Easter 2021
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Genesis Series: I’ve said multiple times that one of the reasons Genesis is so important is because there is a direct line from the garden to the cross
This morning I want to try to connect those dots a little
So we see this in Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God steps down and begins to create all we know.
He speaks and things begin to exist
there was light from darkness, water and sky, plants and animals, sun, moon, and stars
And then man steps onto the scene
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
We are made in the very image of God with drives placed inside of us to rule over the earth and reflect God’s glory back to Him
In this moment Adam and Eve are living in heaven on earth. They are walking with God, dwelling with God and all things are as they should be.
But Adam and Eve turn their back on that plan. The drives placed inside them to help accomplish the divine mission set forth by God begin to drive them and they choose self. Sin enters the world
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Now what once was is no longer. They have cut themselves off from the presence of God.
Because sin is so grotesque, its’s so evil, and so ugly that there must be something done to allow Adam and Eve back into the presence of God.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
The Lord slaughters an innocent animal on Adam and Eve’s behalf and so we see that sin = death.
This act is called substitutionary atonement. It’s something taking the place of another to make right what has been broken.
Sin has separated us from God and it’s this blood sacrifice that allows Adam and Eve right standing once again, but this sacrifice is only temporary and so it’s a never ending cycle of sin and sacrifice, sin and sacrifice.
Adam and Eve are kicked from the garden, curses are put on them and now they must struggle to do the things they were designed to do.
And so we continue to see this progression of sin in the world which leads us to Gen 6
5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
The world reaches a point of evilness that become almost unrecognizable from what it once was. It became so evil that the future of humanity was at stake and so God chooses to save humanity once again by showing favor to Noah
He sends a flood and wipes out everyone and everything else and humanity has a restart
Then we see an unexpected turn. We now begin to see the beginning of God’s rescue plan
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Abraham’s faith would begin to redeem Adam’s failure. God would begin to create a people, a nation and within that nation He would form a covenant that would set them apart
God says I will be yours and you will be mine.
There then becomes this eb and flow of the Israelite people sinning and God saving.
Then we see God give Israel the Torah, the Law. By this Law Israel was to be set apart from all other nations. It was designed so that the nation of Israel could reflect God’s holiness and embody His wholeness.
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
26 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
But with this Law given, conditions were given as well. If there were obedience to the Law than blessings. But, if there was sin against the Law then there would be curses.
3 “ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. 6 “ ‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. 9 “ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.
Then curses
14 “ ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.
So God has created a people and a covenant with that people and has placed himself as king over the people of Israel. But Israel was unfaithful. So God began to bring the covenant curses upon Israel.
There becomes a cycle of sin and repentance.
God then raises up judges to deliver Israel from her oppressors.
But this time is plagued by darkness. Every man did what was right in his own eyes and Israel had become just as bad as it’s pagan neighbors.
So, Israel begins to think that a physical king may be the answer and so that’s what they demand
But even someone like David, the best and most noble king fell short of God’s ideal.
Israel would need another king, a different king who would wholly embody true justice and holiness.
So, through hundreds of years God sent prophets to call the people to repentance
But sin abounded all the more and the curses inevitably came
But even in those darkest of days sprang forth a message of hope
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
70 years and this covenant will be renewed
Then Daniel confesses Israels sins and seeks God’s forgiveness and to Daniel’s prayer the angel Gabriel answers that it would not be 70 years but 70 weeks of years, half a millenium
But with this renewed covenant and return from exile it would include the return of YHWH to His people
It will include the reign of the Anointed One, the coming of the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
There would be the reign of the Messiah, a return from exile, a renewal of a covenant between God and His people but it would require the forgiveness of sins. It would require the suffering of Israel for their sins but would be represented as on Man
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Then…silence
Roughly 400 years of it. Nothing!
Until that silence is shattered by the prophetic voice of John the Baptist announcing the arrival of the kingdom
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
Jesus of Nazareth steps on the scene. Anointed of God, filled with the Spirit, the very Son of God who puts on flesh.
The return of YHWH to Israel.
It’s through Jesus the covenant would be renewed and the exile would end
Jesus is the climax of the Covenant. This is where God’s purpose and plan had been heading all along
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Everything has been leading to his moment.
Christ comes, the Messiah is here, but He doesn’t meet all expectations.
You see they expected a triumphant king who would rule with large armies and overtake the Roman empire and would bring Israel with him to fame and glory
But Jesus was born in a manger in a tiny city called Bethlehem. In their eyes this could not be the prophesied Messiah because this man was a nobody.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
And because this Man did not look the part they could not believe the things He was saying. And to call yourself the very Son of God was blasphemous so something had to be done.
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. 15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
This is the line from the garden to the cross. It’s a cycle of God’s saving grace and man’s pursuit of all things unholy. Repentance met with forgiveness followed by wicked and evilness over and over again. It’s the story of God and His people.
But this day was unlike any other. This was Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, and Son of Man living the life you and I were meant to live and dying the death you and I deserved.
You see this covenant renewal made through the cross was not just a covenant made to the people of Israel but for all humanity
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
But how could this be the Son of God? How could He be all that He was said to be if He is dead?
Well this is where the story gets really good!
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
Jesus is alive!!!!
The curse has been lifted, the prophecy complete.
This is who Jesus is. He takes that which is dead and He brings it to life. He is in the business of bringing things back to life
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
This is the line from the empty tomb, through the cross, back to what we had in the garden.
And it’s available for all!
Christ has come. He has taken on the curse of sin on your behalf so that you may have life to the fullest. So that you may once again dwell in the presence of your Heavenly Father.
So that you can experience hope, purpose, and love.
That’s what the Cross and the empty tomb do.
