Tuesday:God’s Weapon
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
In what way is the great controversy revealed in this text?
The cryptic language of Genesis 3:15, in which the controversy is here predicted, gives us a hint of God’s rules of engagement in this conflict. We can see that the conflict, which had just begun on earth between the serpent and the woman, was going to take shape by involving the followers of the initial contestants: the “seed” of the woman and the “seed” of the serpent. In due course, as we know, the conflict would climax into a mortal clash between Satan and a male descendant of the woman, Jesus of Nazareth. God’s weapon of choice was Jesus-who would come to fight on behalf of the woman, suffer “bruises,” but ultimately deliver a deadly blow to the serpent. The weapon of choice was an act of sacrifice by Jesus, an act of selfless love.
How do the following texts help us to understand some of the issues involved in the great controversy? How is the plan of salvation central to the whole thing?
Compare Gen. 4:4 with Heb. 11:4
Compare Gen. 12:3, 22:18 with Gal. 3:16
Compare Exod. 25:8 with Heb. 4:2
Compare Isa. 53:6 with Rom. 5:8
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Abel offered a lamb as a sacrifice, looking forward to the coming Saviour who would come and die for us. He gave a sacrifice of blood hoping for something he could not see. Therefore it says in Hebrews 'by faith Abel' (Heb 11:4). In Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed, because the promised seed was coming from Him. Only Christ was to bring the blessing therefore it, "does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ" (Gal. 3:16 NKJV).
Indeed the topic of study throughout the ages will be the great love of Jesus for humanity and His sacrifice for us. Just recently our church purchased from Amazing Facts a sharing edition DVD entitled "The Cosmic Conflict". For this media oriented age, it's an affordable, easy to relate to and well done dramatization of the cosmic conflict. We were happy to discover it and hope to pass them around!
Yes, the sharing edition is what it needs to be (there's a longer version). However, the catalog we got in the mail (also by calling the 1-800 number) offers that for any purchase over a certain amount the price comes down, so our district got several hundred and we paid $3.00 each.
Then, our congregation decided to get some more from the evangelism fund, keeping the price down.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the Most Powerful. Our Good LORD uses to clear this Great Controversy.
It is true to point out that Our LORD’S Most Powerful tool is Jesus Christ. the only sacrifice whose blood brings victory to all believers.
Indeed this lesson study comes for such a time as this. Jesus came to die for us so that we who believe might be saved. There are a lot of persons who are in this faith and still do not understand the controversy between God and Satan. The reason for me saying this is that I live in Jamaica and we have a case 1 wk now where 4 females were taken out of their homes and raped including an 8 yr old. She was raped to the point that she had to undergo surgery and I hear one of our Sisters saying where is God in all of this. WE need this study so that we realize that the controversy is still going on and this is what the devil wants is for us to blame God. Jesus' sacrifice for us is so powerful without it where would we be today.
Yes, the terrible evils in this world makes the Great Controversy very real, doesn't it?
God Himself experienced the evil in the Person of His Son. He was killed in the process.
And the process was very brutal, while Satan enjoying the action. But at the end, the world was washed its iniquities in the pure blood of Jesus Christ, amen, amen!
We say that the cross or Jesus is the weapon and I think that is true to an extent but I believe that is only part of the answer and is not really the base answer. "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph 2:4-5 NKJV). It is love that moves God to save us; that is what grace is. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Jn 3:16 NKJV). To me, therefore, love is the weapon God uses and yet He really doesn't use it - it is what He is (1 Jn 4:8) it naturally flows out of Him and is the thing that was manifested in the cross. So even the cross is really not an offensive weapon for in hanging Jesus on the cross Satan committed political suicide. He did it to himself - God didn't do it to him it was his choice (Jn 12:32). God simply did what He has always done in that He supremely loved what He had made.
And as a result of His love, we humans have a choice to make. His supreme love gives us the opportunity to choose life! as we choose Him.