Looking Back at the Promise of CHRIST-mass

The First Glimpse of Grace

1. Serpent: The Judged Enemy

Genesis 3:14 ESV

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.

The curse upon the serpent includes its final destruction by the descendant of the woman.

Kenneth A. Mathews

We were deceived by the wisdom of the serpent, but we are freed by the foolishness of God.

Saint Augustine of Hippo

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

2. Seed: The Promised Victor

Genesis 3:15 ESV

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.”

God has promised pardon to your conversion; He has not promised a tomorrow to your delay.

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Whatever God can do, he unquestionably will do, if he has promised it.

John Calvin (French Reformer)

1. What does the initial curse on the serpent reveal about God's attitude towards evil?

2. In what ways can we actively embrace the hope found in God's promises during difficult times?

3. How does Genesis 3:15 foreshadow the importance of Jesus in the context of redemption?