Good morning. I have, once or twice, and then typically at Christmas time, used the genealogies from Matthew 1 and Luke 3 as the main scripture source for a sermon. The truth is, those genealogies have an important message to give us, but they aren’t exactly page turners. Have you ever considered your own ancestry? How far back should we go? Please consider this with me today:
To be born into this world you have (biologically speaking): 2 parents; 4 grandparents; 8 great-grandparents; 16 second great-grandparents; 32 third great-grandparents; 64 fourth great-grandparents; 128 fifth great-grandparents; 256 sixth great-grandparents; 512 seventh great-grandparents; 1,024 eighth great-grandparents; 2,048 ninth great-grandparents.
Those numbers reflect 12 previous generations over the span of 400 years or so, and for each of us a total of 4,094 biological ancestors who lived before we were born.
How many struggles did they endure? How many battles did they fight? How great was their sadness, happiness, love, and pain? What was their hope for the future and what might have been included in their dreams? What was the truth of their faith, and how did that faith serve them and ultimately provide a foundation for us?
It would be unusual for any of us to go back to our ancestor heritage 400 years and find someone who is already on this continent. It is far more likely for most of us that our ancestors 400 years ago were European. That means that when our ancestors arrived on this continent, they were either chasing a dream or escaping from some harsh reality. Possibly both.
When you look at the genealogy of Jesus you see ancestors who were noteworthy for their faith. You also see some who were noteworthy for lives in rebellion against the will of God. Rahab was a prostitute, but her son Boaz was kind, generous, and faithful to God. Jacob and Judah both had their issues, as did King David and his son Solomon. But through it all, God saw that His plan of salvation flourished.
Your ancestry may have some interesting characters, both good and…not so much. But that is okay because God is always at work. He has brought you to this point in history and is blessing you, teaching and guiding you, and always forgiving you. Through those blessings He may be blessing those who will follow after you in the coming generations until Christ’s return. God is always at work.
For now, please consider His Word from Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast.For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We each live in this moment of time, standing on the history of those who have gone before us. Praise God that He has always and will always ensure our victory.
Vern