Matthew 1:1
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:”
INSIGHT
-Son in Hebrew is written as ben which means heir. Son has been used numerous times in the Bible referring to Jesus as the son of God (Lk 3:23-38, Mat 3:13-17 ; Mk 1:9-11 ; Lk 3:21-23, Jn 1:1-18), Jesus as the Son of man (Mat 1:1-17, Jn 11:1-46, Mat 19:1-2, Mk 10:1 ; Lk 13:10-35), child adoption (Gen 48:5, Exo 2:10), describing our relation with God in adoption of sons (Eph 1:5, Rom 8:17), showing a persons lineage & relation with parents (Mat 1:1-17, Gen 10:25), the nation of Israel has also been referred to as the son of God (Exo 4:22). Etc
-Matthew begins this gospel by denoting the ancestry of Christ with focus on His main descendants David & Abraham in the manner of His entry into the world, according to the promise. This informs us that the gospel & the entire Bible in general is about Jesus. There are three; fourteen generation sets from Abraham to David, David to the time of captivity in Babylon & lastly, from the captivity in Babylon to Christ (Mat 1:17), which highlight forty two main characters in the genealogy. The genealogy notes several gentiles & women like Ruth a Moabite & Rahab a Canaanite, Tamar who slept with Judah her father in law & Bathsheba a Hittite, & the wife of Uriah. This reminds us that Jesus did not come for the righteous but for the sinners & we are all called to His throne of grace to receive mercy. The Babylonian captivity has also been mentioned to enlighten us of Jesus’ works of salvation on the cross geared towards His victory over sin & death, & our freedom through abundance of life. We are also reminded that we are all one in Christ Jesus & that we should seek Him always in our thoughts, words, actions & interactions.
PRAYER
Thank You Father for giving us yet another opportunity to see this new day, it is not by our power nor might but by Your Spirit Lord. As we begin a new week Jesus, we humbly beseech You to forgive us our sins & give us the grace to forgive all those who have offended us. Mound our hearts & direct our minds in the areas that only give You glory Lord. Give us fresh ideas Almighty Father so that we may be successful & creative in all we do. We humbly ask You Jesus to cleanse our family trees by Your precious blood & deliver us from all forms of bondage. We thank You Jesus for including us all in Your lineage through Your precious blood on the cross & for this far You have brought us, receive all adoration & praise. Thank You for the gift of sonship & for loving us with an everlasting love Father, all glory & honor belongs to You now & forever. Amen
Genesis 6:1-2
“Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.”
INSIGHT
-The promise of God through Abraham came to pass when men began to multiply & fill the earth. Son’s of God were seduced into worldly pleasures that they married beautiful but corrupt women; probably slay queens of the time who produced ungodly offspring. They focused on the physical attraction & forgot the moral conduct; turning their immortality to immorality; & the days of man were reduced to one hundred & twenty years. These events grieved the heart of God, He was sorry that He created man & brought about the flood of Noah (Gen 6:6). Jesus tells us that; as the days of Noah where people were eating, drinking, marrying & giving in marriage & did know until the flood came & took them, so will the coming of the Son of Man be (Mat 24:37-39). We are called to turn back from our wicked ways which begin with compromise & ends in condemnation; to access His grace which is sufficient for us all. We have continually seen Gods’ mercy & grace even in His lineage where corrupt women like Rahab; a professional prostitute bore righteous offsprings. Also, Noah did not deserve grace but found it, God gives freely the water of life to everyone who desires to drink; for the greater glory of His name.
PRAYER
We love You Lord with all our hearts, souls & minds, fill us always with Your love. Have mercy Father on the unmarried that they may find grace in godly marriages. Hear the prayers of all married men & women Lord; that they may be firmly rooted in You. We are sincerely sorry Jesus for the many times we have betrayed You with a kiss & caused You grief; please forgive us. Remove everything that is not of Your kingdom from our hearts & strengthen us in faith, humility, wisdom, love & the fear of You Lord, & direct us always in the way we should go. Have mercy of us Jesus & give us freely the water of life; for we thirst for You. Amen
Isaiah 9:6-7
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
INSIGHT
-As Christmas approaches, we realise how the Lord has been faithful & loving to us, & we cannot actually separate our Christianity from Christ. He has established His kingdom of peace in heaven & on the earth that we may proclaim His everlasting Kingship for His name is Emmanuel our Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father & Prince of Peace. It is out of Gods’ love that He gave His only begotten Son that we may believe in Him & have everlasting life. Through His Son; God has established His everlasting Kingdom through the Seed of king David & has made us kings & priests that we may reign on the earth as His sons; for He obtained victory for us through His precious blood.
PRAYER
You are our Rock & Fortress, our Deliverer Lord we thank You for Your everlasting love upon us. Mighty God & Everlasting Father all creation rightfully gives You praise, fill our hearts, homes, work places, relationships, marriages, churches & nations with Your peace & counsel us in the way we should go. Our children have excelled in their exams; we give You praise Father & ask You to guide them as they proceed to the next level of their education. You have shown us great affection Jesus & have experienced Your great love this whole year, we glorify Your holy name. You judge righteously merciful God; we put all our trust in You our Saviour & Horn of our salvation, hear our prayers & cover us with Your precious blood. Amen
Romans 8:14
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
INSIGHT
-Life is full of uncertainties & often times we walk with the hope of a better day taking heed to Gods word that His time is perfect. Sometimes we totally forget to consult God in our decisions & actions unaware of the outcome but trust that all will be well. Other times when we pray; God reveals the best route for us to journey through; in our work, businesses, families, school, investments, spiritual life, relationships, interactions, leadership etc, through dreams, visions, signs, human & angelic influences, & His word. God also leads us out of danger through warnings of impeding threats & maps out a way in difficult situations even where there seems to be no way. Through faith in Christ Jesus; we are all sons of God, Abraham’s seed & heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:26-29). We have therefore been clothed in Christ & matured in faith; from childhood to a sonship status where we are tutored by the Holy Spirit in all things.
PRAYER
We thank You Jesus for dying & resurrecting for each one of us that we may believe in You & have eternal life. You have assured us that we are not worthless by setting us free from the bondage of sin through Your blood & clothed us with Your grace through faith & have united us as one in You, we give You all the glory & praise. Lead us Holy Spirit in our thoughts, words, actions, interactions, decisions & in all areas of our lives for we are Your sons. Many are the intentions of our hearts; hear us Holy Spirit & answer us according to Your abundant love, & fill us with Your gifts & fruit so that we may exhibit Your goodness in all our interactions. Amen
Matthew 3:17
“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
INSIGHT
God publicly declared the Sovereignty of Jesus after baptism & the Holy Spirit fell upon Him like a dove. God did not say this My child but “My Son” revealing the superiority of Sonship to His kingdom by which we obtain grace. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we are sons of God & in baptism we have put on Christ (Gal 3:26-27), & it pleases Him when we love Him & our neighbors.
SUMMARY
Sonship is a state of liberation from bondage of sin & being united with Christ as His co-hers. It does not consider ones gender, social status, origin but spiritual inclusion through faith in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28). Through sonship; God gives us the grace of transformation from childhood to a state of maturity by His word. In Jesus’ ancestry, we find Gentles & individuals like Bathsheba, Rahab etc who were not viewed in the same light as Mary the mother of Jesus, which reveals that His grace is for all. We also find the people of Sodom & Gomorrah who committed sexual immorality just like sons of God during the time of Noah unaware of the flood causing destruction which has been compared to the day of our Lord. Our faith in Christ is not based on personal performance but on the grace of God brought to us through His death & resurrection. Through faith we are Abraham’s seed according to the promise & have been clothed with Christs’ robe of righteousness by His precious blood. We are therefore called to put on Christ by seeking Him first & His righteousness; & follow His footsteps like the Son follows the Father (Jn 5:19). As God reveled His love for Jesus by calling Him His Son publicly, the same love He has shown us by giving us eternal life through faith in His only begotten Son. We have therefore been clothed in Christ, we are no longer children under law governed by tutors, but sons directed by the Holy Spirit & co-heirs together with Christ through grace, destined to remain thankful for the benefits of sonship.
PRAYER
We thank You Abba Father for making us Your sons through Your unending love & grace, we praise Your holy name. Like the prodigal son, we are lost without You; have mercy on us Lord & order our steps. We seek to know You more Lord as our hearts & thoughts yearn to be synchronized with Yours. Our Father who at in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread & forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from all evil; for thine is the kingdom the power & glorify, forever & ever. Amen