12/19/2024 Midtown Church Thursday Service
“Dysfunctional and Defective Just Like Me”
Pastor Bob Balian
We are all dysfunctional.
Matthew 1:1-6
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon,Nahshon the father of Salmon,5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
1.Jesus’ family wasn’t just a part of the Christmas story, they were the point of the story
2.The message of Christmas is that you can have the Peace of God during your dysfunction
Romans 8: 20a, 21
For the creation was subjected to frustration… in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
3.Reasons that some people haven’t embraced Christianity:
A. Bad Application
B. Misrepresentation
C. Poor Explanation
John 1:1-3, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us… We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
4.God Uses normal Men and Women to carry out His will