your life and lifestyle to certainly worship Christ. Let's worship him as he's found in the pages of God's Word. We're going through the book of Genesis so you can turn to Genesis 12. But I'm going to make another stop before we get there so you can turn also to Luke chapter 24. I was just going to tell you that story, but you know, it might just be better to read it the way Luke recorded it for us. Two thousand years ago, Luke chapter 24, by way of introduction to our Genesis 12. Luke 24, beginning in verse 13, this is An incredibly fascinating story that deals with one of the post-resurrection appearances in which Christ met a couple men just outside of Jerusalem. Imagine the scene and the setting. All that went on in Jerusalem in the crucifixion of Christ and all the chaos and commotion that was going on. Passover time, thousands of people, And now we hone in on just two. Two that were traveling. Verse 13 of Luke 24. Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together and all these things that had happened. So, it was while they conversed and reasoned that Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained so that they didn't know him. And he said to them, what kind of conversation is this that you are having with one another as you walk and are sad? And then one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to him, are you the only stranger in Jerusalem? And you haven't, and you not, and you not known the things which have happened there in these days? And he said to them, what things? So they said to them, the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we were hoping it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since all these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company who arrived at the tomb early astonished us when they didn't find his body. And they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels. He said he was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But him they did see. And then This is Jesus speaking now. He said to them, O foolish ones, and slow apart to believe in all the prophets that have spoken. Ought not the Christ who has suffered these things and to enter into his glory? Note verse 27. And beginning at Moses and then all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. I find this fascinating. Wouldn't you like to know the trajectory which Jesus took beginning with Moses again affirming the authorship of the book of Genesis in the first five books. They were often called the book of Moses or the Pentateuch we call it today. The last books, you know, the major and the minor prophets, not that one's more important than the other, but that one's larger than the other as far as the volume of work. And right in the middle is the wisdom literature. And so when Jesus says here, beginning at Moses, the beginning of the Bible that they knew in that day, The New Testament wasn't written at this time. And then the prophets, He's going to the very end. In other words, you can trace through the Word of God these things and none of what had just happened should actually have been a surprise to you. You should have known it all along. Jesus carves out this pathway through the Old Testament. I'd like to have that as a gospel track, wouldn't you? Might help with witnessing to Jewish people, wouldn't it? I always wondered, you know, what path exactly He took. I doubt he could sit there and read the entire thing. Certainly he expounded on some passages along the way. I suppose if we had those, perhaps we wouldn't read any others and we would worship those passages or make them red letters or something, huh? But I digress. I don't know. We don't have that pathway that Jesus carved out. Maybe it's to cause us to look for it. Maybe that's it. That we, as we go to the Old Testament, should never forget that from the very beginning to the very end, it is displaying the redemption of God in the redeeming of His people through a particular person, and that is Jesus Christ. It isn't redemption in general. It's specific. The first stop along the way, at least one of the major stepping stones that certainly would be exposed, is the passage that we've dealt with a long time. Now you can turn back to Genesis. Genesis 3.15, and if you don't have that memorized or marked in your mind, you need to, because this is the first clear explanation of the gospel beginning in Moses. 3.15. This is the curse. that God puts on Satan. And in this curse, he gives a promise. And that's the word we're looking for today. Promise. He gives a promise. This is the promise that God gives. And I will put enmity between you and the woman. He's speaking of Satan and mankind. And between your seed and her seed. Note the word seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. Well, we understand, as Scripture unfolds, who is that seed? Who is that descendant that will indeed crush the works of the devil, crush Satan's head, but yet be bruised on a cross? It's Jesus Christ. Now we get to the text where we're at in Genesis 12. And this is the next high-water mark. The next major stepping stone that needs to be marked out along the pathway of the gospel through the Old Testament, and that is in 12.3. I'm going to read it to you in the context in which it's given. And it also is a promise. A promise here given specifically to Abram. The first one was to Adam. In context 12, beginning verse one, now the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. And you should be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you. And this is what you need to underline. And in you, all the families, of the earth shall be blessed. Let's pray. Father, I pray the significance of your word, this truth, this gospel message will sink down deep in our hearts. May we be forever changed by contemplating on this promise today. I pray in Christ's name. Amen. This is the second major stepping stone in the Old Testament. It's a pillar that supports the bridge of revelation to the fullness of the Gospel and to Messiah, Jesus Christ in particular. This is the Gospel, this phrase, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed is the gospel about Jesus Christ the Messiah. Do you see it? Well, now you think, well, okay, I think how you can kind of make that the point, but it doesn't look all that clear to me. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Well, I do know that's true, and I'm not committing ISIS to Jesus. Because I want to let you know this morning, when I went to study this passage, I pulled out my inspired commentary. You jest. You laugh. You think I'm jesting. I'm not. I have an inspired commentary. It's downstairs in my office. I brought it with me this morning. I see that some of you brought yours with you too. It's the book of Galatians. I invite you to turn to Galatians chapter 3. You see, we have an inspired comment and commentary on this very passage. So why go to any other? We'll spend most of our time now in this inspired commentary, the book of Galatians. We may reference back and forth with Genesis. You get the point. The verse that we're talking about, it's explained in Galatians chapter 3. In particular, I want you to note verse 8 of chapter 3. Here's Paul speaking to the church at Galatia. And here's what he says. And the scripture, in other words, the word of God, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the what? The gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying in you, all the nations shall be blessed. Yes, that is indeed the gospel. The gospel preached to Abraham. The heart of the gospel, we know, and what Paul is describing in Galatians is justification by faith. And that justification, declaration of righteousness, is a matter of trust and belief as opposed to engaging in religious rituals. There were those in Galatia that came from a Jewish faith and practice that was engaged in all kinds of rituals that they had to practice as part of Judaism. And now they thought, well, in preaching this gospel, what needs to happen first is the Gentiles need to practice Judaism first, become like us, and when they do that, then they can be into the household of faith. As if you had to somehow merit your qualification to be saved in Christ. That, my friend, is a serious, serious heresy and violation. Paul addressed that at the very beginning of the book of Galatians in the letter to them, if you want to turn back to chapter one. Paul's statement to him in verse six of chapter one, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a, note this, different gospel. Something different than the gospel that was preached to Abraham, something different than the gospel that's preached to Adam, something different than the gospel preached today. This is a huge problem. Because, verse 7, it's not another, but there's some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But listen, even if we, or an angel from heaven, can you put the angel Moroni there, if you wish? The Mormon preacher who says there's a different gospel. Maybe you can say a different prophet, the prophet Mohammed, who wants to give a different gospel. But even if we do this, and even if indeed this angel was from heaven, If he preaches something different, let him be accursed. Anathema. Be damned eternally to hell is what that word means. And if you didn't get it the first time, he repeats it, as we said before. So now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. If you had an opportunity to read this book of Galatians, you would note that really Paul starts out harsh and continues harsh all the way through it. It's really a scathing letter to the church. No commendation is given to the church about, OK, you're doing pretty good on this, that, the other thing. No, it begins with an incredible challenge and it continues all the way through. You can compare that, or should I say contrast really, with a book a letter to the church at Corinth. Remember those folks? If you're familiar at all with that book, they were engaged in all kinds of serious problems. All kinds of immorality was going on in the church of Corinth. And Paul had to challenge them. But you know, in the book of Corinthians, he actually commends them on several things. None of that is done here in the book to the Galatians. I would say, listen, folks, that. It's a more serious offense. OK, immorality is bad, that's for sure. But perverting the gospel is damning. It will subject you to eternal. Judgment. Traditions that are. being added or something added to the gospel, things of human achievement. And God has always demonstrated from the very beginning, 315 and 12.3 both in Genesis, that salvation is a gift of God. It's a matter of a promise, not individual performance. It's a blessing. It is something through faith. given to not just this Jewish people and this Jewish tradition, but in 12.3 what? All nations, all people groups, everyone saved the same way by receiving this promise, the same promise that Abraham received. Grace through faith. This blessing here then is mentioned in 12.3 that all the nations will be blessed. It relates directly to the gospel. So our understanding then as we go back here and look at this text in Genesis, keep your finger in Galatians, we'll be back and forth, is we need to understand this blessing in the fuller sense, at least in the sense that Paul understood this blessing as it's mentioned. I really have three questions that I'm going to pose this morning. Back on your worship folder you can see the outline and jot down a scripture or two to study later if you wish. The first one, what is this blessing that's spoken of here in 12.3 of Genesis? And then the second question I have, well, okay, why is it needed? Why does everyone need this blessing? And thirdly, how can we indeed receive this blessing? First, what is this blessing? The word itself, if you were to look it up in a Hebrew dictionary, brach means divine favor. Think of it that way. Something given by God. In fact, that's exactly how it's used in the eight times prior to our text in 12.3 of Genesis. It's first found in Genesis 1.22 where God, speaking to Adam and Eve, says, He blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply. You can find it also in 1.28 where God again, it is God blessing them and saying have not only be fruitful multiplied but have dominion over the earth to Adam and Eve. In 2.3 God blesses the seventh day and sanctifies it. You see the trend God's divine favor that's this blessing how it's associated. 5.2 He created them male and female and blessed them. 9.1 So God blessed Noah and his son, this is after the flood, and reaffirmed that directive that he gave to Adam and said, be fruitful and multiply. God blessed them and gave them the ability to do that. In 9.26, here's someone speaking to God that indeed God is blessed. It said, blessed be the Lord. Now you find it in 12.2 Where God says specifically to Abram, I will bless you and then you will be a blessing because I have blessed you. And now we get to 12.3, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. You get the picture? This is divine favor towards mankind. What divine favor, however, is in particular view in 12.3? It's the gospel. The particular blessing that is in view is the divine favor of the gospel. It is justification by faith. Again, let's go back to our inspired commentary. Galatians chapter 3 and verse 8, that verse that you had looked at a moment ago. Scripture foreseeing God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Preach the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying in you all the nations shall be blessed. Notice how Paul uses the Scripture here. He says Scripture foreseeing that God. It's a personification of Scripture because this book friend, the book that you have in your lap, is God's very word, and it can be used interchangeably in that way. If Scripture says it, God says it. When the text of Scripture speaks, it is the very word of God. Do you want to hear from God? Do you want to get a word from him? You have 66 books. Start reading. Start listening. He has much to say to you. This is why we honor God's word here and make it a priority in what we do, because indeed we wish to hear clearly from him. But what is his word saying here in particular in 12.3? This blessing. Of justification before God. Salvation from the consequences of sin, if you will. Is accomplished. By God, it is a promise of God and delivered through faith. Salvation. Is about a promise. Not your performance. That's how Abraham was saved. And that's how all people groups. That follow Abraham. Whether they are part of a Jewish tradition or a non-Jewish tradition, it matters not, because in Him all nations would receive this blessing by faith. Jesus had to deal with the religious elite in his day who thought that somehow that they would receive the kingdom of God, the blessings of God, somehow that they would merit that by their righteous acts, by their performance, by what they did. And they were very diligent in what they did. But here, beginning at the very beginning, beginning with Moses, salvation is going to come from how? A promise, not performance. Jesus talking to the religious elite of his day, they had a huge problem with that. Jesus in John 8, 56 points back to their recognized father Abraham and said, Abraham rejoiced to see my day and was glad. You see, Abraham received a promise. He knew that that promise blessing would be salvation to all nations. And it would come through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. How did he see him? How did Abraham see this promise blessing? All nations would be blessed through his lineage. All nations would get divine favor from his seed. Abram knew about the promise to Adam in 315 about that seed and a divine seed coming forth to crush the head of Satan. And now this promise is reinforced that it will be through Abram's line. So Abram knew that This seed had to be a man. The blessing will come through a human being, a man. But when you think about it, how are we going to get divine favor from a fallen man? In fact, all of the seed of Adam and all of the seed of Noah and truly all the seed of Abraham turned out to be improved. to be fallen man. This source of blessing has to come from an unfallen man. And he couldn't be a man that was bound in time. Because how indeed would he have blessed all nations? All nations that preceded Abraham and all nations that would follow Abraham? No. promise, seed, needed to be an eternal man. He would have to be the God-man, God incarnate, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Lord, Sovereign King. The reformer Martin Luther said in his commentary on 12.3, his was uninspired by the way, But very good. As he was moved to ponder on this simple truth and think through it in this way, he said that it should be written in golden letters. 12-3 of Genesis. It should be written in golden letters and should be extolled in the languages of all the people. For who else has dispensed this blessing among all the nations except the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ? Yeah, Abraham saw that message in golden letters and rejoiced in the day to see the Messiah that would come thousands of years later. He rejoiced and had great joy. I read this verse this morning. I've read it all week. And my level of joy doesn't compare to the joy this should cause to arise in my heart. Maybe a little. You pray that God would grant you the joy to see the blessing of this promise. It's absolutely incredible. But most people though, we hardly give it much of a notice here. We do some and as it's talked about, as we've thought about it perhaps, A sense of joy went in your heart, but most people right now in Chattanooga, Tennessee could care less about this promise. Most people in Tennessee could care less about this promise. Most people in America could absolutely care less about this promise. Most people in the world hardly shrug their shoulders. at this incredible promise. That ought to be put on Twitter and repeated over and over again, but it won't be. The fact that we don't see the glorious gospel here in this truth and this promise, the reason it doesn't grip the heart of man today, Because it demonstrates the deadness of the human soul. And the indifference to a promise made by a holy God, not to just a man, and not just to an ethnic group, but to all nations. Are you kidding? The holy God has given a promise to all mankind. And that brings me to the second question is really why is this blessing needed? Well, it's needed because of what I just said here at the end, minutes ago. It's needed because the deadness to it demonstrates the deadness of the human soul. And man is under a curse. It's good news because all men are under a curse. They're born that way. In Galatians, look at verse 10. For as many as are the works of the law are under the curse, for it's written, Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them." What's Paul talking about? He's demonstrating you need a blessing because all men are under a curse. What curse? The curse of the law. Deuteronomy 27, 26 is what he's quoting. Deuteronomy is often called the second law. That's the word Deuteronomy. It's a reaffirmation of the law to God's people. Deuteronomy 27, 26, Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law. The response of the people were yes, amen. What law? All of God's law and the Ten Commandments in particular. I remember I was teaching this one time in a Sunday school class. We read through the Ten Commandments and I said, do you know what the penalty of breaking these Ten Commandments are? And this was a group of people that had been going to church, not just going to church, but going to Sunday school for a long time. All of them were at least 10 years my senior and not a single word in that class. I was disheartened to a degree. You don't have to speak out loud, but do you know? If you have a MacArthur study Bible, they have a nice little chart here in Exodus 20 to look at. It's worthwhile to see. But I'll go ahead and tell you what it is. Out of just the Ten Commandments, which really summarize all of the law, the first one was don't worship another god. Penalty? Death. You'll find it in Exodus 22, 20 and Deuteronomy 6, 13-15. Don't even make a graven image that kind of looks like me. And worship it and say it's me. It's not. That's commandment number two. Death penalty for doing that. Deuteronomy 27, 15. Swearing. Taking the Lord's name in vain, which seems to be a popular thing in our day. Turn on a little bit of television. Better off not, perhaps. Death penalty. Leviticus 24, 15 and 16. The Sabbath day, which they were commanded to keep. What happens if you don't worship on the Sabbath? Death penalty. Numbers 15, 32 through 36. By the way, this is the only one of the ten that's actually not repeated in the New Testament. Someone asked me that the other day. Do you hold to the London Confession of Faith? Well, the only thing I don't like is the word Sabbath because we worship on the Lord's Day. Colossians 2.16 nullifies someone worshipping on the Sabbath day. I just choose not to use that word. I respect the Lord's Day. It's a special day. Commandment number five, obedience to parents. Death penalty. Exodus 21.15. Murder, well, we would know that. Exodus 12, 12, or 21, 12, death penalty. Adultery, Leviticus 20, 10 is the death penalty. Theft, 21, 16 of Exodus, death penalty. False witness, Deuteronomy 18, 16 through 21, the death penalty. The only one that's not specifically listed as the death penalty, that you won't find a scripture text for it, is coveting. But I suppose some of these other things could be involved with coveting too, could they not? Especially when it comes to adultery and theft. I'm not against the Ten Commandments. Trust me, I like them. I like writing them, having them out. But I always wonder sometimes when I see people with a yard sign, you know, with the Ten Commandments, and it's okay to do that. I like the Ten Commandments. That's a good thing. But I hope when you look at it, you don't see that as something that you are actually doing. Really what that ought to read is guilty. You know how they put the for sale sign in the house? Put the Ten Commandments in front of your house and what it says is guilty. Most people that would plant that thing and most people that would affirm that thing in our country form these things which all of these are good things to affirm for sure. But most people look at those things and say, yeah, I'm a good person. I'm not under that curse of the law, which we could read through in the Old Testament. And here's the death penalty, death penalty, death penalty. Yeah, I've done some of those, but I'm not under the curse of the law. I'm a good person. So most folks think, go out and tell them about the gospel and see what you hear. Ask them if God would accept them into heaven. And they say, yeah, I'm a pretty good person. And you ask them, well, have you ever lied? Yeah. You ever lusted? Yeah. You ever take something that wasn't yours? Well, a long time ago, when I was a kid. You ever take the Lord's name in vain? You see, you can go one right after another. What does it make you? A lying, lusting, blaspheming thief is what it makes you. That's why James says, thanks for reading the whole book of James this morning, Tim. Because James 2.10 says, whoever keeps the whole law and just does one thing, one little lie, which first of all, that's not true anyway. And how do you know you don't do the others? You just said you're a liar. But anyway, I digress. Stumble in one point, he is guilty of it all. And the reason is because God is absolutely perfect and holy. You would melt in his sight. Back to 1.13, you are of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on wickedness. So this is why Paul concludes here. Are you still in Galatians? Look in verse 11. Because the law was set up to demonstrate that you are not a law keeper, but a law breaker. And therefore, you have a problem because you're under the curse of the law. All mankind are under the curse of God's law. They're law breakers. And therefore, you're not going to be justified. Verse 11. No one is justified by the law in the sight of God. It's evidence. You want to live? The just, those that are justified by God, will live by faith. Do you want eternal life? Do you want this blessing, this promise given to Abraham? It comes through Christ and Christ alone. That's number three. How is this a blessing obtained? It's granted by God. alone through Christ alone through faith alone. In you, all nations shall be blessed. God emphatically declared that the blessing of redemption would come and that it only comes through Jesus Christ. And Paul, the inspired commentary, if you will, and I know I'm doing that kind of tongue in cheek, but he helps us to understand that's what It means, in Genesis 12, look down to verse 15 of chapter 3, in Galatians 3. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men. Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. What is his point? His point is that men make promises and keep them. They do, to some degree. They make a covenant, especially this type of covenant. But here, his point is that God has made a promise. How much more of a guarantee is that, that it is indeed God who makes this promise? And the promise that God has made here in 12.3 of Genesis is that blessing would go to all the nations through Abraham. And to explain it further, look in verse 16. Now, to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He doesn't say, and to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to your seed, who is Christ. He's referring here also to this whole section in Genesis. In specific, he's referring to Genesis 12, 7. To your descendants I will give this land, is what 12, 7 reads in Genesis. Also, it reads unto thy seed will I give this land. The word seed in Hebrew, zera, is like the English word. It can mean one particular seed and also can be used as a collective, like I have a bag of seed. Paul's comment here clarifies that this blessing will come generally through the offspring of Abraham. But in particular, there is one offspring who will redeem his people a singular seed of that many, which is Christ. Blessings of God. The redemption of man comes to mankind through a promise that is given to Abraham. Salvation. Justification before God. Has never come through law keeping. It's never come by trying to be good. It's never come by fulfilling religious rituals. Do you understand the point that's being made here? Salvation is a promise of God. It's a promised blessing, if you will, of God through a promised seed, and in particular, Jesus Christ. Are you still in Galatians 3? Look at verse 17. In this I say that the law which was four hundred and thirty years later cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ that it should make the promise of no effect. In other words Paul is saying that in particular to these Judaizers here in the church at Galatia that salvation cannot come by keeping the law because salvation is based on the promise of God. And that promise is through Christ and Christ alone. Notice verse 18 in chapter 3, for if the inheritance is of the law, it's no longer a promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise. Salvation is a promise. It isn't your performance. Oh, if there was a performance, you could base it on the performance of Jesus Christ, I suppose. But it's certainly not yours. And that's his point. That indeed this salvation that's given is given as a promise. It's given to a particular man and to his seed. And that promise will then go to all men. And it is indeed Christ alone who brings the promise of salvation. This is why there is no salvation anywhere else. There's no other name. There's no other seed that will come forth and deliver on God's promise to all mankind. It is Christ and Christ alone. How can you receive this promise? How can you get this blessing? Repent. And believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. I'll close with this. Since we dropped down a little bit to 26 in chapter three. And I hope you meditate on 12.3 of Genesis and compare it with this section here. Spend some time in it. Think through the thoughts. Verse 26, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ and therefore there is neither Jew nor Greek There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male or female, for you are all one in Christ. And if you are in Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Is that your blessing? Have you been granted that promise? You may receive it now. If you've been granted that promise, would you leave cherishing that promise? Because, friends, this blessing, you're never going to lose it. Because God always keeps His promise. Let's pray. What an incredible blessing that you have given us in Christ our Lord.