Matthew 1:1 - “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.” In the opening genealogy of Matthew chapter one he is saying that Jesus is the rightful Heir to the throne of David, and therefore the promised Messiah. This was a promise that God made first to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. Through him “all the families of the earth” will be blessed. And then to David in II Samuel 7:12-16 where God promises to establish a “forever” kingdom through him. Wonderful promises that were stunning in their implications. But there were times when it looked like those promises would never be fulfilled. When the kingdom was divided and then both were conquered and both eventually taken into captivity, it looked like the promises God made were stone-cold dead. How could they ever be fulfilled now? And yet, here in today’s Scripture, Matthew is saying, “Hey everyone! Remember that promise God made to Abraham and to David - the one that looked impossible - the one that looked like it would be cut short and forever be undone? Well, here it is now. It’s Jesus! He is the fulfillment of that promise.” This is how the Christmas story starts - with an impossible-looking promise fulfilled. The point: God keeps His promises. If He says it, He will pull it off. No matter what. As we just celebrated Christmas, let us remember that it represents a promise made and a promise kept. It’s Who God is and it's what He does. Be encouraged. He will do it in your life as well.