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Prophecies of the Coming Christ – Advent 1

Seed and Serpent

14
So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all the livestock

and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspringa and hers;
he will crusha your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3 : 14 & 15

Where did it all begin? Here, at the very Beginning – in the garden that
God planted, in the presence of the people He had made and the Serpent
who had spoiled it all.
The Coming of Christ is planned before the beginning of time – but it’s first
foretelling is here in the Garden. The words are short and enigmatic – but
they are full of significance and hope.

In this little series leading up to Christmas – this Advent Series, if you like –
we shall be looking at some of the prophecies about the Coming of Christ.
We shall try to set them against their own background as well as on the
Christmas Card or the Christmas Carol service.

We cannot go any further back than this one – back into the Garden of
Eden back into the darkest event that has ever shrouded God’s Good Earth
– the advent of Sin and the advent of the Saviour.
Of course we understand that most people relegate this story to myth –
but we have no problem with it. It tells us how sin entered the world, how
God’s word was called in question by the Serpent and Eve persuaded to
take the fruit from the forbidden tree.

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Before we look at the prophecy itself – we need to see how the New
Testament endorses these words as being prophetic of Christ and His work:

Romans 16 20
20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Galatians 4 4-7
4
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman,
born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full
rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,a Father.”

And

Hebrews 2 14,15
14
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity
so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—
that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery
by their fear of death.

There is no doubt that the NT writers saw the connection between the
words in Genesis 3 and the coming and work of Jesus.

When we turn to the passage itself, in its context, we can see many
aspects of the human condition explained – but in particular this morning
we look at the Coming of Christ in relation to:

• Sin

• Conflict and

• Christ

The most obvious subject of the passage in Genesis is the origin and
nature of sin:

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1. SIN

Way back in the Garden, when everything was perfect, God had, in
purposes we cannot fully comprehend, allowed the Serpent to influence
Eve.

The way in which he does so is indicative of the very nature of sin and of
temptation – not just for that first time – but ever since.

a. Sin begins with the questioning of God’s word v1

He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any
tree in the garden’?”

It was then – and it has been ever since – the work of the Enemy to call in
question all the utterances of God, all His Word, His Law and His promises.

He says it today against the background of fear and hatred and violence
“Has God really said…?”

b. Sin continues with a denial of God’s authority v4

4
“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 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.”

There was then, and is now a Voice that challenges the Word of God;
denying His authority and suggesting an alternative outcome for
disobedience.

Be your own master!

Follow me and know what life is really like!
Become your own Authority.

c. Sin culminates in disobedience v6

6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and
pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some
and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he
ate it.

Notice how the disbedience begins in the thought and heart and then
proceeds to an outward act of defiance.

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It still follows that pattern – no matter what the sin. Temptation is a

beguiling of the senses, a distraction of the desires. It adds to what is
beautiful and desirable – a dimension of selfishness and autonomy – and it
always results in disobedience.

We tell ourselves over and over again that it “just happened” – but the
process is clear enough.

13 When tempted, no-one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God
cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, gives birth to death.
JAMES 5

d. Sin results in shame and banishment v8-

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

It would never be the same again.

The sun still shone, the birds still sang as sweetly, the trees and fruit
looked as beautiful, the other creatures seemed just as wonderful … BUT
it was broken.

“they hid”

“They were afraid” They felt shame.

They blamed someone else ….

And God has to wring out of them a confession, and admission of guilt.

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And they are sent out of the garden … v24.

2. CONFLICT

One of the clear outcomes of the words of our text is an ongoing conflict
between Eve’s descendants and the Enemy.

a. Enmity between mankind and the Enemy v13b v15

“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Deception. A new word for a very common complaint from this time
onwards. In which the best things are distorted and a lie takes root

b. Enmity that causes pain v16

16
To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;

with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”

c. Enmity that curses the ground v17 & 18

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19
By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food

And ever since the creation has been groaning in travail (Romans 8) – the
effects of sin spill over into the environment – and will remain, until the
Lord ushers in His new heaven and new earth.

d. Enmity that brings death v18b & 22

until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are

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and to dust you will return.”

But these things which now trouble us so will be dealt with. God has not
left the world to its own devices – He has promised in His time to send a
Saviour.

3. CHRIST

The glorious promise here is of the Descendant of the woman, by whom

the Enemy is defeated, and the Lord Himself suffering.

a. Christ who from the beginning was promised

he will crusha your head,

and you will strike his heel.” V15

That which describes the conflict also describes the means of salvation.
The wonder of the Christmas story is not a sentimental winter festival – but
the wonder of the INCARNATION.

The seed of the Woman

The seed of Abraham
The descendant of David

b. Christ who bruises the Serpent’s head

You can see the difference in the nature of the wound. One is mortal – the
other not.

There will come a time when the Son of God will triumph over sin and
death, and the father of lies

c. Christ who deals with the punishment of sin

And so the scene is set for that sequence of prophecies in which the
Servant of the Lord is described, not just in glory or majesty – but
SUFFERING.

Jesus – sharing the suffering of a sinful world

Sharing the heartache and physical pain
The disappointment and despair

Jesus - In the Other Garden sweating as it were drops of blood

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Jesus - Upon His cross

d. Christ who triumphs over Sin and Satan

From our perspective it is hard to see what God is doing in that first
garden. Like Eve we are easily convinced that God does not know best.

But there will come a time when justice and mercy triumph together – and
satan will be banished for ever.

It is the hope of the final book of the Bible.

It is all centred in JESUS.

So the promise remains.

A promise made at the very moment when satan seemed to have

triumphed and the beauty of God’s handiwork was marred, and man was
banished from the Garden.

As Jesus dies on His cross he is able to say to the penitent thief :

“Today you will be with me in paradise”

God keeps His promises. He requires that we trust him and repent.

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