Matthew 1:1 “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:”

Matthew 1:1-17 is a list of people who had a lot of horrible stories, made huge mistakes, but God redeemed them and made them an eternal part of His story. Matthew reminds us that some of these people whom we consider heroes were once zeros’ They were once tore up from the floor up. However, God rewrote their story and made them part of the greatest story ever, the story of Jesus.

Examine with me for just a moment the family of Jesus mentioned by Matthew. Jesus’s family had a checkered past. Remember Abraham? He was the guy who lied and said his wife was his sister and almost allowed another man to sleep with her. Jacob’s very name means heel grabber. He was constantly trying to take what is not his. Then there was Judah the father of Perez by Tamar. Remember her story? Judah slept with his daughter in law. Of course he did not mean to do such a thing. He thought she was a prostitute. Then Matthew talks about Rahab. Rahab was a “lady of the night” and a foreigner but she believed God and was rescued. Perhaps the most poignant description in the passage is that of David in Matthew 1:5. “David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah” In one sentence the Bible reminds us that David was a battle dodger, adulterer and a murderer. And the story is just getting started. In each of these cases God took people who had a checkered past and wrote them into the story of redemption.

Some of you are sitting there arguing “Well you don’t know about my background, my past.” The reason your past seems worse is because you are familiar with it. You are allowing your familiarity with your past, that you do know, keep you from God’s grace that you don’t know. There were people who rejected Jesus because Jesus was not from the right background. They thought surely God would know to send the savior through a better family than this one. They were letting what they did know keep them from embracing what God wanted them to know.

Stop letting the shame you do know keep you from the grace you don’t know. Don’t let your failure, keep you from His new beginning. Don’t let your doubts keep you from His promises. Receive your King! Your past does not have to be a limitation to your future.

Today’s Challenge: Don’t allow the familiarity of your past keep you from embracing the work God wants to do in your life today.