Through the Story (Genesis 11:27-12:5a) (Gal 3:15-29) (Gal 3:7-9)

“All Aboard!” (Salvation for all who sin)

Background:

Gen 12 is the start of the story. The directors of South Park tell a secret to their writing: “then” not “and.” Rather than a story have a various origins (“this happened… and this happened….”) it has one (“because this happened….then this after… then this… then this…). Gen 1-11 is the prologue establishing the problem of Sin and “THEN” Genesis 12 begins God’s solution to the problem.

ORIGINAL GOSPEL: Genesis 3:15 “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.””

The lineage, genealogy, and offspring matters because it is leading to the one who will overthrow Satan. Kinda does seem obvious because literally everyone will come from Eve

Genesis 11:8–9 “So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

Stark Contrast to Promises made to Abraham

Abraham Receives the Covenant: Gen 12:3 (Gen 12:1-3), Restated prior to Sodom and Gomorrah’s Destruction: Genesis 18:17–19 “The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.””

Isaac Receives the Covenant: Genesis 26:4 “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” (Gen 26:1-5)

Jacob Receives the Covenant: Genesis 28:14 “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen 28:10-15)

David in Psalms: Psalm 22:27 “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.”

Isaiah Prophesies God’s Plan: Isaiah 49:6 “he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”” Isaiah 55:6–7 ““Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

New Covenant, Same Mission

Simeon at Jesus’ Dedication: Luke 2:30–32 “for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.””

Jesus’ Message: Matthew 8:11 “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,”

Jesus’ Healing: Mark 7:26–29 “Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.””

Jesus’ Commission: Matthew 28:19–20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Peter’s Testimony: Acts 15:6–11 “The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.””

Paul’s Theology: Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Paul’s Missionary Works: Acts 13:46–48 “And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

Paul’s explanation of Global Faith: Galatians 3:7–14 “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

The Message is…

Every person is broken by sin

God uses broken people

God makes whole what sin has broken

The Modern Problem:

(Modernism)Jesus - nor any deity- can save, because I don’t believe in myths and fairytales like that

(Humanism) I am not sinful

(Universalism) Everyone goes to heaven