old.cornerstonebiblebaptistchurch.comold.cornerstonebiblebaptistchurch.com/file… · Web view · 2012-11-21That we find the first recorded message of the saving Gospel and the

MESSAGES FROM GENESIS #4

THE PERFECT PROMISE OF GOD

DATE:

TEXT: Genesis 3:1-21 (read v.15)

INTRODUCTION

I’m glad God is perfect

Our God is a God of Hope; He’s a God of Promise

Here in the midst of Man’s Greatest Tragedy,

Is the Revelation of Man’s Greatest Hope

For it is in this account of Sin, Judgment and Death …

That we find the first recorded message of the saving Gospel and the Person of the Promise of God

The Context (Let’s review)

God as created the Heavens and the Earth in 6 days

And ceased from His labors and rested on the 7th day

1:26 - God has made man in His image

2:8 - He created man in perfect innocence and placed him in a perfect environment

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The Perfect Promise of God – Genesis 3:1-21

1:28; 2:15 - Adam has been given dominion over the Lord’s entire creation

And he has been presented with a perfect companion, a woman called Eve

They live an idyllic existence, free from pain, disease, death and sorrow

Every need they have is met,

And they enjoy unbroken, unhindered fellowship with God

The only restriction they have is in regards to one tree which is located in the midst of the garden

This tree is called “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”

2:15-17 - Adam is warned to stay away from this tree,

For to eat its fruit will bring death into the world

Now, for an undefined period of time things go well in the Garden,

Until one day when Eve finds herself confronted by a serpent controlled by Satan at the beginning of chapter 3:1

This serpent tells her that God is holding out on her and Adam

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He tells Eve that God does not want them eating of the fruit because God knows that when they eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they will be like Him

Eve succumbs to the temptation of the devil and eats of the fruit

Adam also falls for the lie and eats as well

In an instant, everything changes!

They are no longer innocent and pure,

But they have become sinners;

They have become fallen beings

Immediately, they are aware that everything has changed

3: 7 - They become ashamed because of their naked condition and seek to cover themselves with fig leaves

3:8 - In the midst of this tragedy, God comes into the Garden to fellowship with Adam and Eve

3: 9 - He calls out to them because they have hidden themselves from Him

3: 11 - God knows what they have done and extracts a confession from Adam

Then the blame game begins 3


3: 12, 13 - Adam blames Eve and God, while Eve blames the serpent

3:14-24 - God immediately begins pronouncing judgment upon Adam, Eve and the serpent,

And then casts them out of the Garden of Eden

Yet, right in the middle of this tragedy is a little flicker of hope

v. 15 shines out of this darkness like a great beacon, illuminating the amazing grace of God

This verse has been called the “Protevangelium”

That is a Latin word that means “First Gospel”

Here, in its first form is the Gospel of salvation through the grace of God

Here, for the first time, we see a glimpse of the Perfect Promise of God

This Perfect Promise by the way is not a verb but a noun

Who will later give Himself on Calvary’s cross to redeem a lost and dying world

Here we can see the first stitch in the scarlet thread of redemption that winds its way through the entire Word of God

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This precious verse gives us the very first promise in the Word of God regarding the coming Saviour

I would like to look into this passage as I try to preach on the thought

“The Perfect Promise of God”

~~~Let’s pray~~~

This passage reveals some precious truths regarding this Perfect Promised of God

First there is -

I. THE “PERSONALITY” OF THE PROMISE

A. This Promise is Unique in ‘Origin’

We are told that this Promise will be the “the seed of the woman”

This is a strange statement because by God’s very design the “seed” is provided by the male members of every species (Females have the egg)

Here, we are told that the woman will produce an offspring without the aid of a man

This verse gives us the first light on a great truth that would be revealed in the future

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The Progressive Revelation of God

This verse is the first prophecy of the Virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ

But, God indicates that He will send His Promise into the world through a woman without the involvement of a man!

Of course, we know this is how the birth of Jesus came about

Isaiah prophesied of the Promise

Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel”

The angel Gabriel announced the Promise

To Mary in Luke 1:26-35

And to Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25

Why is this important?

The Bible clearly teaches that sin and the sin nature are handed down through the man

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The Perfect Promise of God – Genesis 3:1-21 Romans 5:12 –“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Every person who has ever entered this world through the old fashioned method of a union between a man and a woman has inherited the sin nature

The fact is that we are all sinners by birth

Galatians 3:22 – “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe”

Romans 3:10-23

The birth of Jesus was, however, very different

Since He came into this world without a human father,

He was born without the sin nature!

He was born pure and sinless, thus He was qualified to die for the sins of humanity

II Corinthians 5:21 – “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”

Of course, what makes the birth of Jesus particularly unique is the fact that He was no ordinary baby

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But He was, and is in fact, God in the flesh

John 1:1, 14 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”

Philippians 2:8-11

This Promise is Unique in ‘Origin’

B. This Promise is Unique in ‘Occupation’

This Promised seed was coming into the world to do battle with the forces of evil

We are told that He was coming to “bruise” the serpent’s head

This refers to a fatal injury

This Promised seed was coming to this world not to show men a better way to live

He was not coming to improve their environment

He was not coming to improve their social standing

He was coming to defeat evil

That was His sole mission 8


Hebrews 2:14 – “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

John 18:37 – “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice”

This Promised One was coming to deliver humanity from the sin into which it had just fallen

Many men and women would battle evil over the years

This Promised One would deal the death blow

He was coming to do for men what they could never do for themselves

He was coming to secure their salvation and liberty from sin

(More will be said about this in a moment)

This Promise is Unique in ‘Origin’

This Promise is Unique in ‘Occupation’

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THE “PERSONALITY” OF THE PROMISE

II. THE “PURPOSE” OF THE PROMISE

A. He Would Come as a ‘Warrior’

The word “enmity” means “hatred or enemy”

Of course, it brings to mind the natural hatred humans have for serpents

But there is much more in view here

The enmity or hatred referred to here runs far deeper than that of a man hating a snake

It refers to the hatred Satan Possesses toward the Lord and all that the Lord represents

It refers to the hatred that Resided within the heart of the devil that caused him to attack Adam and Eve in the Garden and tempt them to sin

It is a hatred that Desires nothing less than the overthrow of the Lord and His kingdom

It is a hatred that Demands the death of God and the installation of Satan as god

Isaiah 14:12-16

Ezekiel 28:11-19 10


This is the battle that was raging in Eden!

It had less to do with you and I than it did with Satan’s desire to wage war on God Almighty

We are told that the One Who is coming was coming as a Warrior

He was coming as One Who would engage in warfare with a determined enemy

He would take up the fight that Adam had lost in the Garden of Eden

He would come to do battle with Satan!

Of course, Jesus did just that!

From the instant this prophecy was given in Genesis 3:15 until the moment Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the dead

Satan did everything in his power to stop “the seed of the woman” from being born

He worked through Cain to kill Abel in Genesis 4

He sought to corrupt the human blood line through evil marriages in Genesis 6

He tried to kill the people of Israel in Egypt in Exodus 1& 2

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He tried to bring about their destruction by leading them into gross idolatry during the kingdom years of Israel

Then when Jesus was born, Satan tried to destroy Him as an infant in Matthew 2

He tried to lead Him to sin on the Mount of Temptation in Matthew 4

He tried to kill the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane in Luke 22

And, surely he thought he had won the victory when Jesus hung on the cross

What Satan did not realize was that the greatest shot fired by Heaven

Came the instant the Promise became sin and died in the sinner’s place

Jesus, the Blessed Promise of God, came into this world as a mighty warrior!

He Would Come as a ‘Warrior’

B. He Would Come as a ‘Winner’

The serpent is told that he will “bruise the heel” of the seed of the woman,

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But the seed of the woman will “bruise” the head of the serpent

Bruising the heel refers to an injury that is not fatal,

While bruising the head refers to a fatal wound

The word “bruise” has the idea of “crushing or striking”

The serpent might strike the heel of the coming Promise,

But the Promise would crush the head of the serpent

Of course, this was fulfilled at the cross

The Promise of God endured death for God’s elect,

But death could not hold Him!

On the third morning, He arose from the dead as the Victor in the greatest battle ever waged

But, in His dying and rising again, He inflicted a mortal wound upon the head of the serpent that will ultimately end with him sentenced to an eternity in the Lake of Fire

Revelation 20:10 – “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever”

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The Prince of Life entered the arena of battle with the Prince of Death

When the battle had ended, the Prince of Life emerged as the lone Victor (He came as a Winner)

Now, all those who know Him enjoy His victory and share in the spoils of His conquest

When He arose, He became the “Firstfruits from the dead”

I Corinthians 15:20 – “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept”

And as such, He promises eternal life to all who receive Him by faith

John 5:24 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life”

John 11:25, 26 – “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” “And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

We are not just “on the winning side”, we are on the side that has already won!

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He would Come has a ‘Warrior’ and a ‘Winner’

THE “PERSONALITY” OF THE PROMISETHE “PURPOSE” OF THE PROMISE

Lastly -

III. THE “PORTRAIT” OF THE PROMISE - v. 21

After God pronounces judgment on the guilty parties,

He does something very remarkable

God Himself slays an animal of some type

(Most likely a Lamb)

And uses its skin to make coverings for Adam and Eve

In this graphic scene of death, there is a wonderful Portrait given of the coming Promise

A. It is a Portrait of ‘Sacrifice’

Imagine the horror that must have filled the hearts of Adam and Eve as they witnessed death for the very first time!

They had never seen blood before, now they watch as God, with His Own hands, kills an animal to provide a covering for their nakedness

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It was in that instant that they saw firsthand just how much their sin really cost

They finally understood that the wages of sin is death

Genesis 2:17b – “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”

Romans 6:23a – “For the wages of sin is death;”

What we see in this verse is a clear portrait of what the coming Promise would do for us

Remember that Jesus Christ is the Son of God

Remember that He had never sinned

I Peter 2:22 – “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth:”

… And that He did not deserve to die

Remember that He came to this world to have His heel bruised so that He might crush the head of the serpent

Now, look away to Calvary

See the Promise of God nailed to a cross

See His tormentors as they spit in His face

Watch them as they pluck the beard from His cheeks

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Listen as they mock Him … Curse Him and deride Him

Watch as they very people He came to save deliver Him up to be crucified

Can you hear the sound of the whip as the strokes fall again and again upon His back?

Can you feel the agony as He is nailed to that cross of wood and lifted up between Heaven and earth to die?

Watch Him as the blood pours from the wounds in His head, His hands and His feet

Look at Him as the blood runs down the cross pooling up on the ground

Now, understand that everything He went through

Every stripe on His back; Every agony He suffered;

Every disgrace He endured; Everything He suffered during His life, His trial and His death

Was because of our sins!

He was marred for our

Isaiah 52:14 – “As many were astonied at Thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:”

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He bled for us

He died for us

Isaiah 53:4-6 – “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all”

Realize that Calvary is God’s billboard,

Screaming out His love for fallen man

Romans 5:8 – “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”

Look at that scene and see the Awful Hatred God has for sin

Look at that cross and see the Boundless Love God has for sinners

Look to the suffering Savior and live!

The Perfect Promise of God 18


It is a Portrait of ‘Sacrifice’

B. It is a Portrait of ‘Sufficiency’

After Adam and Eve sinned and became aware of their nakedness,

They attempted to cover themselves by making aprons of fig leaves

But, their efforts were insufficient and God killed an innocent animal to provide a covering for their bodies

God wanted to show them, and us, that the works of the flesh can never atone for, or cover, sin

It requires the death of the innocent in the place of the guilty

Sin is taken away only through the shedding of innocent blood

Hebrews 9:22 – “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission”

This is a clear picture of the inability of man to make himself presentable to God through his own efforts

The very best we can produce will always fall woefully short

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The Perfect Promise of God – Genesis 3:1-21 Isaiah 64:6 – “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away”

Man has always tried to make for himself garments of righteousness and garments of religion

But, man’s effort never succeeds in covering his sins from the terrible gaze of Almighty God

Man needs the covering that he cannot provide for himself

When Jesus, the Promise of God, came into this world and died on the cross,

He provided the sufficient covering for the sinfulness of man

When a person comes to Jesus by faith and is born again,

He robes them in His righteousness, and makes them worthy to stand in the presence of God

Philippians 3:9 – “And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

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The Perfect Promise of God – Genesis 3:1-21 II Corinthians 5:21b – “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”

Ill. When the Prodigal Son returned home, he was dressed in the Father’s robe His filth was covered and he would have easily been mistaken for the Father, Himself

The whole point is this:

You can try anything you please, whether it is religion, good works, clean living, etc, to please the Lord

But, nothing will be sufficient to deal with your sin

Until you come to Jesus and are saved by grace

Then, and only then, can you stand before the Lord and be accepted by Him

Ephesians 1:6 – “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved”

Only Jesus Christ and His shed blood is sufficient to allow us to stand in His presence

John 1:29 – “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”

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CONCLUSION

I am sorry that Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden

Imagine what the world would be like today if they had not

But, they did, and because they did

You and I were born into this world with sin

I thank God that He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to die on the cross as the Perfect Promise

Ephesians 1:4 – “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:”

Do you know Jesus is more than a baby in a manger?

Is He our personal Savior?

Or is He just a story in a book; a sweet thought but nothing more?

You need to be sure!

You see, just as surely as Adam and Eve came to the end of their lives and eventually died and went out into eternity

You will too!

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You need to know where you will go when that event happens

And, where you go hinges upon what you do with Jesus Christ

Are you saved?

If you are then, praise the Lord!

If you are not, you need to know you can be

If the Lord is calling you to come to Him, now is the time to do just that

Why not come to Jesus today and meet the Perfect Promise of God?

THE “PERSONALITY” OF THE PROMISE

THE “PURPOSE” OF THE PROMISE

THE “PORTRAIT” OF THE PROMISE

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old.cornerstonebiblebaptistchurch.comold.cornerstonebiblebaptistchurch.com/file… · Web view · 2012-11-21That we find the first recorded message of the saving Gospel and the