Nativity: The First Promise of Christmas (2024)
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The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 1 Timothy 1.15 Dear Heavenly Father, in this season of joy and goodwill, we're humbled by the reminder of why you sent your only begotten Son into the world. We were sinners, lost and unworthy. Yet, in your infinite love, you offered us the greatest gift of all,

Jesus, our Redeemer. Father, as the Christmas lights twinkle and the carols are sung, let us never forget the true essence of this season. It's not merely a time of gifts and festivities, but to reflect on the immense sacrifice you made for us. Amidst our merriment, let us all carry a profound sense of gratitude for the salvation we have received through Christ. We are all sinners.

Yet we hope because of that blessed night in Bethlehem, you sent your Son not to condemn us, but to redeem us, offering undeserved mercy and grace. As we celebrate his birth, let it serve as a reminder of our own spiritual rebirth, the second chance gifted to us through your love. In Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen.

Thank you for praying with me today. Stay tuned now for another episode of Stories of the Messiah with Rabbi Schneider. In the dawn of all things, when the earth was new and ripe with the Lord's grand design, there was a garden, Eden.

Eden was a realm untouched by corruption. Rivers weaved gracefully through emerald hills and creatures of all kinds thrived in sweet harmony. At the center of the garden were two trees, representing the trajectory of humanity's journey with God. Like a beacon risen high amongst the wilderness stood the Tree of Life.

Its strong trunk coiled upward, connecting the heavens and earth in divine unity. This tree represented perfect harmony with God, eternal life. The tree's roots were firmly planted into the ground, interweaving with other trees below. Planted opposite the Tree of Life, hanging over the ledge of a canyon, was the Tree of Knowledge.

Much like the Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge was pleasing to the eyes. Its leaves were dark green and its fruit was bright red, dangling from thick vines. When God formed and breathed life into humanity, he gave them a charge to go forth, multiply, and tend to the earth with creativity. He gave them the freedom to enjoy every fruit that the garden had to offer, except for the Tree of Knowledge. "From this tree," God commanded,

You shall not eat, for if you eat from that tree, you will surely die. God's decree was not one of constraint, but of freedom. He knew the freedom of choice was paramount to his relationship with them. If they refrained from the tree, they would live in harmonious partnership with God in the garden. If they ate from the tree, their souls would be separated from him, and sin would plague their hearts.

God's desire, his thrill and joy, was to be with humanity. God was with them, but he would not force them into a relationship. He lovingly invited them to dwell in Eden and fill the earth with culture, music, love, and laughter. The choice was theirs to make. Would they want God with them, or would they forsake unity with him to seize control?

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new season of the Stories of the Messiah podcast. I'm Rabbi Schneider from Discovering the Jewish Jesus. The Christmas season is upon us, a time for family gatherings, gift giving, and warm meals with loved ones. Let's face it though, Christmas can be chaotic. If we aren't careful, the busyness of the Christmas season can rob us of joy. No doubt many of you will sing joy to the world during church in the coming month,

But do you have joy? Has the Christmas story enlivened your faith and sparked your passion for Christ? I hope this 25-episode season, Jesus, the Nativity, will ignite passionate joy in you this Christmas. Some of you might be asking, if this is a podcast about Christmas, then what are we doing going back to the story of Adam and Eve? That's because the story of Christmas doesn't begin with Gabriel talking to Mary.

It begins at the very beginning when mankind was ripe with potential, but squandered it for the sake of pride. The triumph of Christmas begins with the tragedy of the fall. Yet as we have explored before, within the story of Adam and Eve is a kernel of hope, a promise of redemption. Let's explore the tale of woe together in a cinematic retelling of Genesis 3.

Afterward, we will mine for the deep Christmas truths packed into this story. Adam and Eve walked hand in hand down the grassy path from the Tree of Life. Adam, a man crafted from dust, walked with the strength of the earth and stone he was hewn from. Eve, a woman delicately sewn from flesh in the morning mist, walked with curiosity and vibrant grace, like the petals of the garden's flowers.

They were in harmony with one another and God, naked and unashamed. As they rounded the path, a shadow caught Eve's eye. Something was rustling in the branches of the Tree of Knowledge. Eve approached carefully and observed the great tree. In the shadows of its leaves, a strange creature appeared. The serpent, a creature imbued with wisdom and cunning, eclipsed all of Eden's animals. His eyes sparkled with a tantalizing knowledge and a flicker of forbidden understanding.

With a voice as sweet as the forbidden fruit itself, he whispered into Eve's ear, his words carrying the allure of the unknown. "Tell me, Eve, did God really say you couldn't eat anything in this garden?" Both startled and entranced by the creature, Eve responded, "N-no. Our creator forbade us to even touch this tree."

The serpent let out a breathy laugh. His voice was soft, silky, and sinister. And why would he do that? The serpent's voice curled around Eve's curiosity like a tender caress. "'Because if we do,' she replied, "'we shall surely die.' A smile curled around the serpent's face."

Death? Oh, no, no, no, not death, Eve. You will not die. In truth, the fruit of this tree will bring enlightenment, knowledge, making you like God himself. Like God? The words were tantalizing on Eve's lips. She felt a thrill of fear and desire thread through her being. To be like her maker. To understand the world as he did.

It was an intoxicating thought, a secret song that strummed her curiosity like an instrument. As she stared at the forbidden fruit, its skin glistening in Eden's radiant light, it seemed less a symbol of death and more a promise of transcendent knowledge. "We can be like God?" She reached out, her hand trembling slightly, and plucked the fruit from the tree. It felt warm to her touch.

filled with a vibrant life that pulsed beneath her fingertips. And as she took the first bite, an explosion of flavors unlike anything she had ever experienced filled her senses, flooding her with a bittersweet euphoria that was both terrifying and exhilarating. Her rebellion was sweet for a moment. The serpent, content that his work was done, slowly slithered back into the leaves. His eyes still peered down at the woman,

Adam had been watching all along. He too knew full well that his wife was transgressing against God, but he couldn't contain his own curiosity. So he waited and watched, unwilling to act upon his convictions. Crimson juice dripped from Eve's smiling face. Her eyes were wide with fear, exhilaration, and fascination. She extended the fruit to him.

Adam looked at her and then down at the fruit. A cloud of concern enveloped him. Yet, driven by his love for Eve and an insatiable curiosity to see if he too could become like God, he took the fruit and bit into it. A tremor passed through the garden as the forbidden fruit juice trickled down Adam's chin and onto the floor.

It was as if Eden shivered in response to their disobedience. Shadows crept into the heart of the garden, darkening Eden's vibrant colors, and a chill wind swept across the landscape. Adam and Eve looked at each other and gasped. They felt exposed, vulnerable, naked. Their eyes were open to the possibility of sin. Therefore, they no longer felt completely safe with each other.

Desperate to hide their shame, they covered themselves in leaves. Then they heard him. They used to come alive at the sound of his arrival, but now they were afraid. Adam was the first to run. He hid himself in the bushes, covering his ears to the sound of God's righteousness arriving. His voice called out for him. Adam, where are you? His question was unbearable. Could Adam truly hide? Could he run? No, he couldn't.

He had to face God, naked and ashamed. Adam emerged from the brush. His eyes gazed upward and around. God was everywhere. Within, without. There was no escaping his voice or his gaze. "Here I am," Adam said with a trembling voice.

I heard you coming, so I hid myself because I'm naked and afraid. The Lord's voice quaked through the garden. It was as if his words were moving the ground beneath them. Yet even in the anger, there was loving tenderness to his words. Who told you you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you not to eat? Of course, the Creator knew the answer.

His question was not an accusation, but an invitation. An invitation into repentance, remorse and contrition. Would Adam accept such an invitation or would he devolve into more corruption? Adam looked over at the tree, then to his wife. His mind worked differently now. He knew the difference between good and evil. He now had the choice to choose the path of repentance or pride. Adam, with a trembling hand, pointed to Eve.

It was the woman you gave me. She ate the fruit first. She's the one she shared it with me. And there it was. Adam, the first to be stamped with the image and character of God, chose pride over repentance. God's voice echoed to Eve. He offered her the same chance. Perhaps she would take it. What have you done? He asked softly.

Eve's knees buckled and she fell to the ground in shame. Tears soaked the floor beneath her and she pointed back to the tree. The serpent deceived me. It was him! God's anger was ignited and a rush of wind shook the tree where the serpent hid. The creature fell to the ground and writhed in pain. The wind of God's spirit whistled through the forest, capturing Adam, Eve, and the serpent in a whirlwind.

The creator of the universe shouted to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you! On your belly you shall crawl, and the dust shall be your food all the days of your life! You shall fall, serpent!" Then, out of tragedy and despair, God declared a prophecy that would echo into the generations: a warning to the serpent and a promise to humanity.

You and the woman will be enemies, but one day her offspring will rise up against you, and even though you will bruise his heel, he will crush your head. Then the Lord turned to his image bearers. The two held each other, and God's loving anger poured forth. He turned to Eve and said, Because of what has happened, childbearing will bring forth pain and anguish.

Your relationship with your husband will be fractured. Your desires will be at odds with each other, and you will struggle for power." He turned to Adam, the man crafted from the earth, and said, "Because of this, cursed is the ground. In pain you will labor to bring forth crop, and the earth will work against you all the days of your life. Food will only come by the sweat of your brow, until one day you return to the ground.

for you were created from dust, and to the dust you shall return." Adam and Eve watched the garden's golden hue dim and God's intimate covering fade. Yet the tender mercy of the Lord never left a sheep past them. God took it, sacrificed it, and intricately wove Adam and Eve's clothes for them. He slew an animal to cover their shame. Then the Lord spoke in plurality, speaking to himself, saying,

They have become like us, knowing good and evil. We must banish them from the Tree of Life, lest they live forever in corruption and sin.

So the Lord cast them out of the garden, east of Eden. Adam and Eve were banished, pining after paradise, but clinging to the hope that one day a son would arise to crush the head of the serpent and bring them back to the tree of life. One day, God's presence would be among them again. God would be with them. God would be Emmanuel.

Hello again, this is Rabbi Schneider from Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Let's explore today's Christmas story together. You know, I hear many people talk about heaven very materialistically. They talk about mansions and roads paved with gold, as if the stuff in heaven is what makes it paradise. We treat Christmas the same way. To many, the magic of Christmas is in the gifts and material things. But I think that's the wrong way to look at it.

Heaven will only be paradise because the presence of God will be there, and we will dwell with him in harmony. That is what made Eden special too. Adam and Eve lived in fellowship with God, working as partners to cultivate and fill the earth with God's character. Bliss does not lie with material possessions, but in the presence of God. When Adam and Eve fell, that harmony with God was severed.

With the knowledge of good and evil came the potential for sin and corruption. Such corruption could not exist eternally with God. So Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. But before they were banished, God gave a prophecy, a promise. One day a son from Eve would rise up to crush the head of the serpent. This was the very first spoken prophecy of Jesus in the Old Testament.

Adam, Eve, and every generation after them hoped in this prophesied Son. They waited patiently and pined after His coming. Throughout history, it seemed like the serpent was winning. Evil corrupted the world, wicked empires rose, and people were oppressed under sin and shame. Yet hope never died. Throughout the Bible saga, God reminded His people of the promised Son.

He assured them that one day the serpent's head would be crushed. The grip of sin and the nakedness of shame would be eradicated under the mighty work of the Messiah. Our ministry, Discovering the Jewish Jesus, is dedicated to spotting these shadows of the gospel and prophetic promises of the Messiah in the Hebrew Bible.

If you're at all interested in learning more about Messianic prophecies, you can visit DiscoveringTheJewishJez.com. There you'll find a link to my book, Messianic Prophecy Revealed, Seeing Messiah, in the pages of the Hebrew Bible. During Christmas, we celebrate the long-awaited birth of the promised Son of Redemption. The fact that his arrival has been anticipated since the Garden of Eden should make us feel all the more amazed during Christmas.

the hero of history who promised to restore mankind and crush the head of Satan himself was born into the world. Wow! I pray that truth will overwhelm you today and restore a sense of awe during this Christmas season. Don't let the busyness and chaos of the holidays steal away the wonder and joy of Christ's birth.

Because of Christmas, Eden is restored in our hearts. That unity of God that was lost during the fall is made possible again by faith in Jesus. Join us for our next episode of Stories of the Messiah as we delve deeper into the prophetic proclamations of Christ's birth. After that, we'll be fully immersed in the story of Mary, Joseph, angels, and kings.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, consider sharing it with a friend. We want the story of Jesus to change lives. If you're interested in my ministry, you can visit us at discoveringthejewishjiest.com. For more engaging and transformative Bible stories, download the Pray.com app. What you're hearing is Hardy Fiber Cement Siding living up to its reputation as the siding that handles hail impact with ease.

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