In the sermon 'Hope In A Fallen World,' David Green explores Genesis 3, focusing on verses 14 and 15, where God pronounces a curse on the serpent following the fall of man. The sermon highlights the hope found in this curse, pointing to the prophecy of a Savior, Jesus Christ, who would ultimately defeat Satan. The speaker draws parallels between the physical curse on the serpent and the spiritual battle between God and Satan, emphasizing that Satan's apparent victories are temporary. The sermon also references various biblical texts, including Revelation, Luke, and Corinthians, to illustrate the ongoing struggle against Satan and the final victory through Christ. It concludes by urging believers to remain vigilant and faithful, recognizing that while the battle continues, Jesus will ultimately reign victorious, lifting the curse and restoring creation.

Genesis chapter 3 and we want to read for our text verses 14 and 15. Yahweh God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you more than any of the 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. I'll put enmity between you and the woman between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head.

You shall bruise him on the heel." This evening I want to preach a message that I've entitled, Hope in a Fallen World. Hope in a Fallen world. Genesis chapter 3 is a terrible chapter as far as the history of the world goes. You remember chapter 1, chapter 2, everything was very good. God's very good creation.

And then in chapter 3, the human race takes a terrible turn when Adam and Eve aid of the forbidden fruit. And here in this place, where we picked up tonight, if you'll remember this is where Yahweh God is pronouncing the curse upon the man, the woman, the curse upon the serpent, the curse upon the entire world. The things will never be the same as what they were before, at least not in this present world. Adam and Eve had sinned. They attempted to cover themselves with the fig leaves.

They attempted to hide from God. And you remember that was futile. You can't hide from God. They couldn't, and we can't either. When Yahweh God approached, He called to Adam and He said, where are you?

That was not God being clueless. He knew where Adam was, but Adam needed to see where Adam was. And here, as Yahweh God pronounced the curse on the serpent, we find hope in a fallen world. No, there was no hope for Satan. He had fallen and then led a rebellion in heaven.

If you go to Revelation chapter 12, We kind of see a little bit about that in Revelation chapter 12. Beginning verse 1. A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven and behold a great red dragon excuse me a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and on his heads were seven diadems.

Verse four says And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth, and the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and to his throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that there she would be nourished for 1260 days. John saw in this vision this sign that appeared in heaven, he saw several things. And of course, this woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, her head a crown of twelve stars, being with child, that child being Jesus Christ.

But he also saw in heaven a great red dragon. And with that dragon, he saw his tail sweep away a third of the stars of heaven, throw them to the earth. This dragon waged war with the woman and was about to defour her child, but he didn't. Beloved, what we find here is that when Satan fell, A full one-third of the angels fell with him. He led about a rebellion amongst the angels.

Now, when Satan fell and those angels fell with him. There's no hope for them. They fell and there's no redemption. There's no savior for the angels. Savior for the angels.

I believe that when Satan appeared in the garden, that serpent, I believe his next step in his plan after he led the rebellion in heaven, I believe that he was after not just Adam and Eve but after the whole of the human race, to destroy what God had created. Adam, Eve being in the image and likeness of God, he was after that. But if that was the plan of Satan, It was not the plan of God. And in fact, in this prophecy that we read here in Genesis chapter 3, there is no hope given to him as he was cursed. On that day there in the garden, he may have felt like he had won.

He had had some victory. And indeed, this battle that started even in heaven and then continued here on the earth. This battle is still waging on today. This battle between God and Satan. Maybe he felt like he'd accomplished something, but Yahweh God said to the serpent, cursed are you more than it any of the cattle, more than every beast of the field on your belly you will go, dust you will eat all the days of your life.

And then he goes on, I'll put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.'" This battle between Satan and God. Yes, he will bruise you on the, bruise the seat of the woman, bruise him on the hill, but he will have the final victory bruising the serpent on the head. If you know anything about a snake you probably know that When a serpent is bruised on the head, when its head is crushed, that's the death blow. And so while it would seem there in the garden that things may have been going pretty well for him and the fall of man, it won't go on well forever.

As we look around this world, we see the influence of Satan still in our present day. In 1st Corinthians chapter 4, or sorry 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, in verse 4. Let's start with verse 3. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the God of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. This battle is still going on today and in fact Satan is called the god of this world.

It's not just the world and the unbelieving who are his targets. In fact if you go over just a few pages here in 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, As Paul wrote in his second epistle to the church at Corinth, he says in verse 1, I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, for I betrothed you to one husband so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear that As the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. So Paul warns the church at Corinth that just like Satan was deceiving Eve with his craftiness in the Garden of Eden, so it is that the Church at Corinth, and by extension our Church and any other Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we might also be deceived, that our minds would be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

And as you look around the world and as we examine our own hearts, we see how that that happens so easily. We get distracted, don't we, from the gospel. We get distracted away from the main things. And in fact, there are churches today that the members of the church, They can tell you all about what the current news is. They can tell you what's happening with the White House.

They can tell you what's going on in the world. They might even have an opinion as to who the top three candidates are right now in this world to be the Antichrist. But you ask them to articulate the gospel and they can't do it. We live in a world where Satan is hard at work, not only outside the church but inside. But on that day, on that day there in the Garden of Eden, there was a curse that was placed upon the serpent.

A curse that will be seen throughout all generations. So you and I, when we see a snake slithering on the ground, we're reminded. We're reminded that Satan will not forever be ruler of this world. Every time that we take a hoe or some object to kill a snake, and we've all done it, I'm sure, we're reminded that our God, Jesus Christ, will have the complete and final victory over the devil. The serpent would be cursed.

All the other animals were cursed too, but The serpent is cursed above all the other animals. You see, what I mean when I say that the other animals were cursed too, because of sin this whole world is cursed. You might say, well, my puppy dog, he didn't have nothing to do with what was going on in in in Genesis chapter 3 well that may be but because of sin the whole of the creation is cursed over in Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8 verses 20 through 23. For the creation was subjected to futility not willingly but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to the corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pain of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. And so the whole of the creation groans because of sin, because of the fall, because this is a fallen world. And That includes all of the animals. Over in Jeremiah chapter 12.

Verse four, how long is the land to mourn? Jeremiah 12 and verse 4, how long is the land to mourn and the plants of every field to dry up? Because of the evil of those who inhabit it, animals and birds have been swept away because men have said he will not see our latter ending. Because of sin, because of the fall, we read of what happened, the way things were in the Garden of Eden. It's not like that anymore.

There's death and destruction and disease, cancers and all sorts of problems even in the animal kingdom. But the serpent was different. The serpent was cursed above all the other animals. There was something special, specific that happened to the serpent. As he slithers on the ground, the snake were reminded of this, that there was something special in the curse that affected the snake.

Indeed, that's physical, but spiritually, we're reminded of how that Satan, Lucifer, was the crown of all the angels, one of the more powerful angels of God and yet look at how low he is now. He's been brought low because of the fall. Over in Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10 and verse 18. Verse 17 gives the context.

This is now the 70 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. The fall of Satan was great. It was spectacular. He calls it like lightning.

We know what lightning is like. It's happening right now. It comes from the sky and it comes down very, very quickly. And that's what happened with Satan. The serpent crawling around on its belly is a symbol of that fall, a reminder, a visual reminder, that he's not what he once was.

This curse was terrible that happened on this world, but it's not going to last forever. I've got good news to tell you and that is that one of these days Jesus is going to rule and reign on this earth and the Bible tells us that the curse will be lifted. Isaiah chapter 65, verse 25. Verse 25, the wolf and the lamb, Isaiah 65 and verse 25, The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil, nor act corruptly in all my holy mountain, says Yahweh.

When we see the wolf attack the lamb, we're reminded that this world is cursed, that this is a fallen world. This is not the way that it was originally created. When we see the lion eating the Hilda beast or the gazelle, we're reminded that we live in a fallen world, that this isn't the way it was originally created. But one of these days the Bible tells us that the wolf and the lamb will lie together, that the lion is going to eat grass like the ox. The curse is going to be lifted.

Other passages tell us how the children will play on the hole where the snake is and all of those things, the curse will be lifted. But one thing that won't happen is that old snake will still be slithering around, eating dust. Which means that when everything else is lifted throughout the entirety of the time that we enjoy the lifted curse, this world is back to where it once was there will always be that reminder about Satan about that serpent about Genesis chapter 3 always that reminder. Back there in our text though, Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 I'll put enmity between you and the woman and between her your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head, you shall bruise him on the heel.

Verse 14 was more of the physical curse that happened with the serpent, but verse 15 is about the spiritual serpent, about Satan himself. Understand that day that there were a physical element and there was a spiritual element. When we see a snake on the ground, that's not that's not Satan, Although you may have such a fear of snakes that maybe you think that the devil's there. My Aunt Connie absolutely gets terrified about snakes. I mean just the sight of them.

But that old snake, a lot of them are harmless. In fact, there are some good snakes around. There are some deadly ones, of course, but not all of them are deadly. When Eve met that snake in the Garden of Eden, he was talking to her. That was not any ordinary serpent.

Satan was using that serpent to do his work. And so physically, yes, there was a really a serpent that day, but spiritually in a spiritual realm that was Satan working in and through that animal. And so that's why the curse is given physically and spiritually. And as God spoke to that serpent, He pronounced a curse on that serpent, but in that curse was great hope for Adam and Eve. What we have in this message is the first gospel.

There's a sense in here that we see a coming Savior. We see that there's going to be a battle that is going to go on and that the seed of the woman is going to have the final victory. This first gospel is prophetic of this struggle and its outcome between your seed, speaking of Satan and unbelievers. If you go with me to John chapter 8, some people often wonder, well, we know who the seed of the woman is, but who's the seed of the serpent? John chapter 8, verse 44.

John chapter 8. Verse 44. John chapter eight. Verse 44, Jesus says, "'You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him.

Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. Unbelievers reprobate those who never come to know the Lord. They are of the seed of the serpent, as Jesus pronounced that group there. It's a terrible thought, but it's the truth that there are some people who are living in this world who will never come to know the Lord, and they will die and go on to an eternal hell.

But this is all in the plan and purpose of God, And there is a war being waged in this time that we live, and it began there in the garden. This first gospel was proclaimed, and he talks about the your seed, the seed of the serpent, but he also talks about her seed. Now normally when you talk about people, it's the seed of the man, But in this prophecy, he speaks of the seed of the woman. This would be Christ, Jesus, the one who would later, many, many thousands of years later after this be born of a woman. In Galatians chapter 4 Galatians chapter 4 verses 4 and 5.

But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And so, in the fullness of time, this prophecy became a reality. That there was one who was born of a woman, this seed of the woman, Jesus Christ. Over in Luke chapter 1, Luke 1, Luke 1. Begin verse 31.

It's the angel speaking to Mary, telling her that she had found favor with God. Verse 31 says, And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.

But Mary said to the angel, how will this be since I am a virgin? The angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God." You see when Adam and Eve fell in the garden, that day that Yahweh God showed up in the Garden of Eden, He was not worried or concerned about what he would do to try to restore them. He wasn't concerned about what to do next. The plan was already there.

So when he came and he gave that curse to the serpent, this was already in the plan and purpose of Almighty God from before the very foundation of the earth. There were no emergency meetings in heaven. God was not wringing his hands and wondering if his plan would work. All of this had been set. And when he spoke of the seed of the woman.

He knew exactly when and where and how. John Gill in preaching from this text in the 1700s, he says of this passage in Genesis 3 and verse 15, great comfort it was to Adam. He had been told his days should be short, full of misery and his end without hope. That's a little later in the text, but as he reflected on this, the meaning of the words that were given to the serpent, even though he was told that his days would be short, full of misery, his end without hope. He knew the words of the serpent let him know that he should now and then knock a snake on its head, but even that without paying dear for his poor victory for the snake should often bite him by the heel.

No, you and I, we look back on this, and we understand a lot of it. There are some things that Adam and Eve didn't understand. Through the Bible, there is, as you read it from Genesis to Revelation, you begin to notice something about progressive revelation. Some things that Adam and Eve, they heard, like Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, Eve, by all accounts, thought that this would be fulfilled in her lifetime. But we know it wasn't.

Indeed, this, if we go to Romans chapter 16, Romans chapter 16. Sorry, hold your place there. We'll go there here in a little while. Let's go to 1 Corinthians I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself there with Romans. First Corinthians chapter 15.

Verses 21 and 22, it says, "'For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive. And so the hope in the garden was that Christ would come. The only hope that Adam and Eve had at that day was Jesus. The only hope that we have today is Jesus as well.

Over in Hebrews chapter 2 Hebrews 2 Verses 14 and 15, Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, that he might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all of their lives. It is the power of the cross. Oh, maybe Satan thought that when he got the heel of Jesus, through all of that, the conspiracy to kill him, Judas, the Jews, the Pharisees, the Romans, as they all banded together to get the only innocent one who had ever walked the earth and to kill him. Maybe Satan thought that he had won with the power of the cross and ultimately our Savior's victory over death, hell and the grave, his victory over sin brought a crushing blow to Satan. He's been defeated.

He's destined for an eternal punishment. That old serpent. But don't get too sleepy to think that Satan is already bound. Don't get too comfortable thinking that Satan is out of the way. In fact, he's still in trouble.

As I mentioned earlier, but you can go to 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5. Verse 8. I'm going into verse 11. He says, Be of sober spirit, be watchful, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

But resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished among your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, strengthen, confirm, and ground you to him be might forever and ever amen." And so that old devil is still going about like a lion, going about like a lion, a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, to seek someone to devour. We're told to be sober, to be watchful, to be alert. Yes, the plan of Satan took a blow when Jesus was on the cross, when he died but three days later rose again. Just like Eve looked forward to the day that that serpent's head would be crushed.

You and I still look for that day when our Lord will have the final, absolute victory. Romans chapter 16. Go there now in verse 20. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Satan will be crushed. He will be destroyed. The ultimate fate we're told is in Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20. Verse 7 tells us when the thousand years are finished Satan will be released from his prison, and come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, together them together for the war, the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.

They came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints, and beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormenting day and night forever and ever. There's a literal thousand-year reign of Christ coming, a time when Satan will be bound, but he's going to be released from that time, from out of that prison, for a season. They've come to to deceive the nations.

They'll be gathered together against Jerusalem, but the battle is not just a normal battle against that tiny nation that we know of today as Israel because remember at this time none other than Jesus Christ will be sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. This will be a battle against the King of Kings when the nations of this world actually think that they can do something about it. Their leader will be none other than Satan, But it won't be much of a battle at that time. Told the battle at the shootout at the OK Corral, I'm told that it was just a few seconds, but we all know about it because it's part of history and movies have been made about it and all those things, but it wasn't much of a long drawn out battle. It was a shootout that happened there.

People were affected by it. As short as the shootout at the OK Corral was, I believe this will be even shorter. This fire comes down from heaven and devours them, destroys all those who gather to fight against Jesus with that old devil. That old devil who deceived them will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and a false prophet will be at that time, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. This will be the final, the final crush, crushing blow to that old serpent.

His ultimate defeat will come. What we read about there in Genesis chapter 3 will be true, every bit of it, and some of it we've already seen. We look back at Genesis chapter 3. What we read there isn't the full gospel, but it was hope that was given of the coming Savior. You and I, when we think of the gospel message we think of what's 1st Corinthians chapter 15 what's written there.

1st Corinthians chapter 15 1 Corinthians 15, beginning of verse 1, Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel, which I proclaimed as good news to you, which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I proclaimed to you as good news, lest you believed for nothing. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to scriptures, that he was buried in that he was raised on the third day according to scriptures, that he was seen of Cephas, then to the 12. You go on you read about all the eyewitnesses that saw him alive. This gospel message, this is what we proclaim and it began to be proclaimed back there in the Garden of Eden. You and I look back on what God has done, what Jesus Christ did in this world and as he died on the cross he was buried and rose again we rejoice on that and we believe we're saved by looking back in faith to what He did.

We rest on the finished work and the promises of Jesus Christ. That's our hope. Understand something, those who lived in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant, including Adam and Eve, they weren't saved any differently than you and I. The only difference is they looked forward, and it may have been dim what they could see as they looked forward, but they believed that one day the seed of the woman would indeed crush the head of the serpent. Praise God for the seed of the woman.

Praise God for Jesus Christ. And I ask you today, have you received the divine seed? Are you fully trusting in him? In 1 John, 1 John chapter five, verses 18 to 19, Verse 18-19, We know that no one who has been born of God sins, but he who was begotten of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Verse 20 says, and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. We are in him who is true, in his son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. This hour, everyone in this world is either of God or of the devil. Even before we were saved, The Bible tells us that there was a time, Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 and 2, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Verse 3 says, Among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. So at this very hour everyone in this world is either walking according to the things of God, walking in the Spirit, or the opposite side of things, walking in accordance to Satan, following him. You're either of God or of the devil. Which are you? In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23.

You have been born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible that is through the living and enduring Word of God. As we bring this to a close, we know the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to produce life. Have you been obedient to the gospel? Are you trusting in Jesus Christ? Have you been born again by the incorruptible seed?

There's only one way to be saved and that is through Jesus Christ. Preaching of the gospel. Do you believe? Have you trusted in him? The war, the battle still wages.

Not on devil, Jesus. We're all somewhere in that battle. What a great thing it is to know that we're on the winning side with Jesus Christ. And that's the hope that we have, the hope that Eve had, the hope that Adam had in the fallen world. We have that same hope.

And it will go on even beyond this life, during Christ, through an eternity in heaven. May God add the blessing to the preaching of His Word.