We begin with the observation that this verse takes place near the beginning of human history. Understanding the Contextīecause this verse is so important in the history of redemption, we need to understand something about its context. I trust that these sermons will prepare your heart for Christmas and will increase your devotion to Jesus Christ, the prophesied Son of God born in Bethlehem so long ago. I have chosen these four because they represent central truths that help us understand who Jesus Christ is and why His coming is so important. During these weeks leading up to Christmas we will example four major Old Testament pictures and predictions of His coming:Ī Prophet Like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:1-10) Sometimes he actually appeared on the earth as “the angel of the Lord.” But in a broader sense the whole Old Testaments bears witness to him through many symbols and images and also through direct prophecy of His coming to the earth. That is why we should not be surprised to encounter Christ in the Old Testament. He was claiming eternal existence with God the Father. That is what our Lord meant when he said, “Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). Jesus the man came into being with his conception in Mary’s womb but Christ the Son of God existed from all eternity. That title may seem like a contradiction because “B.C.” means “Before Christ” and how can we speak of Christ before Christ? We can if we realize that our Lord, as the Second Person of the Trinity, being fully God in all aspects, existed long before Bethlehem. This morning we are beginning our Christmas series for 1995. Neither Adam or Eve could fully have known what these words would one day mean. But all of that was in the future when God first spoke these words. These words would be fulfilled thousands of years later at a place called Calvary outside the city wall of Jerusalem. In short, this verse predicts that Jesus would win the victory over the Satan but would himself be wounded as the same time. In the process his “heel” would be bruised on the cross. He is the ultimate Seed of the Woman who would one day come to crush the serpent’s ugly head. The great English preacher Charles Simeon called this verse “the sum and summary of the whole Bible.”Īlthough you may not see it at first glance, Christ is in this verse. As the acorn contains the mighty oak, so these words contain the entire plan of salvation. Everything else in the Bible flows from these words in Genesis 3:15. These words spoken by God contain the first promise of redemption in the Bible. Theologians call it the protoevangelium–or first gospel. It is also the first gospel sermon ever preached on the face of the earth. This is the first promise given after the Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
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