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Genesis chapter 3, I taught this 
material a couple of months ago at a Wednesday night Bible study. 
I mentioned that at a Tuesday night Bible study in South Surrey, 
one of the dear brethren asked about Old Testament saints and 
what they understood concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. We often 
talk about the fact that He alone is the way of salvation, both 
in the New Covenant and in the Old Covenant, and we always impress 
or hopefully encourage us to consider that He is the alone 
Redeemer of God's elect. But what did the Old Testament 
believers know concerning the Lord Jesus Christ? So, we're 
going to look at several lines of thought this evening. We're 
going to first start in Genesis chapter 3. So, I will read the 
chapter beginning in verse 1. Now, the serpent was more cunning 
than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he 
said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every 
tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, 
We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit 
of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 
You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then 
the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die, for 
God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be 
opened, and you will be like God. knowing good and evil. So 
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was 
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she 
took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband 
with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them 
were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed 
fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they 
heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the 
cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves 
from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam 
and said to him, Where are you? So he said, I heard your voice 
in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid 
myself. And he said, Who told you that 
you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded 
you that you should not eat? Then the man said, The woman 
whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and 
I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you 
have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. 
So the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you 
are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of 
the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust 
all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between 
you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall 
bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. To the woman 
he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception. 
In pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be 
for your husband, and he shall rule over you. Then to Adam he 
said, Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have 
eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You 
shall not eat of it, Curse it as the ground for your sake, 
and toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both 
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you 
shall eat the herb of the field, and the sweat of your face you 
shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it 
you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust 
you shall return." And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because 
she was the mother of all living. Also, for Adam and his wife, 
the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them. Then the Lord 
God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us, to know 
good and evil. And now lest he put out his hand 
and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever. 
Therefore, the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden 
to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out 
the man, and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of 
Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the 
way to the tree of life. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for this Sabbath day. We thank 
you for the supper that you provide to us. You are the householder. 
You are the sovereign in this place. And we give praise to 
you that you refresh us weary pilgrims with this covenantal 
feast. We pray, God, that you would 
bless and encourage our hearts and strengthen us and cause our 
faith to grow even more so in that blessed one who came to 
live and to die and to rise again for his people. that One promised 
here in Genesis 3.15, that One promised throughout the Old Testament, 
that One who comes in the fullness of the times, born of a woman 
and born under the law to redeem those under the law. How we praise 
You for so great a salvation. How we thank You that we have 
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. 
We thank You as well for that righteousness that You have clothed 
us with, Even as you did with Adam and Eve, you took this animal, 
you killed it before them, and you clothed them, you made a 
covering for them. In this we greatly rejoice, Most 
High God. We pray that Your Holy Spirit 
would guide us now, that He indeed would shine the light in our 
hearts, that we may appreciate and see the glory of Jesus Christ, 
specifically as revealed in the Old Testament. We pray that you 
would forgive us for all of our sins and all of our transgressions. 
Watch over your saints here. Save sinners and be glorified 
in this place. And we ask through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, I believe this is 
a good question and one that does deserve an answer to see 
what the Old Testament saints knew concerning our Lord Jesus 
Christ. And our Confession of Faith, 
I think, has a most excellent section dealing with what's called 
covenant theology. And in chapter 7, in paragraph 
3, they write, it says specifically, this covenant, speaking of the 
covenant of grace, is revealed in the Gospel. First of all, 
to Adam, in the promise of salvation, by the seed of the woman, and 
afterwards by farther steps, until the full discovery thereof 
was completed in the New Testament. So the first promise of the gospel 
is found here in Genesis chapter 3. You'll remember the scene, 
of course. God made man upright. He put 
him in a garden paradise. A temple, really, where God would 
commune with His creatures, and instead of being obedient, instead 
of pursuing righteousness and doing what God commands, they 
rather rebel against Him. And as a result, they plunge 
themselves and their posterity into sin. So when the Lord God 
is aware of this, and the text reads that way, it doesn't actually 
mean that he's become aware. When he asks the questions, it's 
not for his benefit. It rather is to expose Adam in 
his transgression. It's akin to seeing your child 
covered with chocolate, and you know that he has taken cookies 
out of the cookie jar. When you say to him, have you 
been into the cookie jar? You're not asking for your benefit, 
you're asking for His benefit. This is your opportunity to come 
clean. This is your opportunity to renounce, 
to repent, and to, you know, deal with me in righteousness. So God comes and addresses Adam 
and Eve and the serpent. And in the first place, He addresses 
the serpent. We find that in verses 14 to 
15. So the Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done 
this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every 
beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and 
you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And here's the 
specific promise. And I will put enmity between 
you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall 
bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. This is the 
first promise of the Redeemer, the first promise of the Deliverer. 
a promise that is alluded to in the New Testament Scriptures. 
It is foundational. It is something that we ought 
to be well aware of. And I want to draw out four observations 
specifically here from Genesis 3.15, and then we'll move on 
to consider what Old Testament believers knew concerning Christ. In the first place, this text 
tells us that the Redeemer would be a man born of a woman. and 
I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your 
seed and her seed." In other words, the Deliverer, the Redeemer, 
the One to come to save His people from their sins would not be 
an angelic being. He would be a man born of a woman. This jives with what we find 
in Galatians 4. I just cited it in prayer. In 
the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son born of a 
woman and born under born of a woman and born under the law. 
And some have observed that the reference simply to the woman 
at least gives a hint or an indication of the virgin birth. He doesn't 
say, I'm between your seed and her seed. It's a her specifically. That doesn't negate the reality 
that Joseph was used instrumentally in bringing up the Lord Jesus. 
But there is at least a shadow or a hint that the deliverer 
would be born of a woman, and this at least makes a hat tip 
towards the virgin birth. A second observation is the Redeemer 
would accomplish victory through suffering. Notice at the end 
of verse 15, He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise 
His heel. So when the Redeemer, who is 
a man, is born of a woman and comes into this world, we expect 
that He will know suffering. And the prophets everywhere testify 
concerning this. Isaiah 53. He was a man of sorrows. He was acquainted with grief. 
He would accomplish victory through suffering. As we move on, however, 
we ought to notice, thirdly, that the Redeemer would accomplish 
victory through death. It's not just suffering that's 
in view in 315. But most likely, most probably, 
there is a reference to the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, 
He shall bruise your head. This is the soul-crushing seed 
of the woman who brings His foot to bear on the serpent's head 
and crushes Him. But notice, and you shall bruise 
His heel. Now, head and heel here is probably 
not just comparative. I used to believe that's what 
was in view. When Christ comes and Christ 
suffers on the cross, He will indeed destroy the works of the 
devil. He will crush the head of the 
serpent. And in so doing, he will receive 
a wound. He will be hurt. He will receive 
that pain. And it's comparatively smaller 
than what the serpent himself suffers. It's a heel wound rather 
than a head wound. But Michael Reitlnick, in his 
very excellent book called The Messianic Hope, indicates that 
what's in view with this heel being bruised is most likely 
a reference to the death of Christ. You think about it. Where is 
a serpent most likely to bite you? Most likely, a serpent is 
not going to rise up and bite you in the neck. It is most appropriate 
to consider that a serpent would bite the heel of a particular 
individual. Now, Reitlnick says that since 
in the context the tempter has taken the form of a serpent, 
it is likely that the tempter's blow would be equated with a 
serpent's bite. I think we can all agree that 
that's a legitimate implication. He says, and in the case of this 
animal, the Hebrew generally uses it to speak of a venomous 
and a lethal snake. Most likely, therefore, the text 
is speaking of two comparable death blows. It's not comparative, 
but rather it is comparable. The future Redeemer will strike 
the head of the tempter and thereby kill it. And at the same time, 
the tempter will strike the heel of the Redeemer and kill Him. 
Now ultimately, the God of heaven and earth is sovereign. It pleased 
the Lord to bruise Him, putting Him to grief. But the allusion 
here, or the reference here, is not just victory through suffering, 
but victory through death. And then we ought to appreciate, 
in the fourth place, that the Redeemer would indeed accomplish 
total victory. That's what's indicated here 
in the skull-crushing seed of the woman. The rest of the Bible 
evidences or manifests that this is indeed the case. Colossians 
1, verse 13. Just a few passages that indicate 
that what Jesus accomplishes at the cross is decisive. It's a total victory over the 
forces of darkness. Colossians 1.13, He has delivered 
us from the power of darkness. He has conveyed us into the kingdom 
of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His 
blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 2.15, having disarmed 
principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, 
triumphing over them in it. Hebrews 2.14 Inasmuch, then, as the children 
have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in 
the same, that through death He might destroy him who had 
the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those 
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to 
bondage." And then 1 John chapter 3, one of those very specific 
declarative statements concerning the mission and the work of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 3 verse 7 says, Little 
children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness 
is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil. 
For the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose 
the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works 
of the devil. When does Jesus destroy the works 
of the devil? He destroys the works of the 
devil in his death. He does it at the cross. He brings 
total victory to the people of God through His suffering and 
through His death and ultimately through His resurrection on the 
third day. So this being the first promise, 
let's look secondly at the first instance of blood atonement. 
If you're not in Genesis 3, you can go back to Genesis chapter 
3. We know in the book of Hebrews we're told that without the shedding 
of blood there is no remission. And the first instance of blood 
atonement is found here in Genesis chapter 3, very specifically 
at verse 21. Also, for Adam and his wife, 
the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them." A very intriguing 
study, Genesis chapter 3. I mean, probably you could spend 
the rest of your life each and every day meditating and contemplating 
on Genesis 3 and find new things each and every time. I mean, 
it really is a glorious chapter of Scripture in terms of its 
theological import. Remember that when Adam and Eve 
sin, they run from God. They hide from God. They hide 
in the trees that the Lord God had made. I mean, it's really 
kind of sad to watch them at this particular juncture. I mean, 
they sin against a sovereign, omnipotent being, and they think 
they can run and hide from Him. They make fig leaves to cover 
themselves. They are attempting what man 
always attempts apart from the grace of God, trying to deal 
with their own sin, trying to find self-atonement, trying to 
find escape, trying to find a hiding place, trying to cover through 
their own works or through their own efforts or through their 
own ideas, trying very feverishly to escape the ramifications of 
having sinned against a thrice holy God. They feel this keenly, 
and they try and undertake on their behalf. But when God comes 
to deal with them, we notice in verse 21, also for Adam and 
his wife, the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them. That 
means He killed an animal right before their eyes. That means 
He caused an animal to stop breathing, its heart to cease from beating. 
And then God took the skin from the animal and clothed them with 
it. John Gill says concerning this, 
but of creatures slain, not merely for this purpose, God brought 
a skin over them, nor for food, but for sacrifice, as a type 
of the woman's seed. So you see, already God's promise, 
the skull-crushing seed of the woman, is going to come and deliver 
His people through suffering and death. And already on the 
heels of that, God is pointing them to that skull-crushing seed 
of the woman. Gil continues, whose heel was 
to be bruised, or who was to suffer death for the sins of 
men. And therefore, to keep up and 
direct the faith of our first parents to the slain Lamb of 
God from the foundation of the world, and of all believers in 
all ages, until the Messiah should come and die and become a sacrifice 
for sin, the sacrifices of slain beasts were appointed. You see, 
this isn't just to cover them from the cold or the elements. 
This isn't just some symbolic ritual or rite. It typifies and 
points forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of 
the world. And we see, Genesis chapter 4, 
they pass this information on. They taught their sons what it 
was to sacrifice. They taught Cain and Abel how 
they were to approach a holy God. In other words, you don't 
just wander into the presence of a holy God. You must come 
with sacrifice. The same is true today, brethren. 
We don't just wander into this place like we wander into Walmart. We don't wander into this place 
like we wander into our own homes. This is the house of God Most 
High, and that God Most High is holy, holy, holy. The whole earth is filled with 
His glory. That's why the Apostle Paul dictates 
and commands the conduct we are to have in the house of God Almighty. It's very intriguing in the instructions 
concerning the building of the tabernacle. God never tells Moses, 
in your own house Moses, have a couch here, have a chair here, 
have a bathroom here. God does not regulate the personal 
private property of Moses, the prophet of God. But when it comes 
to the tabernacle, which will become the temple, which will 
ultimately point to the church, God does regulate, God does command, 
God gives very clear specifications on how we are to approach Him. 
Why? Because He's holy, He's righteous, 
He's glorious, He's majestic. We don't wander into Him the 
way we wander into Walmart. We come before a holy God. They pass this information down, 
and notice in Genesis 4-4, Abel also brought of the firstborn 
of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and 
his offering. But he did not respect Cain in 
his offering, and Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell." 
Let's just back up for a moment. Verse 1, now, Adam knew his wife, 
or Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have 
acquired a man from the Lord. Then she bore again, this time 
his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, 
but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of 
time, this is beautiful, it's actually at the end of days, 
Not at the end of all days, not the judgment day, but at the 
end of the days most likely of the week. You see, it was already 
early instituted based on God's creational ethics of Sabbathing 
that the people of God would then Sabbath likewise. At the 
end of days, the worshipers brought sacrifice to God. Sabbath isn't 
something made for Israel. Sabbath was made for man, Genesis 
chapters 2 and 3, applied already here in Genesis chapter 4. It 
is given to Israel at Sinai, to be sure. It takes on the positive 
element of a Saturday observance, but it doesn't go away because 
of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ comes and restores 
it to its luster and to its beauty and its excellence. In fact, 
in Hebrews 4 and 9 we're told, therefore, there remains a Sabbath 
rest for the people of God. Certainly up in the future in 
terms of the eschaton, but right now. There are Sabbath rests 
every Lord's Day that serve to keep us pointed toward that eternal 
Sabbath rest that we have in Christ. Very intriguing that 
we see early worship here in Genesis 4. At the end of days, 
they bring sacrifice. Abel brings blood. This is what 
we observe. As well, the Levitical sacrificial 
system. The Levitical sacrificial system. What we find there is the same 
sort of thing. They bring blood. As Michael 
Morales says, the way to God where Israel's sins must be dealt 
with, expiated. Only a cleansed humanity may 
belong to Yahweh. The way to God then is through 
a bloody knife and a burning altar. Well, that was instituted 
officially in the Levitical sacrificial system, but it's predated here. 
God Himself kills these animals, clothes Adam and Eve, and then 
Abel goes and offers blood to the Lord Most High. So we have 
the first promise, Genesis 3.15. We have the first instance of 
blood atonement in Genesis 3.21. And then thirdly, we have the 
emphasis on substitution. The emphasis on substitution 
in Genesis 22. You can turn there. Genesis 22, 
an emphasis on substitution. Notice the particular scene. God tells Abraham to take his 
son, his only son, the son whom he loves, take him up and sacrifice 
him. I mean, the language is just 
so conspicuous. It points us so much to what 
the father does with his son, the son of his love, his only 
son, the one whom he favors, the one whom he adores or just 
rejoices at. This is what Abraham is told 
to do. Intriguingly, he's to take him up on Mount Moriah. 
Mount Moriah is the place where the temple would ultimately be 
built. 2 Chronicles informs us and tells 
us that. That's where the threshing floor 
of Arona is in 2 Samuel, where David offers sacrifice to God 
in order to stop the plagues upon Israel for David's having 
numbered the children of Israel. So Moriah is just filled with 
biblical symbolism and typology. At any rate, Abraham is told 
to take Isaac up and to sacrifice him. Notice, specifically in 
verse 6. So Abraham took the wood of the 
burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took the 
fire in his hand and a knife, and the two of them went together. 
But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, My father. And 
he said, Here I am, my son. Then he said, Look, the fire 
and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Isaac 
knew what was going on, not in terms of the fact that he was 
going to be the sacrifice, but he knew what they were going 
to do. They were going to sacrifice. And he rightly observes we've 
got fire, we've got all the implementation, but there is no lamb for a burnt 
offering. Note Abraham's response in verse 
8. Then Abraham said, My son, God 
will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. So 
the two of them went together. It's a text you can hang your 
soul on right there. That's a text that affords great 
comfort to the people of God. That's a text that holds out 
to us the reality of Calvary. I don't think there's any accident 
whatsoever in John 1, 29, when the Baptist lays eyes upon the 
Lord Christ and he says, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world. Nobody asks. What are you talking 
about? They may have a problem with 
the person he's identifying, but not with the concept. Israel 
was taught that the Deliverer would be a man. The Deliverer 
would accomplish redemption through suffering and through death. 
The Deliverer would do so decisively. It would probably involve blood 
atonement and substitution and all those things that they had 
been tutored on in the Old Covenant Scriptures. Now note again, Genesis 
22, specifically at verse Let's go to verse 9. And Abraham stretched 
out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. I'm pretty much 
convinced this is one of those passages we don't stop and read 
and ponder. This is heavy, right? Imagine 
if this were you. Imagine if God said, take your 
son, your only son, the one whom you love, take him up to Moriah, 
tie him up on that wooden altar, and slay him. Now we're told 
at the outset that this is done because God is testing Abraham. 
But you've got to remember, Abraham didn't have Genesis 22-1. He 
didn't know that God was testing him at this particular juncture. 
As far as Abraham knew, this was God's marching order for 
Abraham. And he's obedient, and he does 
it. So Abraham stretches out his hand and took the knife to 
slay his son. Verse 11, But the angel of the Lord called to him 
from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. So he said, Here I am. 
And he said, Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything 
to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not 
withheld your son, your only son, from me. And this is typological. It points us forward to the cross. 
But in that particular instance, there was no angel to stay the 
hand of Yahweh. The Lord was pleased to bruise 
him, putting him to grief. Isaac here was able to get up 
off of that altar and go back down Mount Moriah with his father. 
Not so our Lord Jesus Christ. This points us to him and it 
is conspicuous. But just to finish the observation 
concerning substitution, Abraham's already said, God will provide 
for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. Notice specifically 
in verses 13 and 14. Then Abraham lifted his eyes 
and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket 
by its horns. So Abraham went and took the 
ram and offered it up for a burnt offering." Look at the language 
of substitution, instead of his son. Isn't that what happens 
when Christ is lifted up? It's instead of us. He who knew 
no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness 
of God in Him. He was made a curse, Paul says, 
in Galatians 3.13. This text points us to the reality 
that substitution is in God's plan in terms of the redemption 
of His people. I've already mentioned the Levitical 
system of sacrifice. When the worshiper brought his 
animal to the priest at the tabernacle, He laid His hand upon it, He 
pushed upon it. Probably the idea of transference 
is there, not magically, but symbolically. We certainly know 
that substitution is present when we get to the Day of Atonement 
in Leviticus chapter 16. There were two goats on that 
day. One for blood, that the high priest would take the blood 
into the Holy of Holies and he would sprinkle it upon the mercy 
seat. There was another goat. We refer to that goat as the 
scapegoat. And what the high priest would 
do with that one would be to lay his hands upon that goat 
and he would confess the sins of Israel. He wouldn't confess 
the sins of the Hittites and the Hibbites and the Jebusites. It was a particular redemption. 
It was a limited atonement to be sure. And so that high priest 
would confess the sins of Israel, placing his hands upon that scapegoat, 
and then what would happen? They would drive that goat out 
into the wilderness. What a beautiful picture of expiation. The removal of sin. This substitute 
bears our iniquity and he runs out into the wilderness. It's 
a glorious concept. It's a wonderful thing that our 
Lord Jesus Christ fulfills. So we see the first promise in 
Genesis 3.15. Excuse me, the first instance of blood atonement 
in Genesis 3.21. We see an emphasis on substitution in Genesis 22. And then, fourthly, the covenantal 
identification. Again, we're seeking to answer 
the question, what would the Old Testament believers believe 
concerning this one who was going to come from the woman? Well, 
the Messiah would come from Israel. The Messiah would come from Israel. We learn that from the Abrahamic 
Covenant, don't we? It's not just a man, Genesis 
3.15, but it's an Israelite man. Genesis 22, Galatians chapter 
3 tells us that Christ is the seed of Abraham. So you see, 
the old covenant believer, even at this particular point, knew 
he would be a man, knew he would accomplish victory through suffering 
and death, knew that he would accomplish victory that would 
be decisive in nature, crushing the seed or the skull of the 
serpent himself. It would be affected by blood 
atonement, it would be affected through substitutionary atonement, 
and it would come from the line of Israel, or He would come from 
the line of Israel. The Mosaic Covenant, or the Covenant, 
the Old Covenant, the Messiah would fulfill what Israel failed. 
You need to appreciate that reality, especially in Matthew's Gospel, 
when Jesus is going about obeying the Father, He is the Israel 
of God. He is doing what Israel failed 
to do. Israel passed through the waters 
of the Red Sea. They then wandered in the wilderness, 
instead of depending upon God and learning well the lesson 
that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 
proceeds from the mouth of God. They sin against God, they grumble 
against God, they murmur against God. Well, Jesus passes through 
the waters of baptism. He goes out in the wilderness, 
led there by the Holy Spirit, in a place of severe testing 
and temptation and trial. And He passes! He fulfills it! He does what He's supposed to 
do! So he's not only going to come from Israel, he's going 
to obey what Israel failed to do, and then we get to the covenant 
with David, and we learn that from the nation of Israel, it 
would be focused upon the tribe of Judah, specifically the lineage 
of the family of David. See, brethren, it's not just 
some undefined reality. Well, we know there's a guy that's 
coming and he's going to deliver us. No, no, no. There's a whole 
lot of information that an old covenant believer had. That's 
why in John chapter 8, the Lord Christ can say, Abraham rejoiced 
to see my day. He saw it and he was glad. My 
day, Christ says. Do you understand that? Jesus 
says in John 5.39, you search the Scriptures, for in them you 
think you have eternal life, but these are they which testify 
of Me. Genesis 3.15, blood atonement, 
substitution, nation of Israel, fulfillment of the covenant made 
with Israel. As well, the Davidic line, all 
of this information was available. It was conspicuous. It wasn't 
undefined. In the fifth place, we have the 
psalmist's portrait of who the Messiah would be. Now, we could 
literally spend a lot of time here, but just a few thoughts. 
Psalm 2 tells us He's the eternally begotten Son. He's the eternally 
begotten Son. I will declare the decree, the 
Lord has said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten 
you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance 
and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break 
them with a rod of iron, you shall dash them to pieces like 
a potter's vessel." They knew it would be God's son. This is 
what the text specifies. The Lord God Almighty has said 
to me, you are my son. So, this reality is told us in 
the book of Psalms. Notice as well, He would be the 
crucified Savior. Psalm 22, it's a Psalm of the 
cross, brethren. I mean, there's no more conspicuous 
teaching on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ than Psalm 
22. It's just incredible. Notice 
in verse 16, For dogs have surrounded me, the congregation of the wicked 
has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my 
feet, I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me, they 
divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast 
lots. Of course the text of the psalm 
begins with, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This 
is specifically what our Lord Jesus cries from the cross at 
Calvary. So the psalmist sets forth Him 
as the eternally begotten Son, as the crucified Savior. Notice, 
as the God-man in Psalm 45. Psalm 45, verses 6 and 7. Your throne, O God, is forever 
and ever. A scepter of righteousness is 
the scepter of your kingdom. This is quoted in Hebrews chapter 
1 concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember a radio show many, many 
years ago. It was a band by the name of 
Dennis Prager. I've probably told you this before. 
Dennis Prager is actually still out there, and he's still doing 
whatever he does, but he's a Jewish man. He had a radio program in 
Los Angeles, and one time he had three religious figures on. There was a Jewish rabbi, a Roman 
Catholic priest, and a Protestant. I know it sounds like the lead-up 
to a joke. These Protestant rabbi and the priest and the pastor 
went into this radio show. And he asked these particular 
men about what is the bottom line that someone has to believe 
in order to be accepted in your faith. And it was quite an interesting 
discussion. Dr. Bonson was the Protestant 
pastor, and he did an extraordinary job. I mean, it was just splendid, 
just fabulous. If you can find it, Isaac, find 
it and send it out to everybody because it's really good. See 
him writing up there. He's going to search the archives 
and find it. That's good because it should 
be heard. But Bonson got most of the airtime. I think even Prager recognized 
that he had gold with Bonson. But with reference to the Jewish 
man, he denied that the old covenant scriptures taught that Messiah 
would be divine. Bonson says, I realize that theologically 
you are not committed to the reality that Jesus is the Messiah. 
I realize that you reject the whole concept that Jesus is the 
Messiah. But from a literary standpoint, 
if we ask the text of Scripture, what does the text of Scripture 
describe concerning the Messiah? You can't not escape the reality 
that it ascribes divinity to the Messiah. And this is one 
of those texts. Your throne, O God, is forever 
and ever. A scepter of righteousness is 
the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate 
wickedness. Now notice, therefore, God, your 
God, has anointed you. That's His humanity. The two 
natures in the one person, what we call the hypostatic union. According to His deity, you, 
your throne, O God, is forever and ever. According to His humanity, 
therefore, God, your God, has anointed you. This is why Jesus, 
post-resurrection, talks to Mary and says, I go to your God and 
my God. It's truly a beautiful ascription. Psalm 72 sets forth Messiah as 
a universal king. Yes, it's a song of Solomon, 
but it certainly points beyond Solomon. And then the king-priest of Psalm 
110. Psalm 110. You can turn there 
very specifically. Excuse me. Verse 1, the Lord 
said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. You know, I believe, brethren, there's an allusion 
to Genesis 3.15 right there. It's a text we cite often because 
the New Testament cites it often. The most quoted or alluded to 
text in all of the New Testament is Psalm 110, verse 1. Yahweh 
said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. What does that mean? It means the skull-crushing 
seat of the woman is going to destroy the serpent himself. The whole concept of Christ reigning 
and lowering His foot and making His enemies His footstool has 
in the background the promise of Genesis 3.15. He will crush 
the head of the serpent. It's truly amazing and truly 
glorious and truly beautiful. Notice in verse 4, the Lord is 
sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever according 
to the order of Melchizedek. So it starts off with a statement 
concerning his kingdom. He always said to my Lord, sit 
at my right hand. Doesn't that bespeak of his kingly 
office, Christ reigning at the right hand of the Father? And 
yet this king is also priest according to the order of Melchizedek. 
Brethren, the Old Testament saints didn't have some mystical, subjective, 
nebulous, foggy notion of what to expect. It was very concrete, 
it was very objective, and it was very solidified in the minds 
of the people of God, those who had believed. And then in the 
sixth place, the prophets' description. What did the prophets say concerning 
this coming one? Well, in the first place, he 
would be, one, born of a virgin, Isaiah 7, 14, and he would be 
born in Bethlehem, Micah 5, verse 2. Bethlehem was a less than 
glorious place, right? Bethlehem wasn't the capital, 
it wasn't the biggest and the best, but it is intriguing. That's 
where David hailed from as well, and so does David's greater son. 
I believe it's Bruce Waltke says that it's from a cradle in Bethlehem 
that the world is affected for good, both under the reign of 
David and under the reign of David's greater son. But we have 
one born of a virgin, and one born in Bethlehem. Secondly, 
the one who is a child born and who is mighty God, Isaiah 9, 
6. Most famous passage around December, to be sure, but it's 
certainly a passage that ought to thrill and encourage and strengthen 
our hearts. throughout the year. For unto 
us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government 
will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful, 
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Just 
so you can see the nature of his kingdom, look at verse 7, 
of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. 
upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it 
and establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward, 
even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." 
But back in verse 6, they were expecting a child to be born. They were expecting a son to 
be given. I hear an echo in John 3.16 of 
this particular text as well. Unto us a Son is given. Isn't this the point of John 
3.16? God so loved the world that He 
did what? He gave His only begotten Son. You see how the Bible coalesces? 
It coheres. There's an internal consistency. 
It testifies concerning the one Christ who is the one Savior 
for all sinners who God has chosen to be saved. It's a blessed unity, 
a consent of all the parts. It gives glory to God through 
the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus. But notice what we find. He is wonderful, counselor, mighty 
God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We recently went out 
and spoke to some Jehovah's Witnesses over there on Yale Road, and 
they always go to this. Well, He's mighty God, but He's 
not almighty God. Okay, so you've got two gods. 
You're plural, pluralist. You're polytheist. Oh, no, no, 
no, no. I don't know how you can avoid the implication. If you have an almighty God and 
a mighty God, you are a polytheist. You believe in at least a bi-theistic 
system. But just look at what this text 
says. I love what Owen comments concerning 
this. He's a child born, a son given, 
and he's mighty God. Owen says that the same person 
should be the mighty God, and a child born is neither conceivable 
or possible, nor can be true, but by the union of the divine 
and human natures in the same person. You see, that's a beautiful 
expression of what's called the hypostatic union. In the third 
place, Isaiah the prophet sets forth Christ as the suffering 
servant. Isaiah 52 and 53, the fourth 
servant song of Isaiah the prophet. Now, the servant, of course, 
is the Lord Jesus Christ. If there's any doubt whatsoever, 
take Philip as a wonderful exemplar of biblical hermeneutics. In 
Acts 8, The Ethiopian eunuch is reading Isaiah the prophet, 
chapter 53. And he asks Philip, of whom does the prophet speak? 
Is he speaking about himself? Is he speaking about Israel? 
And what does the text say? And Philip, from this passage, 
preached Jesus to him. So Isaiah 53 is a wonderful statement 
concerning substitutionary atonement, blood atonement, the reality 
that the Lord God Most High sent His Son into this world, sinners, 
to save. Note the language of substitution, 
specifically in verses 4 to 6. Surely He has borne our griefs 
and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten 
by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, 
He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace 
was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, 
have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his 
own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 
Note verse 10. Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise 
him. He has put him to grief. When 
you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, 
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall 
prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his 
soul and be satisfied by his knowledge. My righteous servant 
shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." And then 
verse 12 at the end. And he bore the sin of many and 
made intercession for the transgressions." Isaiah 53 doesn't come in a vacuum. It's not the only piece of data 
they ever received. They had Genesis 3.15, they had 
Genesis chapter 22, they had Genesis chapter 22 with reference 
to the Abrahamic, Genesis 17 rather, and 15N. 22, with reference 
to the Abrahamic covenant. They had the Old Testament scriptures 
that informed their faith so that they were looking specifically 
to this one described in the Psalms, described in the prophets. He would be, according to the 
prophet Jeremiah, 23, 5 and 6, the Lord our righteousness. I 
quite like this particular title of our Lord. Jeremiah 23, verse 5, Behold, 
the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David 
a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper 
and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his days Judah 
will be saved and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is his 
name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. Isn't that a most beautiful term 
of endearment for the saint to address his Savior with? He is 
the Lord our righteousness. By virtue of his finished work 
on our behalf, we have a righteousness that avails with God Almighty. The prophet Daniel tells us that 
he would be the one who ascends, or rather he comes to the Ancient 
of Days and receives a kingdom. The prophet Daniel in Daniel 
9, 24-27 tells us he would be the Messiah who would be cut 
off to accomplish redemption. And then the branch of Zechariah 
chapter 6, that branch that would build the temple, the very house 
of God. Zechariah 6, 12, Behold, the man whose name is 
the branch, from his place he shall branch out, and he shall 
build the temple of the Lord. Yes, he shall build the temple 
of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and 
shall sit and rule on his throne. So he shall be a priest on his 
throne, and the council of peace shall be between them both. He 
builds the temple of the Lord. So you see, just with these few 
references, we don't have to spend a lot of time on this, 
but you see what they saw? You see what they believed in? 
You see what they had? They didn't have some sort of 
nebulous concept of a possible Redeemer to come. It was clearly 
defined, and it fed the faith of the faithful at the time that 
the prophets would come and write. When we come to the New Testament, 
we see them everywhere affirming those Old Testament inscriptions 
to our Lord Jesus. You have the evangelists, Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John. Let's just look specifically 
at the Lord Christ's affirmation. Notice in Luke 24. Two passages 
that get a lot of play in our pulpit and in our confession 
study as well they should. Luke 24, specifically verses 
25 to 27. Then Jesus said to them, O foolish 
ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have 
spoken. Notice that. Their failure to recognize what 
was going on brought upon them the indictment of being foolish. 
The data was there. The material was available. The 
Old Testament was written. It was written to be understood. 
He says, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all 
that the prophets have spoken. Ought not the Christ to have 
suffered these things and to enter into His glory? Jesus says 
the Old Testament Scriptures in and of themselves are sufficient 
to inform someone that the Christ ought to suffer and enter into 
His glory. And then in verse 27, beginning 
at Moses, that's Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 
Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them 
in all the Scriptures the things, what? Concerning Himself. Now, 
I nag you often with reference to the Old Testament. Don't neglect 
it. Please don't neglect your Old 
Testaments. Please do not not read your Old Testament. Be in 
the Scriptures, brethren, because they testify of Christ. Notice 
in 44, then he said to them, these are the words which I spoke 
to you while I was still with you, that all things must be 
fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets 
and the Psalms concerning me. It's the threefold division of 
the Hebrew canon. They don't call it the Old Testament. 
Remember, they don't receive the New Testament. They call 
it the Tanakh, the Torah, the Navaim and the Ketuvim, the TNK. That's the threefold division 
in the Hebrew canon, and this is precisely how Christ addresses 
it. These things were written in 
the Law of Moses, Torah, the Prophets, Nevi'im, and the Psalms, 
the Ketuvim. The Psalms are in that body called 
the Writings. So the Law, the Prophets, and 
the Writings. Notice in verse 45, and he opened 
their understanding. that they might comprehend the 
Scriptures. Then he said to them, Thus it 
is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and 
to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and 
remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning 
at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these 
things. Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry 
in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from 
on high. And of course, we could turn 
to the preaching of Philip. I already alluded to that in 
Acts 8.35. The preaching of Peter in Acts 
10.43. We really should at least look 
at that one quickly. 10.43, Peter preaching to the 
household of Cornelius. He makes this statement concerning 
the blessed Lord. Verse 43, to him, all the prophets 
witnessed that through his name, whoever believes in him will 
receive remission of sins. They not only had the concept 
that he would be a man born of a woman, not only had the concept 
that he would accomplish victory through suffering and death, 
not only had the concept that his victory would be total and 
decisive, not only had the concept of blood atonement and substitutionary 
atonement, not only had the concept from the Psalms and the Prophets, 
but they also knew that faith in him was the way of salvation. 
It was faith in Christ that meant salvation. It was faith in the 
Messiah. How were Old Testament believers 
saved? It was through faith, brethren. 
They weren't saved by virtue of the Old Covenant. The Old 
Covenant said, do this and live. The New Covenant says, Christ 
has done this, believe and live, right? It was not in virtue of 
or by virtue of obedience to the old covenant, but rather 
it was what Christ accomplished that had retrospective benefit 
for those old covenant saints. And then just one final passage. 
We could scurry the letters of the Apostle Paul to see these, 
or scurry, I don't know, survey these themes and see him totally 
flesh out. that the Old Testament spoke 
of Christ. There's a wonderful testimony in Acts 28.20. We'll 
begin reading in verse 17. This is Paul. He's been arrested, 
and he's in Rome, and some Jews want to hear what he has to say. 2817, and it came to pass after three 
days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when 
they had come together, he said to them, men and brethren, though 
I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our 
fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem 
into the hands of the Romans, who when they had examined me, 
wanted to let me go because there was no cause for putting me to 
death. But when the Jews spoke against it, remember I said this 
morning that the first primary persecutor of the Church of Jesus 
Christ were the Jews? That's what he's saying. The 
Romans wanted to let me go. Early on in Christianity, Rome 
looked at Christianity as a subset of Judaism. They didn't mess 
with Judaism, they wouldn't mess with the subset. Later on, as 
Christianity emerges as something that's obviously not a subset 
of Judaism and becomes a perceived threat to the empire, well then 
the empire turns up the heat of persecution against the Christians. But the first persecution was 
on believing Israel. But when the Jews spoke against 
it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything 
of which to accuse my nation. For this reason, therefore, I 
have called for you to see you and speak with you. Why? Because 
for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain." It's the hope 
of Israel. It's always been this way. We've 
always looked forward to this Genesis 3.15 man. We've always looked forward to 
blood atonement. We've always looked forward to 
substitution. We've always known that the Lord 
God would provide. We've always known that He would 
be eternally begotten of the Father, that He would be this 
King-Priest, that He would be this mighty God, that He would 
be this Prince of Peace. We've always known that He would 
be the Temple-Builder. We've known these things. He 
is indeed the hope of Israel. And what Paul says to these Jews 
is beautiful. It's not him that's messed up 
with reference to the interpretation of the Old Testament. It's them. They have rejected the messianic 
reading. They have rejected the Messiah 
Himself. They have bought into the idea 
that it would be carnal, that it would be earthly, that Jesus 
or the Messiah would come and subjugate the Roman government 
and make it wonderful for Jews in the first century. No, it 
was a spiritual reign, a spiritual kingdom, a gracious influence 
of the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. It was the hope 
of Israel that brought Paul to this particular place, and it's 
the hope of Israel that brings us to the table tonight. This 
one, told in Genesis 3.15. This one, fleshed out throughout 
the Old Covenant Scriptures, come to realization and fulfillment 
in the New Covenant Scriptures. It's because of what Christ has 
done that we take and that we eat. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the Lord Jesus 
Christ. We see He is the One in whom 
all the Scriptures cohere. He is the One. As the universe 
consists, so does the Bible itself. He is the scope, and we praise 
You for Him, and we praise You for the redemption that we have 
in Him. And we would pray tonight that as we eat this bread and 
as we drink this cup, we would proclaim His death. We would 
remember with great joy His resurrection. and that our hearts would be 
warmed at the thought of His coming again in glory. We thank 
you, our Father, for so great a salvation, and we pray that 
you would continue with us as a church, cause us to use these 
means that you have provided. It's a blessed thing that you 
have done for us, and I pray that we would obey you in this 
ordinance, and we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.