The Promise Fulfilled
A Sermon on Matthew 1:1
Scripture
1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Sermon Description
Lists of names or genealogies can seem quite obscure, boring, and irrelevant. In his message on Matthew 1:1 titled “The Promise Fulfilled,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says the essence of the Christmas message is found in Matthew’s genealogy. If Christianity was just a teaching or philosophy then historical events in the Bible would not matter. If Christianity was merely a new outlook on life, then dates would be no concern. Since Christianity is based upon and concerned with the person of Christ, one can recall that there was a given day when Christ was born. Because Christians are concerned with a person and not just a teaching, they remember that this event really did happen. Take away the event and Christ is taken away. Take away Christ and there is no Christianity. Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights the names of David and Abraham in the genealogy in order to connect the coming of the Messiah with the Old Testament promises. The essence of the Christmas message can be summarized in the fulfillment of these two promises, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones. In God’s covenant with David, He establishes that it is through His posterity that His universal kingdom will be fulfilled. Through Abraham, God commits Himself to the salvation of the nations. Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls listeners to reflect upon the Christmas season and find comfort in the fulfillment of the promises of God. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones bring the message of comfort and joy in the fulfillment of Old Testament promises.
Sermon Breakdown
- Matthew wrote his gospel primarily for the Jews to convince them Jesus is the Messiah.
- Matthew starts by showing Jesus is the son of David and Abraham, fulfilling God's promises.
- Jesus as the son of David fulfills the promise of an eternal king and kingdom.
- Jesus as the son of Abraham fulfills the promise of blessing all nations.
- God's promises are always faithful and sure. He fulfilled promises to David and Abraham.
- God will fulfill future promises of Jesus' second coming and final victory.
- God works on his own timeline to fulfill promises, even overruling sin, so we must be patient and trust.
- The gospel message is about the person and work of Jesus, not just moral teachings.
- We must look to Jesus, the son of David and Abraham, for salvation and an eternal kingdom.
- This Christmas season, we rejoice that God has visited us, kept his promises, and provided salvation.
Other Sermons
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.