The Promised Seed
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Introduction
Introduction
Good evening, everyone! Welcome to tonight’s service. I’m grateful to be here and to see all of you here tonight. Before we begin let’s open with prayer.
*Ask someone to open in prayer*
Greet your neighbors with a smile if you would!
Tonight’s sermon is called “The Promised Seed”.
The beginning of this story starts with Genesis 3:15
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.”
Here we are introduced to the “First Gospel” or Protoevangelium. Which just literally means first Gospel.
From here we have the beautiful story that is the Bible and this to me is one of those times where you just see this absolutely perfect story and fulfilment that ONLY God could give us.
Tonight we’re gonna look at the direct lineage of Abraham to Christ, and also take a look at some other prominent names throughout the bible that would have been descendents of Abraham according to the 12 tribes.
And eventually we will finish with THE PROMISED SEED!
My goal in tonight’s message is to just give you a glimpse into just how perfect our God is, and even when things are absolutely impossible...they aren’t for our almighty God.
Let’s begin with the circumstances behind this seed. The first part is gonna begin with Adam and Eve. So let’s wrap back to Genesis 3:15 again and how there will be this enmity between Satan and this seed. So, Adam and Eve go on to have 2 sons: Cain and Abel in which I’m sure we all know this story. I can never forget it because somewhere in my childhood I was given a phrase to help remember it and that was “Cain killed Abel with a leg of a table”...Has anyone else heard this? Satan defeated seed of Abel.
Anyways, we then get to the birth of Seth and from Seth we get a lineage that leads us to Abram (who of course becomes Abraham) through Noah’s son Shem. I believe the arrival of Abraham and Sarai is where another glimpse into the power of God.
Okay so to set the scene here we are told in Genesis 17 about this covenant that is being made between God and Abraham. Abraham and Sarah are both older and Sarah is described as being barren. In fact, in chapter 18 Sarah actually laughs at the thought of bearing a child, and the Lord replies “Is anything to hard for the Lord”? But here’s the best part. Let’s think for a moment God is entering into a covenant with Abraham, but the question I pose for you is Abraham able to have any part in fulfilling this covenant? No. So, once again God has to provide a miracle. God provides the promised seed to Sarah. From Sarah we are given Isaac.
Isaac marries Rebekah in which she again is barren for a time, until somehow she is no longer (by who’s power?) God’s! He carries on the promised Seed who is Jacob.
In which the story of Jacob and his lineage is a little more complex. Genesis 29 tells us the story of him falling in love with Rachel but ends up with Leah first as his wife and then Rachel thereafter. Mind you, he really loves Rachel but she is barren BUT Leah is not and from Leah we are given Judah. Once again, God sort of steps in and makes sure the promised Seed goes on.
From Judah, we have Perez which comes from one of his son’s wives from his first wife. Again, God intercedes fulfilling his promised Seed. We find this in Genesis 38.
From there we are given Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, and then we get to Boaz where some more stuff happens. We find this in 1 Chronicles 2:9-12.
Boaz marries Ruth where we are given Obed. This is told to us in Ruth 4.
Obed has Jesse. Also in Ruth 4.
Jesse fathers someone quite significant in the lineage of Abraham and that is King David. The David who fought Goliath. Once again we see that God carries out and protects the promised Seed. David, just like his father Judah, shows up on the scene like this great, great, great, great grandfather of his. And what does he do when he shows up on the scene? When he's finally identified and the promised seed brings forth his presence with authority. He walks down into a valley where there has been a giant who made this proposition, "Send me a man to fight with me. If he defeats me, we will serve you. If I defeat him, you will serve me." David goes down, fights the giant as the representative substitute for God's people; wins victory over the giant, thereby winning victory on behalf of all of God's people.
And great King David, descendant of Judah, eventually has a greater son who is a greater king who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The New Testament opens up with a genealogy. And basically that genealogy screams: the God who made a promise in Genesis 3 has fulfilled that promise.
I also want to note that Joseph the husband of Mary is a descendant of Abraham.
BUT, I don’t want to jump straight into THE promised Seed yet. I want to show you some other miraculous births and protections throughout the lineage of Abraham.
Let’s begin with Moses’ who as a baby the was condemned to death because the Pharaoh thought there were too many Israelites. We continue to see God’s protection over him throughout his life.
Next let’s move onto Manoah and the birth and protection of her son who is Samson. We find this story in Judges 13. Manoah was barren and yet miraculously was with child. Of who’s power was this done? Only God’s. Let’s take a glimpse into Samson’s life and the miraculous protection God provides him. God gives him supernatural strength, then God supernaturally again restores that strength after Samson was betrayed by Delilah in Judges 16. God protects Samson while he supernaturally defeats the Philistines.
We obviously see the Lord’s plan being carried out and this plan could not be carried out by any one person...but ONLY by the supernatural power of our God. What a miracle and beautiful thing it is to look back and see all that God did to lead us to THE PROMISED SEED.
So now we have arrived and all along from Genesis 3 the fulfilment of what God said in the garden He was speaking of this moment. Of THIS Seed. Now, the conflict will focus on just two individuals here. Christ and Satan.
The word seed in Hebrew (zerah) has both a collective and an individual meaning—just like its English equivalent. The singular pronoun used in the promise, “He [KJV, ‘it’] shall bruise your head,” indicates that a male member of the human race will deliver a fatal and final blow to the serpent. This crushing blow will not come, however, without the woman’s seed also receiving a wound, although not a final one, on His heel.
Isaiah further developed this theme with his teaching about the suffering servant. Consider Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
The New Testament is clear that Messiah accomplished this victory at the Cross (consider Hebrews 2:14–15). The New Testament is also clear that the final punishment and total disabling of Satan await the end times.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
This promises that the church (in Christ) will be victorious: “ The book of Revelation portrays this final fulfillment at the Great White Throne Judgment
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
It is clear that while Satan is truly alive, he is not well on planet earth! He is a defeated foe, although his final doom awaits him.
What basic truths can we discover about Messiah from Genesis 3:15, as we look back through the light of later revelation? God often gave hard ot understand prophecies, which He made more explicit in later revelation. see 1 Peter 1:10–12
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
First, Messiah will be of unique birth—He will be the seed of the woman. Although we should be patient with someone who has difficulty seeing the truth of the virgin birth in these veiled words of God, it is implied that the deliverer will be of unique origin. Why else is He called the seed of the woman and not the seed of the man?
Second, Messiah will be supernatural—He will defeat Satan, a supernatural being. Only one who has power beyond that of mere man can defeat him who is called “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Thus, Messiah’s deity is hinted at.
Third, Messiah will be of the human race—He will be from a woman, not an angel or a visitor from another world. Thus, if the seed is truly supernatural and human, the ultimate mystery begins to unfold—Messiah will be both God and man—a theme later developed by the prophets (Isaiah 9:6; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Micah 5:2). We must remember that this promise is only the beginning of a long series of Messianic prophecies. As revelation unfolds, more information will come forth and Messiah’s credentials will progressively narrow the focus to one of who will be a descendant of Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah (Genesis 9:26, 12:3, 26:3, 35:11–12, 49:10), David (2 Samuel 7:12–16), and Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:23), and He will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) before the Temple is destroyed (AD 70; Daniel 9:24–26). Like an inverted pyramid, this portrait of Messiah rests on the only one who could fit these and the many other prophecies concerning Him—Jesus of Nazareth, born of a woman (Galatians 4:4), who vanquished Satan and sets free those who are in satanic bondage (Hebrews 2:14–15).
Conclusion:
As we reflect on the incredible story of the Promised Seed, we see the perfect and miraculous work of our sovereign God. From Genesis 3:15, God laid out a plan that would span centuries, a plan that seemed impossible at times but was always in motion. We see the divine orchestration through generations—from Adam and Eve, to Abraham, to David, and ultimately to Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of God's promise. Every miraculous birth, every divine intervention, every moment of protection, and every promise made pointed to the coming of the Savior who would crush the head of the serpent. Through Jesus, we are freed from the bondage of sin, and the victory that was won at the Cross is now available to us all.
The path to the Promised Seed wasn’t easy, but it was perfect. It was necessary. And it was God's plan from the very beginning. As we stand today, we can look back and marvel at the faithfulness of our God, who fulfilled His promise in ways that only He could. And in Christ, we now have victory.
Altar Call:
Tonight, I invite you to respond to the promise that has been fulfilled through Jesus Christ. If you’ve never made a decision to follow Him, now is the time. The victory over sin and death that He accomplished on the Cross is available to you. No matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been, Jesus came to crush the power of the enemy and to offer you eternal life. His grace is for you, and His love is greater than anything you can imagine.
If you want to receive the forgiveness and freedom that Christ offers, I invite you to come forward now. Let today be the day you step into the victory that Christ has already won for you. Or maybe you’re already walking with Him, but have a spiritual need. Whatever it is, God is here, and He is calling you.
Let’s pray together: “Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Promised Seed, the Savior who came to give me life. I confess my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. I surrender my life to You, and I choose to follow You. Thank You for Your love, Your grace, and the victory You’ve won for me. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
If you’ve prayed this prayer, we want to celebrate with you and walk alongside you in this new journey of faith. Come forward, and let us pray for you, or simply raise your hand so we can connect with you. God bless you!
