Today, Calvary of Birmingham had our first service. It was an incredible time. We started with Matthew 1:1 (Thursday we will start with Genesis 1:1) and we continued through the genealogy of the first 17 verses. Most well adjusted pastors would probably have just touched on the genealogy, but I'm not a well adjusted pastor and Calvary of Birmingham is not your usual church. I've made a commitment to the Lord to teach verse by verse and chapter by chapter and that's what I'm going to do ... relentlessly.

When the Romans destroyed the Temple in AD 70, they also destroyed all the genealogical records (which were publicly available in the Temple). To this day, there is no Jew who can officially trace his genealogy back to Abraham, and none that can trace his genealogy back to David ... except for One ... and here in Matthew, this is His genealogy recorded by the Holy Spirit for our edification and encouragement.

Jesus' genealogy is replete with sinners. I don't know about you, but I was not able to choose my family, although I couldn't have chose better. Jesus, however, was able to choose his family and He did not exactly choose the cream of the crop. The real kicker is that these people made it into His genealogy because they were sinners, not despite that fact. To this day, Jesus continues to choose sinners for His family ... me, you. Incredible. God is so good!

John 1:11 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. NLT

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Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. NKJV

One day, I was sitting outside a Kmart in Mt Airy when an older couple parked their late model pickup a few spaces in front of my line of sight. The lady was driving. She exited before the man and walked around behind the vehicle to the other side. Before she got there the man opened his door. As the man disembarked from the truck a bottle fell out and onto the ground. I watched as he placed his foot in top of the bottle and applied full weight until the bottle flattened against the tar. As he did this, the lady helped a young boy from his seat to the ground. Absently, as he lumbered forward, the man kicked the bottle a few feet ahead and it lodged under the front wheel of a parked car. He walked toward it as if he was going to pick it up but then turned toward his wife and the boy and kept going. As the lady shut the passenger door, another ball of trash fell to the ground.

I couldn't help but wonder how this lack of concern by these adults for the world around them was rubbing off on this young boy. My next thought was that I shouldn't be so judgmental and I wondered how many absent minded things I must do every day; who is observing and being influenced. My mind turned to the young boy and what he learned by watching absent minded actions ... Not just theirs but mine.

It's so easy to cast blame towards other people. In quickly judging these people, I discerned something about myself. That's great ... but am I going to make something of it or absent minded kick it to the back of my mind?

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As you may or may not know, I recently moved from Kernersville, North Carolina to Birmingham, Alabama to plant a Calvary Chapel. Just prior to moving, I was driving around Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Kernersville remembering the people and the places that were a big influence on my journey. At one point, I stopped to record some thoughts, one of which I'd like to share with you. Hopefully these are not too scattered to follow ... 

Driving along in the Triad these buildings have become familiar to me. I know them and they are significant on a macro level (to my life - memories, past experiences) but also on a micro level (to my day, moments, practical.) I've become intimately familiar with these cities. I can discern distance and time because I know where buildings are in relation to my destination. Like a giant sundial, I can even tell what time of day it is according to which streets are bathed in shadow. 

Yet when I move these buildings will mean nothing to me but the memories they represent. They will remain standing and they will continue to hold their daily allusions for others but not so for me. Instead, new buildings will embrace the minutia of my daily record. On a visit, buildings may be reminders, but their frame will no longer synthesize the standard of my continuance. 

Ecclesiastes 9:13-15 Once I saw what people really think of wisdom. 14It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. 15But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten.

The greatest creations of men will eventually crumble. Their meaning will one day cease. They will fail in their purpose and are presently monuments to future disappointment. Not so, though, with God's Word. If a man's soul were a city besieged by an enemy hell bent on her destruction, how wonderful would words of salvation be ... yet would they be forgotten once the enemy retreated? Though they may be forgotten by man, God's Word continues ... it's purpose and point are not dependent on men. Though we may forget the fortresses of men, the Word that the Living God has spoken dwells forever. 

Luke 21:29-33 He told them a story. "Look at a fig tree. Any tree for that matter. When the leaves begin to show, one look tells you that summer is right around the corner. The same here—when you see these things happen, you know God's kingdom is about here. Don't brush this off: I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out.

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