God's Last Words

“History of the World, Part 1”

John 12: 12-16 NRSV

Have I ever told you that when I went to college I minored in English and History?

There was a time in my life when I would have told you that my desire was to become a History teacher. But I got caught up in life and lived it instead of teaching it.

I once thought that if I had been born 1000 years ago I would think of all the history that I wouldn't have to learn! And all the stupid jokes History majors told each other:

What kind of music did the Pilgrims like? Plymouth Rock

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims

How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it. 

Why does history keep repeating itself ? Because you weren't listening the first time! 

You get the idea. History buffs aren’t usually the sharpest knife in the drawer.

But this Sunday and next Sunday are the two biggest church days of the year. Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.

But if you just come to church these 2 Sundays a year you miss out on the whole history of the church and God’s relationship to humanity and His creation. There’s a whole more going on than a reception party followed by a torture session for an itinerant preacher living in the Middle East running afoul of the Roman Empire.

Let’s look at our first historical anchor point from our Gospel passage for today:

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.

Today I want to show you why Palm and Easter Sundays’ where necessary and where they fit in the true human history of the world:

There’s actually a pre-history: God created the angels and other necessary spiritual powers for the purpose of attending His throne and fulfilling His will. God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has always existed.

The angel Lucifer was created as Ezekiel tells us, “Lucifer, the guardian Cherub that covers the Throne of God.” Isaiah calls him, “hȇlȇl ben Śāhar,” or Lucifer, son of the Morning Star.

We are told that Lucifer begins to think he is as God and begins to rebel against God the Father.

Our timeline begins 6000 years ago with the earthly Creation story and God’s making of Adam and Eve. Everything was perfect and God walked with man in the garden in “the cool of the day.”

In Genesis 3 we have the story of humanity’s fall from perfection as Adam and Eve are “encouraged/enticed” to, by Lucifer posing as a serpent, who Ezekiel tells us was assigned as a guardian cherub in the Garden, eat of a forbidden fruit.

Genesis 3: 8-15 - And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

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. (NKJV)

  

Thus begins a battle between God and Satan for mastery of God’s creation. Satan’s efforts are designed to destroy God’s creation genetically and spiritually. God promises Adam and Eve that that a “Kinsman redeemer” will come that will defeat Satan.

Genesis 6 tells the story of Satan’s almost victory by destroying any hope of a Kinsman redeemer to come. God salvages His plan by the Ark and Noah.

GENESIS 6: 1-13: And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

     

And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (NKJV)

God chooses/separates Abram then makes a covenant with the newly named Abraham who will become a “great nation whereby the Kinsman Redeemer” will come.

Thus begins a saga of trials, tribulations, famine, triumphs, defeats, wars, intrigue, infidelity, passion, great faith and great apostasy, and love culminating in the story of the Hebrews-Israelites. The process of separation-purification-judgment-

redemption will be a recurring theme.

We have just jumped through about 4 to 5 thousand years to get to the foretold birth of Yeshua (Jesus) in about 4 bc. Jesus’ ancestry can be traced directly back to Adam and Eve through Abraham and King David.

We know he meets every requirement as “Kinsman Redeemer!”

Further proof is Mary, Jesus’ mother, became pregnant when quickened by the Holy Spirit of God, who furnished the genetic materials needed for physical perfection just as Adam and Eve were perfect.

We know that Jesus overcame Satan’s temptations unlike Adam and Eve.

Jesus’ actions, ministry, and teachings GLORIFIED THE FATHER IN ALL THINGS; JESUS BECAME THE SECOND ADAM. HE enters Jerusalem as prophecy says He would (Riding a donkey’s colt).

We are now at the point where we see the culmination of God’s covenant cycle which now pertains to both Jew and gentile:

Separation (Calling Out)

Purification (Spiritual Genetics)

Judgment (Commitment & Example)

Redemption (Sanctification).