Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• A wonderful promise
• Chapter 1-2: describe God making a perfect world
• Perfect communion with God
• Lived in paradise
• Could eat from any tree
• He had given them one law
• Lucifer:
• Was cast down into heaven
• This is a mystery:
• The Secret things belong to God
• Some things have been revealed to us
• A third of the angels went with him in rebellion
• His mission was to spoil everything God had created
• Man was created in God's own image
• He was the target of the devil's attack
• The devil came to challenge the one law that God had given
• The serpent:
• Was directly challenging the word of God
• He spreads the same lie today - you cannot trust the Bible, God or His word!
• He puts doubt in her mind (v2)
• Eve's response:
• She repeats what God had said (v3)
• The serpent puts confusion in her mind (v4-5)
• She coveted the fruit and took of it and ate
• She gave some fruit to Adam who also ate (v6)
• The consequence:
• A spiritual death (immeadiately)
• A physical death (at a later time)
• Fear and shame instead of communion with God 
• Hiding from God
• Adam's response:
• He blames Eve
• He blames God - "the woman You gave me" (v12)
• Is this not our response today - to blame others or even God?
• Eve's response:
• She passes the blame also (v13)
• Curses:
• The Serpent (v14)
• The woman (v16)
• The man (v17-19)
• Darkness, curse and broken communion
• Man is cast out of Eden (v24)
• Catastrophic
• The whole human race under sin
• A glorious promise  (v15)
• Enmity between the Seed and the serpent
• God will turn Man against the serpent
• A second Adam would come to crush the serpent's head
• A promise of victory
• Overview:
• The Enmity
• The Battle
• The Victory

The Enmity

• Enemies
• Consider Israel and Palestine
• v19 death | v20 life
• God showed grace and mercy to Adam and Eve (v21)
• A line that would come through Eve to the virgin Mary and the promised Seed
• Christ was the Seed who would crush Satan
• Cain and Abel
• Abel sacrificed to God
• Cain refused to come to God through sacrifice (but his own works)
• Enmity between Cain and Abel
• Cain slew Abel
• Enmity between:
• Noah (and his Family) and the world
• Ishmael and Isaac
• Esau and Jacob
• Amilech & Moab opposed God's people
• The Babylonians opposed God's people
• Herod and Christ
• This enmity still exists between the Church and the world
• We are to seek peace with all men
• Scripture states there will always be a division
• Christ confirmed this
• Because of the Gospel
• Persecution of the Church
• We are not to be friends with the world
• We must stand for Truth (in love and grace)

The Battle

• From the beginning there was a battle
• Cain killed Abel (but God raised up Seth)
• The time of Moses - Pharaoh wants to kill all the male children
• The Babylonian exile - 10 tribes of Israel were lost
• God worked
• Judah remained
• He raised up Joseph
• He raised up Moses
• The birth of the Messiah
• The battle is raging:
• Rev 12
• Explanation
• Herod kills all the male children
• Jesus goes to Egypt and returns to Nazareth afterwards
• Jesus begins His ministry and is Baptised
• The devil tempts Jesus
• Jesus' ministry:
• The demons appear 
• Nazareth reject Jesus
• His own brothers initially reject Him
• The pharisees reject Him
• Satan uses Simon Peter (whom Jesus rebukes)
• Satan enters into Judas
• Jesus' time:
• The Garden of Gethsemane
• The cross

The Victory

• Jesus came to redeem men and women from sin
• He is the Second Adam
• The First Adam plunged us into sin
• The Second Adam saved us from sin
• The First Adam rebelled against God
• The Second Adam never sinned
• Jesus was wounded and died upon the cross
• He was being bruised (spiritually)
• His heel was bruised but He crushed Satan's head
• Satan is defeated

Closing Remarks & Challenge