Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute from Jericho, appears in Jesus' genealogy as a powerful example of God's grace reaching unexpected people. When Israelite spies came to scout the promised land, she chose to hide them despite the risk to her life, demonstrating remarkable faith in the God of Israel. Her story challenges us to reconsider how we judge others and shows that no one is beyond God's transforming grace. Rahab's inclusion in Christ's family tree proves that God can use anyone for His purposes, regardless of their past or current circumstances.

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In our Advent Christmas series, "Unexpected," we invite you to journey with us as we unfold the genealogy of Jesus. We'll delve into the lives of key figures such as Abraham, David, Joseph, Mary, and four other unexpected relatives highlighted in Jesus’ family tree from Matthew 1:1-17. These relatives reveal to us Jesus Christ is the Messiah who came to save the world, but also each of their own stories show us unexpected truths of how God brought about the birth of His own Son. And, forces us to ask the question, why did these people make it into the Jesus’ genealogy and the Christmas story?

Beginning in Matthew 1:1-2, we are reminded of the first of these truths: through Abraham's offspring, all nations will be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). This assures us today that God remains faithful to His promises, even when their fulfillment takes generations. Consider that there were about 2,100 years from Abraham to the birth of Jesus. Not 2,100 seconds, minutes, or months, but years. And here we are, over 2,000 years beyond the birth of Jesus, being reminded this weekend to wait in hopeful anticipation, trusting that God will bring to fruition everything He has spoken about Jesus Christ, our Messiah!

Join us as we close our Titus series.

God's grace represents the unmerited love and favor that He freely gives us out of His great mercy. This grace appeared in human form when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, continued through His ministry of preaching and miracles, and was fully revealed at the cross where He gave His life for humanity's sins. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus proved His victory over sin and death.Grace brings salvation to all people through three key actions: Jesus redeems us by paying the price for our sin with His blood, purifies us by washing away our guilt and shame, and possesses us by adopting us into God's family as His children. This salvation should produce gratitude that motivates us to do good works, not to earn salvation but as a response to what Christ has accomplished.Beyond salvation, grace transforms how we live by training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions while embracing self-controlled, upright, and godly living. This transformation cannot be achieved through human effort alone - we must rely on God's grace to empower and enable us to live differently. Finally, grace will glorify us when Jesus returns to establish a new heaven and earth where believers will live in absolute perfection for eternity.

Glorification is God's transformative work that begins now and continues throughout our lives, not just our eternal destination. Paul describes our earthly experience as camping in temporary tents while longing for our heavenly dwelling. This perspective helps us understand why we feel unsettled in this world and why suffering often shapes us more than comfort. While we're camping, God calls us to exercise cross-shaped authority through service and sacrifice, taking responsibility for what's within our reach. The Holy Spirit serves as our deposit, guaranteeing our eternal inheritance and providing evidence of God's work in our lives.

When you become a Christian, you receive a new family identity that transcends your earthly genealogy. Through salvation, God legally adopts you into His family, giving you a perfect Father and an eternal inheritance. This adoption means you have complete access to God and are no longer defined by your earthly family's dysfunction or achievements. As God's child, you must stop living with hatred toward your earthly family and abandon the slave mentality of constantly trying to earn God's love. Instead, embrace your identity as chosen, loved, and secure in Christ, focusing on becoming like Jesus rather than avoiding your parents' patterns.

The story of the paralyzed man lowered through a roof reveals a profound truth about God's desire to forgive. When Jesus first said 'Your sins are forgiven' instead of immediately healing the man's paralysis, He demonstrated that spiritual healing is our deepest need. The religious leaders questioned Jesus' authority to forgive sins, but He proved His divine power by commanding the man to walk. This account shows that God wants to forgive us regardless of how serious we think our sins are. Forgiveness comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through good works or religious acts. When we truly surrender our lives to Christ, we receive complete forgiveness and are declared righteous in God's eyes.

Lydia's journey from a successful businesswoman who believed in God to a devoted follower of Christ demonstrates the profound difference between merely acknowledging God's existence and surrendering to Jesus as Lord. When Paul shared the gospel with her in Philippi, the Lord opened her heart to respond. This transformation affected not just Lydia but her entire household, who were all baptized. Her home became the first church in Philippi, and her generous hospitality set the tone for what would become one of the most generous churches in the early Christian movement. Lydia's story challenges us to examine whether we've made the crucial 18-inch journey from head to heart in our relationship with Jesus.

Jesus taught Nicodemus that being born again means experiencing a complete spiritual transformation through God's power. This new birth involves being cleansed from sin (born of water) and receiving the Holy Spirit (born of Spirit), which changes us from the inside out. Unlike our human attempts at self-improvement, the new birth is God's work that gives us a fresh start, forgives our sins, and transforms our nature. This spiritual rebirth is necessary for everyone—regardless of background or status—to enter God's kingdom and experience relationship with Him both now and eternally.

Becoming a Christian isn't about family heritage, church attendance, or good deeds—it's about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Romans 10 outlines the pathway to salvation: we must call on the name of the Lord, which requires first believing in Him. To believe, we must hear the gospel message, which means someone must share it with us. Every Christian is both saved through this process and sent to continue it by sharing the good news with others. True Christianity involves acknowledging our sin, believing in Jesus's death and resurrection, confessing Him as Lord, and committing to follow Him daily.