Advent: Jesus Came to Crush Satan

Day 12

Personal Study

“The LORD God said to the serpent,
‘Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.'” (Genesis 3:14–15)

“Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: ‘It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! And when I do, I’m going to do battle against the snake. I’ll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here. I’m coming back for you!’ And he would. One day, God himself would come.” The Jesus Storybook Bible (Page 10).

Read: Genesis 3:1-24

Reflection

From the very beginning of time, God promised to send His Son to crush the serpent.

Yes, Jesus had to die (symbolized by the bruised heel), but He rose victoriously! The entirety of the Bible is a story that points to Jesus, the God-man. We often think of the curses handed down to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, but forget the finality of the serpent’s curse. Satan had his day of short-term victory at the cross (still under the sovereign hand of God). But that battle is over. Jesus has won the war. The power of hell and the eternal grip of sin have been conquered. We have a rescue made available by the Lamb of God, God Himself who made atonement for our sins.

Jesus is greater than Satan and Jesus is greater than our sin.

He crushed both. Victory over Satan was promised in Genesis 3, confirmed by the Old Testament prophets, begun at His birth, continued at the Cross, finished in the Resurrection, and will be consummated in His Second Coming! Jesus did win, is winning, and will win. Period.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

The destruction of Satan wasn’t a side note in the Advent. God’s Word says that the very reason Jesus came was to destroy the work of Satan. The devil’s goal is to tempt our flesh, lie to our hearts, confuse our minds, and steal our joy. But Jesus, in His compassion and grace, protects His people. Our God is never reactive but rather set His plans in motion long before Satan ever acted. God the Son became man so that He could become the perfect man — completely right with God and holy in every way.

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” (Hebrews 2:14)

At the end of Romans, Paul left the church with some final instructions and encouragement. His words reflect the promise and power of Christ Jesus over Satan:

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Romans 16:20)

Jesus is our “God of Peace” — and Satan’s destruction.

Application

1. How often do you read the Old Testament? If it’s been a while, read back over some of the narratives, poetry, and prophetic books. Look for the crimson thread of Christ’s coming that is woven from Genesis to Revelation. Remember that “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
2. Remember that our God, Yahweh, remains the same. He never changes. Have you ever thought the Old Testament showed different characteristics of God than the New Testament? Our God never changes. Our sin in Genesis earned just condemnation, but God’s grace and mercy are ever-present. Rest in that hope today. Genesis 3:15 is a curse for Satan, with a promise for us. Don’t miss that!
3. Praise Jesus for His coming. Remember how lost we would be without the hope of Christ’s birth, and His resurrection.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for your perfect and joyful (yet painful) obedience to the Father. You bore the weight of our sin in death, but you rose victorious over sin, Satan, and death itself. Your love and grace are beyond my understanding but thank you for making yourself accessible to me. Teach me to value the promises of your Word and to study them so that I can know you more deeply.

Family Discipleship Time

Read Together

Summarize Genesis 3 in conversation if your kids are young, or read “The Terrible Lie” chapter in the Jesus Storybook Bible.

Discussion

• What did God say to Adam and Eve about the tree and the fruit? (Don’t eat it, you will die.)
• What could the man and woman eat? (Fruit from every other tree in the garden.)
• Why did Adam and Eve listen to Satan’s lie, instead of following God’s perfect plan? (They wanted to make their own decision, and Satan promised a way to do that. They wanted to be in control, kings and queens of their own lives.)
• Where was Adam when Eve tasted the fruit? (He was right beside her, but didn’t protect her from the lie.)
• Who does the Bible say will crush the Satan’s head? (The offspring of woman, speaking of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born as a human so that He could fulfill the promise made to man.)
• Is God or Satan more powerful? (God is! He is always in charge and is always the most powerful. Satan will never win, and Satan will one day be destroyed forever when Jesus comes back again.)

Additional Resources

• Kids Bible – “The Terrible Lie” in the Jesus Storybook Bible
• Sermon – “Jesus: The Serpent Crusher” by Brody Holloway
• Spoken word video – “The Incarnation” by Odd Thomas

John Ragon is Snowbird’s website manager. He lives in Western NC with his wife and six amazing kids, and began serving at Snowbird in 2009 after graduating from Union University.