Review:
Genealogies were important to the Jews because they proved your “right” to be royalty.
Matthew Traces Jesus' right to the thrown through Joseph his father while Luke traces his right through Mary.
The records for the kings lineage was kept at the temple until it was destroyed in 70 AD.
There are four women mentioned in Jesus' lineage was very unusual so it seems to signify something new for the role of women and non-Jewish believers.
Question?
What is so important about our heritage? (Matthew 1:1-17
One of the major things I think we can learn from this passage is that Jesus was not born with any better opportunity then any of us. His parent were not rich and wasn't even married when he was conceived (so no one could question the possibility of a immaculate conception he had to live with the stigma of being a illegitimate child). His mother was probably between the age of 13-16 and his father could have been anywhere from 19-40 (it was common for older men to marry very young girls back then and it may explain why we never here of Joseph after Jesus begins his ministry, he might have passed away). Beyond the fact that he descended from royalty he had all the same haunts in his family tree as any of us and he was most likely worse off. He could clearly see that in his lineage he had, pagans, murderers, adulterers, incestuous relationships and kings who were unkind to there subjects and enslaved them; just to name a few indiscretions. Not to mention the fact that the Jewish nation left the protection of God for the promises of other gods many times, leaving Jesus even without a patriotism to brag about. There are not many sins that he died for on the Cross of Calvary that someone in his family tree didn't commit. And yet the Bible says Jesus can relate to our plight, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrew 4:15) Jesus was tempted because he was fully human. He had the parents that modeled fallen-ness because fallen-ness was modeled by their parents who saw it in their parents etc... The term “you are just like your mother, father, uncle or grandparent” is true in two ways: some sins are modeled and learned by observation while others seem to be more intuitive because they are the result of a generational sin passed on through a spiritual obligation to evil. One way the bible illuminates this truth is, “The sins of the father will be visited on their children for generations to come.” (my paraphrase of Num 14:18). Another example is in Romans 7 Paul says, “21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
The answer to our issue is Jesus. Jesus resisted every temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit and died in our place so the Spirit was able to say about him.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, (Is. 61:1,2)
We are either captive (in prison because of something someone else has done to us) or prisoners (in prison because of something we ourselves have done.) but in either case we can be set free because of the ministry of Jesus.
What is a generational curse? Here is one definition,
“Generational curses are judgments that are passed on to individuals because of sins perpetuated in a family in a number of generations. Generational curses are similar to original sin curses because they can be passed down on a generational basis. They differ in that generational curses do not impose eternal judgment. They bring judgment or bondage during an individual's life, reducing the quality of life, until that individual addresses the sin issues that put the curses into place.” Don Rogers
How do you address sins that have been passed down to us? First, we must realize that whether a sin is ours or one passed onto us we are always responsible for our actions no matter what the cause of our sin. However, while some sin can be dealt with by asking for forgiveness directly for a sin some deliverance only comes after finding the root cause of our sin and then praying for deliverance of it. This may seem like a minor difference but have you ever been angry, sad, ashamed, had other feelings that seemed out of place or lied about something and wondered, "why did I do that or feel that way"? That might be because you are dealing with something that has been passed down to you. The good news is Jesus is bigger than either kind of sin and will deliver you from all of your short comings.
So practically, how do we address generational sins? It would be best to take some time and sit alone with God and ask him this question, "God would you reveal to me the things I struggle with that are not because of my own faults but a sin in my family line?" Then with a pen a paper in hand take time to listen and write down unedited the Holy Spirits response to you. Then take that list to your parents or friends who are on a faith journey to be more like Jesus and asked them to pray with you over your list and see if it rings true with them that these are generational sins and if you agree in your spirits with God's Spirit then pray for those curses to be broken in your life so that they are not passed on to your kids.
Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
If we want to have life to the full then,
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
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