The Seed / People of Promise

 The Seed
Genesis 3:15 September 18, 2022   

1. Introduction:
   1. We just started a series last week called People of Promise; where we are seeking to answer the question “What in the world is God doing?”  by understanding the big story of the Bible! 
      1. We learned that the story is driven by three key words – seed, covenant, Jesus.  
      2. This week we will deal with the seed and how appropriate because it is the very first promise in the Bible! This promise gives shape to the heart of what is going on in our world today and what God is doing all the way from Genesis 3 through Revelation 20!
   2. We learned last week that the story of what God is doing in this world is simply stated “God’s redemption of man through Jesus Christ!” or we could call it paradise restored!
      1. We saw that the story starts (Genesis 1-2) and ends (Revelation 21-22) the same way with God dwelling in harmony with man in his creation and there was no sin, death curse or Satan. 
      2. Genesis 3 is the setting for and explanation for everything in between from Genesis 3-Revelation 20.
         1. We call this chapter the fall of man, the place where sin entered this world as Satan deceived man into sin.
   3. Our focus this morning is on the curse God placed on Satan but within that curse God also made a promise about a seed, this promise drives the story regarding what God is doing in this world and introduces to us in seed form Jesus Christ.  
   4. Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 3 - read  
      1. In verse 14 -since Satan used a snake as the instrument, he worked through to deceive Eve, God puts a curse on the snake to crawl on his belly and eat dust!  
      2. Now read v15 - enmity simply means open hostility between two different people or groups of people
      3. The first would be between Satan and Eve – the way he ruined her life I think we can understand.
      4. Secondly, between your seed (Satan) and her seed (Eve only “her” in existence at that time) 
   5. Before I finish this verse let me take a side bar to explain what the word seed means.
      1. When you trace this Hebrew word through the Bible listen to what words are used to describe it. Offspring, descendant, origin, family, child, children, son, line, race, nation, posterity, people, seminal, intercourse, sow, grain.  
         1. The Greek word for seed is the word sperma where we get the English word sperm.
         2. So bottom line it is talking about a lineage of people from a particular family.
      2. But the word seed is always singular. But it can either refer to one person or a group of people – which is known as a collective noun – 
         1. We use these all the time when we speak of a group as a single entity. – a team, a band, board of elders or deacons.  How about the body of Christ – body is singular but used for every believer in Christ.
         2. The only way to know which is used is by the context it is found in.
      3. Here is a third thing about this word seed – it is used both physically and spiritually.    Again, only context can tell! 
         1. Listen to Isaiah 53:10 – did Jesus have literal physical offspring?  No
            1. But we learned in John 1 that all who believed in him became children of God.    
            2. This is a spiritual seed, descendants’ offspring
   6. Look back at Genesis 3:15 now
      1. Reread 15c – let me ask you who would be Satan’s literal physical offspring? He has none. but he does have spiritual ones who are of him.
      2. Passages:
         1. 1 John 3:12 where it says Cain was of the evil one!
         2. John 8:41,44 - Jesus tells the Jewish leaders they are of their father – Satan.
         3. Matthew 13:37-38 – parable of the tares shows that the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the evil one are in the world together
      3. So, I believe Genesis 3:15 talks about the open hostility that will be between the godly seed and ungodly seed.  
   7. The final open hostility revealed in this verse is the open hostility between Jesus and Satan read Genesis 3:15d-e 
      1. Satan will bruise Jesus which ultimately points to the cross, and Jesus will ultimately crush Satan by throwing him in the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever day and night!   
      2. As we read between Genesis 3 to Revelation 20, we see these hostilities going on between the godly and ungodly and God/Jesus and Satan.
      3. We can even see it going on in our world today as we live in the time between Genesis 3 to Revelation 20
   8. Here is a chart I created to try to picture these lines throughout the Bible.  Thanks to Joel for simplifying it
      1. As we trace ‘seed throughout Scripture, we see the enmity develop that God described in Genesis 3:15, and we see it played out in history all the way until today (Galatians 4:29 - read), and it will continue until Jesus crushes Satan’s head in Revelation 20:10. 
      2. Chart 

Un-godly line

(“your seed” - Satan)

Godly line

(“her seed” - Eve)

Supporting Scriptures

Cain

Abel

Genesis 4:4

Seth

Genesis 4:25-26

Noah

Genesis 6:5-18, 7:1

Ham & Japheth

sham

Genesis 11:10, 27

Culture & lands of the world

Abraham

Genesis 12:3, 7; 13:15-16; 15:18; 17:1-8; 22:17-18; Romans 4:11-13, 16-17; Galatians 3:16

Ishmael - nation

Isaac

Genesis 17:19, 26:3-5

Esau - Edom

Jacob

Genesis 28:3-4, 13-14

Gentiles

Twelve tribes (nation of Israel)

 

Judah

Genesis 49:8-10

David

2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 89:3-4, 33-37

Jesus

Matthew 1:1, Acts 3:25-26

Non-believers

believers in Jesus

Romans 4:11-17, Galatians 3:29, Galatians 4:29

 

1. In weeks to come we will see this idea of the seed further clarified in the covenants and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.  
   1. We need to perk up and listen closely in this series because these covenant promises are not just a story about Israel, but we also get in on these covenant promises as well, 
   2. Not because we are some kind of spiritual Israel that has now replaced Israel because of their disobedience 

• But by two different means

1.  Christians are also the seed of Abraham.
   1. First, turn to Romans 4:10 where we will see that we are descendants/seed of Abraham because we have a faith like his.
      1. In verses 10-17 he is showing us that both believing Jews and believing Gentiles are considered the seed of Abraham thus he became the father of many nations fulfilling the promise to Abraham in Genesis 17.   
         1. Thus, he is the father of all who believe - Jew and Gentile.
      2. In Romans 4:10-12
         1. Those without circumcision in this passage are the Gentiles
         2. Those who are circumcised are the Jews
         3. Read 
      3. Now in verses 13-17 he is guaranteeing to all the descendants, both believing Jews and Gentiles, that they would be heirs, recipients, possessors of those promises made in the Abrahamic covenant!
         1. Those who are of the law are Jews
         2. Read v13-17
      4. So according to Romans here the church does not replace Israel when it comes to the covenant promises but instead, they come in right alongside of Israel in experiencing the covenant promises!
   2. 2ndly turn to gal 3:16 where we will see that we are heirs, recipients, possessors of these promises, Abraham’s seed because we belong to Christ.
      1. Galatians 3:14 – we see that in Jesus the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles
      2. Galatians 3:16 – the promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed, he does not say seeds as referring to many but seed, who is Jesus Christ.  
         1. So, the promises were made to both Abraham and Jesus 
         2. Galatians3:19 also confirms that the promises were made to Jesus
      3. Galatians 3:29 states that we are Abraham’s seed, heirs’ recipients, possessors of the promises made to Abraham because we belong to Jesus Christ!
         
         
         
         
   3. Just a side note, not all the physical descendants of Abraham, Jewish people, are or will be saved and experience the covenant promises, only those who believe. So, all believing Jews and Gentiles form Abraham’s seed – the heirs, recipients, possessors of the promises
      1. 2 Corinthians 11:22 (Corinthians v13-15) – speaking of Jewish false teachers as descendants/seed of Abraham he makes it clear that they are false teachers, agents of Satan, unsaved!
      2. Read v22 then 13-15 
      3. You can read further about this in Romans 9-11 where we learn that only a remnant of Israel will be saved!
2.  Conclusion
   1. Now this should put this series on a new level of interest for us because we are heirs, recipients, possessors of the covenant promises we will learn.  
      1. Yes, we are people of promise!
   2. The story of the Bible and the covenant promises we now see are really our story that shapes our world, which shapes the Bible and shapes our present spiritual reality and shapes the foundation of our future hope that we can build our life off like they are an anchor for our soul!