The Serpent Crusher

Introduction

Well, good morning! Listen, I don’t know about you, but it feels so good to be in the house of the Lord this morning…Amen? I’m excited because not only is it a week until Christmas but listen, this morning, we get to jump into a short sermon series looking at the story of Christmas…the significance of this season…why we, as Christians, put so much emphasis into this time of the year, right? Because, while it’s easy for us to forget…the Christmas story…it’s really the core of the gospel…it’s the core of Christianity and it demonstrates the most, the character of the God we serve.

And listen, while I love all the lights…and all the Christmas movies…I love the food and desserts and music and all the stories around Santa and the North Pole…none of that really defines what Christmas is…none of it captures the magic and the mystery…and the beauty of Christmas. You see, we celebrate this time of the year because what Christmas is…its a promise…a promise that God would save us…that God would restore us. Listen, we celebrate this time of the year…we give gifts and receive gifts…all as a reminder of the greatest gift that was ever given to humanity. Christmas was contingent on a promise made…a promise we find all the way at the beginning of the Bible.

And listen, that’s exactly what we’re gonna look at this morning…the promise of Christmas…a promise made long before the first Christmas ever occurred.

Listen, when it comes to promises…I think, especially as Americans, we’ve all become a little bit cynical, right? We’ve all heard the promises of our leaders…our presidential candidates, and senators, congressmen…promises of a better future…a better country…promises to fix our modern-day issues, right? And most of time…those guys and ladies…they never even get close to fulfilling those promises…And it’s caused us to become cynical…to lose trust in leaders…to question everything that’s promised to us.

And listen, the reason I bring that up this morning…it’s because Christmas, it revolves around a promise that God’s made to humanity…It’s a promise of a better future…a promise to fix our problems…It’s a promise that’s found over and over again in the Old Testament. It’s a promise that shows us Christmas began long before the incarnation of Jesus…it’s goes beyond everything we find in the accounts of Luke with the shepherds and the angels and the manger. Guys, at the foundations of the world…Christmas…the story of Christmas…it was on the heart of God. And the beauty of Christmas…the magic of Christmas…it shows us that God is in fact, trustworthy…He’s faithful…and He alone is worthy of our praise…We can follow Him because He’s shown us that He’s nothing like anything we’ve experienced in this world. He remains true to His word.

And so, if you have your Bibles, turn with me this morning to the book of Genesis…we’re gonna get a little sneak peak into our sermon series we’re starting next year…but turn with me to chapter 3. We’re gonna look at just one verse this morning…but for the sake of context…we’re gonna read the whole chapter together.

And so, let’s stand as we start in verse 1, “ 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

And listen to this…this is our main passage this morning.

15  I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,

but he shall rule over you.”

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

18  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.

19  By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.”

20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Thank you, you can be seated.

Now listen, we’ve all heard the story of the fall…we’ve heard of Adam and Eve’s mistakes…the story that’s lead us all to the predicament we face today…one of sin, and pain, and sickness, and disease, and disaster, and death, right? It’s really a terrible story…a story of suffering and hopelessness. But guys, this is the Christmas story…and you can’t understand Christmas…without understanding the reason and the need for Christmas. You see, there would’ve never been a need for Christmas if it wasn’t for our wickedness…if it wasn’t for our rebellion. And so, at the very heart of Christmas…we have to understand what led to Christmas…the reason God had to make a promise in the first place.

The Reason for Christmas

Looking back at verse 15…Pay attention to that word “enmity.” It’s a part of God’s promise but it really demonstrates to us the reason for Christmas. That word “enmity,” in Hebrew, its a noun that means hostility or blood feud…hatred, the feeling one naturally has toward their enemy.

If you read the accounts prior to this…in the first two chapters…everything was perfect…God says it was all good, right? There wasn’t hostility…there wasn’t fighting or death or disease or any of the things we face today…it was a picture of eternity…it was perfect…but in this chapter something changes. Everything’s undone…everything spirals into chaos. That’s the start of Christmas…that’s the reason for Christmas…God’s design, for creation, it was distorted…it wasn’t what He intended…and something had to be done in order to restore it to Himself.

But in order to appreciate the significance of the promise and the Christmas story, we have to understand exactly what caused this distortion to begin with. The Lord tells the serpent in the presence of Adam and Eve, “I will put enmity between you and the woman...”

Now, keeping things in context…Adam calls the woman Eve, right? And he calls her that because it means she’s the mother of all living beings. And so, when God says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman,” what He’s saying is I will do this between you and all humanity. There will be hostility between the prince of this world, Satan…who’s the serpent here…and all of humanity. No matter what we do, whether we choose to follow God or not, we’ll always be at war with this world…and guys, it’ll always lead to death…the world’ll always win in the end. You understand? It’s a fight we can’t win…because we don’t have the means on our own to do so. We’ll talk about our need in just a moment…but we have to understand the reason for Christmas…the reason for God’s promise here.

Guys, the implications....it’s serious…God’s cursing the serpent and He’s cursing the world here....and it extends beyond the immediacy of what He tells to Adam and Eve. To the woman, God says, “I’ll surely multiply your pain in childbearing.” Well, does that just mean that God’s gonna bring physical pain to the woman now....I mean, child labor certainly is painful, right? But do you really think that’s all God meant? No…it went beyond that…it’s greater than just pain in childbearing....what about bringing a child into this sinful world....watching that child grow and not knowing where they’ll go, right? How they’ll be and the kinds of pain or sadness they’ll face. That’s pain in childbearing. That’s the real pain God’s talking about here. We see this played out in chapter 4 with Cain and Abel. It’s painful to watch our kids face the things we know they’ll have to face…because listen, there’s enmity between us and this world.

And you know, looking at this story, it’s easy for us to blame everything else, right? Adam or Eve or Satan…But guys, the reason for Christmas…the reason it’s needed…it’s because of each of us…it’s because of you and me. Listen, in this story…Adam and Eve, all their needs…God took care of ‘em. They lacked for nothing…but yet they still wanted for more, right? God literally walked among them…I mean just look at verse 8. He walked in the flesh with them. But yet what we see is at the heart of their problem…its the lack of contentment. Adam and Eve, they wanted for more. They wanted to be like God. Now, I believe they loved God…I believe they cared about Him…I believe they wanted to please Him…it’s why they’re ashamed later on and they hide…they didn’t wanna disappoint Him…but that love, it didn’t supersede their desire to have more. At their very core…they were selfish and prideful…they were inwardly focused…they cared about themselves.

Even in their responses to God…think about it...what was Adam’s first response? “It wasn’t my fault…it was the woman…and you’re the One who gave her to me.” And then Eve said, “It was the serpent, it wasn’t me.” They were so self-centered that they couldn’t even take responsibility.

Guys, the Bible’s clear on this issue. Paul says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” He says in Romans 3:10 “as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.” And listen, the reason I bring that up this morning…it’s because until you understand the reason for Christmas, you’ll never fully appreciate the promise and the gift He’s given us through His Son.

While you and I, we weren’t at the tree…while we weren’t tempted by the serpent…listen, in the same ways as Adam and Eve, we’ve rebelled against a holy and righteous God. We’ve hidden ourselves from Him…we’ve covered our sins and masked them from His presence. We’ve made decisions or done things that say what we really feel about God…that either we think we know better than God or that we wanna be like God. And listen guys, this happens in so many different ways…even in ways we don’t even realize.

Listen, let me just share how God’s been dealing with me lately…you guys know I go 100 miles an hour all the time, right? I like to be busy…I like to fill my schedule up with tasks. And listen, I can juggle a ton of things at one time…I don’t have to rest…I don’t really need rest. But listen, let me tell you what…God’s been really putting it on my heart to take a regular Sabbath, right? A full 24 hour day of rest. And guys, I’ll be honest…I don’t wanna do that…I don’t! I hate sitting around not being busy. I don’t feel like I need it.

But listen to what He’s been putting on my heart…without being legalistic or anything like that…do you realize what I’m telling God when I refuse to take a time of regular rest? I’m saying I’m better than God. I’m saying I’m not some finite being that He’s created…I’m not a creation that God’s made that needs rest…and so, therefore, I’m like God. When you break it down, it’s just like Adam and Eve’s sin, right? I’m saying I wanna be greater than God…I wanna be someone that doesn’t need rest…I’m someone that doesn’t have limitations…I’m someone that doesn’t need the rest that God’s commanded…because God’s the only thing in this universe that’s not limited by something.

Guys, we’ve all rebelled…we all fall short of God’s glory…We all wanna be greater than God…we all think we know better than God…the God that’s created us from dust…and because of that…because of our sin and rebellion…we deserve punishment…we deserve the death and destruction that we brought on ourselves. That’s another area we pass the blame on…why would God send us to hell? He doesn’t! We do!… That’s the bad news of the gospel…its that we’re all in this situation…we’re all hopeless…and until that very first Christmas, we were all doomed to that destiny.

The Need for Christmas

But look at that verse again…God tells the serpent, “I WILL put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Listen, we see a need here and a promise. We’ll talk more about the promise in just a second but let’s look at the need for Christmas first.

Guys, if the reason for Christmas demonstrates our sinfulness…our separation from God…our death and destruction…then our need should be a solution from that, right? If we’re at war…if there’s hostility between us and something else…then we need something to save us from that hostility. We need something to end the feud, right?

That’s why Gods shifts from talking about the hostility between Satan and humanity and He brings it to a singular person. God says He’ll put enmity or hostility between Satan and all mankind…but then he says it’ll be between Satan’s offspring and the women’s offspring. That word “offspring,” it’s a singular noun that means seed or child. God’s shifting the conversation from all of humanity to one person. It’s the seed of the woman…a child that would come forth…that’ll crush the head of the serpent.

We’ll examine that promise in more detail in just a second, but listen, this is what this verse shows us…if the reason for Christmas is because of our rebellion…and because our rebellion led to this hostility and enmity…then we can’t solve this problem on our own. We need someone else, something greater than us to come and defeat the power of sin. We need a Savior to come and dig us out of this hole that we’ve dug.

Listen, I’m a Clemson fan…that’s no secret, right? And these last two seasons…they’ve been tough on us as fans. We’ve had a great team…we’ve had a great recruiting class…we were slotted to do some really awesome things these last two seasons…but guess what? We’ve been terrible. Our quarterback’s been awful. And it doesn’t matter how great the rest of our team’s been…without that solid quarterback at the helm…leading us, we just haven’t been the same…we weren’t capable of winning when it mattered and it’s kept us from championship contention the last two years…and guys, that’s the purpose in college football…every team wants to be crowned the National Champions at the end of the year. They’ve identified the reason they’re playing…why they came to Clemson…they want a National Title…but what they need to get there…it’s a quarterback.

Guys, when we’ve identified our reason…the problem…or goal…or whatever…we then have to be realistic with what we need…and everyone of us, we need a Savior to save us from our twisted hearts…we need a Savior that can not only defeat sin and death but actually change us in the process. We need something that’s not impacted by the sin of this world…that’s not oriented towards their own agendas…their own selfishness. We need something that’s truly like God in every way. We need someone that’s defined by the goodness of God. That’s our need for Christmas…someone that can take us to the end zone…to the desired outcome which is what? It’s peace.

The Promise of Christmas

But praise God there’s a promise attached to this. God says, “while your offspring might bruise His heel...He [this offspring or seed of the woman] He’ll crush your head.” Guys, I don’t know about you…but a blow to the head is much more significant than a blow to the heel, right? And guys listen, this statement…it identifies the plot line Bible.

In terms of conflict, there’ll be great conflict between the heel bruiser and the serpent crusher. It’s a great conflict that unfolds throughout the course of Scripture. A conflict between God and Satan. And we see it, again, cover to cover. We see it between Cain and Abel…We see it between David and Goliath…between the Egyptians and the Israelites or all their other enemies. Throughout the course of history Satan has been working hard against God and His people.

Guys, this serpent crusher…it’s a promise from God…a promise that He’ll send someone to deliver us from this hostility…and it was this promise that would fuel the Israelites for hundreds of years as they waited on this Messiah to come.

And so, the real question for us this morning…who’s this serpent crusher? Who’s this offspring or this seed of the woman?

Paul writes in Romans 5:18 “18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Paul’s saying to the Romans here…it’s Jesus…Jesus is the seed of the woman…Jesus is the offspring that God’s talking about here. Which when we really think about this promise…the promise of Christmas…it’s really remarkable…it’s amazing…it should strike our hearts with wonder just as it did on that first Christmas night 2,000 years ago among the angels.

You see…John writes in the first chapter of his gospel, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.” John’s talking about Jesus here…Jesus is the Word…meaning, Jesus wasn’t simply born on the night of Christmas…it wasn’t this night that Jesus came into existence…Jesus has always existed as a member of the Trinity…Jesus was at the foundations of the world and it was through Him that all things were created. You understand?

And in our story here this morning…it says in verse 8 that God was walking in the cool of the day, right? Meaning, God was walking among Adam and Eve in the flesh…Knowing what we know about the Trinity…who’s the only member that actually has a human form? Who mediates between us and the Father? Because we know it can’t be the Holy Spirit…He’s in the spiritual form…it can’t be God the Father…because no man has looked upon His face, right? No one except the Son. And so, by default…this One approaching Adam and Eve…this One speaking to Adam and Eve…this One bringing punishment and judgement on Adam and Eve…He’s the very Savior that would come…It’s Jesus Himself here promising to send Himself to solve their problems in the very midst of their rebellion. You understand how remarkable this story really is? At the origin of our problem…here’s the God that created us, saying, “Don’t worry my child, I’ll come myself and I’ll fix your problems…and I’ll do it in the most humble way I can so that you’ll never question my love again.” Jesus is promising to send Himself.

Guys, that’s the heart of Christmas…that we were doomed for destruction because of our own freewill. We chose to turn and rebel against the God that created us…and we continue to do that to this day because there’s hostility between us and this world…but that this same God promised to send Himself…to become the very thing He created…to live a life just like us…except perfectly…to die in our place…to take on our punishment…all so that we might experience restoration. You see the bookends here…In Genesis, it goes from garden to desert…and in Revelation, it goes from desert to garden.

And this promise, it really helps to understand the heart of God. You see, in the beginning, before there was time, before there was anything…there was God....God made the world, He made it for His glory…and He made it to help us know Him, to love Him, to trust Him.

Listen, this promise it really reminds me of all those good Christmas Hallmark movies…listen, they’re all pretty much love movies…they all end the same way…but you know what they always say to each other in those movies? “I’ve loved you all my life…I’ve loved you even before I met you.” Guys, that’s dumb, right? You can’t love someone you don’t know…But listen, that is our omniscient God…who’s know you before the foundations of the earth…before you were ever born…He loved you then…and that’s why He promised to come.

Closing

And guys, it was at the cross that this promise was fulfilled. When Christ died on that cross…Satan struck His heel…in a literal way and a metaphorical way. Where were the nails pounded in? His hands and feet…right through His heels. And when they took His dead body down from that cross, it appeared to Satan that he won. But listen, we know how the story goes…on that Sunday morning, that first Easter, the true Victor…the Serpent Crusher, He walked straight out of that grave…He was alive! He was risen!

Satan delivered a terrible blow…and no doubt he thought it was a knockout punch, but oh how wrong was he? All he did was strike Jesus on the heel. That suffering and that pain…even that death…it had nothing on what Jesus did to Satan at the cross.

You see, the Bible says, that when we repent and believe in the Son of God, Satan and sin, they have no power over us…death has no sting…it has no claim on us…because through His death…and through that torture…He’s bought us…He’s claimed us as His own. We belong to the One that created everything…and we’ve loved by Him. And what we see through this first Christmas promise, its that we’ve always been on the heart of God…even at the beginning. That’s the heart of Christmas…that what makes Christmas so special…its that this God we’ve turned against…that we’ve rebelled against…He came to us…He pursued us…He dwells with us. He’s our Emmanuel.

Listen, as you reflect on the Christmas promise and the story we all know…would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

March 3rd, 2003...God took a broken teenage boy and He gave Him new life. He gave me hope and assurance. He changed me. And I'll never forget that night. I had fought it. I had fought God. Until, I remember sitting there in a Monday night Bible Study, I could hear God speaking to me. And I remember, for months feeling this tug in my heart. I just remember this internal battle going on. I thought, "There's no way I'm giving into this...First off, I'm not gonna look like an idiot in front of everyone...But secondly, I don't need God." But guys, I remember sitting there and for the very first time in my life, I felt the real weight of my sin. I had a real understanding of what an eternity without Jesus would look like. And so, I turned my life to Jesus. And He changed me.

Listen, there's someone here today that feels that same tug on their heart. There's that internal battle going on…that hostility…and you're just trying so hard to fight it…but please listen to me, give in to that. That's the Spirit of God and He wants to give something that’ll impact not just your life here on earth today but your life in eternity. He wants to transform you and give you new life. He wants to take away that shame and that guilt and that hurt that you've felt and He wants to replace it with love and with grace. He want's grow you and help you see the perfect plan He has for your life.

Listen, no one's looking around...if that's you this morning, could you just look up at me? I just want you look at me....I want you to say that's me...I'm hurting...I'm broken...(would you look at me?)...I'm in a dark place....I need Jesus....I need salvation....I need help. Would you do that for me this morning? Just look at me, no one’s looking around....when our eyes meet you can bow your head....

Listen, if that's you, whether you looked at me or not...would you just repeat after me right now? Listen guys, these words, they don't save you, they don't really mean anything...they're just words, it's about what's going on in your heart. But all I wanna do is help you process that feeling you have and I wanna help you turn to Jesus. And so, if that's you would you just repeat after me?

"Lord Jesus...I believe you are who you say you are....I believe you came into this world and I believe you lived a perfect and sinless life...I believe you went to a cross and wore the weight of my sin....I believe you experienced the punishment met for me...I confess to you now that I am sinful and wicked....I am in need of grace and mercy and forgiveness...Jesus come into my life and fill me with your Spirit....Help me live in your ways and grow me to be more and more like you....We pray this in Jesus's name...Amen!"

Listen, if you prayed that and met those things in your heart...The Bible says that you've been given a new life...you've been reborn. You now have hope and assurance in your salvation and even hope in death. It tells us that the Spirit of God has now taken up residence in you. But guys, you don't need to keep that to yourself...you need to let someone know. You need to come alongside of a church and let that church disciple you. You need to grow and learn what it means to follow Jesus.

And so, listen as we close this morning…I wanna give everyone a chance to respond to what we’ve just heard and read…maybe it’s not about salvation…maybe it’s nothing you’re working on…maybe you just need to pray for someone in your life…I don’t know…but listen if that was you that prayed that prayer…if that’s you that needs to seek God…if that’s you that needs pray for someone else this morning, I challenge you…would you come to these steps this morning…would you humble yourself in the presence of God?

Listen, you take the next few minutes and then I’ll close us in just a moment. I’ll be down front if you need me. And listen, if that was you this morning…you prayed that prayer…let us celebrate with you…come talk to me. Alright, you take this time.

[Prayer]