Coachlight Bible Study - Genesis Chapters 1-3

God Preaches The Gospel

 

   Purpose Of This Lesson:

1. Demonstrate the importance of the Bible and its Author.

2. God demonstrated His love and preached the Gospel from the very first page.

3. Show we can not understand the rest of the Bible without Genesis.

4. To better know the Creator.

5. We can not fully understand the Gospel without Genesis.

6. We can not effectively evangelize without knowledge of Genesis.

I. Overview of Genesis

A. Genesis In Two Parts

1. Part One - Genesis 1:1 - 10:9 - focuses on the origin of the world, man, sin, and salvation, culminating in the great flood in the days of Noah

2. Part Two - Genesis 10:9 - 50:26 - focuses on God's dealings with one man, Abraham.

a. It is through Abraham,  God promises to bring salvation and blessing to the world

b. The Abrahamic Covenant is central to all Scripture

B. Literary Structure

1. "The Book Of Generations" - 1. Introduction to Generations (1;1 - 2:3) -  2. Heaven and Earth (2:4 - 4:26) -  3. Adam (5:1 - 6:8) -  4. Noah (6:9 - 9:29)  - 5. Sons of Noah (10:1 - 11:9) - 6. Shem (11:10 - 26)  -  7. Terah (11:27 - 25:11) -  8. Ishmael (25:12-18) - 9. Isaac (25:19 - 35:29) - 10. Esau - (36:1 - 37:1 - 11. Jacob (37:2 - 50:26).

2. Geographical Stucture - 1. The Fertile Crescent (1-11) 2. Isreal - (12-36) 3. Egypt (37-50)

C. Time of Genesis - Spans more time than any other book - covers more than all other 65 books combined

1. Genesis 1-11 Covers from 10,000 to 2000 years

a. Creation (somewhere between 10,000 BC and 4,000 BC) Genesis 1:1

b. Death of Terah (2090 BC) - Genesis 11:32

2. Genesis 12-36 - covers 193 years - 2090 BC - 1897 BC

a. Death of Terah (2090 BC) - Genesis 11:32

b. Joseph to Egypt (around 1897 BC) - Genesis 37:2

3. Genesis 37 - 50 - covers 93 years - 1897 BC - 1804 BC

a. Joseph to Egypt - (around 1897 BC) -  Genesis 37:2

b. Death of Joseph - (around 1804 BC) - Genesis 50:26)

D. Meaning of the Title

1. Bereshith - Hebrew word meaning - "In the Beginning"

2. Genesis -  Greek word meaning - "origin", "source", "generation", or "beginning".

E. The Christ of Genesis

1. Messianic Predictions  Christ is  seen as: a. The Seed of the Woman (3:15) b. From the line of Seth (4:25) c. The son of Shem (9:27) d. The descendant of Abraham (12:3) e. Of Isaac (21:12) f. Of Jacob 25:23 g. Of the Tribe of Judah (49:10)

2. Christ is seen in people and events as a “tupos” – Greek for “type”, “figure” – 1. Adam is “a tupos of Him that was to come” -  (Romans 5:14) – 1. Both entered the world through a special act of God as sinless men – Adam is the head of the old creation; and Christ is the head of the new creation. 2. Abel’s acceptable offering of a blood sacrifice points to Christ, and there is a parallel in his murder by Cain  3. Melchizediek – “righteous king” – is made like unto the Son of God (Hebrews 7:3).  He is the king of Salem (peace) who brings forth bread and wine, and is the priest of the most  high God.  4. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all all types of Christ – we will talk about them in future lessons.


F. Genesis is the first mention of almost everything:


Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Altar

Genesis 8:20

Angel

Genesis 6:7

Archer

Genesis 21:20

Bird

Genesis 1:21

Camp

Genesis 32:2

Cave Dweller

Genesis 19:30

Chariot

Genesis 41:43

Child

Genesis 11:30

Child Named Before Birth

Genesis16:11

City Builder

Genesis 4:17

Coffin

Genesis 50:26

Command

Genesis 1:3

Congregation

Exodus 12:3

Dancing

Exodus 15:20

Darkness

Genesis 1:2

Death

Genesis 24:67

Dew

Genesis 27:28

Disaster

Genesis 19:19

Dream

Genesis 20:3

Drunk

Genesis 9:21

Dungeon

Genesis 40:15

Earth

Genesis 1:1

Emancipator

Exodus 3:7-22

Embalming

Genesis 50:2

Execution

Genesis 40:20-22

Family

Genesis 8:19

Farmer

Genesis 4:2

Father

Genesis 2:24

Fear

Genesis 9:2

Food

Genesis 1:29

Food Control

Genesis 41:25-27

Forgiveness

Genesis  50:17

Friend

Genesis 38:12

Game

Genesis 25:28

Gardener

Genesis 2:15

Gift

Genesis 9:3

God

Genesis 1:1

Gold

Genesis 2:11

Grace Of God

Ezra 9:8

Grave

Genesis 23:6

Guilt

Genesis 26:10

Harlot

Genesis 34:31

Hate

Genesis 24:60

Healing

Deuteronomy 32:39

Heart

Genesis 6:5

Heavens

Genesis 1:1

Heir

Genesis 15:2

Home

Genesis 27:5

Hunter

Genesis 10:8,9

Husband

Genesis 3:6

Idol

Genesis 31:19

Jail

Genesis 39:20

Joy

Genesis 31:27

Kill

Genesis 4:8

King

Genesis 14:1

Kiss

Genesis 27:26

Man To Interpret

Genesis 41:15

Man To Wear A Ring

Genesis 41:42

Oath

Genesis 21:23,24

Pilgrim

Genesis 12:1-8

Prayer

Genesis 4:26

Preacher To Become Drunk

Genesis 9:20,21

Prophecy

Genesis 3:15

Purchase Of Land

Genesis 23:3-20

Question

Genesis 3:1

Rain

Genesis 7:1-12

Rainbow

Genesis 9:13

Saddle

Genesis 22:3

Scribe

Exodus 24:4

Shipbuilder

Genesis 6:14,22

Sin

Genesis 3:1-24

Snake

Genesis 49:17

Sword

Genesis 3:24

Temptation

Genesis 3:1-6

Tower

Genesis 11:4,5

Veil

Genesis 24:65

Violence

Genesis 6:11

Wage Contract

Genesis 29:15-20

War

Genesis 14:2

Wealth

Genesis 31:1

Well

Genesis 16:14

Wife

Genesis 2:24

Wind

Genesis 8:1

Wine

Genesis 9:21

Wish

Genesis 23:8

Witness

Genesis 21:30

Woman Thief

Genesis 31:19

Words Spoken To Man

Genesis1:28

Worship

Genesis 4:3-5


 

 


II. Knowledge Of Genesis - Needed To Understand The Gospel and For Evangelism

 

A. What is the Gospel - gospel’ means ‘good news.’ When Christians talk about the gospel, they are presenting the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. As Paul states in I Corinthians 15:1-4:

 

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. {keep…: or, hold fast} {what: Gr. by what speech}

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

 

B. Why did Jesus die? -  Paul doesn’t end his explanation of the gospel here. Note very carefully how Paul explains the gospel message later in I Corinthians 15:

 

12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

 

To explain, “Why Jesus died”, Paul went to the Book of Genesis and its account of Adam and the Fall. In other words, one cannot really understand the good-news in the New Testament of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and thus payment for sin, until one understands the bad news in Genesis of the Fall of man, and thus the origin of sin and its penalty of death.


D. Is the account in Genesis a myth or interpreted literally?

1. As Christians, we need to answer this question: Is it essential to believe in a literal Fall?

2. Absolutely! If there was no literal Fall, then what is sin? Who defines it? What then is Paul talking about in I Corinthians 15, or even  Romans 5:12 where he states: ‘Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned’?

 

So, in explaining the gospel, Paul discusses the foundations of the Gospel in Genesis and the bad news: the origin of sin and its penalty of death. He then tells us the good news of salvation in Christ.

 

E. Jesus is The Creator - In Colossians, in explaining the gospel, Paul also points out

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: {his…: Gr. the Son of his love}

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. {in…: or, among all}

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. {having…: or, making}

 

And so, in Revelation we are told concerning Jesus Christ:

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

 

Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

 

F. Our Creator became our Redeemer! The reason this was necessary is because all humans are sinners. Therefore a sinful person could not die for sin. We needed a perfect man to die for sin. The only solution was for the perfect, sinless Creator to become a man so He could be our Savior! Thus, the doctrine of creation is vital to an understanding of the gospel.

G. The Final Victory over sin -  

1. Paul also goes on  - Consummation of All Things:

 

I Corinthians 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? {grave: or, hell}

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

2. In II Peter 3 and Revelation chapters 21-22, we are told more -  there will be a new heaven and earth. There will be no more crying, no more death, no more curse

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. {all things: or, these things}

 

Revelation 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

 

II Peter 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

 

H. All this as background explains that an understanding of the following three elements of the Gospel is a prerequisite to an understanding of how to present the gospel to different people within a culture, or to different cultures:

 

1. If we preach the Gospel without the message of the Creator, and the origin of sin and death, then one preaches it without the foundational knowledge that is necessary to understand the rest of the gospel. Without this information, who then is Jesus Christ? Why did He need to die? Why could He, and not someone else, die for sin? What is special about Christ? Where did sin come from?  Why can we say that all have sinned? Why do we die?

 

2. If we preach a Gospel without the message of Christ crucified and raised from the dead, then the Gospel is preached without power of the Holy Ghost. After all, as Paul said: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins .{I Corinthians 15:17} The only reason our personal sins can be forgiven and our relationship with our Creator be restored is because of what Christ did on the Cross. The death and resurrection of Jesus  Christ is central to the gospel.

 

3. If we preach the gospel without the message of the new heaven and earth is a message preached without hope. What point is there to a gospel with no future sinless state? Because of sin and the judgment of the curse, the creation is ‘groaning’. {Romans 8:22}  There is death, sickness, and suffering all around us. However, we need to understand that death is an intrusion in our world. In I Corinthians 15:26, Paul states it this way: ‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’


III. The Story Of Creation – Word Pictures – God Preaching

A. The Bible - Picture book with descriptive portraits on almost every page.

 1. Two Types of pictures.

a. Visual - Those drawn by pen, pencil, or brush, or by photography.

b. Mental - Images drawn on the canvas of the mind - word pictures either seen or heard.

B. Contains the outline of the central person of the book.

1. It has been said: "Son, you have never found the true interpretation of any passage until you have found in it somewhere a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ."

2. Jesus made this claim when people questioned His authority"

 

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

 Continuing on in John 5:

 

5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is  [one] that accuseth you, [even] Moses, in whom ye trust. 

5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

 

3. Jesus once more asserted this after the resurrection.  On the road to Emmaus He said:

Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:.... 

Luke 24:27 And  beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

 

C. The word pictures of Christ are etched upon every page of Scripture - Only need spiritual perception to recognize the outline.

1. The first mention of Jesus - very first verse:

 

     Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

2. We would never recognize the outline if we read no further. But:

 

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 3. That great Creator was Jesus Christ - reading on we find this concept without a shadow of doubt:

 

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 

4. Jesus is the Creator and the Word of God.  No less than 10 times in Genesis do we read "and God said" - It was by the Word of God that all was created.

5. Paul says of Jesus in Colossians:

 

Colossians1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

6. David says in Psalms

 

Psalms 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Without the rest of the Bible we would not be able to identify Jesus in Genesis - they illuminate the faint outline so there is no doubt.

 D. Second word picture

 

Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. {the light from…: Heb. between the light and between the darkness}

1. John says:

 

 John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

2. And Jesus Himself declares, at the healing of the blind man:

 

 John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

3. Again Jesus declares:

 

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of  the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in  darkness, but shall have the light of life.

4. And again Jesus declares:

 

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

5. The second day of creation, God separated the waters of the earth from those of the heavens

 

Jesus, the Light of the World, is the great Separator between things of the earth and heaven.  The presence of of light attracts and awakes some, but repels others.  (Ex. Birds wake in the morning with a song, but bats and other blood thirsty animals seek cover under darkness.) 

6. In the separation of the waters, we see a picture of the work of Christ. 

 

 John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

E. The Trinity – Back to the First Verse

 

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters

 

0430 Myhla ‘elohiym el-o-heem’

plural of 0433; TWOT-93c; n m p

AV-God 2346, god 244, judge 5, GOD 1, goddess 2, great 2, mighty 2,

     angels 1, exceeding 1, God-ward + 04136 1, godly 1; 2606


1) (plural)

   1a) rulers, judges

   1b) divine ones

   1c) angels

   1d) gods

 

2) (plural intensive-singular meaning)

   2a) god, goddess

   2b) godlike one

   2c) works or special possessions of God

   2d) the (true) God

   2e) God


1.  The Tri-unity of God

a. The doctrine of the Trinity- that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are equally and eternally one true God, is difficult for the human finite mind to comprehend, and yet it is foundational to understanding the God's plan

                   Mathematically 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 not 1

 

2. In the Old and New Testament both teach the Unity and the Trinity of the Godhead. 

 

Isaiah45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God

himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established

it,  he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I

[am]  the LORD; and [there is] none else.

3. A New Testament example is found in James:

 

 James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the

 devils also believe, and tremble.

4. The three persons of the Godhead are at the same time noted in such Scriptures as Isaiah 48 again:

 

Isaiah 48:16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in

 secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there [am]

 I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

 

5. The speaker in this verse is obviously God, and yet here is God  saying that He has been sent by both the Lord GOD,(the Father)  and His Spirit (the Holy Spirit).  In the New Testament, the Doctrine of the Trinity is given in such verses as the Gospel of  John:

 

 John15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you

 from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth

 from  the Father, he shall testify of me:

 6. Then we have the Great Commission:

 

 Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in

 the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

7. We have one name (God)-yet three names!  That Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, actually claimed to be God, equal with the Father, is very clear in Scripture - for example in the book of  Revelation:

 

 Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith

 the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the  Almighty.

 

The Doctrine of the Trinity could be stated, "God is a tri-unity, with each Person of the Godhead equally and fully and eternally God.  Each Person is necessary and each is distinct, and yet all three are One.  The Father can be viewed as the unseen, omnipresent source of all being, manifested by the Son, and the believer experiences Him by the Holy Spirit.  The Son proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son.

 

1 x 1 x 1 = 1 * One God-Three Names

 

             8. Then we have the Power to Witness for Christ:

Acts 2:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. {power…: or, the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you}    

 

9. A Sign of the Godhead – Natural Theology

a. To the unsaved this would seem nonsense, but in Romans 1, we learn that even the unsaved have no excuse:

 

1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them. 

1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the  world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are  made,  [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are  without  excuse:

1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as  God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations,  and their foolish heart was darkened. 

1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

 

Even the ungodly, can see God's eternal power, and even His Godhead in His creation!  In other words, there is a scientific model, by  which the saved or the unsaved can understand the difficult  parts of the Doctrine of the Trinity.

 

b. Space, Mass, and Time

1. The universe is a space-matter-time universe- and no other - physical identities.

2. The universe is actually a "continuum" of space, matter, and time, no one can have a meaningful existence without the other two

3. What we observe being humans would be meaningless without all three

a. space and time is unintelligible to us without matter. Space appears like "nothing" unless there is some event of matter that we can see.  (like a planet or comet, etc.) 

b. In order for matter to exist,it must take up space, and the event must happen through time. - Time is "invisible", but its job is to interpret its other two entities, in the name of matter, so that they can be understood or experienced by the human senses. 

c. We could say that the universe exists in space, is manifested by matter, and understood or experienced through time. 

c. The Son is the physical embodiment of the invisible Father.  This is why Jesus said, "If you have seen me, you have also seen the Father."

d. The Holy Spirit takes on the responsibility of interpreting the Father in the name of the Son, thereby "comforting" us.

e. This is why the Baptism of the Holy Spirit enables a child of God to experience God, or actually "feel" His Spirit.

f. This is also why the Holy Spirit  does "lead us into all truth".  We cannot  have space without matter and time, they are three but yet only one universe – not a polyverse. 

 

              1 x 1 x 1 = 1 *  One God-Three Names

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F. Adam A Type of Christ

1.  Creation of woman - Adam is a picture of Christ.  This will be expounded on later.  Christ is called the "Second Man"  (I Corinthians 15:47), and "Last Adam" (I Corinthians 15:45)

 

2. A superlatively beautiful picture

 

 Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and  he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

 

3. Adam slept - God created from his wounded side a wife -  part of himself - He paid for her by the shedding of blood.   When Adam woke up he said:

 

Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of  my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of  Man. 

2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

 

4. A dim picture - Let Paul shed some light.  Speaking of the union of believers in Christ he says in the book of Ephesians:

 

Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

 

5. Now all is clear - Adam is a picture of Christ, who left His Father's house to gain His bride, at the price of His own life. Jesus, the Last Adam, like the first, must be put to sleep to purchase His bride, the church, and Jesus died on the cross and slept for three days in the tomb.  His side too, was opened after He had fallen asleep, and from that wounded side redemption flowed.

 

6. The church - His body also purchased.  The church, like Eve, was a new creation, not by a natural birth, but by a  supernatural operation by God.

 

 7. This is the picture of our great Redeemer, as seen on page one of God's picture album.  Jesus died on the cross, His side was opened, and by the Holy Spirit today a  bride is being prepared, and when the last member has been added, He will bring her unto the man Jesus.

 

   Paul said in the book of Ephesians:

 

Ephesians 5:25 ... even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any

such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.


G. The Virgin Birth – (Protevangelium) – Sin Enters

1. Attack on the Virgin Birth

a. It takes a miracle of God

b. Non-negotiable part of God’s plan to show His love to His people by saving lost men

c. Immediately after sin entered, God:

1. Placed a curse on Satan, Woman, and Man and the earth in which he lived

2. Gave the first promise of the coming Redeemer

d. Satan began by quoting the Word of God

 

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? {Yea…: Heb. Yea, because, etc.}

 

e. Eve quoted back what she had heard from Adam:

 

Genesis 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

 

f. Satan finished by denying the Word of God

 

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

 

g. It was giving into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life that got Eve

 

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. {pleasant: Heb. a desire}

 

h. God is telling the snake two very important aspects of the result of sin:

 

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and  thou shalt  bruise his heel.

 1. There was to be two distinct "seeds"

      a. seed of the serpent

      b. Seed of the Woman

 2. There was going to be a "battle of the seeds"

      a. seed of the serpent will bruise the Seed of the woman's

         heel.

      b. The triumphant Seed of the Woman will  crush (literally)

         the head of the seed of the serpent.


 

 i. This "Battle of the Seeds"

1. is seen all through the Old Testament such as Cain killing Abel, Moses saved out of the  Nile, etc., but none so obviously portrayed in Scripture as the  time when all of the Jewish boys sentenced to death at the time of Christ's birth, and Joseph had to take his family to Egypt  to save   the baby Jesus' life. 

2. This verse also promises that this Redeemer, who would gain the victory over Satan, would be of the woman's seed.

3. All through the Bible and all through history, everybody else has been the seed of some man, never of the seed of the woman. 

4. Jesus did not have a sinful father, but  was born of a Virgin. 

5. He was God in a man's body –  a  biological miracle.

6. This prophecy was made crystal clear in the book of Isaiah:

 

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a  virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and   choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

 

 The Virgin obviously points to the "woman" of Genesis 3:15,  and  was very unique because it was a sign from the Lord Himself.  A  sign of this type would not be necessary in any   ordinary  birth, and the Virgin was going to bring forth One who would be  called Immanuel, which means "God with us".  The Hebrew word for  "virgin" in Isaiah 7:14 occurs only six other times in the Bible.  Although its exact meaning has been debated, its usage is always consistent with the meaning "virgin" and in some cases this is the only possible meaning. The scholars who translated the Old Testament into the Greek Septuagint used the standard Greek word for "virgin" in translating Isaiah 7:14.  So did Matthew when he quoted this prophecy (Matthew 1:23) as being  fulfilled in the Virgin birth of Christ.  Isaiah 9:6 speaks of  the "child born" as One who is also "The Mighty God".  Micah 5:2 says that the One who is born in   Bethlehem would also be One  "Whose goings forth have been from everlasting"!  All of these  prophesies point to a miraculous birth.  It was promised that  the coming Redeemer would be a  descendant of Shem (Genesis

 9:26), then of Abraham (Genesis  22:18), then Isaac (Genesis 26:4), then Jacob (Genesis 28:14), then Judah (Genesis 49:10),  and finally David (IISamuel 7:12,13).  The line from Judah proceeded from David to Coniah, but because  of Coniah's  wickedness, God said,"No man of his seed shall  prosper, sitting

 upon the throne of the house of Israel."  (Jeremiah 33:17).  As always, the alleged contradictions and seeming  paradoxes of the Bible are all understood to be in harmony with the rest of  Scripture with more study.  Many modern scholars, ignorantly have ridiculed God's plan because the genealogies of  Matthew

 1:6-16 and that of Luke 3:23-31 seem to disagree.  The solution to this is in the fact that Matthew gives the legal and  royal  lineage from David through Solomon and Conias, also called  Jechonias, through Joseph, the foster father of Jesus.  Luke gives the true biological line from David through Nathan to

 Heli, the father of Mary.  To have the legal right to the throne of David, Jesus must be the legal son of Joseph, but He could  not be the true son of Joseph because God's judgement on Coniah.

 He also had to be of the actual "seed of David" to occupy the throne.  How could this problem be resolved? The only answer to  this problem is the Virgin Birth or as stated in Genesis the  Seed of the Woman! 

Not only is the Virgin Birth true because it is clearly taught in the Bible, but also because it is the only

 type of birth  that fits Jesus mission here on earth about 2,000 years ago, and God's eternal plan of  salvation for His people.

 

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost  shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be  born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

 

H. God Preaching with a Double Type of Christ.

1. We have already found out that Adam is a "Type of   Christ":

A. Adam gained his bride with shed blood from his side as God put him to sleep, and so did Jesus purchase His Bride with shed blood from His side, and at the expense of His life, on the cross. - But Christ did die and also resurrected from the dead.

B. Adam was not deceived, like Eve was. (I Timothy 2:14)  Adam sinned out of love for his bride, because her only salvation could come from her own seed, and Adam, being separated from his sinful bride, had to join her in order to be the father of the seed.

C. Adam's sin was different that most other's sin.  He sinned out of love for his bride, and Biblically is called a "figure of Him to come".(Romans 5:14)

D. The big difference is that Christ did not become a sinner, but became sin for His Bride, so that His Bride might know righteousness.  (II Corinthians 5:21)

E. This is the mystery that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 5:31-32 as he almost word-for-word quotes Genesis 2:24.  The mystery is revealed that the spotless Christ would be willing  to leave His Father's house, to save His filthy, fallen, and unfaithful Bride, by dying on the cross for her, so that He could present her as spotless. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

 

2. The Message - First Clear Gospel Message Preached by God Himself.  Explains how the Redeemer will accomplish His purpose.

 

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of  skins, and clothed them.

 This verse is the first totally clear revelation of Calvary.

 

3. Setting: - Man had disobeyed God and was under sentence of  death.  Adam and Eve were conscious of their predicament, but  sin had so blinded their eyes, that instead of fleeing to God for help, they frantically tried to effect their own salvation.  They imagined that they could do something to make them more presentable to God. Before man fell, he was clothed in the garments of innocence, but no sooner had he sinned, than he had lost this covering and discovered that he was shamefully naked.

 

Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

 

The fig leaf aprons, however, were wholly inadequate, and might as well been poison oak.  Now Adam and Eve knew deep down in their hearts that their aprons were totally inadequate, because if they had believed that they were adequate, they would not have continued to hide from God.

 

4. The Lord to the rescue. - While they were hiding, God was looking for them with a demonstration of grace.  The Lord rejected their vain attempts to cover their guilt, and we read of His marvelous message of redemption and grace:

 

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

5. Double type.  The moment that God killed the animal in the garden, Adam stopped being the type of Christ, and became the sinner that needed atonement.  The innocent lamb, that God killed to produce the coats of skins then became the type of  Christ dying on the cross for His people.


 

6. Pattern for all salvation. - As God took a sacrificial animal, (probably a lamb) and slew it before Adam's eyes - and wrapped the bloody skins around his naked body, God laid down an eternal, divine principal, from which there is no deviation.  With this action, God laid down the tree eternal rules acceptable for atonement for sin.

 

1. It must be God's gift and His work alone.  The animal was God's gift and not the work of man.  A beautiful type of Christ - the Perfect Lamb of God.  It was the Lord alone who furnished the skins to cover Adam and Eve.  They did nothing.  The only sacrifice God would accept must be God's work and God's free gift.  Our first parents didn't even have to put the coats of skins on themselves.  Even this was done by God.

2. It must be by the death of an innocent substitute.  The animal that God slew to provide the skins had no part in Adam's sin.  It was an innocent victim.  Man could not atone for his own sin, because it's penalty had been declared in the book of Genesis:

 

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of  the knowledge of good and evil, thou  shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof  thou shalt surely die.

 If one single day had passed without this provision of a substitute, they would have died on the very day that they fell.  So before that first day was ended, God came to them with the message of redemption.  On the evening of the very day Adam sinned, God came with His substitutionary lamb.  The record clearly suggests this, because we can read that after Adam and  his wife had hid themselves, and were busy making the flimsy aprons, God came in the evening of the same day to deliver them.  It was at the end of the day - or "cool of the day".  (Genesis 3:8)

3. It must be by the shedding of blood.  While blood is not mentioned in the record, it is clearly implied.  God could not procure the skins without shedding the blood of the animal.  Also notice the difference in God's covering for nakedness and sin are called "coats of skins"

 

7. Illustration of the sermon - Cain and Able.

a. These boys must have received their instruction about the coats of skins from their parents.  (where else?)  This told them of God's requirements of sacrifice.

b. Both of these boys were very religious, and believed in God. Cain seems to be the most religious of the two, because he was the first to come up with the idea of  bringing an offering unto the Lord.

c. The religion of Cain is briefly stated in the book of Genesis: - works

 

Genesis 4:3 ... Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

 

d. Cain was very sincere, as well as very religious, and thought that he must do something to atone for his sin.  Remember Cain brought an offering unto the Lord.  But God would have nothing to do with it, and we read:

 

Genesis 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

 

e. Why did God reject Cain's offering?  Because he ignored God's rules, taught by God himself with the coats of skins.

 

1. Cain's first mistake was that he brought of the fruit of the ground, the result of his own labors, and the works of his own hands. - instead of a gift from God.

2. Cain's second mistake was that his offering did not involve the death of an innocent substitute.

3. Cain's third mistake was that it did not involve the shedding of blood, and in the book of Hebrews we read:

 

Hebrews 9:22 .... and without shedding of blood is no remission.

4. God rejected Cain's sincere, earnest religion of works.

5. God accepted Abel's offering however.

 

Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

 

6. Why did God respect Abel's offering?

          A. He brought a lamb. (a firstling of the flock)

          B. He put it to death on the altar.

          C. It was by the shedding of blood.

 7. These conditions were laid down in the Garden of Eden.  Wherever these conditions are met, God accepts the sacrifice; were they are violated, God rejects them.

 

8. The shadows disappear - The One to whom all this is pointed appears on the scene.  In the fullness of time, God sent His Son, and He was proclaimed as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.  He met all the requirements:

 

1. He was a free gift - The "fig leafs of the works of the law would not work"  The Gospel message is so plainly spoken in the Gospel of John:

 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten  Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2. He must die as a substitute for sinners, and He did. Paul says in I Peter:

I Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; 

 3. It must be by the shedding of blood.  Continuing in I Peter:

 

I Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

All of this was foreshadowed and promised in the first acceptable sacrifice recorded in the book of Genesis way back in the dawn of history:

 

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

There is truly blindness in unbelief!  How can anyone fail to see in this act of God the whole story of redemption?  In the light of the New Testament, this picture of Christ in Genesis 3:21 leaves no one with any excuse.  God has echoed the face of Christ on every page of His Word.  If only we will allow the Holy Spirit to open our blind eyes to the glorious revelation of Jesus Christ.


 

Days of Creation – Is the word day in Genesis 1 a literal 24 hour day?  The Hebrew word YOM –meaning  “day”has two meanings:

1.        A literal 24 hour day

2.        A long period of time – (The Day of the Lord)

 

To find the meaning, we look for a passage with the same context, defining the word.

Exodus 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Exodus 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Exodus 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.