The Beginning and the End
Notes
Transcript
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15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
PRAY
Introduction:
The First and Last Chapter of the Book
-a Hardy boys book / Encyclopedia Brown book
-if you know the beginning and end, the middle makes more sense
Spiral Bible reading plan
-knowing the beginning and end helps us understand the middle better
The Beginning
The Beginning
We actually need to start before the beginning.
The Eternal God
The Eternal God
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible assumes that when everything began, God already existed. Before there was time, space, or matter, before anything else in the universe existed, God already existed. John tells us this is true of Jesus as well:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Holy Spirit is also called eternal:
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!
In Creation we see the activity of the Triune God. Verse 1 mentions God the Father, verse 2 mentions the Spirit, and verse 3 tells us of the Word of God (And God said).
God’s Purposes in Creation
God’s Purposes in Creation
Why did God create anything?
There was no need in Himself, because He had always been perfectly happy within the Trinity forever;
He wasn’t lonely;
He wasn’t bored;
so why did He create the universe?
God created the universe as a kind of Temple - a dwelling-place where He would live among His people, a sanctuary where He would display His glory for their everlasting enjoyment in Him.
To Display His Glory
God created the universe to put His glory on display - to demonstrate the value and worth of who He is.
The universe exists to display the glory of God:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
The universe proclaims the greatness, power, and majesty of our God. It puts on display his awesome power to create something simply by speaking and then to continue upholding the existence of all things.
26 Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
It demonstrates also the beauty and creativity of our God - His amazing wisdom and intelligence to design everything so perfectly and yet with great diversity.
24 How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.
Creation also tells us of God’s goodness, as Genesis 1:31 indicates (as well as 6 other times in Gen 1).
31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
And Creation tells us of many other characteristics of our God that reveal His glory - the worth of Who our God is.
People exist to display the glory of God:
7 everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.”
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
God made mankind - male and female - in His image, according to His likeness - that is, humanity was intended to live in relationship with God, to look something like God in our character, to rule the earth as His representative under His authority, and so to display His glory.
Another way that God puts His glory on display, and so another way to speak of God’s purpose in Creation is
To Dwell with People (Exodus 40:34-35; 1 Kings 8:11; John 1:14)
According to one author, the Hebrew word translated “likeness” in Gen 1:26 implies God’s desire and design for living in relationship with humanity. He says,
“Likeness specifies a covenantal relationship between humans and God”
After Adam and Eve fell into sin in Gen 3, they hear the sound of God walking around in the Garden,
8 Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
This seems to indicate that this was a regular event - God walking in the garden, manifesting His presence.
From the beginning, God intends to dwell with people, to be present with them, to show them His glory and satisfy them with Himself.
So what happened? If you’ve read the Bible, you know that something went horribly wrong for the human race.
The Fall into Sin and Death
The Fall into Sin and Death
Into God’s perfect garden came the evil serpent, who tempted Eve to doubt God’s Word and His goodness, and to be her own god. Eve was deceived by the serpent and disobeyed God’s clear command, and Adam who was right there with her did not stop her, but rather followed her in rebellion against God.
The choice of Adam and Eve to disobey God’s command and eat the forbidden fruit brought the promised penalty and consequence of death - spiritual death, physical death, and eternal death. Death is in essence a separation - from God, from the physical body, and unless God does something, it is eternal separation from the presence of God.
Because of Adam’s sin, (Gen 3:14-19) at least 5 consequences result:
The serpent (Satan) was placed under a curse
The Creation was placed under a curse
People were alienated from God
People were alienated from one another
People are condemned to physical and eternal death - unless God does something.
Most of the rest of the Bible (Genesis 3-Revelation 20) is exactly that - God revealing and bringing about His plan for redemption through Christ, so that His glory will once again be perfectly displayed and He will dwell among His people forever.
Before we consider God’s amazing plan of redemption though, let’s go to the end of the story and see how everything turns out in the end.
The End
The End
Again, before talking about the end, we must acknowledge that when we talk about the end, it is still only the beginning, because it never ends. It is a sort of new beginning rather than an end.
The story of Scripture ends with this new beginning, telling us how things will be forever.
Satan, Sin, and Death are Finally Defeated
Satan, Sin, and Death are Finally Defeated
10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
4 ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him.
Satan, sin, and death are no longer present in God’s new creation. God’s enemies and ours are fully and finally gone.
Also, in the new creation, God’s design for the original creation is fulfilled, as
God’s Glory is Fully Displayed
God’s Glory is Fully Displayed
His righteousness, justice, holiness, and wrath are displayed in His righteous judgment of unrepentant sinners
8 But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
His mercy, grace, kindness, love, and patience are displayed in His merciful salvation of sinners who trust in the Redeemer.
7 in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
God Lives Among His People
God Lives Among His People
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.
7 The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
God’s New Creation People Will Fulfill God’s Original Design and Command for Humanity
We who trust Christ will Rule the New Creation Forever under God’s Authority as His Representatives.
5 There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.
So now, if we understand 1) How everything got here, and 2) Where it’s all going,
Then we can understand better what God is up to from Genesis 3 until Revelation 20.
If the beginning and end of the story are both about God’s display of His glory and His desire to dwell with people,
it seems reasonable that the middle has something to do with that too.
So then, in creation, fall, redemption, and new creation, God’s desire is to display His glory and dwell with His people, satisfying them with Himself.
God’s Plan of Redemption through the Seed of the Woman
God’s Plan of Redemption through the Seed of the Woman
So now as we consider God’s plan to redeem fallen humanity for Himself through the seed of the woman, keep in mind that just as in creation and new creation, God’s purpose is to display His glory and dwell among mankind.
Genesis 3:15 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture for understanding the purpose and plan of God in redemption. God says to the serpent,
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Though God had promised death on account of sin, He also promises life for those who will trust Him. Adam and Eve would have a seed - an offspring, a descendant, a baby boy - who would come and crush the serpent’s head, triumphing over Satan, sin, and death. He himself would suffer death for our sin, and He would be the Redeemer for everyone who trusts God’s promises.
It seems from Genesis 4 that Adam and Eve trusted God’s promise of a coming Redeemer, but they didn’t understand God’s timeline. They may have expected Cain to be the promised seed, but that dream was shattered when Cain killed his brother. Then it seems they may have thought the same about their next son, Seth.
God did not choose to reveal to anyone in the OT how long it would be - how many generations of seed would come and go before THE SEED that He promised in Gen 3:15 would come. But along the way, God progressively revealed Himself and His promises to His people and gave them many clues about how He would bring redemption.
One way we can trace God’s plan through the OT is by following the use of the Hebrew word Zera’ (“seed”). This is the word God used in His first promise of redemption in Gen 3:15, and we can trace its use through the line of Adam and Eve to Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, David, Solomon, and finally Jesus Christ. Let’s look at a few of these and see God’s unfolding plan of redemption:
The Seed of (Adam and) Eve
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Seth as the seed
25 And Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
God’s covenant with Noah and his seed
9 “Behold, I now establish My covenant with you and your descendants after you,
God’s covenant with Abraham and his seed
17 I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
18 And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
God repeats the same covenant to Isaac and his seed and Jacob and his seed in Genesis 26 and Genesis 28.
In Exodus 33:1, the LORD indicates that Israel as a national group is now the collective seed. Then a few generations later, the focus narrows back to one man’s family.
David’s line as the promised seed, first Solomon, then ultimately Jesus
Berean Standard Bible Chapter 7
The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. 12And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his Father, and he will be My son.
2 From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
Jesus as THE SEED
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
31 Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
21 She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.
20 For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.
Isn’t God’s plan amazing? I think the more I understand the One Story of Scripture, the more I want to read and study and understand. That’s my hope for you as well. I hope this message whets your appetite to ready and study God’s Word.
Application
Human history is divided into two sides - the side of the woman’s seed and the side of the devil’s seed. Which side are you on? Jesus, the true seed of the woman, is victorious. He has already won, and one day His victory will be a visible reality. Are you on the Lord’s side? Have you trusted in the Redeemer that God has graciously provided?
Jesus is the Savior and Redeemer promised in Genesis 3:15. He has chosen to spread the message of redemption and accomplish this redemption through people like you and me. He calls every one of us as his disciples to be making other disciples of Jesus (Great Commission). Are you obeying His command by teaching and modeling for others obedience to Jesus? Are you making disciples?
Read the Bible with the One Story in mind. They’re not isolated stories or nuggets here or there. The whole book tells a single story, God’s amazing plan to create and redeem people for Himself through Jesus Christ. So when you pick up your Bible and read - and let that be often! - read with the beginning and end in mind. God is an amazing author, and he’s given us such a wonderful revelation of Himself in this Book. Let’s read it, early and often, and let’s tell it!
For Further Study and Application
What stuck out to you from this message? Was there something new you learned, or maybe something you were reminded of?
What consequences of sin do you see in Genesis 3:14-19? Which of these affect you personally and how? How is God reversing these consequences in Christ?
Do you think Adam and Eve understood God’s promise of a Redeemer in Genesis 3:15? Did they trust Him? See also Genesis 3:20-21; 4:1, 25.
If the whole story of Scripture is about God’s overall plan to display His glory and dwell among His people, what does that mean for you? How does God want to display His glory to you, in you, and through you? How does God dwell with you even now?
