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The Seed Promise of the Savior

Introduction: What is the Greatest Promise Ever Made?

• The greatest promise God ever made was His promise to send us His Son, Christ to be our Savior to redeem us from our sins!

• This promise is otherwise called “the Seed Promise” as given in Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

◦ Seed (literal/figurative): offspring or posterity of person(s) of the future.

• On that terrible day when the first man and the first woman sinned resulting in curses, condemnation, and separation from God, the Lord gave us this most blessed and wonderful promise!

• After God cursed “the serpent” (the Devil, - Rev. 12:9), God made the promise of “the Seed” - the coming – Christ the Savior!

“Your Seed” - The future followers of Satan, the devil VS. “Her Seed” - The offspring that would lead to the birth of Christ

1. What determines if a person is of “God's seed” or the devil's? (1 :8-10)

2. When did the (Christ) come, born of a woman? (Galatians 4:4)

3. For what purpose did Christ come according to Galatians 4:5?

Note: “Her seed” refers in part to the physical messianic lineage that led to the birth of the Savior (:1-17; Luke 3:23-38; See charts on next pages).

4. Who is “the Seed” the apostle Paul writes about? (Galatians 3:16, 19)

1 God Places “Enmity” (hostility) between Satan and Humanity:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” - Genesis 3:15

1. Describe the curse God gave the serpent (the creature Satan used as his instrument to tempt ) (Genesis 3:14)

2. What did the snake (serpent) come to symbolize? (Rev. 12:9; Ps. 140:1-3)

3. Satan was against humanity from the start, but now his hatred would increase. As a result of this curse, there would be great conflict. There would be hostility between Satan and “the woman.” Eve is “the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20). She represents the human race. How did Jesus describe him in John 8:44?

4. There would especially be hostility between the followers of Satan (“your seed”) and the followers of God (“her Seed” of Christ). What kind of follower (or of what “seed”) was 's son ? (1 John 3:12; cf. Genesis 4:8).

5. Who took the place of Adam's son ? What kind of follower did he become? (Genesis 4:25-26)

6. Centuries later, most people of the world were followers of whom? (Gen 6:5-7)

7. Who was the surviving remnant of God's people? (Genesis 6:8-9; 9:1, 9).

8. After these, what three men in particular were followers of God? (Genesis 12:1-3 / Gen. 26:2-5 / Gen. 28:13-14).

9. Through the seed (offspring) of what son of would Christ come? (Gen. 49:9-10; cf. Rev. 5:5).

10. The Messiah (Christ) would come from the seed of what king? (2 7:12-13; Psalms 132:10-11; Acts 2:29-30).

2 READ :1-6 AND BE READY FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

• Throughout the ages, Satan worked hard to destroy the remnant of the messianic line or the “” (i.e. physical lineage of Christ).

• The faithful remnant of God, “cried out in labor and in pain to give birth” longing for the arrival of the Seed (Child), Christ the Savior.

• Satan at work (“the great dragon”), there were times in history when the royal seed of was threatened.

Examples: • Massacres of David's line (2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 21) • King Herod sought to kill the Messiah (:13) • The Jews attempted to kill Jesus before His time (Luke 4:29; :18)

• Despite Satan's efforts to destroy “her Child” (Christ), Jesus would be “caught up to God (ascend to heaven) and His throne” (Revelation 12:5).

• Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to heaven to rule as our King!

READ ACTS 2:22-35

3 “The Seed” Has Gained the Victory Over Satan! “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” - Genesis 3:15

1. In what way did Christ (“the Seed”) let Satan “bruise” Him on “His heel”? (Think metaphorically. What does this symbolize? Ps. 22:14-18; Luke 23:32-46)

2. To defeat Satan, Jesus deliberately let him strike him on “the heel.” Yet, did Jesus have a choice? (John 10:17-18)

3. What seemed like Jesus' defeat was instead victory over the power of the devil. Satan's “head” (power - Rev. 12:3) was “bruised”. Christ had crushed the serpent's head! The devil was the one defeated at the cross! For what purpose had Jesus come according to 1 John 3:8?

4. What power did Jesus take away from the devil? (Hebrews 2:14)

5. What freedom (and blessings) does Jesus give to everyone who believes in Him? (Hebrews 2:15; cf. Ephesians 1:7)

6. Do you belong to “the Seed”? Are you promised eternal life? (Gal. 3:26-29)

4 “The Seed” (Christ) Promise Fulfillment

NOAH (Genesis 6:8-10; 9:9)

DAVID (2 Samuel 7:12-17; Psalms 89:3-4; 132:10-11) Christ would sit on David's throne

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