Do You See What I See?
Do You See What Moses Saw?
Genesis 3:15; 22:18; 49:10
November 30, 2003
Intro:
A. [You’re Not God, Citation: Laura Lee Allen, Daytona Beach Shores, FL, Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."]
During Sunday school, our pastor, who was teaching the adult class, selected a middle-aged couple to act out the burning bush scene from the Old Testament. The husband was asked to supply the voice for God and his wife would read Moses’ lines.
All went well until they got to verse 15. The wife, as Moses, mistook her husband’s dialogue for her own and read, "Say to the Israelites, ’The Lord, the God of your fathers--’"
The pastor interrupted her. "Wait a minute. You’re not God."
Without missing a beat, her husband deadpanned, "I’ve been trying to tell her that for 18 years."
B. This has been a great year in our study of God’s Word together!
1. We started our study of 1 Corinthians on January 5.
2. We had a few special sermons for Palm Sunday, Easter, and the fourth of July.
3. We finished 1 Corinthians on August 3.
4. We started the OT book of Nehemiah on August 10 and ended on September 28.
5. We then moved to a topical series that I called, “Lesson on Faith from the Lord’s Model Prayer.”
6. That study began on October 5 and ended two weeks ago on November 16.
7. We had a special Thanksgiving Worship service last Sunday.
8. Today, we begin a Christmas series that will run the next four weeks.
9. This series is called, “Do You See What I See?”
10. Each week we will look at some prophecies that were made by OT prophets about the coming Messiah.
11. Today we are going to look at three prophecies of Christ recorded by Moses.
12. It is entitled, “Do You See What Moses Saw?”
13. We will look at three prophecies about Christ that Moses made.
14. The next three sermons will be in a similar vein, leaving one sermon on December 28, which is yet to be determined.
15. So that means we spent seven months on 1 Corinthians, seven weeks on Nehemiah, seven weeks on Faith, and four weeks on Christmas; plus Palm Sunday, Easter, fourth of July, and New Year’s.
16. It has been a very good year in our study of God’s Word together!
17. So today let’s see if we can see what Moses saw…
I. Moses saw that this Baby would save all nations.
Genesis 3:15 (NIV), And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
A. Now of course, Moses did not make this prediction, nor was he even there when it was made.
1. But the HS revealed it to Moses, just like He revealed every other prophecy.
2. The HS revealed it to Moses who wrote this prophecy down and recorded it as the Word of God in this book that we now call, “Genesis.”
B. Now let’s look at the specifics of this prophecy because I know some of you are wondering how in the world this could have anything to do with Christ…
1. First God said to the snake (Satan) “I will put enmity (hatred) between you (Satan) and the woman (Eve and womankind)…
2. Furthermore, God said that he would put enmity (hatred) between his offspring (his demons) and hers (her descendents and one descendent specifically), he (that one specific descendent, Jesus) will crush your (Satan’s) head (by rising from the dead), and you (Satan) will strike his (Christ’s) heel (by crucifying Him).
C. Do you see what Moses saw when he recorded this prophecy, given by God right there in the Garden of Eden?
1. Moses saw that immediately following man’s sin and punishment for sin, God announced a coming Savior!
2. Immediately following the punishment of the man and woman, God announced to the serpent that He was going to send a Savior!
3. God was going to send a Seed or offspring of the woman that was going to save people from the eternal penalty of their sin!
D. Moses saw that this Baby would save all nations.
1. Moses saw that this Baby would save people from their sin.
2. Moses saw that even though Satan would crucify Christ, Christ would triumph over Him by rising from the dead!
3. Moses saw that by believing in this Savior, He would save all people from their sin.
4. Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV), …an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
5. Luke 2:8-11 (NIV), And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
4. Moses saw that this Baby would save all nations from their sin.
5. Do you see what Moses saw?
II. Moses saw that this Baby would bless all nations.
Genesis 22:18 (NIV), and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
A. Now Genesis 22 is the story of the testing of Abraham’s faith.
1. Moses records for us the severe testing that Abraham endured.
2. Verse 1 says that God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac.
3. Now for the past 30 or 40 years, God has been impressing upon Him the fact that God was gong to make his descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky.
4. But the deal was that Abraham and Sarah had had no children.
5. They got together and decided that since Sarah was barren, Abraham should have a child through Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar.
6. Hagar bore Abraham Ishmael (which is where we get the modern-day Muslims).
7. But God said that even though Ishmael would indeed be blessed, Isaac would be the one through whom He would establish His everlasting covenant. (17:19)
8. And when we come to chapter 22 we see that God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice the son that He had promised to establish the everlasting covenant through.
9. Abraham was faithful to the point of taking Isaac to the mountain, tying him up, building the altar, and raising his had to slay the boy.
10. But an angel of the Lord called out to stop him; Abraham had passed the test.
11. Then the angel again said that God would bless him and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.
12. And then God said in verse 18 that through Abraham’s’ offspring (or seed) all nations on earth would be blessed because Abraham had obeyed God.
B. That word for seed or offspring is the very same Hebrew word (zera) which was used in Genesis 3:15.
1. That seed, we already know, is Jesus Christ.
2. Therefore God was saying (and Moses was recording for us) that through Abraham’s offspring (Jesus) all nations on earth would be blessed.
C. Moses saw that this Baby would bless all nations.
1. Galatians 3:8 (NIV), The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."
2. Revelation 15:2-4 (NIV), And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. 4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
3. Moses saw that this baby would bless all nations.
4. Do you see what Moses saw?
III. Moses saw that this Baby would rule all nations.
Genesis 49:10 (NIV), The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
A. Now Genesis 49 is the end of Jacob’s life and he has lined up his 12 sons in order to give them their final blessing.
1. In Jacob’s final blessing of his son, Judah, he made this prophetic announcement.
2. In Jacob’s final blessing of his son, Judah, Jacob said that the scepter (or king’s rule) would not depart from Judah (or the King will always be from the tribe of Judah).
3. In Jacob’s final blessing of his son, Judah, Jacob said that the ruler’s staff would never depart from Judah’s family line.
4. In Jacob’s final blessing of his son, Judah, Jacob said that the rule would not depart form the tribe of Judah until He (Jesus) comes to whom it belongs.
5. In Jacob’s final blessing of his son, Judah, Jacob said the obedience of the nations would belong to Christ.
B. Moses saw that this Baby would rule all nations.
1. Revelation 5:1-5 (NIV), Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
2. Revelation 11:15 (NIV), The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
3. Luke 1:30-33 (NIV), But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
4. Moses saw that this Baby would rule all nations.
Conclusion:
A. Do you see what Moses saw?
1. Moses saw that this Baby would save all nations.
2. Moses saw that this Baby would bless all nations.
3. Moses saw that this Baby would rule all nations.
B. Have you allowed this Baby to do this for you?
1. Has this Baby saved you from your sins?
2. Does this Baby bless your life?
3. Does this Baby rule your life?
