Scripture: Matthew 22:41-46
Sermon Series: Son of David, Son of God – Sermon 01
One of my favorite resource sites for Bible study is Bible.org. Bob Deffinbaugh (picture) is one of the main teachers. His material is excellent.
In one of his studies, Bob shared the story of an uncle of a friend who’d just purchased a new convertible and was enjoying a ride through the Ozark Mountains. He had the top down, the radio full blast, and didn’t notice the man in the car behind him, eager to pass, and getting more and more agitated. And he didn’t hear the man’s horn, blaring obnoxiously at him.
Finally, the man behind him had had enough. He found room to pass the convertible but instead of just going by, he forced the convertible off the road, jumped out of his car and came alongside in a very hostile mood.
This convertible driver quickly apologized. He was sorry that he’d been driving too slowly and hadn’t noticed that the man wanted to pass him. He’d said all that he could say to apologize, but the irate driver still wasn’t satisfied. He told him that he was going to jerk him out of that convertible and beat him up…seemingly only that would appease his anger.
It was then that the convertible driver realized an apology wasn’t going to work, so he reached under his seat and pulled out his 45 and pointed it at the enraged driver. Suddenly, the enraged driver had a change of heart. Without hesitation he said, “I accept your apology,” returned to his car and drove off.
That 45 changed everything. Jesus didn’t pull out a 45 on His adversaries, but when He drew His opponent’s attention to the 110th Psalm, it ended the argument. Matthew 22 tells us that from this time on no one dared to ask Jesus a question. Please turn to Matthew 22:41-46 (p. 777).
Seventeen verses in the New Testament describe Jesus as the “Son of David.” With the Christmas Season we’re segueing from our series on David and 2 Samuel to the New Testament fulfillment of Jesus as David’s greatest Son with our series, Son of David…Son of God (logo).
This term “Son of David” is more than a statement of genealogy. It’s a Messianic title. When people called Jesus the Son of David, they meant that He was the long-awaited Deliverer, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. Jesus was often addressed as the “Son of David” by those seeking mercy or healing. The woman whose daughter was being tormented by a demon (Matthew 15:22), two blind men wanting to be healed (Matthew 20:30). They cried out to the Son of David for help. This title of honor showed their faith in Jesus. Calling Him “Lord” expressed their acceptance of His deity and power. Calling Jesus, the “Son of David,” expressed their faith that He’s the Messiah, the promised coming King!
Jesus’ enemies understood exactly what people meant when they called Him the “Son of David.” But they were so blinded by their own pride, they couldn’t see what others saw—that Jesus was the Messiah they’d been waiting for. His enemies hated Jesus because He wouldn’t give them the honor, they thought they deserved. When they heard the people hailing Jesus as the Messiah, they were enraged and plotted to kill Him.
Jesus as the Messiah was more than the physical son of David. As Jesus Himself says in Revelation 22:16, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David…” That means that Jesus is both the Creator of David and the Descendant of David. Only the incarnate Son of God could say that.
Calling Jesus “Son” doesn’t mean that He was created at some point in time. Scripture is clear – Jesus is eternal. “Son” refers to His position in the Godhead and Trinity. Psalm 2:7 alludes to this, “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to Me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten You’.”
This morning we want to work through the importance of this title, Son of David. The first verse of the New Testament, Matthew 1:1, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David.” Matthew refers to Jesus as “the son of David” because Jesus fulfills God’s promise of a coming king who establishes His kingdom on earth. Bible scholar, Dr. Chris Wright (picture) observes, “Matthew here states at the outset what he will develop and demonstrate through his Gospel, that Jesus was the expected Messiah, of the royal line of David, with the rightful claim to the title ‘King of the Jews’.”
As we work our way through Jesus as the Son of David, we’ll see three truths: Jesus fulfills God’s promise, that Jesus is David’s greater Son and finally, how Jesus establishes God’s kingdom. If you’re taking notes…
1. Jesus fulfills God’s promise
The first thing Matthew wants his readers to know is that Jesus is “the son of David.” The name “David” occurs 39 times in the Gospels. The writers want their readers to understand who David was. If they don’t understand who David was, they won’t understand Jesus.
Remember that David became king after Saul. God chose David to be king over His kingdom. David conquered all the enemies who opposed God and His people. David never lost a battle. He won every war that he fought against the enemies of God. Eventually, relative peace came to the land and David moved into the capital city of Jerusalem. David built himself a beautiful house, that we’d call a palace. 2 Samuel 7:1-3 tells us, “Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ And Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you’.”
Nathan is like a lot of pastors. If some wealthy person came to the minister and said, “I want to make a huge donation to the church,” what do you think the pastor would say? “Go ahead! I’m sure that the Lord is with you!”
Nathan knew that God was blessing David, and the people of God were beginning to experience peace. They were settling down as a nation. David had a beautiful palace, so it was appropriate that a house, or a beautiful temple—be built for the worship of God.
“But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan” (2 Samuel 7:4). God told Nathan that He didn’t want David to build Him a temple. Why not?
Later we learn that it was because David was a warrior and not a man or peace, nor was his reign a time of peace. Full peace wouldn’t come to Israel until David’s son, Solomon, was king. But God makes a wonderful promise to David, what we call a covenant, that we’ll look at next week.
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but My steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
God was going to build His Kingdom. Instead of David building a house—or a temple for God, God was going to build a house—that is, a dynasty or kingdom—for David. God promised David that one of his offspring would become king and reign forever on the throne.
David eventually died and his son Solomon became king. Matthew records some of the genealogy from David onward in Matthew 1. Eventually, because of the nation’s sin, God punished them, and Jerusalem was destroyed. The nation was deported to Babylon in what’s known as the Exile.
The Gospels contain two genealogies of Jesus. One was given by Matthew and the other was given by Luke. Luke traced Jesus’ biological descent to His mother, Mary, whereas Matthew traced Jesus’ legal and royal descent to Joseph. Jesus was the royal, legal, and covenantal descendant of King David. Throughout His ministry, Jesus was referred to as “the son of David.”
We know that Jesus never married or had children, contrary to Dan Brown’s (picture) silly claims in The Da Vinci Code. To ensure that no one claimed to be a descendant of King David, all the genealogical records were destroyed in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. There’s no one today, or for the last 2,000 years, who can claim to be a descendant of King David.
God fulfilled His promise of sending a king who will sit on the throne of David. Jesus is that king. He’s the only legitimate one who can sit on the throne of David. God made a promise to David a thousand years before the birth of his offspring, Jesus, and God fulfilled His promise in Jesus.
Most of the people at the time of Jesus’ birth were in despair, living under the iron heel of Rome. They were gripped by fear and disillusionment. They wondered whether God would ever rescue them. They’d lost hope. But God kept His promise to David. Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise. Sadly, most people at that time did not believe that Jesus was the fulfilled promise and failed to find freedom in Jesus as their Savior and Messiah.
It affirms that Jesus was fully human. Jesus is not only the Messiah, He’s not only divine, but He is also truly human. Jesus is humanly speaking descended from David. He was a legitimate child born of the line of David. This is stressed by the inclusion of the whole genealogy. What significance could that possibly have? It had immediate significance in the time of Matthew. In that day, both the Jews and the Romans were accusing Christ of being the illegitimate child of a Roman soldier and Jewish maiden.
There were all sorts of stories that attempted to smear the character of Christ and to call into question His origins. In John 8 the Jews say vicious things about Christ. First, they say that He’s from Galilee. Then, that He’s a Samaritan. Finally, they suggest that He was illegitimately conceived.
Matthew responds to all those charges by setting the record straight once and for all about the Lord Jesus. His line was a legitimate line from the house of David and He was virgin born. Matthew defends the legitimacy of Christ’s birth, and the circumstances of His birth against the attacks of the first enemies of Christianity.
This became very important in those first centuries of the early Church when a group was teaching that Jesus was really not human but just appeared to be human. They were called Dosetics, which comes from the Greek word that means “to seem or to appear.” They taught that Jesus only appeared to be human but wasn’t actually human. Matthew’s genealogy contained in chapter 1 contradicts that heresy.
A few years later, the Gnostics came along and began to teach that Jesus wasn’t Jewish, and that Christianity had no relation to the religion of Israel. Again, Matthew’s genealogy clearly sets forth the pedigree of our Savior.
But what does it all mean for us today? Jesus’ humanity is one of the most important doctrines of Christianity and one of the most important doctrines for our encouragement. If He is not fully human, He’s incapable of sympathizing with our weakness as humans. But He is fully human. He was born of human flesh. He’s experienced our temptations and weakness.
A. W. Tozer (picture) said, “We know how God would act, if He were in our place.” He has been in our place. He’s in our place in Jesus. Christ became what He was not, human without ceasing to be what He was, divine. Jesus as the Son of David affirms that Jesus is the promised Messiah. He is both fully divine and fully human. He’s the God-Man.
A little girl once opened a big box under the Christmas tree. Inside she found a giant doll that, when set upright, towered over her. Yet her parents noticed a few minutes later that the doll had fallen to the side, but the little girl was having a blast playing in the oversized box.
We tend to do the same at Christmas, discarding Jesus but having a great time with all the wrappings. Christmas is all about Christ, yet we often forget how important Christ is. A lost world doesn’t know what Christmas is really about. Check out the Christmas section of Walmart or Menards and see if you can find a nativity set for sale. What does Toy Story or Baby Yoda have to do with Christmas?
So, what does the birth of Jesus mean for us today? How does God’s fulfillment of His promise in sending Jesus impact you and me today?…
2. Jesus is David’s Greater Son
In Psalm 110, David recognized that his future son would be greater than he was by calling His son, “Lord.” David wrote, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1).
David ruled an earthly throne; Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. David won many earthly battles; Jesus won the cosmic battle against Satan. David was but a reflection of God’s kingly rule; Jesus is the embodiment of the Kingdom. David was a man after God’s own heart; Jesus is the very heart of God Himself. Jesus is the perfect embodiment of the righteous rule and reign of God. That’s why today we can praise Him and proclaim Him King.
3. Jesus Establishes God’s Kingdom
At the time of Jesus’ birth, people of faith were longing for the Messiah. They wanted someone who was God’s anointed. But they were expecting a military liberator to free them from Roman oppression. They were expecting a warrior who’d defeat the Romans. But Jesus wasn’t the Messiah the Jews were expecting. He didn’t come to liberate them from military and political oppression, He came to liberate them from something far worse, spiritual oppression.
When Jesus was standing before Pilate, Pilate was trying to figure out what Jesus had done. Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36). Jesus’ kingdom is better than any earthly kingdom. It’s eternal and spiritual. He is waging war against Satan and the forces of his evil. Jesus is winning people to Himself out of the kingdom of Satan and transforming them by His power. He is ruling in their hearts.
One day, when history finally comes to an end, Jesus will expel Satan and all who belong to him and sentence them to hell forever. Then, Jesus will set up His kingdom with all of those who trusted Him and belong to Him.
All four Gospel record that when Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified, he also had the charge written against Jesus placed on the cross above Jesus’ head. Remember what it said? “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” When the chief priests said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written” (John 19:21-22).
We know that Jesus is the eternal king because three days after His crucifixion God the Father raised Jesus back to life again. This was the Father’s divine stamp of approval on Jesus’ life and sacrifice for our sins.
We often think of Jesus as the Savior of sinners. He is indeed the Savior of sinners, but He is also the King. What does this mean practically that Jesus is the eternal king who sits on the throne forever and ever?
Because Jesus is the eternal king, He is the only hope for the world. If Jesus was only a Savior, He would save sinners here and there. However, our salvation would be individualistic. Jesus is more than a Savior. He is the eternal king with an eternal, universal kingdom. He rules over everything. One day, He’ll send Satan and those who rejected Him to a Christless eternity and will set up His eternal rule in the new earth and new heavens.
As king, Jesus will do what David began to do but didn’t complete. Jesus will bring complete peace to the world. He’ll bring prosperity to all people and eradicate sin. He’ll make this new world a wonderful place for all who submit to His kingship.
Because Jesus is the eternal king, we must obey Him. In our country, we have a President and are citizens of this country. If the President walked into our community, we’d respect his office and listen to him, but we wouldn’t necessarily obey him. But if we lived in a country with a king, we wouldn’t be citizens but subjects of the king. If the king walked into our community, we wouldn’t only respect and listen to him, we’d also have to obey him.
Sometimes people say, “Well, I’ve tried Christianity, and it doesn’t work for me.” In one of his sermons, Tim Keller (picture) said, “When you say, “I tried Christianity. It didn’t work,” almost always that means, ‘There were some nonnegotiable things I want in my life. I want happiness. I want health. I want to be married. I want to be this. I want to be that. Christianity didn’t give it to me.’ What that means is, “I obey God if … I obey God conditionally,” which is not obedience at all. That’s not obeying God. That’s using God.” Kings as sovereigns must be obeyed.
Because Jesus is the eternal king, we can pray boldly. Jesus is not some local god or deity. Jesus is sovereign over the entire universe. He created every atom. He created everything and has power over everything. It’s why when we come to Jesus, we can pray boldly. We’re talking to King Jesus.
Jesus fulfills all three of the Old Testament offices: Prophet, Priest and King. As Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Not only is Jesus the King, but He had a physical body and human life that had the same pain and struggles that we have BUT without sin. That’s way He can truly sympathize with us. We can go to Him in prayer with anything because He’s been there. He truly understands. We are so very blessed to have a King who not only created us, and loves us, but who also is able to sympathize with us. This is why we can approach this throne of grace with boldness. We know that he will understand what we are going through.
4. Because Jesus is the eternal king, we can anticipate His return
Jesus is coming back. After Jesus’ resurrection, He spent forty days with His disciples. Finally, He gathered them together at the Mount of Olives. He told them that the Holy Spirit was going to come upon them and that they were to spread the good news of the gospel to the end of the earth. Then, we read in Acts 1:9-11: “And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”
In 1942, General Douglas MacArthur (picture) had to evacuate from the Philippines because of the invading Japanese Army. Before he left, he promised, “I will return.” Over the next two and a half years, he constantly repeated his promise to return to the Philippines. It was finally fulfilled on October 20, 1944. And then General MacArthur did a radio broadcast in which he announced, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!”
One day King Jesus is going to return to earth and say, “People of God, I have returned!” Because Jesus is the eternal king, we anticipate His return!
Conclusion
In November of 2008, 65-year-old Jim O’Neill (picture) was flying his Cessna from Glasgow, Scotland to Colchester, England when his vision suddenly failed. At first O’Neill thought he’d been blinded by the sun but soon realized it was much worse. O’Neill said, “I couldn’t see the dials in front of me. It was just a blur. I was helpless.” It turned out he was literally flying blind because he’d suffered a stroke. He tried to remain calm as he groped for the radio. When he found it, he issued a Mayday alert.
Paul Gerrard, a Royal Air Force Wing Commander had just completed a training sortie nearby and was contacted by air traffic controllers who’d received O’Neill’s mayday. Gerrard took off in O’Neill’s direction, found the plane, and began talking to the stricken pilot. He told O’Neill exactly what to do. His instructions were reassuring and simple: “A gentle right turn, please. Left a bit. Right a bit.” He hovered within 500 feet of O’Neill, guiding him toward the nearest runway. Once they reached it, the two began to descend. When asked if he could see the runway below, O’Neill apologized and said, “No sir, negative.”
O’Neill would have to land the plane by faith, not sight. He hit the runway but bounced up again. The same thing happened on the second attempt. But with Gerrad’s help on the eighth try, the blinded pilot managed to make a near-perfect landing. Here’s a picture of O’Neill & Gerrard (picture) when O’Neill returned to thank Gerrard after he was discharged from the hospital.
Referring to this incident in his book, God’s Story, Your Story, Max Lucado (picture) writes, “Can you empathize with O’Neill? Most can. We’ve been struck, perhaps not with a stroke, but with a divorce, a sick child, or a cancer-ridden body. Not midair, but mid-career, mid-semester, midlife. We’ve lost sight of any safe landing strip and, in desperation, issued our share of ‘Mayday prayers.’ We all know the fear of flying blind.
Unlike O’Neill, however, we hear more than one voice. Many voices besiege our ‘cockpit.’ The talk show host urges us to worry. The New Age guru says to relax. The financial page forecasts a downturn. The pastor says pray; the professor says phooey.
So many opinions! Lose weight. Eat low fat. Join our church. Try our crystals. It’s enough to make you cover your ears and run. What if you follow the wrong voice?”
Lucado asks a vital question. The most important question you will ever answer is: “Who do you put your faith in as you go through life? Whose guidance do you follow? What ‘voice’ do you listen to?” Because Jesus is “the son of David,” the one true King, we must surrender ourselves wholeheartedly to His kingship over our lives.
A. W. Tozer (picture) once wrote, “The man who surrenders to Christ exchanges a cruel slave driver for a kind and gentle Master whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.” If you’re not a Christian, your cruel slave driver is Satan. You may not think he is but eventually, you’ll discover what a monster he is. Abandon Satan now! Repent of your sin. Trust in Christ.
Jesus once asked His enemies, the Pharisees, a question: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son, is He?” God asks you and me the same question today. “What do you think about Jesus? Whose Son, is He?”
We know Jesus was the son of David. That’s a historical fact. We have His genealogy, and no one ever questioned it. The bigger question is, “Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?” That’s the game changer, because if Jesus is the Son of God, everything else changes.
If Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became a man so He could die on the cross for your sins, then you need to make a decision today. Will you trust Him as your Lord and Savior so that your sins can be forgiven? Will you glorify Him as God and give Him your worship and praise? Will you obey Him as Lord and submit to His authority?
Who is Jesus? He is the son of David and the Son of God. He is the Messiah and Savior of the world. Who is Jesus and how will you respond to Him? That’s the vital question before you today. It’s the most important question you will answer in your life.
And if you’re a Christian, your gentle Master is the Son of David, the eternal King, whose kingdom shall never end. Surrender it all to Him daily, and you will discover the great joy, peace, and delight in serving your King!
At Grace, we continually encourage you to read your Bible. We do that so that you will know King Jesus better. As we read God’s Word, King Jesus points out areas of our lives that still need to be surrendered to Him. Many times, we resist that. Jesus, as the Son of David must be King of all of your life. Is He? As a believer, are their areas of your life that He is calling you to surrender but you’re holding back? Surrender them today! Let Him truly be the King of your life. It’s the only that you will have the peace in your life that He desires to give you.