* What Came Before?

^26d the son of Josek, the son of Joda…,  ^27b the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa…, ^28b the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam…,  ^30d the son of Jonam…, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna…,

(portions of Scripture from the New International Version – I’ll tell you where a little later)

My least favorite parts to read in the Bible are the begats… those Scriptures in the King James version, Adam begat Seth who begat Enos who begat Cainan who begat Mahalaleel, and more sons and daughters and so on and so on… A litany of names I cannot pronounce, although I know they all have a meaning and I know the lineage is important, too, but sometimes I wonder why I have to know all that…

Ancestry and heritage are all the rage right now, people want to know their lineage - maybe there's someone famous in their family line... or maybe not. However, they're all important! How important you ask? Well, I thought I would start in Luke 2, And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus… We all know that story and we think that’s where it all started, but it’s not. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) reads, Even before he made the world, [emphasis mine] God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eye.

Before Genesis 1:1 In the beginning… God chose us before He made the world…  

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I don’t even know why I’m here.” When asked if here meant the current location, almost unanimously, it was No, here at all. Born… Sad, too sad… I could go into lots of reasons why we are here and provide lots of Scripture as to the sanctity of life itself that God has given each of us, etc, but let me just say this…

If your great-great-great-great grandfather had died before he married your great-great-great-great grandmother, you wouldn’t be here. If any of the limbs of your family tree that came before you had been chopped down before re-seeding so to speak, there would be no you. Why is that important to know? Well, let me ask you this… Do you know any of the names in our Scripture reference for today? Do you recognize them? Joda - Addi -  Cosam? Do you know what they did? What set them apart for distinction?  They lived. That’s it. God’s plan – they were born and they lived, and I dare say they lived their lives to the fullest. I didn’t recognize any of the names in our list. They are from the third chapter of Luke. If you read the whole list, you’ll find names you do know… Jesse, David, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob… However, without the names in our text today - there wouldn't have been Jesse, David, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All in the lineage of Jesus the Messiah.… 

You see, God had a plan even before He made the world… and you were in it. Are there any more questions as to why you're here?  

Prayer:

Father,

          You know the end from the beginning. You wrote our days in Your book. Forgive us for those times we question Your plan. Help us to fulfill the plan You have for our lives. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen