1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,960 Amen. 2 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:11,680 Thank you, John. 3 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:17,660 Now we begin today our Christmas series, The Gift of God. 4 00:00:17,660 --> 00:00:22,040 Today the gift of God promised, and I invite you to open your Bible with me to Genesis 5 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:23,960 chapter 3. 6 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:30,720 Do you find that finding and selecting the right Christmas gift is becoming harder and 7 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:32,720 harder? 8 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:38,840 It used to be that all kids wanted was their two front teeth. 9 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:43,480 Now they want all of toys R-us. 10 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:49,280 We're going to start a support group right after Christmas for parents entitled Poor 11 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:50,840 R-us. 12 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:57,920 If you're interested in that, just circle 15 on your registration card. 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:04,680 One salesman held up a beautiful royal blue silk jacket and said, this is the very last 14 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,080 word, just the thing for the man about town. 15 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:13,720 And the woman said, I agree, but what do you have for the louse around the house? 16 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,520 Finding the right gift is sometimes kind of hard. 17 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:22,320 I read about a pastor who got a box of goodies from someone in the congregation. 18 00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:28,320 He took it home and his wife opened it and there was a note inside and it said, Dear 19 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:33,760 Pastor, knowing that you do not eat sweets, I am sending candy to your wife and nuts 20 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,560 to you. 21 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,960 Finding the right gift can sometimes be a challenge, but I'll tell you one thing, God 22 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:47,320 knows exactly, exactly the gift that is needed. 23 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:52,640 God long ago promised a savior for the human race. 24 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:58,240 And we read about that for the very first time in Genesis 3, 15. 25 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:04,240 God is here speaking to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. 26 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:09,260 He has something to say to the serpent, something to say to the woman, to Eve, and something 27 00:02:09,260 --> 00:02:11,840 to say to Adam. 28 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:18,040 He addresses the serpent first and among other things he says, And I will put enmity between 29 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:26,160 you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. 30 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:32,560 He will crush your head and you will strike his heel. 31 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,560 God long ago promised a savior to the human race. 32 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:40,240 Why does the human race need a savior? 33 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:45,880 Here in chapter 3 we come to an understanding for the answer to that question. 34 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:54,320 The human race was plunged into moral darkness and death, spiritual separation from God by 35 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:59,640 its transgression against the Creator. 36 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:04,160 Adam represented all of us in that test. 37 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:14,560 The Bible says that by that one man sin entered into the world and death by sin. 38 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:22,400 And so death has spread to all men for all have sinned. 39 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:30,880 It was because of the transgression of Adam that the human race is in need of a savior. 40 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:36,200 That was God's wisdom to identify us with Adam. 41 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:43,440 Some people think it's unfair that because Adam fell we're sinners too. 42 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:49,760 But you see it's because of that fact that God is now able to identify us with Jesus 43 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:51,800 Christ. 44 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:59,600 For just as our grandfather Adam represented us and fell into sin, so the Lord Jesus Christ, 45 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:07,120 our savior represented us on the cross and died in our place and can save us. 46 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:12,920 So the whole arrangement was the wisdom of God. 47 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:18,720 Now Adam and Eve are in sin and God speaks to the servant and pronounces judgment upon 48 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:19,720 him. 49 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:25,340 But in doing that God makes a promise. 50 00:04:25,340 --> 00:04:31,920 It is the promise of the woman's offspring. 51 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:40,720 Now behind this serpent, of course, is the devil who was using the serpent as a vehicle 52 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,760 to tempt Adam and Eve. 53 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:50,960 And God says, I will put enmity between you, he says to the serpent, and the woman, but 54 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:57,120 not only the two of them right then, but he says, and between your offspring serpent, 55 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:01,260 the devil, your children, and hers. 56 00:05:01,260 --> 00:05:08,640 So here the serpent represents all of the followers of the devil through the ages and 57 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:13,520 Eve represents the righteous through the ages. 58 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:19,040 God says there will be hostility between the offspring of both. 59 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:32,480 But then God moves away from the idea of a group to a person, for he says, he, the offspring 60 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:42,800 of the woman, he, one person, will crush your head serpent, Satan, but you will strike his 61 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:47,280 heel. 62 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:56,520 The devil deceived Eve, but her seed will one day bring his doom, says God, even though 63 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:01,160 that doom will come through the seed's suffering. 64 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:06,800 The promise that is made here is of a distant offspring who would bring judgment to the 65 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:14,920 serpent and Satan and along with it redemption to the human race which had just been plunged 66 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,880 into ruin and sin. 67 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,480 And so we have the promise of God made. 68 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,440 Sin has come to the human race. 69 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:32,200 God says judgment to the one who brought temptation to this serpent. 70 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:39,240 Redemption for the seed of the woman, for the race of Adam. 71 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,320 Redemption is promised. 72 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:42,720 Salvation. 73 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:54,960 And from that time there began a lineage from generation to generation as that offspring 74 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,040 promise began to be fulfilled. 75 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,080 And that's the second thing I want to do this morning. 76 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,480 We've seen the promise as it was made. 77 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,040 Now we want to see the promise traced. 78 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:07,400 To do that, open your Bible. 79 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:12,240 We're going to be moving through some texts this morning, especially here in Genesis. 80 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:15,680 Turn over a page or two in your Bible to chapter 5. 81 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:20,920 Moses is here collecting all of this information, pulling it together by the inspiration of 82 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,240 the Holy Spirit. 83 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:29,080 And he tells us in chapter 5, this is the written account of Adam's line. 84 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,400 When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 85 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:38,880 He created them, male and female, and blessed them. 86 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:46,200 And when they were created, He called them man, or Adam. 87 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:50,600 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son. 88 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:57,360 It's not a bad idea to wait 130 years to have a son. 89 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:58,720 Adam waited 130 years. 90 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:04,680 He had a son in his own likeness, in his own image, and he named him Seth. 91 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:11,640 And so begins the first name from Adam and Eve in this lineage, this line that we're 92 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:13,540 going to trace. 93 00:08:13,540 --> 00:08:21,920 Their son Seth was born in 130 AC after creation. 94 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:30,320 And then it says in verse 6 that Seth lived 105 years and became the father of Enosh. 95 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:35,760 The next one is Canaan, verse 9. 96 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:45,720 We trace it again to verse 12 where it says, Mahalelah was in the line. 97 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:55,520 And he had a son whose name was Jared, verse 15, followed by Enoch, his son, verse 18. 98 00:08:55,520 --> 00:09:02,880 And then we come in verse 21 to this sometimes familiar name, Methuselah, who became the 99 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:08,200 father of Enoch, it says. 100 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:16,760 And verse 25, it says, when Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 101 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:25,260 And in verse 28, when Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son and named him Noah. 102 00:09:25,260 --> 00:09:30,520 And so we have the tracing of the lineage from Adam and Eve down to the days of Noah. 103 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:41,320 It is interesting to me to notice that Adam lived until almost the time of Noah. 104 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:45,900 If you add up the years that are involved here, he died at 930 years of age. 105 00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:53,720 He died during the lifetime of Lamech, Noah's father. 106 00:09:53,720 --> 00:10:01,600 About 120 years after Adam finally died, Noah was born. 107 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:10,720 God allowed that man to stay around and for generation after generation to see his descendants 108 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:18,320 born into sin and experience its consequences. 109 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,320 Can you imagine that? 110 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:29,280 But all the way down through those generations, there was also the promise that Adam had heard 111 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:38,840 in the garden, that God was going to bring an offspring from Eve that would judge the 112 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:44,160 serpent and bring salvation for Adam's race. 113 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:49,040 And then he died, but the promise went on. 114 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,800 And Noah now is the bearer of that promise. 115 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,920 Turn over a page or two where we'll pick it up. 116 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,440 Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 117 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:05,240 And in chapter 10, we have the record of their descendants, first Japheth, then Ham, and 118 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:09,000 in verse 21, Shem. 119 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:13,800 The line went from Noah to Shem. 120 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:16,420 And then it says in verse 22, he had several sons. 121 00:11:16,420 --> 00:11:19,560 One of them was the name of Arphax Head. 122 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:25,720 It was the last time we dedicated a baby around here with that name. 123 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:30,400 And then he was the father, it says in verse 24, of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of 124 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:36,880 Eber, and he was the father of Peleg, verse 25. 125 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:42,560 Now we've got to skip to chapter 11 to pick it up again to verse 18 where it says, Peleg, 126 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:49,320 when he was 30, became the father of Ruh, and then he became the father of Sarug, verse 127 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:50,840 20. 128 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:54,080 Verse 22, he fathered Nahor. 129 00:11:54,080 --> 00:12:01,640 Verse 24, he became the father of Terah, who had a son whose name was Abram. 130 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:07,460 And now we understand why these chapters are included in the book of Genesis. 131 00:12:07,460 --> 00:12:13,480 It is so that this promise of the offspring might be traced down through the generations 132 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:21,280 all the way now to Abram, who is of course one of the main figures in all of the Bible, 133 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:25,480 and certainly in the book of Genesis. 134 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:30,200 God calls Abram out from Ur of the Chaldees and gives him a promise. 135 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:34,080 Here's what he said to him, chapter 12, verse 2. 136 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:39,700 He said to Abram, I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make 137 00:12:39,700 --> 00:12:43,280 your name great, and you will be a blessing. 138 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:48,560 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all the peoples 139 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:52,440 on earth will be blessed through you. 140 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:57,320 What a marvelous promise God gave to Abram. 141 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:03,460 Then God began to reconfirm that promise and to make it more specific still, again in this 142 00:13:03,460 --> 00:13:10,320 chapter, verse 7, it says, the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your offspring I will 143 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,520 give this land. 144 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:15,520 Abram believed that. 145 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,120 He built an altar there to God. 146 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:24,080 That turned over a page to chapter 13, where it says in verse 14, the Lord said to Abram 147 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:29,520 after Lot had parted from him, lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and 148 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:35,600 south, east and west, all the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring 149 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:36,600 forever. 150 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:42,920 When he talks about the offspring, he's talking about a large group of descendants, but there 151 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:50,320 is one who rises above all the rest in God's mind. 152 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:57,480 God says Abram, to your offspring there is going to be this blessing, a land. 153 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:03,560 In chapter 15, again God speaks to Abram. 154 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:08,680 He says in verse 4, and the word of the Lord came to him, this man will not be your heir, 155 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:15,880 that is your servant, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir. 156 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:20,240 He took him outside and said, look up at the heavens and count the stars, if indeed you 157 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:21,400 can count them. 158 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:28,640 Then he said to him, so shall your offspring be. 159 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:31,880 Now turn over to chapter 22. 160 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:32,880 Time passes. 161 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:37,420 Isaac now has been born. 162 00:14:37,420 --> 00:14:39,560 Abraham is commanded to offer up Isaac. 163 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:41,360 He did. 164 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:47,160 In his heart God stopped him before the deed was actually consummated, but God was pleased 165 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:48,440 with Abram's faith. 166 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:54,880 And he says through his angel, verse 15, the angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven 167 00:14:54,880 --> 00:15:00,400 a second time and said, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done 168 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:05,560 this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make 169 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:11,560 your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and as the sand on the seashore. 170 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,400 Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies. 171 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:21,720 And through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed 172 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:22,720 me. 173 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:28,320 And so again God says, Abram, I am going to bring blessing to everybody on earth through 174 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:31,400 your offspring. 175 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:35,640 Well, Abram was an old man. 176 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:40,920 He died, but he had a son, the son of the promise whose name was Isaac. 177 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:46,480 Now turn to chapter 26 and we see God continued the line. 178 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:55,240 For God promises the covenant of Abraham to Isaac. 179 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:59,360 It says in verse 2, the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, do not go down to Egypt, live in 180 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:02,400 the land where I will tell you to live. 181 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:07,680 Stay in this land for a while and I will be with you and will bless you for to you and 182 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:12,360 to your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to 183 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:13,880 your father, Abraham. 184 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,560 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all 185 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:23,600 these lands and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed. 186 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:28,840 And so the promise of the offspring that began with Eve and was traced all the way down through 187 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:33,320 those generations to Noah and then to Shem and then all the way down to Abraham now goes 188 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:38,680 on to Isaac. 189 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:40,840 Isaac had two boys who didn't get along. 190 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,580 It wasn't the first time that's ever happened. 191 00:16:44,580 --> 00:16:51,240 One of them's name was Jacob and he was the one that God chose through whom the promise 192 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:52,440 would continue. 193 00:16:52,440 --> 00:17:00,440 Chapter 28 now verse 14, your descendants he says to Jacob will be like the dust of 194 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:04,760 the earth and you will spread out to the west and the east to the north and the south all 195 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:12,320 peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 196 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:14,800 So you see what God is doing? 197 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,200 Now Jacob had a bunch of sons, didn't he? 198 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:25,760 He had 12 sons and he had daughters but God selected one of them through whom the promise 199 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:27,840 would continue. 200 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:30,880 His name was, does anybody know? 201 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:31,880 Judah. 202 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:36,200 That's right, I heard it out there, I'm pretty sure. 203 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:50,900 Chapter 49, Jacob is now an old man and he is giving his blessings to his children. 204 00:17:50,900 --> 00:18:00,120 He comes to Judah and he says in verse 8 of Genesis 49, Judah your brothers will praise 205 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:05,080 you, your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father's sons will bow down 206 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,280 to you. 207 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:11,820 You are a lion's cub, oh Judah, you return from the prey, my son. 208 00:18:11,820 --> 00:18:17,640 Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness who dares to rouse him. 209 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:22,960 In verse 10, the scepter will not depart from Judah. 210 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:30,080 Now Jacob is saying this about his son, the scepter, the emblem, the symbol of sovereignty 211 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:31,540 and reign. 212 00:18:31,540 --> 00:18:37,900 He says the scepter will not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet 213 00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:43,400 until he comes to whom it belongs. 214 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:44,400 What? 215 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,920 The scepter. 216 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:51,960 Some translations put the name Shiloh here because that's literally what it says. 217 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:56,800 It may in fact be a proper name for the Messiah. 218 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:05,280 But he says that the line will stay in Judah, it will be a royal line, the descendants of 219 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:11,680 Judah will reign over his brothers, they will bow down to him. 220 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:17,980 And that line, that royal line will stay in Judah until he comes to whom the scepter really 221 00:19:17,980 --> 00:19:25,720 belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 222 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:31,260 We don't have time to trace it any further except to note that in 2 Samuel chapter 7 223 00:19:31,260 --> 00:19:40,320 verse 12, God speaks to one of the sons of Judah whose name is David. 224 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:45,800 And he promises to David that there will be one who will reign after him over an everlasting 225 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:47,240 kingdom. 226 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:54,080 Now there was an immediate fulfillment of that in Solomon, but the fullest fulfillment, 227 00:19:54,080 --> 00:20:00,240 the ultimate fulfillment of it, the everlasting nature of that kingdom is in the one who is 228 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:07,160 called in the New Testament the son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was born 229 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:11,840 in the city of David, Bethlehem. 230 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,340 And so the lineage is traced. 231 00:20:14,340 --> 00:20:21,720 God made the promise all the way back in the garden and then he began to fulfill that promise 232 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,040 from generation to generation. 233 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:30,280 There was someone chosen until all the way down to Mary. 234 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:35,240 The angel of Gabriel appears to her and says, you're going to be with child of the Holy 235 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:39,000 Spirit. 236 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:44,680 And she just happened to be engaged to a man named Joseph who was also the royal line of 237 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:47,200 David. 238 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,260 Just happened to be. 239 00:20:50,260 --> 00:20:59,160 And to Joseph the Lord said, she is bearing a son. 240 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,080 He will save his people. 241 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,360 And so we have the promise kept. 242 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:06,800 Isaiah foresaw it. 243 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:13,480 Seven hundred years before he said, speaking to all the people of Israel, he said to them, 244 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:23,480 for unto you a child is born, unto you a son is given. 245 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:29,840 And the government will be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, 246 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:37,320 the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. 247 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:41,680 Isaiah was looking ahead to the day of Christ. 248 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:47,520 And then came that angel to announce his birth to Mary and to Joseph. 249 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:53,800 And then the whole bunch of them came to Bethlehem to announce it and said, he's here, go and 250 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:54,800 see. 251 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,880 And they did. 252 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:06,560 And reflecting upon that, the apostle Paul said, in the fullness of time, when everything 253 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:13,160 had been prepared and it was just the right moment, in the fullness of time, God sent 254 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:18,160 forth his son born of a what? 255 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,000 A woman. 256 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:30,040 To the serpent he said, this woman's seed is going to come and deal with you. 257 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:33,800 And he was born of a woman. 258 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:39,920 It is Hebrews that gives us a terrific insight into this whole thing and sort of ties it 259 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:40,920 together. 260 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:55,560 I invite you to turn to Hebrews chapter 2. 261 00:22:55,560 --> 00:23:01,080 He is writing about the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ. 262 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:05,960 He's greater than the angels, says the author. 263 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:11,040 We're going to pick it up in verse 10 of Hebrews 2. 264 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:18,920 It says, in bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God should make the author 265 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:27,520 of their salvation, that is the leader, the originator, the source of their salvation, 266 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,280 perfect through sufferings. 267 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:36,920 That does not mean that Jesus needed to be morally perfected somehow and that his suffering 268 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,840 improved him. 269 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:40,840 Not at all. 270 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:41,840 He was absolutely righteous. 271 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,200 There was nothing to be improved in him. 272 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:51,840 But what this means is that he was fully equipped by all the sufferings that he went through 273 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:56,560 to identify with us in the human race. 274 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:03,600 He was born without sin and yet he suffered as though he were a sinner. 275 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:13,280 And that suffering equipped him to identify with us, to be our Savior and our high priest. 276 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:18,000 Then it says in verse 14, since the children, that's those of us who believe on him, since 277 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:29,720 the children have flesh and blood, he too, that is he in absolutely identical fashion, 278 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:37,840 shared in their humanity so that by his death he might do two things. 279 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:43,560 Now notice it because this is what ties it back to Genesis 3.15. 280 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,160 He came as the seed of the woman. 281 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:49,520 He became a human being. 282 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:53,160 He joined himself to flesh and blood, our humanity. 283 00:24:53,160 --> 00:25:02,280 In every aspect he was perfect man so that he might die. 284 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:04,480 And in that death he might do two things. 285 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:11,800 Number one, destroy him who holds the power of death. 286 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,280 That is the devil. 287 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:16,320 What did God say to that serpent? 288 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:22,280 You're going to strike his heel but he's going to what? 289 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,320 He's going to crush your head. 290 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:27,400 He's going to smash your head. 291 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:29,720 He's going to destroy you. 292 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:35,720 And that's exactly what the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus did when he died. 293 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:44,240 He said that he might destroy, that he might take the power away from the devil. 294 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:53,040 And number two, free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 295 00:25:53,040 --> 00:26:00,000 When death entered the human race back with Adam and Eve, death became a great fear. 296 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:05,160 And from generation to generation the fear of death became one of the chains holding 297 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:10,600 the race of Adam in satanic slavery. 298 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:17,520 And now the Lord Jesus Christ has not only destroyed the devil, he has freed us who were 299 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:22,120 in bondage to the devil and to the fear of death. 300 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:24,480 He has freed us. 301 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:28,800 John joins in with this in 1 John 3, 8 when he says, for this reason the Son of God was 302 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:34,840 manifested that he might loosen the works of the devil. 303 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,800 The devil had it all tied up, all bound up just the way he wanted it. 304 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:43,400 And Jesus came in and loosed the whole thing. 305 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:52,120 And so you see that the Lord Jesus Christ is fully the promise that God made in the 306 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:53,880 garden. 307 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,240 The promise has been kept. 308 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,000 God keeps His promises. 309 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:03,800 Nothing that God ever utters fails. 310 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:09,880 Listen to His, humanly speaking, His great, great, great, great, etc. 311 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:19,240 Grandfather David, who writing about God's Word says in Psalm 119, your Word, O Lord, 312 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:20,920 is eternal. 313 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,400 It stands firm in the heavens. 314 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:31,600 Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever. 315 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,360 All your words are true. 316 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:39,840 All your righteous laws are eternal. 317 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:50,200 When God speaks, we'd better listen because what God says will last forever. 318 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:55,200 Isaiah said that we human beings are like grass and flowers. 319 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,920 We fade and we wither and we're gone. 320 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:05,360 But he says the Word of our God stands forever. 321 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:09,560 And we have seen how God has kept His Word. 322 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:13,360 And God will keep His promises to you. 323 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,080 God will keep His promises to you. 324 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:20,640 As we come to the Lord's table, we are reminded He kept His promise. 325 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:27,360 And so as we partake of the elements, may it be with the commitment in our hearts that 326 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:29,960 we will do the same for Him. 327 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,960 We'll keep our promises to Him. 328 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:38,520 You will never break God's promises by leaning on them. 329 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:40,400 Did you know that? 330 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,960 That's what they're for. 331 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:49,200 If you've not trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, listen to this promise. 332 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:56,600 Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. 333 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:58,080 You can lean on that promise. 334 00:28:58,080 --> 00:28:59,880 It'll never break under your weight. 335 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:00,880 Never. 336 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:03,000 I don't care how heavy your sin is. 337 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,400 It'll never break. 338 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:10,680 If you will call on Him today who died for you and rose again from the dead, that promise 339 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:12,440 will take you safely to heaven. 340 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,320 You'll be saved. 341 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:21,320 What other need do you have for provision, for guidance, for protection? 342 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:22,320 Whatever the need. 343 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:27,120 Find the promise of God and lean upon it. 344 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:30,640 It will never break under your weight. 345 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:34,760 God's promises are always greater than our needs. 346 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:39,120 Whatever your need is today, there's a promise of God that's greater. 347 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:42,560 There's no exception to that. 348 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:48,920 What we need to do is to put our weight on them, just to trust the promises of God. 349 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:54,280 Old Uncle Oscar took his first airplane ride. 350 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:55,280 He had been scared. 351 00:29:55,280 --> 00:30:00,120 When he got back, his friends were eager to hear how it had gone, and so they asked him 352 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,320 at their first opportunity if he enjoyed the flight. 353 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:08,080 Well, he said, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I'll tell you this, I never 354 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:09,800 did put my weight down. 355 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:14,440 You ever feel that way when you're flown? 356 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:20,720 The promises of God are so sure you can put all your weight on them. 357 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:25,880 Your faith just rests on it, because God keeps His word. 358 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,560 He keeps His promises. 359 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:31,280 Let's pray. 360 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:40,000 Now, Father, we thank You that You are a God of promise, and that none of Your promises 361 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:41,440 ever fail. 362 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:49,280 Indeed, all of the promises that You have made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will yet 363 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,280 be fulfilled. 364 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:56,120 We thank You this morning as we come to this table that You have fulfilled the promise 365 00:30:56,120 --> 00:31:11,000 of Genesis 3, 15, that the seed of Eve was born, that He partook of our humanity fully, 366 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:24,080 and died, and in His death destroyed the devil, and in His death redeemed us. 367 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:32,680 We come to this table with gratitude for that saving work, for that kept promise. 368 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:44,680 Let's reflect upon that and upon what our hearts response ought to be as our servers 369 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:50,160 come. 370 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:54,120 As we're gathering the cups up, I'd like for us to sing a verse of 170. 371 00:31:54,120 --> 00:32:00,920 It is a hymn that ties together the whole story. 372 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:08,000 It begins with the wonderful experience in Bethlehem and concludes with Jesus coming 373 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:09,000 again. 374 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,400 It's called One Day. 375 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,480 One day when heaven was filled with His praises. 376 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:18,160 One day when sin was as dark as could be, Jesus came. 377 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:24,200 I'd like for us to sing that together, 170, the first verse in chorus. 378 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:31,200 And let's stand as we do, please. 379 00:32:54,200 --> 00:33:01,200 One day when heaven was filled with His praises. 380 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:28,200 One day when sin was as dark as could be, Jesus came. 381 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:35,200 Don't be like Uncle Oscar. 382 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,920 Put your weight down on the promises of God. 383 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:39,920 He keeps them. 384 00:33:39,920 --> 00:34:07,680 We're dismissed.