Sermon Central
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The Son Of Man Series
Contributed by Rick Stacy on Dec 3, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: 1 of 5 Christmas messages based on different prophesies of the OT. This message is based on Genesis 3:15
Ready or Not…
Don’t you love it when toddlers play peek-a-boo" And it’s always fun to watch kids play "Hide and Seek." Well, now that we are grownups things really haven’t changed much. We still play games with God. Sometimes we try to hide from His righteous ways and chase after our own desires. Other times the guilt of sin overwhelms us and we hide from His presence. Well ready or not, Jesus is coming to find us.
This Sunday with opening of the Christmas Season we begin to think about the birth of Jesus. I want to remind you that the birth of God in human flesh is the first scene in the last act of a dramatic theatrical-like tragedy.
In this tragic performance there were several acts
Act I – Paradise is Created… and Lost
Act II – The Patriarchs build a Nation
Act III – A People are Chosen
Act IV – The Promised One Comes
Act V – All People are Chosen
Act VI – The Promised One Returns…
And Paradise is Regained
This drama played out over thirty-three years. It’s most memorable scene was when Satan attempted to destroy all that God had created - by destroying Jesus. But not only was Jesus not destroyed - he was victorious. Jesus took all that Satan could dish out and then crushed him.
It was all a part of a promise - the promise from God that Jesus is coming.
Today we begin… at the beginning. Act I; Scene 1. Let me recap it for you.
Act I; Scene 1 – Paradise Created
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
We see God in the beginning. He is Elohim. This is the plural form for the mighty God. It is majestic and stately. This is the Almighty Creator.
There is the Father God – Jehovah or Yaweh – The “I AM” God of Abraham and Moses
There is the Creator God – who formed the universe and fashioned the earth. He is the son of God.
Holy Spirit – Shinina, Glory of God. This is the closest God comes to the Star Wars idea of “The Force” with Luke Skywalker and Yoda his teacher, except the force doesn’t even come close to an accurate description of the spiritual presence of God. The force is impersonal. God is the originator of personality. The force can be used by men for good or evil. God is good and his very existence demands that we fall on our knees and bow before him.
No, like the presidential debate so many years ago, I’ve met the Spirit of God. He’s my friend and the force is no “Spirit of God”! It’s a sham and pretense.
This is the God who created paradise.
Act I; Scene 2 – Paradise Shared
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
A sunset is not nearly as beautiful when you are alone as when you share it with someone. And a beautiful sunset is a radiant memory when it’s experienced with someone you love.
God made a beautiful universe – a spectacular world – and it is meant to be shared! The Grand Canyon is just a big ditch until you look at it with awe and wonder – standing next to your children.
A shooting star is just a flicker, a quick flash and a streak of light – unless you are looking at the sky with your mate and you both shout in wonder at the same moment.
God made the world to be shared – not only with one another but with Him. And God didn’t create the world to show off his skill as a creator craftsman. He’s not like me when I show you the work I did on my house… No God’s work was done for our benefit. He made the world for us! Now that’s just stinking cool.
Act I; Scene 3 –Stewards of Paradise
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
