Episode #116 Our Serpent Crusher – Awe in Advent

Hey friends, it's Jen and we're going through an advent series here on Good God Talks, wondering at the prophecies that were given in advance of Christ's birth and looking at how they were fulfilled.

Now, some of the ways that we'll look at this bring greater understanding, practical application, specific revelation, and some of the ways that we'll look at these things will simply prompt awe and wonder. There are a lot of things in our faith that we get to walk out with specific application.

There's also tremendous opportunity to explore the mysteries of God. To lean in with curiosity. To wonder at things that we can't possibly know or understand fully right now.

And so wherever these conversations with God lead you, I know that looking at these prophetic words and seeing how Jesus fulfilled them can stir our hearts to wonder and can cultivate our relationship in connection with God.
And we're starting off with the first gospel.

Now that term might be familiar to you. It's a phrase that's used to describe what occurs in Genesis 3:15.

And this is after the Fall. This is after the serpent tricks Eve, who then shares the food with Adam and both of these humans questioned God's goodness and so took from the tree that God told them not to eat from. And so God is talking with them about it and he's describing what's happening now in light of their choices. Not just for Adam and not just for Eve, but also for the serpent. And in Genesis 3:15, it says,

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

This is spoken of as the “first gospel,” because this is the first reference to the future fulfillment in our greatest Adam, the greatest offspring that will be born of a woman, which is Jesus. And ultimately, Jesus is the serpent crusher.

We have been at odds with our enemy—who has known since before you and I were ever born—that he would be crushed. That there would be a serpent crusher who was coming for him.

The enemy made a plan to try and deceive, to separate us from God. But God already knew what he was going to do about it. Since before creation, God knew how he was going to rescue us back to him. And so all the way back in Genesis three, we see this prophecy of our Savior who would come and defeat our enemy once and for all.

Let that spark wonder for you.

God has always known. that he would be our rescue.

We're all in different seasons. We're all going through different circumstances, but this message applies to each one of us.

Maybe for you, it's simply wondering with greater awe or awareness of God's grand plan, his overarching redemption.
Maybe for you, you're walking through a season of spiritual warfare or difficulties in life circumstances, and you need God to talk with you more about how Jesus crushes our enemy.
Maybe it's hard to have hope right now. And you need God to remind you again that he is our rescuer, and that the gospel has always been his plan for us.

So here's that question:

God, what do you want to show me about how this prophetic message applies to my life today?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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