Tue May 20

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the word father.

Reading

Matthew 1:1-17—The King is Coming.

Optional Reading

Esther 7

Keys for kids

Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.

Jesus is the Son of Abraham.
Jesus is the Son of David.
In Jesus, the Son of God, we can become sons of God.

Questions

(some read the ?s before notes, then ask them after)

What can we remember about God through this genealogy?
Why couldn’t Haman destroy the Jews?
What should we do if it seems God isn’t keeping his promises?

Notes

The genealogy of Christ verifies that God always keeps his word, underscores the sin of men and the Grace of God, and introduces Christ as King. So, dear Christian, believe God’s promises.

Believe God's promises confirmed in the genealogy of Christ. In the book of Esther, though Haman tried to destroy the Jews, he could not, because the promised Messiah would be a Jew—the seed of Abraham (Gen 22:18), of Judah (Gen 49:10), of David (2 Sam 7:12,13). And, promised from almost the beginning, the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:16).

Believe God's promises that all nations would be blessed in Abraham as is stressed in Matthew’s arrangement. From Abraham to David we find great hopefulness and increase. In David we have the promise that his descendant would reign forever (2 Sam 7:12ff, Ps 89.3-4, Isa 11.1). And even though from David to Babylon we find decline, division, disarray, and destruction, God would not destroy Israel forever (Isa. 65.8-9).

If you are given to doubt, If it seems God is not keeping his promises—remember this genealogy, given after 400 years of silence. Remember this genealogy, preserved in and after exile. Remember this genealogy, promised thousands of years earlier. M. Henry reminds us that delays of promised mercies, though they exercise our patience, do not weaken God’s promise. This should cause the ungodly to fear and the godly to rest and trust.

Swedish Method questions

See the Sunday reading for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 40a, 84a

Prayer

Rejoice that God keeps his promises, no matter what.
Give thanks for something from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.