The Beginning of the Mystery

This morning we are beginning a series of sermons to run through the Advent and Christmas season looking at the unfolding mystery of Christ. Advent involves both remembrance and anticipation as we look back upon the first arrival of Christ in human history and await his second coming to complete and consummate his kingdom with the new heavens and new earth. This time of remembrance and anticipation is a time of waiting, reflection, contemplation and hope. We look back and we look forward. This morning we are going to look back at the beginning of this mystery at the Fall of humanity and ask the question what is wrong with us and with the world? This sets the context, the scene for God to take initiative, to take action and to give us hope. We will explore this from two perspectives this morning. First we will look at the consequences of our rebellion. We will explore the comprehensiveness of sin from spiritual, psychological, relational and physical angles. Then we will look at our second point, the commitment of God.

Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Theologians say that this is the first proclamation of the gospel, the protoevangelium. Here is the beginning of the mystery. The word offspring here is the word seed, and as theologians have noted the word seed here is in the singular. So, this means that the ultimate triumph over sin and the serpent and all the consequences of sin like death and hell and disease and disaster, will be carried out by a single individual. And that individual would eventually be Jesus Christ. And he will accomplish this victory through suffering. The suffering of the cross. He accomplished the victory of our salvation through His death on the cross. And thus gave us hope.