A Promise Made

Yeah, a weird place to start a Christmas season message

But, it’s where we must start to get the full implication of day we celebrate

We will not have time to address all the promises—

There were promises made to Noah—he would be saved through the Ark—an early salvation

A promise to Abraham, that all the world would be blessed through his offspring

This becomes important because all the world is larger than just the world of his offspring—Gentiles are included

A promise to David, that he would have a son to reign

But the promise we’re looking at today is the first promise, without which all the rest would be of only temporal value

This is the protoevangelium—the first Gospel

This is Gen 3 15

Genesis 3:15 ESV

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Here we see that there will be warfare between Satan and his minions against all mankind UNTIL Christ defeats him

Mary did you know??? that your son would be the one to fulfill this promise?

Prelude to the Promise

Not the morning to rehash the entirety of the fall of mankind

Adam and Eve—the first man and first woman—created by God, placed in the most idyllic spot we can imagine

No death!

No need to even swat a mosquito

We see that God and man had a relationship…communication directly between them

In 2:16 we have direct communication with God giving Adam instructions on eating; we infer from the whole of vv.15ff, that relationship between God and Man

But…temptation arose—to be like God Gen 3 4-6

Genesis 3:4–6 ESV

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

This is the beginning of all disobedience; all idolatry

Having God clearly in view; His goodness laid plain…and wanting something else…wanting more

God had created mankind with a will, with decision-making capabilities…mankind made the decision;

Before they swallowed the fruit, they swallowed a lie…that they could have something better than what God had given them

Mary did you know??? that the son you bore would resolve the problems brought about by man’s sin?

Necessity of the Promise

The relationship between God and the pinnacle of His creation, man, was now broken

They were afraid of Him…because they knew they were naked; tried in vain to cover themselves…it was NOT sufficient

God made for them coverings Gen 3 21

Genesis 3:21 ESV

And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

…and so death began to infect the world, and there was the hint of blood needing to be shed to cover sin

…and he drove them from Eden

Genesis 3:24 ESV

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

This made necessary that which we now look to celebrate, the birth of our Savior Rom 5 12

Romans 5:12 ESV

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

God chose a people to be HIS people, the Jews

He built them to a great nation; gave them freedom; took them to a land flowing with milk and honey…but there was still the broken relationship

…the curse of sin upon man

He gave them the Law…a path to follow; a pattern of sacrifice to atone for their sin

…but this atoning was but a covering

They were awaiting something bigger; something better; something so big it could only be conceived by an all-powerful and all-knowing God

Mary did you know??? that your obedience to the call of God brought into being the one God planned to bring salvation to the earth?

Understanding the Promise

We can look at many components

We could look and find the threads of the redemption story all throughout the pages of the Old Testament

We see it in and beyond the giving of the Law, the elaborate attention to detail that was required for obedience

We see in the the reality that we cannot be good enough on our own to please God

We see glimpses of redemption in such things as the account of Ruth, with Boaz being her kinsman redeemer, and even in that narrative we see the ancestors of David, from whose line Christ would come

We start to see a clear picture in the Words of Isaiah

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Now we have the concept of a man to be born…an anointed one, a Messiah

Thought of as the comforter or Consolation of Israel

Isaiah 12:1 ESV

You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.

And here would be a way to remove that wrath of God

Isaiah 49:13 ESV

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Mary did you know? No…Mary only knew what the angel told her Luk 1 30-33

Luke 1:30–33 ESV

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary may not have know all the details; but she knew her God

Please note that this is not about Mary…it is about her relationship with her God, her Lord, her Savior

Luke 1:46–49 ESV

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.