After more than a hundred sermons in Genesis, the journey through Scripture now turns a page—literally and theologically. Genesis is the book of beginnings, where God made promises: to Adam, to Abraham, and ultimately to David through the prophetic line. Matthew opens with those same promises, but now fulfilled.

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” — Matthew 1:1

In that single verse, Matthew ties together the entire redemptive story of the Old Testament. The Messiah Israel had long awaited—the seed of Abraham, the heir to David’s throne, the second Adam who would succeed where the first failed—has come.

Matthew’s Audience and Purpose

Matthew wrote primarily for a first-century Jewish audience steeped in the Scriptures. Every verse seems to echo an earlier promise, every event tied to the Law and the Prophets. Where Mark writes to the Romans with fast-paced action, and Luke writes to the Greeks with ordered narrative, Matthew writes to the Hebrew mind—to the synagogue reader, the student of Torah, the one who knew by heart the covenant history of Israel.

That is why Matthew continually says, “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet…” He’s not introducing a new religion; he’s demonstrating that Jesus is the continuation and completion of Israel’s story.

The Thread of Promise

To Adam — God promised a Redeemer, the seed of the woman, who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). In Matthew, Jesus is that Redeemer. He is the last Adam who restores what the first Adam lost.

To Abraham — God promised that through his seed, “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Matthew begins with the genealogy that connects Jesus directly to Abraham, then ends with the Great Commission:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

The promise to bless the nations through Abraham’s seed is fulfilled in the risen Christ.

To David — God promised an everlasting King (2 Samuel 7:16). Matthew calls Jesus “the son of David”, and the Gospel culminates with the declaration:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

The rightful heir to David’s throne has taken His seat—not in Jerusalem’s palace, but on heaven’s throne.

The Bookends of Matthew

Matthew begins with a genealogy and ends with a commission—one establishes the line of promise, the other sends that promise to the world.

Matthew 1:1 — The promise traced: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

Matthew 28:18–20 — The promise extended: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me… Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

This symmetry is no accident. The Gospel that opens with a King’s birth closes with that King’s universal reign. The kingdom promised has arrived—and it will expand until the end of the age.

A Covenant-Keeping God

The heart of Matthew’s message is simple yet profound: God keeps His promises. Centuries of waiting did not erode His faithfulness. Every covenant, every prophet, every shadow of the Old Testament pointed to the one who would come.

And He has come.

The King has arrived.

The covenant is kept.

The promises are fulfilled.

As believers enter the Advent season, this truth centers the heart: the baby born in Bethlehem is not a new plan but the culmination of an eternal one. From Adam’s fall to Abraham’s faith, from David’s throne to the exile’s longing—every page led here.

Jesus is the Promise Kept.

Application:

Trust the God who always keeps His word.

See Christ not as a break from the Old Testament, but as its fulfillment.

Let gratitude and obedience flow from the assurance that the King reigns even now.

“Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:20

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