Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

In two days most of us will be gathered in our homes with family surrounding us celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the incarnation.

For some it is a time to reminisce of years gone by, others may be trying to forget those times.

To be sure it is a sentimental time of year.

Each year there is an abundance of chaos in the stores as people scramble to get the shopping done and the hustle and bustle drowns out the angelic calls to sing “Glory to the newborn King.” to be sure we don’t celebrate the day, we aren’t sure of what actual day Christ was born, but we do celebrate that fact that Christ was born.

That God became flesh and dwelt among us.

However, the incarnation is not the first appearance of the second person of the trinity.

For that we have to go way back to the garden of Eden to the time of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.

You might think this is a strange text to be preaching for a Christmas message and you might be right if we were only thinking of His birth into this world.

But if we are really attempting to get an understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ this is where we must start.

And so today we will visit the garden of Eden and examine the mediatorial work of Christ from the beginning.

I have always been interested in finding Christ in the OT.

He spoke of Himself from OT texts while he walked this earth with His disciples.

He revealed Himself through the OT to the two on the road to Emmaus after His crucifixion and resurrection.

The Apostles stirred up their listeners and readers by exposing Christ in the OT and now I want to do the same with you.

So to begin I want to show you Jesus in the Garden.

And we will see him in three ways.

I came to this idea for this sermon while reading a blog at www.desiringgod.org

article titled “Where is Jesus in the Old Testament?” by Glen Scrivener, 12/20/2018).

That was the seed thought that got me thinking and wanting to explore this further.

So three words in my outline come from Glen, namely, presence, promise and pattern.

It is those three ways that we are able to see Jesus in the garden.

I have ordered it this way:

I. Chaos in the Garden calmed by the appearance of Christ-presence, vss. 1, 8, 9, 13, 14,21

II.

Corruption in the garden cleansed by the gospel of Christ-promise, v.15

III.

Curse in the garden cured by the sacrifice of Christ-pattern, v.21

I. Chaos in the Garden calmed by the appearance of Christ-presence, vss. 1, 8, 9, 13, 14,21

You will notice there is a lot going on in the garden in our text.

Adam and Eve have been working in the garden for how long we do not know.

But they are going about their business of the day when the serpent enters the scene.

We are not going to examine all of this because it would take too much time and we have addressed the temptation itself in times past.

The serpent enters in order to send the plans and purposes of God into a tailspin.

He intends to thwart God’s intentions.

But just because the serpent enters doesn’t mean that God is absent.

In fact, we see just the opposite.

You ask, where do I see Christ here in the garden scene.

You will notice the number of times the name “Lord God” is in the text.

I have listed them for you in the outline.

It is actually 9x through v.23.

We are not going to take them all.

They are there for you study though.

I do want to peruse a couple of these and once we do that all the rest are explained.

The chapter opens with the statement “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which THE LORD GOD had made.”

Who is this referring to?

God the Father alone?

Not at all.

You will remember that Paul, speaking of the Son, reminds us in

that Jesus is the creator.

Hence, this one called the Lord God in our text is none other than Jesus Christ.

Once again in v.8 The Lord God is walking in the Garden calling for Adam and Eve and He has discussion with them.

It is Jesus discussing with these two rebellious rapscallions what they did.

He knew what they had done.

It is a Judas-like event.

He knew Judas would betray him to the Sanhedrin, He knew when he came to the garden what He had done.

He knew the disciples had been fishing and caught nothing in and He knew it all.

Yet, He still was present with them through it all.

Look at these further confirmation this truth:

We know that the title YHWH/Lord is the “I am” of Scripture, whether on Mt.

Moriah speaking with Abraham at the sacrifice of Isaac, or speaking with Moses at the burning Bush, or in the NT where Jesus declares He is the “I am” as seen in , as well as ;

John 6:43In he is the king seen by Isaiah on His throne.

This is also in mind in in Jesus declaration to the disciples “he that has seen me has seen the Father,” or in where He is the express Image of the Father, or in

I won’t list them all, but you can read through John and note the “I Am” statements of Jesus.

IN those, He clearly makes the case for His being the “I Am” of the OT.

In he is the king seen by Isaiah on His throne.

This is also in mind in in Jesus declaration to the disciples “he that has seen me has seen the Father,” or in where He is the express Image of the Father, or in .

Jonathan Edwards in his great work “The History of the Work of Redemption” has this to say regarding the appearance of Christ in the garden.

“As soon as man fell, Christ entered on his mediatorial work.

Then it was that he began to execute the work and office of a mediator.

He had undertaken it before the world was made.

He stood engaged with the Father to appear as man’s mediator, and to take on that office when there should be occasion, from all eternity.

But now the time was come.

Christ the eternal Son of God clothed himself with the mediatorial character, and therein presented himself before the Father.

He immediately stepped in between a holy, infinite, offended Majesty, and offending mankind.

He was accepted in his interposition; and so wrath was prevented from going forth in the full execution of that amazing curse that man had brought on himself.

It is manifest that Christ began to exercise the office of mediator between God and man as soon as ever man fell, because mercy began to he exercised towards man immediately.

There was mercy in the forbearance of God, that he did not destroy him,

And therefore, when we read in sacred history what God did, from time to time, towards his church and people, and how he revealed himself to them, we are to understand it especially of the second person of the Trinity.

When we read of God appearing after the fall, in some visible form or outward symbol of his presence, we are ordinarily, if not universally, to understand it of the second person of the Trinity. .

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

He is therefore called “the image of the invisible God,” .

intimating, that though God the Father be invisible, yet Christ is his image or representation, by which he is seen.”

Edwards, J. (1974).

The works of Jonathan Edwards (Vol. 1, p. 537).

Banner of Truth Trust.

So amid the conflict, betrayal, outright rebellion against Him by Adam and Eve, the deceit of the serpent, right there in the midst of that is Jesus Christ.

Can I go so far as to say that He even was at the helm.

As Edwards so clearly points out, “He had undertaken it (Redemption) before the world was made.”

Heaven had to know what was going on before man was created.

What that says to you and me and how that gives us hope right now is in knowing your chaos is no surprise to God.

I know I might rustle some feathers here but I am going to step out on a limb and propose that your chaos was even orchestrated by God in order that you might see more clearly the appearance of Christ in your life.

I saw Him when my life was full of disorder, discombobulation, disconnection, distortion and every other dis in my life.

That is when I was most open to Him and most able to see Him clearly.

And I believe that is what Christmas is all about.

Him parlaying the chaos and ruin of your life so that you might see Him as clearly as you see me right now in your hearts eye.

Do you see Him?

As a believer He is always with you and will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do you believe it?

So then we can move to the