CHRIST THE CONQUEROR OF SATAN – Charles Spurgeon

CHRIST THE CONQUEROR OF SATAN

Introduction
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” – Genesis 3:15.

This is the first gospel sermon ever delivered on the surface of this earth! It was a memorable discourse, indeed, with Jehovah Himself as the preacher, the whole human race as the audience, and the prince of darkness as the one being addressed. It must be worthy of our heartiest attention. Isn’t it remarkable that this great gospel promise was delivered so soon after the transgression? As yet, no sentence had been pronounced upon either of the two human offenders, but the promise was given in the form of a sentence pronounced upon the serpent. Not yet had the woman been condemned to painful travail, or the man to exhausting labor, or even the soil to the curse of thorn and thistle. Truly, “mercy rejoices against judgment.” Before the Lord had said, “Dust you are, and unto dust you shall return,” He was pleased to say that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head! Let us rejoice, then, in the swift mercy of God, which, in the early hours of the night of sin, came with comforting words to us.

The Mercy of God
These words were not directly spoken to Adam and Eve, but they were directed distinctly to the serpent, himself, as a punishment for what he had done. It was a day of cruel triumph for the serpent—such joy as his dark mind could experience had filled him. He had indulged his malice and gratified his spite. He had, in the worst sense, destroyed part of God’s works. He had introduced sin into the new world and stamped the human race with his own image, gaining new forces to promote rebellion and multiply transgression. Thus, he felt a hellish joy that only a fiend could know.

But now God steps in, takes up the quarrel personally, and causes the serpent to be disgraced on the very battlefield upon which he had gained a temporary victory. God tells the dragon that He will take care of him—this quarrel will not be between the serpent and man, but between God and the serpent. God said, in solemn words, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed,” and promises that, in the fullness of time, a champion shall rise who, though He suffers, will strike a fatal blow against the power of evil and bruise the serpent’s head.

This message of mercy to Adam and Eve was comforting because it assured them that the tempter would be punished. Perhaps by delivering the promise in this way, the Lord meant to show that He was acting for His own name and honor’s sake, to repair the mischief caused by the tempter, so that His name and glory would not be diminished among the immortal spirits observing the scene. Divine sovereignty and glory offer a stronger foundation of hope than human merit. This message, though humbling, was comforting, and it filled Adam and Eve with hope.

The First Gospel Sermon
This first gospel sermon, although simple, carried profound truths. It was all that Adam had by way of revelation, and all that Abel had received. This one lone star shone in Abel’s sky. He looked up to it and believed. By its light, he understood the importance of sacrifice, and therefore, he brought of the firstlings of his flock and laid them on the altar. Abel’s faith, evidenced by his sacrifice, showed how the seed of the serpent hated the seed of the woman, for his brother Cain slew him for his testimony.

Although Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied concerning the second advent, he did not seem to have spoken of the first coming. This promise remained the sole word of hope for mankind, shining brightly throughout the ages. The torch of hope, which flamed within the gates of Eden just before man was driven forth, lit the way for all believers until God renewed and expanded His revelation to Noah. The ancient fathers, before the flood, rejoiced in this mysterious promise and died in faith, holding on to the light they had been given.

The Promise’s Rich Meaning
We must not think of this as a small or insufficient revelation. In fact, it is wonderfully full of meaning. If I had the opportunity to handle it doctrinally, I could show you that it contains all of the gospel. Within it, as an oak lies within an acorn, lie all the great truths that make up the gospel of Christ. Let’s break it down further.

First, we see the grand mystery of the incarnation. Christ is that seed of the woman spoken of here. There is a clear indication, though not entirely explicit, of how the incarnation would take place. Jesus was not born in the ordinary manner of the sons of men. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and the “holy thing” that was born of her was, in His humanity, the seed of the woman. As it is written, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.”

Next, we see the doctrine of the two seeds clearly illustrated. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed.” There would be, in the world, a seed of the woman on God’s side against the serpent, and a seed of the serpent on the evil side. We see the church of God and the synagogue of Satan existing side by side. Examples such as Abel and Cain, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau reflect this eternal struggle. Those born after the flesh are the children of the devil, doing his works. But those born of the Spirit—being born again through the power of Christ’s life—are in Christ Jesus, the seed of the woman, contending against the dragon and his seed.

Additionally, the sufferings of Christ are clearly foretold: “You shall bruise His heel.” These words encompass the entire story of Christ’s sorrows, from Bethlehem to Calvary. “He shall bruise your head”—this is the destruction of Satan’s power! This also signifies the clearing away of sin, the destruction of death through resurrection, the ascension, the victory of truth through the descent of the Holy Spirit, and the eventual binding of Satan in the last days. The conflict and conquest are contained in these few words, which may not have been fully understood by those who first heard them, but to us, they are now full of light.

Comfort in the Promise
We do not know exactly what our first parents understood by the promise, but we can be sure they drew comfort from it. They must have understood that they were not to be destroyed right then because the Lord had spoken of a “seed.” They must have reasoned that if the seed was to overcome the serpent, it meant there was hope for them. They trusted in this promise and found comfort in their toil and suffering. Both Adam and Eve, with faith in this promise, entered into the rest of God.

I. The Facts
Let us now consider the facts presented in the text. There are four key facts, and I invite your earnest attention to them.

1. Enmity Was Excited
   The first fact is that enmity was excited. The text begins, “I will put enmity between you and the woman.” Initially, the woman and the serpent had been on friendly terms. She thought the serpent was her friend, and she trusted his advice, believing his lies over God’s command. But when God spoke, that friendship began to end. She had already accused the serpent, saying, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” The Lord steps in and declares, “I will carry this disagreement much further. I will put enmity between you and the woman.”

Satan had hoped that man’s descendants would become his allies, but God broke this alliance and raised up a seed that would war against the serpent’s power. This marked the beginning of God’s declaration that He would establish a rival kingdom to oppose the tyranny of sin and Satan. This enmity would continue as the seed of the woman fought against evil, overcoming the prince of darkness with many struggles and pains. The divine Spirit accomplished this plan by creating in the hearts of the chosen a powerful enmity against evil.

2. The Coming Champion
   The second fact is the prophecy of the coming champion. The seed of the woman, by promise, was to oppose the dragon. This seed is the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet Micah prophesied, “But you, Bethlehem Ephratah; though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel.” This refers to the babe born in Bethlehem. As soon as He was born, the serpent, in the form of Herod, sought to destroy Him, but the Father preserved Him. The battle began in earnest when Jesus entered public ministry. He encountered Satan in the wilderness and defeated him.

3. The Bruising of the Heel
   The third fact is the bruising of Christ’s heel. We know that Christ’s suffering was part of the divine plan to overthrow the works of the devil. His agony in Gethsemane and His crucifixion were moments where Satan’s influence seemed strongest, but it was also the moment of his defeat. Through His death and resurrection, Christ bruised the serpent’s head, signaling victory.

Conclusion
This promise of a conquering champion who would defeat the serpent is the core of our hope. Christ, the Seed of the Woman, has defeated Satan, and we, as His followers, share in His victory. Therefore, let us trust in the triumph of Christ and continue to stand firm, for the serpent’s head is already bruised, and the victory belongs to Christ. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

He said also, “The Prince of this world comes.” What a struggle it was! Though Satan had nothing in Christ, yet he sought, if possible, to lead Him away from completing His great sacrifice. It was in this intense moment that our Master sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling to the ground in the agony which it cost Him to contend with the fiend. This was the beginning of the final battle, the ultimate struggle, in which our Champion secured victory by bruising the serpent’s head. And He did not stop until He had spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, declaring, “Now is the hour of darkness past, Christ has assumed His reigning power. Behold, the great accuser is cast down from his seat to reign no more.”

The Continuing Conflict
Our glorious Lord continues the conflict through His seed. We preach Christ crucified, and every sermon shakes the gates of hell! We bring sinners to Jesus by the Spirit’s power, and each convert is like a stone torn down from Satan’s mighty castle. Yes, the day is coming when the evil one shall be overcome everywhere, and the words of John in Revelation shall be fulfilled: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now is come salvation; and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.’”

The Promise of the Champion
Thus, the Lord God, in the words of our text, promised a champion who should be the seed of the woman. Between this champion and Satan, there would be eternal war, but the champion has come—the man-child has been born. Though the dragon is angry with the woman and makes war with the remnant of her seed, those who keep the testimony of Jesus Christ, the battle is the Lord’s, and the victory belongs to Him whose name is Faithful and True, who in righteousness does judge and make war.

The Bruising of the Heel
The third fact that comes from this text, though not in order, is that our Champion’s heel would be bruised. Do we need an explanation? You know how, throughout His life, Christ’s heel—His lower part, His human nature—was continually made to suffer. He bore our sicknesses and sorrows. But the bruising came most severely when both in body and mind, His entire human nature was made to agonize. His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. His enemies pierced His hands and feet, and He endured the shame and pain of death by crucifixion. Look at your Master and King upon the cross, all stained with blood and dust—there His heel was cruelly bruised.

When they took down that precious body, wrapped it in fair white linen and spices, and laid it in Joseph’s tomb, they wept as they handled the casket in which Deity had dwelt. Satan had bruised His heel through Herod, Pilate, Caiaphas, the Jews, and the Romans—all of them tools in the devil’s hands. But this was all! It was only His heel, not His head, that was bruised! For lo, the Champion rises again! The bruise was not mortal, nor was it continuous. Though He died, the interval in which He slumbered in the tomb was so brief that His holy body did not see corruption. He rose from the grave as from a refreshing sleep after a long day of toil! Oh, the triumph of that hour! As Jacob only halted on his thigh when he overcame the angel, so did Jesus retain only a scar on His heel, and that scar He bears to the skies as His glory and beauty. Before the throne, He appears as a lamb that has been slain, yet He lives in the power of an endless life, living unto God.

The Fatal Blow to Satan
Then comes the fourth fact—while His heel was bruised, He was to bruise the serpent’s head. The figure represents the dragon inflicting an injury upon the Champion’s heel, but at the same moment, the Champion, Himself, with that very heel, crushes the serpent’s head with fatal effect. By His suffering, Christ has overthrown Satan; by the heel that was bruised, He trod upon the head that devised the bruising.

“Lo, by the sons of hell He dies; But as He hangs ‘twixt earth and skies, He gives their prince a fatal blow, And triumphs o’er the powers below!”

Although Satan is not dead yet—I was about to say, “would God he were”—and though he will never be converted, nor will the malice in his heart ever be driven away, yet Christ has so thoroughly broken his head that Satan’s plan has been thwarted! He had intended to make the human race captive to his power, but they are redeemed from his iron yoke. God has delivered many of them, and the day will come when He will cleanse the earth of the serpent’s slimy trail, and the whole world will be filled with the praises of God.

Satan’s Defeat
Satan believed that the world would be the arena of his victory over God and good. Instead, it has become the grandest theater of divine wisdom, love, grace, and power. Even heaven itself is not as resplendent with mercy as the earth, for it is here that the Savior poured out His blood—something that cannot be said of the courts of paradise above! Satan also believed that when he led the human race astray and brought death upon them, he had spoiled the Lord’s work. He rejoiced that they would all pass under the cold seal of death, and their bodies would rot in the sepulcher. But now, behold, our Champion, whose heel was bruised, has risen from the dead and given us the pledge that all His followers will rise from the dead too! Satan is foiled because death will not retain a bone, nor a piece of a bone, of any of those who belong to the seed of the woman. At the trumpet of the archangel, they shall rise from the earth and sea, and they shall shout, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” Knowing this, Satan already feels that his head is broken. Glory be to Christ for this!

II. Our Experience in Light of These Facts
Now, brothers and sisters, many of us were by nature heirs of wrath, just like others. It does not matter how godly our parents were—the first birth brought us no spiritual life. The promise is not for those born of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but for those who are born of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.” It remains flesh, abiding in death, “not reconciled to God, neither indeed can be.” Those who are born only once must place themselves among the seed of the serpent. Only by regeneration can we become the true seed.

The Work of Grace
How does God deal with those He has chosen? He begins by putting enmity between us and the serpent. That is the first work of grace. There was a time when there was peace between us and Satan. When he tempted us, we yielded; we believed his lies and were his willing slaves. But perhaps you can remember when you first began to feel uneasy and dissatisfied. The pleasures of the world no longer pleased you. The juice had been taken out of the apple, and all that was left was a hard core that you could not feed upon. Then you realized that you were living in sin, and you became miserable about it. Though you could not rid yourself of sin, you began to hate it and groaned under it. In your heart, you no longer sided with evil but cried, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” You were already, from the covenant of grace, ordained to be the woman’s seed. This began to manifest itself in the life that was given to you. The Lord dropped the divine life into your soul. You began to hate sin and groaned under it as though under a “tilling yoke.”

Victory Over the Serpent
Is this still true for you now? Is there still enmity between you and the serpent? You are more and more a sworn enemy to evil, and you willingly acknowledge it. Then came the Champion, Christ formed in you, the hope of glory. You understood that He was your substitute, standing in your place, bearing your sin, and its curse. You understood that Christ would overthrow sin and Satan, and by His coming into the world, He would accomplish this victory.

The Bruised Heel and Personal Suffering
Do you remember how you began to understand the bruising of Christ’s heel? Did you not begin to feel that bruised heel yourself? Did not sin torment you? Did not your own heart become a plague to you? Did not Satan tempt you? Did he not inject blasphemous thoughts and urge you on to desperate measures? Did he not cause you to doubt God’s existence, mercy, and your salvation? This was his nibbling at your heel.

The Conquest Over Sin
The power and dominion of sin are broken in you, aren’t they? You feel you cannot sin because you are born of God. Some sins which once mastered you no longer trouble you. We’ve seen those once bound by swearing and drunkenness transformed by grace, completely free from these addictions. The serpent’s reign over you is broken. You no longer serve sin, though you may still sin and mourn it. You are not slaves to sin; you consent to God’s law and long to obey it.

Breaking the Head of the Fiend
The guilt of sin is gone, for we are delivered from the curse. “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven.” We are no longer guilty; who can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? When we resist temptation, we break the head of the fiend. When we proclaim Christ and turn sinners from their evil ways, we bruise the serpent’s head! Every time we are part of the cause of truth and righteousness, we stand victorious in Christ.

Encouragement from the Text
Let us speak for a moment on the encouragement our text provides. When Adam heard the promise, he acted in faith. He called his wife Eve, the mother of all living, even though she had not yet borne a child. This simple act demonstrated his full conviction in God’s promise. Adam’s faith gave him hope, and though the trials were severe, his faith in God’s word upheld him.

Faith in God’s Promises
Likewise, we must exercise faith in God’s promises. God will do exceedingly abundantly more than we ask or think. As we receive Christ’s righteousness, we see it as part of the final overthrow of the devil. Christ’s work has covered us with righteousness, so that we are no longer ashamed. And as we pursue the Christian life, expect to be assailed. Rejoice when you experience opposition for your faith, for this is a sign of your participation in Christ’s victory.

Conclusion
Let us resist the devil, knowing his head is bruised. He fights a lost battle against omnipotence. Stand firm in faith, knowing that by Christ’s blood, the tempter is defeated. As we march forward in the power of the Savior, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Charles Spurgeon