. A nightmare scenario.

But .... Joseph thought he would try and do it quietly as possible. He was following Micah 6 verse 8. He thought and thought. He wanted to work things out in his mind. He decided to sleep on it. He didn't have the full picture - this child was "conceived ... of the Holy Ghost."

Chapter 6 - Dream Angel

God was untangling the knot that Joseph had tried to loosen in his waking hours. He did it in a way that prevented Joseph from thinking he had worked it out for himself. And in his kindness he dissolved any fears Joseph had in wondering whether he was following his own plans and desires with disregard to God's word.

Now things fall into place he had no need to fear he was disobeying the Lord by marrying Mary. No matter what the consequences might be, Joseph would do what the angel said. He needed no further consideration. He was decisive when he woke up.

God needed Joseph - what he would face in the future required strength and protection for Mary and her baby. He would be the defender of God's king and kingdom in the coming hour of crisis. And he needed to be sure that he was doing God's will and not just his own.

The truly admirable thing about Joseph was that what he most feared was failing to obey the Lord. He knew how important it is to have "the true fear of God upon your hearts; be really afraid of offending him". That is why the angel said "Joseph son of David do not fear to take Mary as your wife." It is the will of your Lord.

I cannot help admiring God's work in Joseph's life. God had shaped and prepared him so that he was ready to be entrusted with the task of being the human father for God's own son. Joseph was willing to do whatever God said.

This is the first of only 2 times we meet Joseph. We know nothing of his life before this but you can be sure that God looked on him and decided he was his chosen man.

In my life I can see the trace of God leading up to specific moments when God has prepared me for some dramatic events. It has been in the preparation beforehand that God has been shaping me and looking back it is only then I have known his personal guidance. Learning to obey God in all aspects of my life is so important.

Chapter 8 - What's In a Name?

What's in a name? I have often wondered at the meaning of names. And when you come to the story of Jesus' birth and the choosing of his name you notice that it was God who chose his son's name, not Joseph his earthly father. Looking back through his family tree that name never appeared before. The angel gave the explanation for the name - "He shall save his people from their sins." Yeshua or Joshua/Jesus means "Yahweh (the Lord) saves."

Remember Joshua in the Old Testament? He had been instrumental in bringing the Children of Israel into the Promised Land. This was their salvation from Egypt. But Jesus himself was the God who saves. It reminds us of Psalm 130 verses 7 and 8 "With the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."

The Jewish people hoped for a Messiah who would be a military conqueror, delivering them from Roman rule and leading them into the glorious new age promised by the prophets. But Joseph was learning that the fulfilment of those prophecies would be in a different way. The people's greatest need then and now was spiritual and moral. Jesus would save his people from their sins.

I wonder did Joseph realise that this would include not only the Jews but Gentiles too?

Jesus' name is everything. It is who he is. That is the promise today for you and I!

Chapter 9 - "Isaiah hath foretold him"

The New Testament contains more quotations from Isaiah than from any other book. Matthew's Gospel alone has as many as 40 quotations!

In Matthew chapter 1 verses 22 and 23 Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7 verse 14. To understand these words we need to go back and see what was happening in Isaiah's day.

Isaiah was sent by God to Ahaz the king at a time of national crisis. God was telling Ahaz to ask for a sign but Ahaz refused - he didn't want God in his life. Isaiah responded that if this was his choice then God would send a sign - "Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel."

This sign was not pointing to good things. In fact Ahaz's family was doomed. There was coming a day of judgment and destruction but one day ... a light would come in the midst of the darkness. How? By the birth of a child who would be called "Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

In chapter 4 Matthew refers again to Isaiah but this time chapter 9 referring to the "great light" that would dawn on those in darkness, the son whose kingdom would last forever. He would be the "shoot from the stump of Jesse" on whom "the Spirt of the Lord shall rest" (Isaiah 11 verses 1 to 9). He would bring cosmic restoration.

Later Isaiah talks about the Suffering Servant who would save his people from their sins. Matthew in his writing was reflecting back to these prophecies and could see their fulfilment in Christ.

Matthew tells us that Jesus and Immanuel, the 2 names given to him indicate what he came to accomplish - saving his people and who he was - God with his people.

Our faith is supernatural from start to finish and the virgin conception is but one element in it.

The words "genealogy" and "birth" both translate the same Greek word - genesis. God was beginning again in Jesus Christ.

And God brought it all about! Joseph did nothing. The baby didn't drop down into the manger from heaven but was conceived by Mary. She was passive, not active. She couldn't conceive on her own. It is God who saves, we cannot save ourselves,