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Branches: A History of Hope

Grace In The Grief

December 17, 2023 • Ross Sawyers • 2 Samuel 11, 2 Samuel 12, Matthew 1:6

The season between Thanksgiving and Christmas can often be filled with more grief than joy, and there is a way to find both grace and hope in the midst of the grief.

A Rare Kind of Love and Loyalty

December 10, 2023 • Ross Sawyers • Ruth 2, Ruth 3, Ruth 4, Matthew 1:5–6, Ruth 1:4–22

While we may often think the people who are the good and best among us do not need a Redeemer, we discover that even the best among us do in fact need a Redeemer.

Ornaments For His Glory

December 3, 2023 • Psalm 78:67–72, Revelation 5:1–5, Jude 24–25, Genesis 38, Isaiah 49:7–10

It’s that time of the year we are, it’s the Christmas season! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a time for family traditions and family gatherings, movies about families. I love all these things, but it’s not always that way.. For many of us, there can be this tension because our families aren’t perfect and harmonizing over a grand piano.. Christmas can be hard because it magnifies much of the brokenness of the world and our lives. Introducing the series, looking at the woman in the line of Jesus. There is a lot of brokenness in this genealogy, and maybe none more than the first woman mentioned, Tamar.. However, in the midst of the brokenness we see God turns the broken pieces into displays of His Glorious grace. Outline 1. A broken family (Genesis 38:1-11) 2. A pattern of brokenness (Genesis 38: 12-21) 3. A redeeming moment (Genesis 38:24-26) 4. A family line changed forever (Genesis 38:27-30) Judah becomes the son that receives the blessing from Jacob. The kingship line comes from his line and from this line will become the obedience of all people.. Genesis 49:10.. and at the end of history, it is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, that is the only faithful one to open the scroll. One of my favorite family Christmas traditions is our tree. Each ornament has significance, and many of them tie back to fun, memorable and joyous moments in our past. Interestingly enough, we don’t have any ornaments from horrible moments in our past. For example, I don’t have any ornaments showing the times I failed as a husband or father. That is exactly what this genealogy in Matthew is; a family tree of God displaying the broken past that our Savior has come from. It shows all of man’s actions that seek to cause evil and chaos will ultimately be used for God’s good glory. All the brokenness of our selves are made new in Christ and then displayed for a world to see they can have HOPE because Jesus, the son of God.. from the line of Judah by way of Tamar.. was born..