Jesus Prophesied As Savior In The Law Series

1. God promised there would be unseen warfare with the redeemer (3:15a—And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed…)

2. God promised there would be ultimate victory by the redeemer (3:15b—…it shall bruise thy head…)

3. God promised there would be undeserved suffering for the redeemer (3:15c—…and thou shalt bruise his heel.)

GENESIS 3:15

This verse picks up right in the middle of God’s curse on creation. Let’s set the stage for what led up to this point. In six days, God created everything. He spoke everything into existence from nothing. On the sixth day, as the capstone of His creation, God created man. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Over in chapter two it breaks that verse into a little more detail. God created Adam first and then performed the first surgery. The Bible says He fashioned Eve from Adam’s rib—literally, a piece of his side. God gave Eve to Adam as a helpmeet—a partner in all things. But He also gave him responsibility for her. God gave Adam His commands and Adam was responsible to teach those commands to his household. To his wife. To Eve. He was responsible for her obedience. And as we all know, she was disobedient. She fell for the lie of Satan when he told her that if she ate the fruit, her eyes would be opened and she would be like God. So, she ate. And not only did she eat, she gave it to Adam and he willingly ate. Many times Eve gets a bad rap, but Adam was the one who was responsible. As part of God’s created order of things, Adam was supposed to lead his family in the ways God had commanded. But he shirked that responsibility. He gave his headship up to Eve. Instead of Adam leading Eve in the righteousness of God’s command, he allowed Eve to lead him in falling for Satan’s lie. Now, Eve had a free will just like Adam did. She was accountable for her own choices in taking the fruit. She was accountable, but Adam was responsible. And because Adam, as the father of all mankind sinned, all mankind had to pay the price. That should say something to us, men. God ordered us to be head of our families for a reason. Not to be the boss. Not to lord our headship over our wives. But to lead them in God’s righteousness. And when we fail to do what God has called us to do, our whole posterity can pay the price. Just like we have because Adam failed to lead Eve in God’s righteousness. Instead, he chose to follow her in rebellion. So, what was their rebellion? Even though God had created Adam and Eve in His image, that wasn’t enough. They recognized that God was God and they weren’t. God is autonomous and they weren’t. God set the rules, they were to obey them. But that wasn’t good enough. Satan told them that they could be like God—literally, they could be gods just like God. They could be their own boss. In 1875, an agnostic named William Ernest Henley published a poem that sums up that kind of attitude. It’s called Invictus:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

June 11, 2001, Timothy McVey, the home-grown terrorist who bombed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was executed. His final statement to the world was this poem. As he faced his executioner, he still wanted the same thing Adam and Eve wanted. To be master of his own fate—captain of his own soul. That’s what McVey wanted, because that’s what all mankind wants. Ever since that first sin in the Garden, mankind has tried to be master of his own fate and captain of his own soul. God knew that. And because of His love for mankind, He made us a promise. Immediately after the sin had been committed. In the middle of pronouncing judgment on mankind as a result of that sin. Because He loves us, God promised a redeemer. As we look at this verse tonight, I want us to recognize the promises God made concerning Jesus as our redeemer. And as a result of that, I want us to worship His as our Savior. In order to do that, we’re going to look at three promises God made concerning Jesus as our redeemer. First, God promised there would be unseen warfare with the redeemer.