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• Illustration: One in ten chance of being descended from the Mayflower pilgrims.
• In Jesus' day, one's pedigree was a source of pride and of position.
• People in that day knew the Messiah would come from the lineage of David.
• These verses not only tell us who Jesus is, but who God the Father is.

• The list includes four women, including notorious sinners and non-Jews.
• Matthew purposely chose women who show how contaminated the bloodline was.
• The point: God's love is bigger than the Jewish race, and bigger than our sin.
• "Even the begats of the Bible drip with the grace, love and forgiveness of Christ."

• The key name in this part of the genealogy is the prophet Amos.
• Amos said Israel fell into captivity because of its lack of concern for the poor.
• The challenge: That we aren't guilty of the same, that our faith includes works.
  -Illustration: Pentz quotes Don Francisco's "Steeple Song," which asks, "Do you make the poor one beg you for a bone?"

• All 42 people listed in the genealogy had one thing in common: Waiting for the Messiah.
• This section shows that Christ, as a descendant of David, had a right to the throne.
• This section shows that Christ was not only a Son of David, but the Son of God: he is listed as the descendant not of Joseph but of Mary.

• God's genealogy can now be our genealogy, but blood has been replaced by faith. By faith in Jesus Christ, we can become God's own children.
• Some day all of us are simply going to be a memory in the minds of our grandchildren. All that will matter then is: Are we remembered in the mind of God?