The First Proclaimation of a Comming Savior!

Introduction: Can you feel it? Christmas is upon us. What was the longest you’ve ever had to wait for a present? Paintball Gun - Waited what seemed like forever only to be told they were sold out and my parents couldn’t get it for me for Christmas.

Transition: Today we are going to look at the first proclamation of a coming savior. Just imagine having to wait from the time of Adam and Eve all the way to Jesus’ eventual birth for that prophesy to be fulfilled! Imagine the anticipation with every prophet who came reminding the people of the coming messiah. But let us first look at this first proclamation.

Genesis 2:15–17 HCSB

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

Opening Prayer

In Genesis 2 we get a zoomed in view of the beginning of man’s story. The all powerful God in Genesis 1 speaks all things into existence…with the exception of man, whom he formed out of the dust of the ground, and woman whom he formed out of one of the man’s ribs.

God designed and formed man in his own image and likeness and intended to have fellowship with him.

Unfortunately, the events of Genesis 3 happened. Let’s read:

Genesis 3:1–11 HCSB

1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

We are tempted to sin when we forget God is Good.

Look again at the verses we just read, does anything stand out to you about the interaction between the woman and the snake? Let’s look closer:

Genesis 3:1–15 (HCSB)

1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”

4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”

13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?”

And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.”

14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent:

Because you have done this,

you are cursed more than any livestock

and more than any wild animal.

You will move on your belly

and eat dust all the days of your life.

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

He will strike your head,

and you will strike his heel.

God demonstrates His goodness by promising to send a savior.

Amidst this tragic scene, the all powerful and all good God provides hope.

Genesis 3:15 HCSB

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

Not only that but he also demonstrates what salvation will look like.

Genesis 3:21 HCSB

21 The Lord God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

How does this demonstrate what Jesus will do?

Adam and Eve tried to hide their shame, unsuccessfully, on their own.

God made clothing out of skins for Adam and Eve in order for them to cover their shame.

In order for their shame to be covered it required that an innocent animal be sacrificed.

We all have sinned (Romans 3:23).

We all have tried to cover up the shame of our sin, unsuccessfully.

The only way our shame could be covered up is by God sacrificing His perfect, sinless, innocent Son on the cross.

We then have the righteousness of Christ applied to us upon putting our hope and trust in Him.

Application

Don’t doubt that God is Good.

If you ever find yourself doubting whether or not God is Good, just reflect on how He has demonstrated His Goodness both in your life and in scripture.

Every night at dinner time take a moment to verbally thank God for at least one way that He has demonstrated His goodness to you through scripture and/or in your own life that day.