Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

This morning I want to start in the garden and end in the manger.

Christmas is that time of year on the church calendar when we remember with focus the incarnation of God.

When God the Son—took on humanity and initiated the last age.

During Christmas we rightly focus on the birth of Jesus of Nazareth—the long awaited and long foretold—messiah.

The fruit of God’s promise to rescue us.

My goal this morning is for you and I to marvel at God’s good plan unfurled throughout the scriptures and arrive at the manger with more awe and with hearts full of worship.

So we’ll start in the garden—survey the history of God’s people—and end this morning looking over the manger.

I.

The Garden

God creates the world from disorder and darkness.

His creation is good and includes all that we see in nature.

And the jewel of his creation on this earth are humans.

They are made in God’s likeness—they bear God’s image—and they are given the job of ruling the earth and filling it with more humans that will bring glory to God.

Everything is given to them but one thing God tells them not to do.

Do not eat from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.

To do this would be to rebel against God.

And in Genesis 3 we are introduced to a being who is in rebellion against God.

He comes to Adam and Eve as a serpent.

And there are things about this serpent that should tip us off—that what we are dealing with here is not a mere snake.

This snake talks.

This snake talks to humanity and talks to God.

This snake listens and reasons.

Unlike any other animal this snake is more like man—a being with reason and intelligence—a being made in the image of God.

And later revelation of scripture tells us that we are dealing here with The Adversary—with The Satan—that spiritual being in rebellion against God.

Revelation 12:9 names the adversary as “that ancient serpent who deceives the whole world” and as we see what the Bible says about the adversary, and as we see him in the NT interacting with Jesus we see that the snake and the adversary are the same.

And so Adam and Eve listen to the false teaching of this spiritual being and they decide that they will rule God’s creation—not on God’s terms but on their own.

And what happens next should be a sobering reminder to you and I that when we stray from the path of our loving Father what lies beyond the next on the path we have chosen is ultimately regret and death.

Immediately Adam and Eve are ashamed of their sin—they are exposed by their choices and the goodness of Gods creation is twisted into proof of their judgment.

They are laid bare physically and spiritually.

And so they seek to cover themselves again by their own providence.

They make for themselves covers for their sin.

But these covers are inadequate and God casts his judgment on them.

These first chapters of Holy Scripture reveal to us the bleak situation of life that you and I and every person are born into.

But in the darkest hour when hope is non-existent God makes a promise as he curses Satan.

And we find it in Genesis 3:15

This is not just a folk story explaining why we don’t like snakes.

Theologians refer to this as the “Protoevangelion”.

Proto means first.

Evangel means good news, gospel.

Within Genesis 3:15 we see the first proclamation of the gospel.

God says I will put enmity, hatred between you and the woman and this will extend between her progeny and yours.

Adam and Eve belonged to God.

And for all those who belong to God they will always be at war with Satan and his children.

Ephesians 2:2-3 tell us that the children of Satan are those “sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived”.

These are those who agree with Satan’s rebellion against God.

These are the lost children of man in desperate need of a rescuer.

In Genesis 3:15a God speaks in the plural…they.

In general, they—the seed, the children of woman and the children of Satan will be at war with one another.

But then in 3:15b God switches from the plural to the personal.

“He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

One single seed—offspring of Adam and Eve will fight against the Serpent.

Not they, but one.

And in this fight there will be bruising.

There will be a bruised heel and a bruised head.

And we might be tempted to think a bruise is not so bad.

But what is being communicated here is a serious blow.

The hebrew word for bruise is (Shuph) and it means to bruise, break, overwhelm.

It can mean to crush.

Friends you tell me what is more serious.

If two people get into a fight and one takes a serious blow to the heel and one to the head, who won?

A serious blow to the heel will wound but a serious blow to the head will kill you.

And so in Genesis 3:15 we see a picture of a single seed of woman fighting against Satan and the broken rebellion that he has brought into the world.

And the picture is of a crushed enemy and a wounded victor.

Do you see the preaching of the gospel here my friends?

Jesus who would be born as an infant would grow and one day crush Satan under his foot.

And Satan would wound Him, but not destroy Him.

This is the promise given in the aftermath of that dark day.

God says you messed up—you brought death to yourselves and to my world—but I will send one who will be wounded but will be victorious.

He will defeat the dark work done here today and will rescue my people.

When Jesus bursts onto the scene in a stable in Galilee it’s not so much a bursting forth but is the long awaited fulfilment of a promise proclaimed by God to his people for thousands of years.

Proclaimed through types and shadows that constantly reminded God’s people of that promise in the garden.

Sin has killed you but there is life in the wounded victor.

Let’s look at some of those pictures now.

II.

Promise Pictures

A candle will cast a thousand shadows and so we could spend all day together reading through the Bible and discovering time and time again where God graciously reminds us of the promise in the garden.

One of the most exciting times for me in scripture reading is seeing Christ pictured in a passage I haven’t seen him in before.

But for times sake we’ll focus on just a few.

Animal Skins

Right after this promise is given before God removes Adam and Eve from the garden he cares for them by covering their sin.

Remember they covered their sin by their own providence—with stiched together leaves they tried to cover their guilt.

And then God does something.

Look at Genesis 3:21 with me.

The nakedness was already covered.

But God replaces their garments with one’s that He has supplied.

God clothes them and immediately begins to flesh out the promise that he gave moments before.

You need to be covered—not by your own efforts but by mine.

And this covering will require death.

It will require blood.

Here the economy of God is revealed.

This covering that you need—this rescue from your sins—cannot be had by your own efforts or your own plan but it can only be obtained by my work on your behalf.

And it comes by a sacrificed life.

Friends, this points to Jesus!

Jesus is the better covering for our sins.

Jesus is the sacrifice.

And by his blood we are healed.

For all those who would try to cover their sin before God by their own efforts He proclaims to us—you must be covered by my Son!

Who are you trusting to do away with your sins?

Are you trusting yourself?