GOD HAS PROMISED TO OVERCOME SIN/SATAN
"And I will cause hostility between you and the woman . . . . He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." -Genesis 3:15 (NLT)
Man wasn't alone in his debacle of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. He was responsible for his own actions, but he was also deceived by the eternal enemy of God and His people: the serpent Satan.
As it stood, things seemed to have failed. Satan had succeeded in seducing mankind into a state of sinful disrepair. But in the midst of apparent defeat, God made a promise that would bring about reconciliation for man and retribution for Satan.
A human offspring would be born, and His coming would signal Satan's end. This Promised Deliverer would crush the serpent's head, although His own heel would be struck in the process. And as a result of this act of deliverance, reconciliation would be made between an offending creation and an offended Creator.
Scripture tells us that Christ's work on the cross destroyed the devil's power of death that held man captive (Hebrews 2:14), disarmed the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 2:15), and bridged the gap that had existed between God and man (Ephesians 2:16).
This is the most important promise of all, because apart from it humans have no hope whatsoever. We remain without any hope in our condemnation. But it's also important from the standpoint that it powerfully demonstrates God's grace. Man fell in Genesis 3:6, but it only takes God nine verses to provide us with a promise that would perfectly fix the effects of our fall.
Dig, Discuss, Decide
Discuss God’s plan for salvation. Briefly share with your group how you first learned of God’s plan to save us from our sin. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “redemption”?
Dig into Genesis 3:8–19. What are some of the promises in this passage? What do we learn about God from these verses? What do we learn about our own condition? As you examine these verses, where do you find hope for our condition?
Decide as a group what it means to be recipients of God’s amazing grace. What opportunities does your group have to share the story of Christ’s redemption? Are there evangelistic activities you might engage in as a group? Schedule one.
