God's Word for Me Today
Monday, December 17, 2001
Unwrapping a Christ-Centered Christmas!
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, As I turn once again to Your written Word, fill me anew with Your Holy Spirit that I may gain from it exactly what You what me to learn, to know, to do that I may bring You glory and honor. As we continue to examine the background and ancestry of Jesus, I thank You for those in my past both biological family and spiritual family members who have shown me the way to live in the light of Jesus. I thank You for that heritage, which has shown me first hand that You are a loving, grace-filled God, who is willing to go to any length to bring us into relationship with You. Bless this time of study and this day to Your glory! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: Luke 3:23-38
Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli. 24 Heli was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Jannai. Jannai was the son of Joseph. 25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Amos. Amos was the son of Nahum. Nahum was the son of Esli. Esli was the son of Naggai. 26 Naggai was the son of Maath. Maath was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Semein. Semein was the son of Josech. Josech was the son of Joda. 27 Joda was the son of Joanan. Joanan was the son of Rhesa. Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the son of Neri. 28 Neri was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Addi. Addi was the son of Cosam. Cosam was the son of Elmadam. Elmadam was the son of Er. 29 Er was the son of Joshua. Joshua was the son of Eliezer. Eliezer was the son of Jorim. Jorim was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. 30 Levi was the son of Simeon. Simeon was the son of Judah. Judah was the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Jonam. Jonam was the son of Eliakim. 31 Eliakim was the son of Melea. Melea was the son of Menna. Menna was the son of Mattatha. Mattatha was the son of Nathan. Nathan was the son of David. 32 David was the son of Jesse. Jesse was the son of Obed. Obed was the son of Boaz. Boaz was the son of Salmon. Salmon was the son of Nahshon. 33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab. Amminadab was the son of Admin. Admin was the son of Arni. Arni was the son of Hezron. Hezron was the son of Perez. Perez was the son of Judah. 34 Judah was the son of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham. Abraham was the son of Terah. Terah was the son of Nahor. 35 Nahor was the son of Serug. Serug was the son of Reu. Reu was the son of Peleg. Peleg was the son of Eber. Eber was the son of Shelah. 36 Shelah was the son of Cainan. Cainan was the son of Arphaxad. Arphaxad was the son of Shem. Shem was the son of Noah. Noah was the son of Lamech. 37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah. Methuselah was the son of Enoch. Enoch was the son of Jared. Jared was the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the son of Kenan. 38 Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the son of God.
Questions for Reflection
From where did your ancestors come to America? Have you ever traced their journeys to this land?
What size of family do you picture as the “ideal” family? Why?
What size of church family do you pictures as the “ideal” church family? Why?
Questions for Exploration
Get out your study guide from yesterday. What are the similarities and differences between the to genealogical charts provided by Matthew and Luke?
What significant details about Jesus do you find in today’s Scripture? (3:23-38)
Questions for Understanding
Why do you suppose that Luke traced Jesus’ lineage back all the way to God, while Matthew only went back to Abraham?
What is the significance of Luke’s starting with Jesus and working backward to God, while Matthew started with Abraham and worked forward to Jesus?
Questions for Application
Who among your family members—immediate or extended--do you need to pray for today for: salvation, healing, blessing? Take some time and do it right now!
Jesus was 30 years old when He started His earthly ministry. What do you need to do to start, develop, or deepen your ministry in Jesus’ name? What are you going to do to see this happen?
Jesus, the Son of……God!
Luke was a Gentile. That means he was not a Jew. When Luke wrote his Gospel it was targeted toward Gentiles, thus his genealogy chart of Jesus’ ancestors doesn’t stop with Abraham. It goes all the way back to God! This is significant for most of us, because nearly all of us are Gentiles. We’ve never been Jews. Luke wanted us to know that Jesus’ ancestry included being a son of Adam and a Son of God, as well as being a Son of King David, and a Son of Abraham. The Jewish people knew that their Messiah would be a “Son of David.” They also knew that he would be a “Son of Abraham.” These details were extremely important to their heritage and to their understanding of prophecy and its fulfillment. Luke certainly wasn’t unaware of Jewish prophecy. He simply wanted the rest of the world to understand that Jesus’ coming was NOT an exclusive event for the Jews. In fact, Jesus came to save the world—all the people.
As we go about this day, remember that Jesus is the Son of Adam, that He is one of us. Jesus took on human form. He experienced all the limitations and liabilities of having His Spirit dwell in a human body. We know those limitations and liabilities all too, well. But—and this is key: Jesus also took the human body in which He was born, grew up, lived, died and rose again, and used it to the maximum of its potentials and assets. A human body that is controlled by the Holy Spirit is an amazing piece of work! After all, we are sons and daughters of God, too, by faith—and by biological descent. We are all children of Adam. So let’s let the Holy Spirit take charge today, and live out our heritage!
To view the studies for other days, visit the God's Word for Me Today calendar.