Unconditional Love

Theme: God invites us to come to Him just as we are.
Text:  Matthew 1

Here’s a thought: God is not looking for perfect people but willing people. 

We tend to overlook a passage like this, but we find interesting people in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter one. 

God is keenly interested in the family. Both the Old and New Testaments start with an emphasis on family. 

Today is Mother’s Day, and the occasion reminds us to consider the importance of the family. 

This genealogy in Matthew chapter one emphasizes the importance of family and transparency. There are imperfect people in this genealogy, and we are imperfect. God is open and does not try to hide their negative traits. We can be real and transparent when we come to Him. 

Let’s look at a few of these interesting characters. 

Abraham was not perfect. For example, he sold his wife twice and prospered from it. Abraham and Sarah thought Ishmael could help God fulfill His promise of a son. 

Jacob was a schemer and a liar, but he is in the genealogy of Jesus. 

Judah slept with who he thought was a prostitute and ended up having a child named Perez through his daughter-in-law. 

God is not looking for perfect people but willing people. 

Rahab was a prostitute from an enemy tribe, the Canaanites. 

God can use anybody! 

Ruth was from another enemy tribe, the Moabites. She becomes the grandmother of David. 

David committed adultery and arranged to have one of his most faithful servants killed. The son of this adulterous relationship, Solomon, was used by God and included in Jesus’ genealogy. 

There are great and evil leaders in the genealogy of Jesus. 

We can only stand on the grace of God. We can come to Christ by confessing our sin and asking Him for forgiveness. 

I was a surfing hippie in the 1970s, backpacking around the world with my wife and on a beach in Australia when a bunch of us hippies came to Christ. This is the best thing I have ever done! 

I don’t give up on God because He does not give up on me. We have three children and eight grandchildren. They don’t always do what I think is best, but I don’t stop loving them. The older I get, the more I love them. God loves us this way. 

None of us have a perfect past, and we are not perfect. God offers us the gift of a relationship with Him. 

Mothers are the best examples of unconditional love. Go and bless your mother!