The One Who Would Crush Our Enemy

Supposed you are asked by a civic group or some other organization to give a historical discussion of Christmas. Maybe they knew that you went to church or they knew you said you were a Christian. If you were asked to give a historical discussion of Christmas, how would you do it? How would you do it? Some might say, “Well, I’d go back and talk about how Christmas had been celebrated by my family. I’d talk about my grandparents. I’d talk about my great grandparents and what they did at Christmas time.” That would be historical. That would be interesting in a lot of ways, I’m sure.

Somebody else might say, “You know what, I think I would want to go back even further than that if they want it to be historical. I do some research how Christmas was celebrated around the time of the civil war or maybe during the period of the 13 colonies. I would want to research and find out in simpler days how people celebrated Christmas.” That would be a good answer too.

Still somebody else might say, “You know, I’d want to go all the way back, all the way back. If I were asked to give a historical discussion of Christmas, I would go as far back as you can go. I would study the original source documents in Matthew and in Luke and talk about the manger and talk about the shepherds and the wise men and the events surrounding the birth of Christ. If they want a historical perspective, I’d take the history back as far as you could take it.”

I’m not asking you which one of those three approaches would be superior. They all have their place. Think for a minute about that third person who would say that they would take the history of Christmas back as far as you could take it by studying what the gospel say about the birth of Christ. Is that person correct? Is that as far back as the history could go? I want to try to play Got You here.

To say that the story of the birth of Jesus Christ begins at the actual birth of Jesus Christ is hundreds and in some cases thousands of years late. It would like studying the Middle Ages but only going back to 1950 or studying World War II but only going back to last week. I realize you might say, “Perhaps pastor, you’re losing me here. What do you mean that the story of the birth of Jesus Christ did not begin at the actual birth of Jesus Christ?”

The story of Christmas begins with the prophecies that God made concerning his son. This month, our morning services and our Christmas musical and even our Christmas Eve service this year are all going to be about that, about God’s plan for the Messiah. We’re really looking forward to that study with you. When we were assembling the preaching series over a year ago now, we thought this particular discussion at Christmas time would does tell well with our annual theme of planning to grow. That’s what we’ve been discussing all year in all sorts of ways.

In fact, when we are doing some of our congregational surveys back in the spring, some there a woman asked, “Are we going to have to talk about planning every Sunday?” she said. The tongue and cheek answer to that question is pretty much, pretty much. What I mean by that is there is a sense. You can make the argument that every time we come together and worship the Lord and study his word, we’re talking about some aspect of his plan, are we not? Of what God is wanting to do in and through us. There is a sense in which, yep, we’re always going to be talking about God’s plan.

In fairness to that person who made that comment. I think she was talking about some of the teaching we did earlier in the year about how to plan as individuals and how to plan as a church. I understood her point. I get the fact that not everybody likes planning as much as me. I get that. I get that. I understand her point. On the other hand, do you realize God is the consummate planner? That really is true.

Here’s a great verse that would teach that. Ephesians 1:10, “In him also, we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose through works,” how many things? Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. All things after the council of his will, the council of his own plan. If that’s true, it is perhaps that shouldn’t surprise us to learn that the purpose and some of even the smallest details about Christmas were planned out. They’re prophesied hundreds and in some cases thousands of years before they occurred. I think that truth is one of the most thrilling aspects of studying the word of God.

With that, you might open your bible if you would to Genesis 3. Genesis 3 and maybe I don’t need to tell the page number on this one. Just in case, page two of the front section of the bible in to the chair in front of you. Genesis 3 or page two of the bible into the chair in front of you. I really like when I Genesis. Isn’t that the book that begins with the words “In the beginning”? Yes, it is. Yes, it is. It’s not very long into that story at all before God is talking about Christmas. Did you know that?

We’re going to be looking especially at verse 15 but just to get a running start, let’s begin in verse one. In Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made and he said to woman, “Indeed had God said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden.” The woman said to the serpent from the fruit of the tree of the garden we may eat but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God had said you shall not eat from it or touch it or you’ll die.” The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die. God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened. You’ll be like God knowing good and evil.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate it. She gave also to her husband with her and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves wool and coverings. They’re dying by the way.

Then they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves. They’re dying from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Adam said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked so I hid myself.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

The man said, “The woman.” So more death applied to marriage. The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree and I ate.” The Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceits me and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, curse are you more than all cattle, more than every beast of the field. On your belly, you will go and dust you will eat all the days of your life.”

Christmas, ready for some merry Christmas? Here you go, verse 15. Lock on please to each word. God said, “And I will put enmity between you, Satan and the woman and between your seed and her seed.” Her see, aha! Who would that be? He that is her seed shall bruise you on the head. There’s some bad news. Satan, he’s going to bruise you on the head. Interestingly enough, you Satan shall bruise him, the seed of the woman on the heel.”

This morning we’re thinking especially about God’s plan for the Messiah who would crush our enemy. There it is. That’s part of the plan. It crushed our enemy and with the time we have remaining, let’s think about three characteristics of God that were revealed by his very first discussion of the plan for Christmas in the garden, in the garden. Here’s where it starts. The Christmas plan, friends, reveals God’s holiness.

We better get something cleared off the deck here. Some of you will be worried about it or wondering about it to the whole message. I know. You might have been asked right now. That’s far as our … you sang this up with your fingers crossed behind your back. I mean, this whole Adam and Eve thing. You surely would not expect us to believe that in this sophisticated day and age in which we live. Of course, we believe in a literal Adam and Eve.

Before you get too off or wound up about that, I would want to remind you and we’re in way good company on that belief. Say like who? You shouldn’t say that to your pastor. Like who? Like Jesus Christ. Here’s what he said in Matthew 19, “And he answered and said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning, made the male and female and said for this reason, the man said leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two should become one flesh. Those are direct quotes from Genesis 2. Just prior and after to the verses that we just read.

The bottom line is Jesus believed in a literal Adam and Eve. If you’re one of those person that says, “Well, I don’t believe in the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis,” or “I don’t believe some aspect of the Old Testament but I believe in Jesus,” not the Jesus of the bible. They told that I’m not sure I believe in Jesus. I just believe in Paul. You’re getting yourself in trouble. Also you might say, “I’m not getting myself in trouble. You’re talking for me.” I know but I know what you’re thinking. Second Corinthians 11:3 where Paul said, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness your minds will be let astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” That’s just a quick sampling of verses that we could site.

The point is our approach to interpreting the bible including a place like Genesis 3 where we started is that the plain sense makes good sense seek no other sense. That’s what absolutely we believe in a literal Adam and Eve. By the way, since you brought this up, if you’re following some of the current controversy in our state, there’s a lot of people. It’s amazing how many people are currently quoting from our state’s constitution. Did you know that our state constitution specifically speaks of God as our creator? That’s right, along with the words referring to God as the almighty.

That’s right. The opening paragraph of our state’s constitution, it speaks about not just a god, not just a deity, not some generic title but God as our creator, as the almighty. What amazes me right now is how many progresses according to state constitution all of a sudden? They’re leaving out or ignoring or maybe suppressing the fact that our state consti for whatever it’s worth specifically speaks of God and would anybody want to make a serious argument that the creator that they were speaking about in the state constitution at least from their frame of reference was anyone other than the creator mentioned in Genesis chapters one and two.

If we’re going to quote the state constitution, let’s quote it accurately and let’s quote it in its contexts. You got me off track there. You’re like that. Back to the main point. We derive our truth from the scripture. Yes, of course we take this literally. What this passage reveals in part is the marvelous truth that our God is holy. Our God is holy. That’s why he established standards to reveal our need for him. Think about the logic of the verses that we just read. Adam and Eve are created in God’s image. They have all they need to subdue the earth in submission to the God who made them. There were how many standards? How many roles? One, don’t eat off of that tree.

Which made them immediately want to eat off of that tree. Before you fuss at them my dear friends, the only difference between them and you had you been the one in that place is you would have done it faster because they don’t fuss at what it was. They did and it’s hard but it’s important for us to recognize as we launch this Christmas series that God is holy and we’re not.

God’s holy and we’re not. The psalmist said it like this and God’s speaking. These things you have done and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. In case you don’t get it, that’s not a compliment. God says, “You thought I was just like you and I’m not.” The point is God is holy and we’re not. Maybe you’ve seen the Discover Card commercial. They play it on football games where there’s this person who messed up. They missed a payment or whatever. So they called Discover and all of a sudden they’re talking to a person who’s incredibly nice and says, “Don’t worry about that missed payment. That’s going to be fine.”

The person says, the customer says, “You treat me just like I would treat me.” Then it pans over to the office at Discover and it is that person. If that person talking to themselves, “Hey, you treat me just like me. You treat me just like I treat me.” Maybe that’s a good strategy for a credit card company. I don’t know. Although you try missing like two or three payments and see if they’re going to still treat you like you treat you. I’m not here to talk about credit card strategy.

Some people think about God that way. He’s just like me. He’s just like me. Somebody once quit, God made man in his own image and man has been returning the favor ever since. One standard given in the Garden of Eden was enough to prove the point that God is holy and we are not, which is why the apostle Paul would later say, “Therefore, just as through one man’s sin entered into the world and death.” See, Satan is a liar. Death through sin and so death spread to all men because all have sinned. We all fall short of the holiness of God.

By the way, just to be clear on this, that was also the point of the Old Testament law. Ever so often I hear somebody say, “I’m just a 10 Commandment Christian.” Don’t say. Please don’t ever say that. There is no such thing as that. What they mean by that is I just do what God wants me to do. Therefore, I don’t need a savior. I save myself. I adhere into the Old Testament law.” Do you understand nobody has ever kept the Old Testament law? The point of the Old Testament law was never to give you a standard that if you merit, you earned your way to God on your own ever.

Nobody was ever saved by their own work. No one was ever saved by keeping the law. The law was not given for that purpose. Paul explained that too. The law has become our tutor. Our tutor in what sense? Just like the one standard Adam and Ever were given in the garden to explain that God is holy and that we are not. Lead us, Paul said, to Christ so that we may be justified by works. No, we may be justified by faith. That’s also why by the way.

It’s important for parents to be really careful about this matter of leading your child to Christ. I get it. I’ve raised a few. I get how much you want your child to come to Christ. I get that. Many would say, “Yeah, you got my arm for that. I get that.” Be very careful about making it so simple that a person says some words, a child says some words that they don’t understand enough theology to get them into the kingdom. If you just say, “Well, don’t you want Jesus in your heart?” I mean, who doesn’t want Jesus in their hearts?

You start in your parenting by teaching your child the law which is why one of the words that has to start coming out of your mouth is the word no. I don’t like saying no to my child. You need to establish some law. In this child-centered homes, that’s part of the problem. We need to establish some rules, establish some standards. We need to teach our children no not as an intimate self but to help our children as they develop understand the nature of their sin and therefore their need of a savior.

What we see unfolding in Genesis 3 reveals the holiness of God and our utter need for him. It would probably be good for us to begin the Christmas season just by reminding ourselves that God’s holiness is this essential attribute. In fact, one of the most seminal passages of scripture on this subject is Isaiah 6 where Isaiah had this marvelous vision of God. The year of King Uzziah’s death he said, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne lofty and exalted with the train of his robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above and each having six wings with two it covered his face, with two it covered his feet and with two he flew.

One called out to another and said, “Are you picturing this?” Here’s the central attribute of God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of host. The whole earth is full of its glory and the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out while the temple was filling with smoke. I realized there’s always holiness of God and how he’s unlike [inaudible 00:17:37] like a hell, fire and brimstone preacher now.

Maybe we need a bit of that. I’m just going to tell you right now. Maybe this culture needs a bit of that. Here’s what Isaiah said when he recognized the holiness of God, “Woe is me.” He may have been the holiest guy in the nation at that point. Woe is me for I’m ruined because I’m a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the Lord, the King, the Lord of host. His holiness means that he is without sin and he’s completely unable to have a relationship with anything that is sinful which is why there had to be consequences for the choices Adam and Eve made. The way just as sin is death.

Death is always separation in the bible. Immediately, there was separation between Adam and his wife. They’re fussing in the garden. Between this couple and their God, they’re about to be banished from the garden and they’re starting to die physical and if something is not done in the intervening time they will die without God and be separated from him forever. There’s also a declaration of war and make no mistake about it. The declaration was made by God himself. He’s the one in this key text. Merry Christmas, I will put enmity between you and the woman.

See, the holiness of God demands that a price be paid for sin. He’s not like us. One of the questions that we will have to answer in our hearts is whether we really believe this. I would encourage all of us. Mark just gave us some great things to pray about regarding our missionaries. I hope we will. I would encourage us also in the coming weeks to pray for those who are going through our living nativity. There’s a reason why we start in the Garden of Eden because we want to establish a doctrine that many Americans do not understand. That’s okay. We love persons wherever they start.

If we’re going to present the biblical message of Christmas, it begins in the garden and it begins with an emphasis on the holiness of God. For some, that may be the first time they’ve ever thought about how that fits into this entire subject. Many people in our community like any other would think, “Well, I’m good enough to get into heaven on my own work.” To be lovingly confronted by the doctrine of the holiness of God, rattles ones theological cage rather significantly and then prepares that man or woman, boy or girl for the good news of the gospel.

The Christmas plan reveals God’s holiness. This passage also reveals God’s love. God said, “I will put enmity because I’m holy and because of what’s happened, I will put enmity between you and the woman,” and hear this, “between your seed and her seed.” I wish I had the video of that. I’d love to see what Satan’s eyes did on that one. What do you mean her seed? How is she going to have a seed? Who is that person?

Then this, “He, the seed.” Here’s some news Satan, he’s going to bruise you on the head. The day is going to come when he’s going to like crush you. Fascinatingly, you shall bruise him on the heel. God’s love, God’s great provision. The Lord says to Adam and Eve, “I’m going to make provision.” That’s what those words her seed is talking about in verse 15. It’s referring to Jesus Christ. When he said to Satan, “You shall bruise him on his heel,” he’s talking about the substitutionary death of Christ. Not only has that God’s holiness demand a sacrifice. His love provides a substitute.

That’s why Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:24 said this, “God made him the seed. God made him Jesus who knew no sin.” That’s how he could die for you, “to be sinned on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” The point is not only should the manger remind us that God is a holy God. It should also remind us that God loves you.

I realized you might say, “But don’t these ideas contradict one another?” The holiness of God and the love of God, don’t they contradict one another? Friend, the exact opposite is true. God’s love is perfectly holy and God’s holiness is perfectly loving. I love this verses, Psalm 85:10, “Love and kindness and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed.” The idea of the holiness or wrath of God and the love of God don’t compete with one another. They compliment one another.

That truth finds beautiful expression in both the Garden of Eden and the manger at Bethlehem. I’ve often wondered, I wonder what God’s voice sounded like when he uttered these words in Genesis 3:15 because there’s a lot going on in this text. You’ve got appropriate wrath holy anger at Satan, our adversary. There’s some wrath in Genesis 3:15. “I will put enmity.” Then you have this fatherly displeasure with Adam and Eve and how that would fit into even a tone of voice.

What I think we need to especially think about is do you realize God the Father is talking about his own son? Her seed. When he talks about Satan being able to bruise the seed on his heel, he’s talking about the cross. He’s talking about the substitutionary death of his own son. You wonder how did all of that come together into that statement and how did that even affect the tone of voice with which it was made.

I hope we would all say this. The more we understand the holiness and wrath of God, the more we appreciate his love. If God is particularly holy and man isn’t particularly sinful, then what’s the big deal about a way being made for us to be reconciled to him? If he’s really holy, we really get that. We understand that we in our lost condition, we’re really sinful. That makes his love a whole lot more significant, doesn’t it?

These ideas of holiness and love are like two muscles in the same arm. The stronger you make one invariably the stronger you’re going to make the other. They don’t fight against one another. They compliment one another. Friends, this Christmas and any Christmas, God wants us to come to a greater understanding of the fact that he really loves us.

Second Thessalonians 3:5, “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.” What does God want your Christmas to be like? There it is. To be directed more into … what plans do you have to let that happen this Christmas or this great text Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ. He raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Later in that text Paul says this, “For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his spirit.” Now, listen to this next part. “His spirit and to enter man so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up unto the fullness of God.”

Many believe that one of the greatest hymns ever written contained those very words. Do you remember this, don’t you? The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest helm. The guilty pair apparently this writer believed in Adam and Eve. The guilty pair bowed down with care. God gave his thunder wind. His airing child he reconciled and pardoned from his sin. Could we with any of the ocean filling where the sky is a parchment neighbor. Every stalk on earth of quill and every man ascribed by trade to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry. Do you believe that?

Nor could that scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky. All love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong. It shall forevermore endure the saints and angels song. Can I ask you this morning, have you allowed your heart to be impacted by the marvelous truth that God loves you by the Christmas truth that God loves you, by the Garden of Eden, prophecy at the beginning of human recorded history that God loves you? The manger declares that message God will provide us seed, his only son and God will allow that seed to be bruised, bruised, to be put to death for our sin because he loves us.

I wonder how many persons might hear this message today. The truth of the matter is you’ve been a 10 Commandment Christian. You believe that you could earn your way to heaven by your good work. Friend, can I gently ask you this? Do you understand how offensive that is to God? Do you understand how offensive that is to the cross? I hope as a result of this study this morning that you would say if God is holy, I’m in trouble. If God is loving, there’s a chance. Then to come running not with your works and your hand. Discard all of that and come running to the cross and place your faith and trust in the resurrected Christ as your only hope of eternity and as God’s Christmas gift to you. It would be great if we started this Christmas season by that habit.

Christian friend, can I ask you, have you allowed the manger’s message that God loves you to impact your heart? Really to make a difference and even the way you think every day. When was the last time you could get evidence of I said this. I did this. I thought that. I went there because my life is grounded in the fact that God loves me and I’m still amazed by it.

I was going through some notes and I came across this. As far as I can tell this was a 1997 in our local newspaper. They had gone around to a number of schools and asked them what their favorite song was. Here’s a little girl from Miller Elementary, fifth grade. She said, “My favorite song is Happy Birthday, sung by the people at your party because I know that the cake is next.” That’s a good song. I would have said that that presents are next. If she’s for cake, that’s fine.

A couple of sad ones. A young man, sixth grade Frontier said, “My favorite song is Savage Garden. It’s called I Want You. It’s a very cool song. During their verse, it goes really faster, you can barely sing it unless you’re an auctioneer,” he said. Sixth graders their favorite song by Savage Garden I Want You.

Here’s another one. Fourth grade, Dayton Elementary. Favorite song, Did I Shave My Legs for This? Fourth grade. Her second favorite song is Strawberry Wine, fourth grade in the newspaper. Here’s one of the reason I’m actually telling you this story. Another fourth grader, Audubon Elementary said, “My favorite song is Amazing Grace because it sounds like my life.” A fourth grader, a fourth grader said in front of all his peers what his favorite song is about the love of God.

By the way, that was written by a fourth grader at Audubon Elementary named Justin Brownfield, who is now a teacher at Faith Christian School. Justin is all grown up. I’m really glad we have people like that who have allowed God’s love to impact them even as a child. The fact that this is prophetic, the fact that this was prophesied thousands … Think about it. Before you reject the gospel message, it was prophesied. You got a god like that? Your god can’t tell you the lottery numbers for this coming Saturday. Are you serious?

The fact that a God could make prophecy like this that impacted Paul. He started the Book of Romans like this. Paul have been serving of Christ Jesus called as apostle. Set apart for the gospel of God. Hear this, “Which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his son.” What motivated Paul, what bolstered his faith was the fact that that God had prophesied thousands of years before this occurred exactly what his great gift of love would be. That’s why, you know where this is going I bet. That’s why he said in verse 16, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel. If this is rooted in prophecy that only a true God could make, I will never be ashamed of the gospel of God. It’s the power of God for salvation.”

To everyone who believes to the Jew person also to the Greek and I know a number of you. Your life is going to be all about proclaiming the gospel and proclaiming the gospel and proclaiming the gospel. Why, because you are impacted by God’s holiness. You’re amazed by his love and you cannot believe he’s the God who gets right thousands of years in advance. That’s the god you want everybody in your sphere of influence to hear about. You’ll never be ashamed of that god.

One last truth that flows out of this passage. The Christmas plan reveals God’s power. God said, “I’ll put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed.” We already saw how this provision. We’ll be able to bruise Christ on the heel but what does the text say Christ will do to our adversary, the devil? He shall bruise you on the head. You got that? As our savior is so powerful and so victorious that he is in the process of crushing our adversaries head.

There are men and women who can give clear testimony to that fact. In fact, tonight we’ll have a number of people who are going to at our church family night. Share their testimonies with you and become members of this church. A number of them will follow the Lord and believers but do you realize that we’ve had more people joining this church and more people be baptized this year than ever before in this church’s history?

I’m not all wound up about the numbers. I’m all wound up about the souls. I’m all wound up about the power of the gospel, aren’t you? What does that mean? Do you remember that scene in Mel Gibson’s on The Passion of the Christ? I’m not saying this literally happened but it’s interesting how he did that in that movie where you have Satan earlier in the story but then you have in the Garden of Gethsemane supposedly a final temptation to walk away from God’s plan. You see Jesus in agony praying to the Father.

Then when he finishes praying, do you remember what happened in the movie? He stomps Satan’s head into the ground, crushing it. I’m not saying that’s exactly the way it happened. That’s fictional for sure. I can tell you this. Our savior, our victorious Lord is in the process of crushing Satan’s head. You know what I’m talking about crushing? It’s like if you ever come to our house, you can see all kinds of places where my dear wife Chris Viars, she is the snake crusher because usually they show up when I’m gone. She doesn’t worry about it. She gets the shovel and she crushes their head. Don’t send me an e-mail about being kind to God’s creation because when a snake is trying to get in to get your kids, Mrs. Viars is going to crush their heads.

We probably have some heads, snake heads nailed to the garage wall. I have no idea crushing their heads. Think about that. You’re going to see that tonight. You’re going to see people who are saying what I’m trusting for my salvation is the death barrel and resurrection of Christ. I’ve received the frig and every one of them as they talk it’s crushing the head of our adversary.

Do you realize there are people right now who are hearing this message and they’re about to go through their first Christmas as a follower of Jesus Christ in their life. Can you hear the bones? Do snakes even have bones? Can you hear it’s just crushing their heads as people who are turning from their sin and placing their faith in Christ? Do you realize there are people who could say, “We just had the best Thanksgiving ever. We weren’t fussy and all that. We had the best Thanksgiving ever.” Why, because God is victoriously working in their life and they’re crushing Satan’s head.

There are individuals who can say, “We went out shopping this weekend and then for the first time ever, we didn’t have a fuss. We actually set a budget before we went and then we just enjoyed our time together.” Why, because Jesus is now part of our life and crushing Satan’s head.

Here’s the way Paul ended Romans. The God of Peace will soon what? Crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Here’s what I’d like to encourage you to do this week. Look for opportunities to thank the Lord for his holiness and done correspondingly look for opportunities to be amazed at his love. Then when you’re tempted to displease God, flee from it and in so doing, fulfill the prophecy in Genesis 3:15, crush. Have you noticed I like that word? Crush his head.

Let’s stand together for prayer. Father in heaven, thank you for the opportunity to think about this great prophecy. Lord, our hearts if we’re listening at all, come alive to a God who could make a prediction like this and more importantly who could keep it. Lord, we want to praise you for your holiness. We want to thank you for your love and we want to participate in your victory. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.