Please turn in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 1, as we begin our verse-by- verse study through the New Testament. Now before we get into our text this evening I would like to lay down for you some background information.
As the book of Malachi came to a close, we read "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." Malachi 4:5-6.
From that point on, for the next 400 years or so, God was silent. We do not see God raising up prophets by which He would speak through. We see no inspired prophets spoken of but that does not mean that there was no love for the Lord, no activity for the Lord.
Remember from our study in the book of Daniel the Seleucid king Antiochus IV, or Antiochus Epiphanes. In his attempt to remove all traces of the orthodox Jewish faith, Antiochus Epiphanes placed a image of Jupiter in the holy place, offered swine as sacrifice on the temple altar. He forbid the practice of circumcision, Sabbath observance or any feast celebrations with the penalty of death for those that did. He destroyed the copies of the Jewish Scriptures. It was so bad, this man was so evil, that he killed an aged scribe named Eleazar, flogging him to death because he would not eat swine flesh!

But then a man by the name of Mattathias rose up, and living in the village of Modiin, which was about 15 miles west of Jerusalem, and he stood up for righteousness, for the things of God. There was a group of emissaries from Antiochus that came to town expecting Mattathias to offer pagan sacrifices for them, but he refused.
So then another Jew came forward and performed these sacrifices, which infuriated Mattathias. He was so mad he came up to this altar, killed this apostate Jew and the emissaries from Antiochus. And Mattathias, along with his five sons destroyed the pagan altar and fled to the hills for safety. But, by their actions, many joined forces with them and waged guerrilla warfare on the Syrians and the Hellenistic Jews who were supporting them.
Shortly after this revolt Mattathias died and his third son, Judas came on the scene and lead the Maccabean revolt. And in this revolt they gained back the city of Jerusalem, restored the temple to the place of worship, removing all paganism that was placed there and beginning on December 25th they celebrated the eight-day feast of dedication known as the festival of lights or Hanukkah. The year of desolation was now over. So you see, God was still working during this period of time, but there were no prophets of God raised up during these 400 years or so, from Malachi till John the Baptist came on the scene.
There are 14 books called the Apocrypha, which means "Hidden" or "Concealed," that were written between 250 BC and the early Christian centuries. These books were never part of the inspired Scriptures in the Protestant and Jewish churches. In fact, it wasn't until 1546 AD, at the Council of Trent, where they were declared part of the Roman Catholic church's inspired Scriptures.


Now the Apocrypha does have some historical and literary value, but it does not have any value for Christian doctrine, for they are not inspired. Now don't be offended by that, but listen carefully to the reasons why they are not accepted as part of the Sacred Canon, the inspired Word of God.

1. These books are full of historical and geographical inaccuracies. The 66 books of the Bible are 100% accurate!

2. Some of the doctrines that these books teach are false and they then foster a practice that does not draw people to God, but away from Him. The 66 books of the Bible don't, they lead people to God!

3. The Jewish versions of the Old Testament, dividing the Scriptures into The Law, The Prophets, and The Writings, do not include the Apocryphal books and they never did. But they do contain the books of the Protestant Bible.

4. Jesus nor His disciples quote from the Apocryphal books, even though there were known to them. On the other hand, the Old Testament books are often quoted in the New Testament!

5. Philo and Josephus, who were ancient Jewish writers and were acquainted with the Apocrypha, never quoted from it as Scripture.

6. The early church fathers distinguished between the inspired Scriptures and the Apocryphal books.

Thus, to sum it up, if you want to read the Apocrypha as historical or literary books, that is fine. But once you cross that line and make them equal to the inspired Scriptures, you are looking for trouble, as we have just discussed, for they are not the Words of God!
One last point before we get into our text this evening, and that has to do with who wrote this Gospel. We know that Matthew, a tax collector before becoming a disciple of Jesus, was the author of this first Gospel, possibly written around 40 AD. And the reason we can say with certainty that Matthew wrote this Gospel is because his name is attached to all the early copies of the manuscripts and the early church fathers attribute this Gospel to Matthew. And the word "Gospel" means "good news" and that is exactly what this writer will do, give us the good news of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, come to save man from his sins. With that said, let's dig into Matthew chapter 1, beginning in verse 1, and see what the Lord has for us this evening!

VERSE 1
1. Matthew opens up with the genealogy of Jesus Christ through His step-father, Joseph. Why? Because Matthew is primarily writing to the Jews and he is going to show them that Jesus Christ is the Messiah the king, and to do that he must show that the genealogical records support that fact. And as we go through this book you will see the Old Testament Scriptures quoted or alluded to some 129 times, showing that Jesus is the fulfillment of what the Old Testaments prophets spoke of.

2. Matthew starts out with the covenant that was made with David, found in II Samuel chapter 7 where God said that through David's descendants the Messiah would come and sit upon the throne of David. Then to the covenant that God made with Abraham spoken of in Genesis chapters 12 and 15 where God told Abraham that through his descendants all the families of the earth would be blessed, and he was speaking of the coming of the Messiah. And if there is any doubt about that, Paul makes the point very clear when he says in Galatians 3:16, "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, `And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, `And to your Seed,' who is Christ."

3. After 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple, all the genealogical records were also destroyed. So no one, after 70 AD, could claim to be the Messiah for he could not substantiate that with the genealogical records, but Matthew is showing us that the genealogy of Jesus is perfect, He has the right to sit on the throne of David, to be the King!

VERSES 2-7
1. In this portion of the genealogy of Jesus we see something very interesting, four women mentioned. You see, the Jewish men had a prayer they would offer daily, "God, I thank you I was not born a gentile, a dog, or a woman." Thus, in genealogies they never mentioned women, and yet here we see God do just that, the grace of God is rich and deep, as you will see that in the women that are mentioned in this section.

2. The track record of these women was not too good. Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, tricked him after her first two husbands died, Er and Onan were killed by the Lord because of their wickedness. You see, Judah refused to give his third son, Shelah, to Tamar, thinking he too would die, even though he promised him to her. Thus, Tamar pretended to be a prostitute, put a veil over her face, and Judah went into her, not knowing it was Tamar. And she became pregnant and bore twin boys and the one to make it into the linage of Jesus was Perez. The story, believe it or not, is more involved than that, but you can read of it on your own in Genesis chapter 38.

2. The second woman mentioned is Rahab, who was not only a gentile but a harlot who lived on the wall of Jericho. She married Salmon who begot Boaz.

3. The third woman mentioned is Ruth, who also was a gentile, a Moabite. Ruth married Boaz who was king David's great grandfather.

4. And lastly, Bathsheba who had an adulterous affair with king David, and their first son conceived in that relationship died, and the next son they had was Solomon.

VERSES 8-12
1. In verse 11 we are told of king Jeconiah, who, in Jeremiah 22:28-30, has a blood curse put on his family because of his wickedness. And the Lord says that no descendant of his shall be on the throne of David. So then how can Jesus sit on the throne of David with this blood curse on the descendants of Jeconiah? As we are going to see, Matthew gives us the genealogy of Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, who was of the royal line through David and Solomon, all the way to Jeconiah and on, but the blood curse did not pass to Jesus because He was the adoptive son of Joseph, and yet He had all the rights of that linage, including the right to sit on the throne of David through His adoptive father, Joseph!

VERSES 13-16
1. Notice that Matthew does not say "And Jacob begat Joseph of whom was born Jesus..." but
"And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ." Why? Because Joseph was not the father of Jesus, but His step-father!

VERSE 17
1. Matthew breaks the linage up into 3 sections. First was the time of the Patriarchs, from Abraham to David - not a pretty picture, the immorality and sin the nation was involved in. Then from the Monarchy from David to their Deportation to Babylon - again not a pretty picture, we see their rebellion finally bring the judgment of God upon them. And lastly, from the Deportation to Babylon to Christ - again a period of time filled with apostasy! What is the point? The grace of God at work even during some of the darkest periods of history to bring forth the Messiah!

VERSE 18
1. The time they were betrothed could last up to a year, and legally they were married but the marriage was not consummated as yet, not till after the wedding ceremony. Thus, here is this young girl, a virgin, and pregnant! Luke gives us more details in Luke 1:26-35, as we are told,
"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, `Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!' But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, `Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.' Then Mary said to the angel, `How can this be, since I do not know a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, `The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.'"

2. Now imagine what Mary went through. Can you imagine your fiancé or daughter coming to you and telling you they are pregnant! "Hi honey or dad, guess what, I'm pregnant. No, don't worry, it was by the Holy Spirit!" And that is what Joseph had to face as Mary tells him the good news - a hard to believe story to say the least! But it is the fulfillment of what Isaiah 7:14 says,
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

VERSE 19
1. We don't know a lot about Joseph except that he was a good man, and as he hears the news he is trying to find a way to divorce Mary without making things worse for her, for she could be put to death for committing this sin according to the Law!

VERSE 20
1. Confirmation is given to Joseph that what Mary told him was the truth, and obviously he needed to hear these words. And not only did God tell Joseph that, but He also directed him to go through with the marriage!

VERSE 21
1. Jesus is the Greek word from the Hebrew word Joshua, which means YAHWEH IS OUR SALVATION or YAHWEH HAS BECOME OUR SALVATION. It is just as Peter proclaimed in Acts 4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

VERSES 22-23
1. Now for all those who try to negate that Jesus is God, here it is -EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US! Notice, it does not say "A god with us!" And what Isaiah spoke some 700 years earlier, had now come to pass!

2. Now please understand that Jesus is never called Emmanuel in the Scriptures, it is not His name but it is a descriptive title of what His earthly ministry was all about - GOD WITH US!

VERSES 24-25
1. Now in some circles we are told that Mary never had any other children besides Jesus, but the Scriptures don't support that. Look at Mark 6:1-3, which says "Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, `Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?' And they were offended at Him." Don't let church tradition be more important than what God's Word has to say! (Other places to look on this issue are: Matthew 12:46, Matthew 13:55-56, John 7:3, 5, and Galatians 1:19).

VERSES 1-6
1. There is a lot going on in these 6 verses. First of all we see magi or wise men from the east coming to find the child king of the Jews! How did they know? Possibly these residents of Babylon learned of this coming king from a man named Daniel who lived in Babylon as part of the captive Jews, and he oversaw the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel shared the good news with these men and that information was passed on from generation to generation, until these star gazers got a sign in the sky, a star to guide them to Jerusalem. And there was not just 3 men as tradition tells us, in fact, that tradition did not start until the Middle Ages and even the names came forth, they were supposedly called Casper, Balthazar, and Melchior. The truth of the matter is we don't know the names of these wise men and there were probably several hundred of these people that traveled together, for the whole city was troubled by their appearance and just three guys are not going to trouble anyone!

2. But now the star is gone and they begin to ask people "Where is the king?" And Herod, the king over Jerusalem by edict of Rome, sought the religious leaders and they told the king the place - in Bethlehem. Interestingly enough, they knew where He was to be born but it didn't move them! How many today know of Jesus but it doesn't move them? How sad! Also, the time frame here is around 4 BC when Jesus was born.

3. Herod was a little guy, only some 44 tall and yet he built things on a grand scale! He built the Herodian fortress, Masada, the city of Caesarea, as well as expanding the temple, but he was also a cruel and paranoid man. He was so cruel to his family that Caesar Augustus said "It is safer to be Herod's pig than his son." And keep in mind that Herod was not a Jew but a Edomite, a descendant of Esau!

VERSES 7-10
1. Once Herod finds out, he tells the wise men with the hopes once this child king is located, they will tell him and he will kill this child, and he will remain the king!

2. Again, we see the star appear in the sky, not a normal star moving from east to west, but this one is moving to the south, towards Bethlehem, which was about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. It was not a normal star but a guiding star!

VERSE 11
1. Notice these wise men do not go to a manger but a house. So this means it was some time after Jesus' birth they arrived and Jesus was probably a year old or so at this point! Again, be careful with tradition when it goes against Scriptures!

2. The gifts they give to Jesus were gold, which spoke of His kingship. The frankincense which spoke of His priesthood. And myrrh which speaks of His death, you might say a martyred prophet. In Revelation 17:14 we see Jesus as our king. In Hebrews 2:17 as our faithful high priest. And in Deuteronomy 18:18 as our prophet who came to speak forth the Words of God. Thus, in these gifts we see the threefold ministry of Christ!

VERSE 12
1. It is amazing how these men not only heard the Word of God but responded to it. Instead of going back and having to tell Herod where this king is at, they left another way!

VERSES 13-15
1. Joseph takes his family down to Egypt for safety until Herod dies. How could this poor family afford this trip? Possibly by using the gold, frankincense and myrrh that were given to them by the wise men!

2. This is a fulfilment of Hosea 11:1, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." Hosea is speaking of the children of Israel fleeing their bondage in Egypt, but Matthew tells us it has a far reaching fulfillment, that the Messiah would come out from Egypt!

VERSE 16
1. Herod, being paranoid about losing his throne to a Jewish king, put's to death all the male children from 2 years old and younger, covering all his bases so he would not miss this child. This verse indicates that Herod, at this point, was out of control and let his passion control him, the passion to remain king!

VERSES 17-18
1. Rachel was the wife of Jacob who died giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. And here we see Matthew quote Jeremiah 31:15, "Thus says the LORD: `A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.'" This was a place of weeping, for Ramah, located about 5 miles north of Bethlehem, was the place where the captive Jews were carried in 586 BC by the Babylonians before going to Babylon. Kind of a holding area mentioned in Jeremiah chapter 40. It truly was a place of weeping as some were killed and the rest taken captive, awaiting to be transported to Babylon. And now Matthew gives us the complete fulfillment of this prophecy as Herod murders these innocent children and again, Rachel is weeping!

VERSES 19-20
1. Herod died in 2 BC and according to Josephus Herod "died of this, ulcerated entrails, putrefied and maggot-filled organs, constant convulsions, foul breath, and neither physicians nor warm baths led to recovery." The threat was over and the Lord spoke to Joseph calling him and his family to return home from Egypt.

VERSES 21-23
1. In the death of Herod, his son came to the throne, Archelaus and he was not much better. But the Lord brought Joseph and his family to the area of Nazareth where this child would grow in wisdom and strength, with the cross before Him!

2. Now there is no specific Old Testament prophecy related to Jesus being called a Nazarene. And Nazareth itself was looked down upon and the people were thought of as rough and rude. That is why Nathanael, who was from Cana, a few miles to the south, asked Philip "...`Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'..." John 1:46. In fact, the word "Nazareth" means "bean town" or "sprout town". That is where the Messiah came from, hickville, a place that was looked down upon, despised! In saying that, could Isaiah 53:3 be in Matthew's mind, "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him."

3. As I close this study this evening, remember it doesn't matter where you come from as long as you know where you are going, and if you know Jesus, you've got the ticket! As John tells us, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." I John 5:13.