Christ, The Woman's Seed

Turn again to Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. I will, God said, I will, I'll put enmity, deep-rooted, deep-seated hatred between thee, and he's addressing Satan, the Lord God said unto the serpent, because I've done this, you're cursed above all cattle. God said, I'll put enmity between thee and the woman. between thy seed, the offspring of Satan, and the offspring of her seed, the woman's seed, her seed. And he, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Now we see the gospel promise here. After sin entered in, after guilt, death, and judgment was pronounced, God gives us this gospel promise. of the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So I'm taking the title from that verse and the words found in verse 15, the woman's seed. And of course we know this woman's seed, who is this offspring or the seed of Eve that's prophesied who would come and defeat evil and defeat Satan, defeat his power, crush his dominion, and bring in everlasting righteousness and everlasting salvation.

Who is this one? Or is there such a one? Absolutely. Absolutely, yes, there is. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. No other name under heaven given among man whereby we must be saved. None other than our blessed Savior. the mighty conquering King, who is Lord of lords and King of kings. He took not on Him, we read a moment ago in Hebrews chapter 2, He took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. The Lord Jesus Christ did not hold any possibility of redemption for the fallen angels, but He said He's going to save some sinners out of Adam's race, through that seed of Abraham and the seed of woman.

And we know if we follow that genealogy down, it comes right down to the Lord Jesus Christ. Son of David, tribe of Judah. Paul asks this question in Galatians chapter 3. Wherefore then serveth the law? He said it was added because of transgression till the seed, singular, should come to whom the promise was made And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We studied not too long ago from Isaiah chapter 7. Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. Remember what Emmanuel means? God with us. The virgin born son of Mary, we're going to read in just a minute, is none other than God Almighty, God incarnate.

Now last week we learned about the terrible consequences of Adam's sin and rebellion against God and how his sin and rebellion has been imputed unto us and to all men everywhere. And I quoted from Romans chapter 5, and Adam all died, and Adam all have sinned, and Adam all have died.

That judgment of death is still upon this whole creation. When sin is finished with this body, it's back to the dust. Death will ensue. And not only that, but the whole creation, we read in the book of Romans, groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, waiting for the redemption of this creation. Remember he said in verse 17, it's cursed, the ground is cursed. The whole creation groaned under the judgment of sin.

Sin brought in death, both spiritual and physical. That day that Adam rebelled against God, he died spiritually. He lived in the flesh as a man for 930 years, but it says that he died. Sin brings guilt, shame, judgment, and death. Judgment was not only to Satan, but to the woman, and unto Adam as well.

It says in verse 16, and we'll consider this next week, but unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. You ladies know something about that, don't you? In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Those birth pains.

That's the result of sin. Verse 17, unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Every time I weed my garden, I think of this verse.

Thorns also in thistle shall it bring forth. to thee, and thou shalt eat of the herb of the field, and the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it was thou taken, or dust thou art, dust thou shalt return.

The end of this flesh is back, back to the dust, back to the dust. The spirit returns to God who gave it, but this body of flesh goes back to the dust. Now today, I want to consider the judgment and the curse that fell upon Satan and his seed by the purpose, power, and will of God. And then we see the remedy the Lord gives through Jesus Christ and him crucified, the coming of the woman seed, the promised seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me. That's what the Lord said that he would accomplish in his death. Now, let's go back to verse 14 for just a moment.

And the Lord God said, Jehovah Elohim said unto the serpent, but it also included, and more importantly, unto Satan, because thou hast done this, you're cursed, cursed upon The beast and cursed upon Satan, all cattle, thou art cursed above all the cattle, above every beast of the field, upon thy belly shalt thou go, thus shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. The curse was pronounced upon both the serpent and Satan that tempted Eve, both were put under the judgment of God, eternal judgment of God. The serpent and Satan both are punished very justly. The serpent, in being the instrument Satan used, made use of, but was cursed for Satan's sake.

And God says, you're going to crawl on your belly and eat the dust, lick the dust all the days of your life. Every time we see a slithering snake, we should remember why he's crawling on his belly. And why are you so fearful of that snake? God put a curse on that creature above all the cattle of the field.

And I think about this, and when I was thinking about that, how Satan used the serpent, and I don't know what kind of serpent it was, but maybe at one time that serpent actually walked instead of crawling, And God put a curse and said, now you're going to just go on your belly and you'll be in the dust all the days of your life.

But I thought about this, how the devil entered into Judas, you remember, to portray the Lord Jesus Christ and how judgment fell upon him. We read in Luke 22, then enters Satan into Judas, being one of the 12, Judas the apostle. And he went to the chief priest and how he might betray the Lord.

And they were glad and they made a covenant with him for 30 pieces of silver. Remember? He sold out the Lord. Who inspired him to do that? Satan made use of Judas. Well, we know the sad end of Judas, don't we? In Matthew 27 it says, then Judas, when Judas knew the Lord had been sentenced to death, tried to go back and give the money back, and said, I betrayed innocent blood, but those old Pharisees and priests, they refused to take the money back. Remember what happened to Judas? He went out and he hanged himself.

And here's the thought. You cannot be in league and have an alliance with Satan and do his business and come away unharmed. Satan was cursed by God and is reserved to the final day of judgment, reserved an everlasting change of darkness, and all those that believe his lie and follow him are under the same judgment. The devil's instrument, Matthew Henry said, The devil's instruments must share in the devil's punishment. And that's what happened to the serpent. That's what happened to Judas.

We read in Matthew 25, then shall he say unto them, on the left hand, depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, or his seed, Matthew 25, 41. So we see the certain assured judgment that fell upon Satan and his seed. Now verse 15, God said, I'll put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, and he, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, will bruise or crush your head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Again, we see this glorious promise of the gospel, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the complete victory he would gain over Satan and sin.

We read a moment ago in Hebrews chapter two, verse 14, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had power of death, that is the devil, Destroy him and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed, the seed, singular, of Abraham. Now I want us to consider four things, four things, from verse 15, Genesis 3.

Let me give these four things to you, then we'll go back and look over them. The first thing we want to see is the enmity and hatred, hostility between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light, between truth and error. God said, I'll put enmity between that. God said, I'll do that.

Secondly, the promise of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to incarnate God made in the flesh, seed of woman. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. And then thirdly, we want to talk about the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ in His heel being bruised. Remember Isaiah 53, He was wounded and bruised for our iniquity. And then fourthly, the complete and total victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over Satan and his seed. The Lord said that His head would be bruised and crushed His dominion would be absolutely destroyed.

Now, let's look at those four things. And I will go through these very quickly, I think. Let's talk about the enmity that God said, I will put this enmity. This is something, this is God's purpose. This is his will. This enmity is hatred and hostility between the seed of Satan and his children and his followers and the enmity from the seed of Satan and the seed of the woman, that is, the children of God, the sons of God, that is, between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light, between truth and lie. There is an enmity. Those who believe the truth, they hate. that which is contrary to the truth.

The Lord called the Pharisees, remember what he called them? Three times in the book of Matthew, he called them the generation of vipers, vipers, the serpent seed. For example, Matthew 23, 33, he said, you serpents, Generation of vipers, how shall you escape the damnation of hell? So Satan does have a kingdom of darkness, kingdom of darkness.

Remember our Lord said this in John 8, 44. He said, you are of your father, talking to those Pharisees who bragged and said, Abraham was our father. The Lord said, if Abraham were your father, you'd believe me. Abraham rejoiced to see my day. But here's what he said to them.

He said, you're of your father the devil, and the lust of your father will you do. He was a murderer from the beginning. A bold not in the truth, because there's no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. You of your father the devil.

So there is that enmity, that enmity between truth and error. The real enmity between the people of God, believers in Christ, and between the gospel, that's the false gospel of lies, there's enmity between that which is truth and that which is error.

Truth and error. The scriptures teach us truth and error cannot walk together. Two cannot walk together except they agree. David said, through thy precept I get understanding, therefore I hate every fault way. There is an enmity between truth and error.

The apostle Paul put it this way in Galatians chapter one, though we were an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached." Galatians 8, 9 and 10. If someone claimed to be an angel from heaven and he's preaching another gospel unto you which we have not preached, what was the consequences of that? Let him be damned. There is that enmity between truth and error. Our Lord said to those, His apostles, He warned them, He said, Don't think it's strange if they hate you. They hated me before they hated you.

So there is that enmity between Satan and that kingdom of darkness and that kingdom of light. The second thing I want us to look at is the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ taking our humanity to his deity. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed." Now who is this seed of woman?

There's no doubt about it. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. The body that was prepared for the Lord Jesus Christ to dwell in upon the earth was not begotten of the sinful seed of man. Therefore he had not the guilt of Adam's sin charged to him, therefore he could be the spotless Lamb of God to represent us. He was virgin born, conceived by God the Holy Spirit, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.

I want you to turn and read this with me. Turn to Luke chapter one. Luke chapter one. Luke chapter 1, he says, is it that important that we believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ? There are a lot of people in religious circles that do not believe in the deity of Christ. Is it that important that we believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh? Absolutely. Luke chapter 1, let's begin at verse 26.

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto the city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin, a spouse, to a man whose name was Joseph. Joseph was of the house of David, seed of Abraham. And the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou art highly favored. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.

Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus, and he shall be great. and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, the son of David, the tribe of Judah. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever of his kingdom. There shall be no end."

So that was the messenger from heaven said to Mary the virgin, you don't have a baby. And she said, wait a minute. Mary said unto the angel, how shall this be seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Yes, indeed, the seed of the woman came. through the virgin's body. In the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.

Let's turn to a couple more places. Turn to Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3 talks about this seed of Abraham and the seed of Christ. Galatians chapter 3 at verse 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. Now look down to verse 18. For if the inheritance be of law, it's no more a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

This is the verse I quoted a while ago, verse 19, Galatians 3. Wherefore then serveth the law, it was added, because of transgression, till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. So the Lord Jesus Christ is that seed. Look across the page, Galatians chapter four, verse four. Galatians four, verse four.

But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law. To do what? To redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son in your hearts, crying, Abba, Father, wherefore thou art no more a servant but a son. And if a son, an heir of God through Christ. We are joint heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Simeon in the temple, you remember the Lord told him he would not die till he'd seen the Lord's Christ. He was waiting to see the Messiah. And God said, you will not die until you see the Messiah. Well, when Joseph and Mary brought the babe, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the temple to do after the custom of the law, Simeon said, Give me that child. And he picked that child up in his arms. He looked him in the face and said, Lord, I'm ready to die. I've seen thy salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ indeed is the savior of his people. Now this is so important that we understand the necessity of God in Christ coming as the promised Messiah to accomplish our salvation. Why is that so important? Because it's who He is that gives power to what He did.

Now if He's just a mere good man from Nazareth, born of Joseph, then we have no salvation. He cannot be the Messiah, because the Messiah has to be virgin-born. But listen to this scripture, Hebrews 1, Verse 3, "...who being in the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power, when he by himself, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, the express image of his person." Our Lord said, when you've seen the Father, you've seen me, I am my Father, we are one. When He by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.

So do we believe in the virgin-born Savior? Absolutely. Do we believe and preach the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ that He is God, our Savior? Absolutely. If He's just the son of Joseph from Nazareth, the carpenter's son, We better look for the Messiah. We better start looking for the Messiah. But He is the one. He is the fulfillment of this promise. Here's the third thing I want us to see.

The suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ is also given here in the bruising of His heel. You see that in the last part of verse 15. It shall bruise thy head, that is, the Lord shall bruise and crush Satan's dominion, and he will bruise his heel." Now, the Lord Jesus Christ, his body was bruised, wasn't it? That's what he's talking about, that lower part, the heel, was bruised, the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was a real man, tempted and tested in all points like as we are, yet without sin, The devil tempted him forty days and forty nights in the wilderness, and the Lord rebuked him every time with the Word of God. But the Lord Jesus Christ, as the God-man mediator, had a real body that suffered and knew hunger, thirst, and pain. He was a real man. God eternal, yet a man in one blessed person. The God-man mediator. He bled, suffered, and died to accomplish our salvation.

We read in Isaiah 53, he was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquity. Now we know the soldiers bruised him. They beat up on him, didn't they? Pushed that crown of thorns down on his head. Did all kind of mean things to him. Whipped him. Scourged his back. Ripped out his skin. He was bruised. laid him down on the cross and drove nails in his hands, in his feet, stuck that spear in his side, bruised him horribly.

They only did what God determined before to be done. But here's what I always say about that bruising of the Lord Jesus Christ. It wasn't what wicked men did. They did wicked things. It wasn't what wicked men did that accomplished our salvation. It wasn't their bruising that accomplished our salvation.

Read Isaiah 53 verse 10. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. to 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 hands. So it's not the wicked work that men did, it's what God was doing at the cross. That's our hope. God planned the cross, presided over the cross, and participated in afflicting His dear Son. That's His bruising of His humanity. Wounded, wounded for us. bruised for us. Peter writes about it at this point.

He bare our sin and his own body on the tree, 1 Peter 2.24.

And then again, Peter writes about it in 1 Peter 3.18, where it said, Christ once suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, the just one for the unjust, that he might do what? Bring us unto God. He's the captain of our salvation we read a moment ago, who's bringing many sons into glory through His bruising, through His being made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

My dear pastor for over 40 years, Brother Mahan, always told us this. Lionel will remember this. Lionel said under his ministry a number of years like I did, but he always would give us this. He said, learn two words and learn the gospel. Substitution. Satisfaction. The Lord Jesus Christ was our substitute. God punished our sin in our substitute Jesus Christ. What did Jesus Christ do being punished for our sin? Having the wrath of God, bearing the wrath of God in his own body on the tree. What was the fruit of that?

Satisfaction. Satisfied God's holy law and justice. And I often tell men this, are you satisfied with the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes. That's all my hope of my sin being put away is Christ bearing our sin in His own body on the tree. But what is more important than my satisfaction of what Christ did?

God's satisfaction. God is satisfied, well pleased with his offering unto God. You remember in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 2 is called a sweet smelling savor unto God. So learn two words. substitution, Christ is our substitute, who made satisfaction to God's law and justice on our behalf. Every precept and every penalty was fully honored in Jesus Christ and him crucified. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.

Now here's the fourth thing. So what's the total outcome of this? Victory. Victory, where it says, He shall bruise thy head. He shall bruise thy head. Christ crushed Satan's dominion. The total and complete victory of the Lord Jesus Christ won over Satan. He shall bruise his head, Satan's head. We read a moment ago in Hebrews 2, that he might destroy him that brought death. And in destroying him, he delivered them. Total and complete victory, the Lord Jesus Christ won over Satan and over our sin, over death, hell, and the grave. The seed of the woman was raised up in time to trample down and defeat the dominion of Satan. Christ has won the complete victory for us and destroyed the power of Satan to redeem, or excuse me, destroyed the power of Satan to condemn.

I'm glad I caught that. Sometimes I say things and I think, and I don't catch myself when I say something wrong. You just have to overlook my frailties. I want you to turn and read this with me. Turn to the book of Colossians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Colossians, Colossians chapter two, Colossians chapter two.

So we have the complete, total victory over sin, Satan, death, hell, and the grave in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Colossians chapter two, verse 13, and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, he took it out of the way and nailed it to his cross. Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly in that he triumphed over them, and the marginal reference is himself. Complete, total victory over Satan, over sin, over death, over hell and the grave through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, let me give you this scripture, too. 1 John 3, verse 8. He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Christ had defeated. Satan, by himself, with himself, destroyed his dominion and power, destroyed his works.

Christ has defeated death. How do we know he defeated death? I'm he that liveth and was dead, behold I'm alive forevermore. He was delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification. Christ has defeated sin. He appeared once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Christ has honored the law of God for us. He honored the law of God for us. The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake, Isaiah 41. 42, 21, He will magnify the law and make it honorable. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us.

The Lord Jesus Christ has handed us the total and complete victory over all opposition, over all enemies. Completely. Completely so. Thanks be to God who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Death, the devil, damnation, no longer have any legal claim upon God's elect. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now in closing, let me give you this. Romans 16, 20. He said, the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

God will shortly, surely, and finally cast Satan into that eternal lake of fire. We read about it this way. Revelation 20, and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. His doom is sure.

We read another scripture in Revelation 12 verse 9 about There was a war in heaven, and this goes all the way back to what is said in Isaiah 14 where Satan said, I will ascend, I will be like God, I will be like the Most High. There was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. and prevailed not, neither was there a place found anymore. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, which deceived the whole world and was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now has salvation come, strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.

For the accuser of the brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of her testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death." Brethren, believers, we have complete and total victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. Aren't you glad that the Lord said the seed of woman's coming to take care of the mess that Satan and Adam created? And all this is the scheme and plan of Almighty God to give Him all the glory and showing mercy to such as we are. Sinners saved. Sinners saved by the grace of God.

Christ, The Woman's Seed

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Christ, The Woman's Seed

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