Sermon for HCBC (6 September 2020). To listen use the audio player below or click here. Also available on your favorite podcast app (“Hunting Creek Baptist Church”).
Introduction
I want to start in Genesis 3 for the final part of this series. Remember the story. The serpent tempts Eve. Adam and Eve fail. The Lord then pronounces a series of judgments. I want to draw your attention to v. 15. To the serpent, the Lord says, “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.”
There’s going to be enmity (hostility, war) between the woman and the serpent, between her children and the children of the serpent. Then, the verse zooms in to particulars. He shall bruise your head. That is, one specific child of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head. You shall bruise his heel. That is, the serpent will bruise this child’s heel. Which is worse? A bruise on the head or the heel? Obviously, the bruise on the head. So, let’s summarize. The serpent’s offspring and the woman’s offspring will be locked in a battle. But a child of the woman will defeat the serpent by bruising his head. This will be costly because in bruising the serpent’s head, the serpent will strike his heel.
There’s a reason this verse has been widely known as the protoevangelium which is a Latin term meaning “the first gospel.” The promise is that someone will come and destroy the serpent in battle. And we can draw a few implications about this person by paying attention to the story.
First, he will be born of a woman. That means he will be fully human. More specifically, we will be able to trace him back to Eve.
Second, he will be more than a man. Adam had already been defeated. Humans cannot beat the serpent, so we know the promised serpent slayer will be more than a man.
Now, that’s a wonderful promise, but do you see the problem? The problem is that we need someone to defeat the serpent. We can’t do it on our own. He’s too cunning, too dangerous, too powerful. We are too weak, too rebellious, too faithless.
Binding the Strong Man
Let’s go to Mark. Mark opens his Gospel with an amazing announcement. If we aren’t listening carefully, we will miss it. Mark 1:1: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Verse 2: “Just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘Behold I am sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way.’” Whose way? That’s in v. 3: “A voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” So who is coming? The Lord—God himself. And there’s a messenger who announces that.
Then Mark introduces us to John the Baptist who is saying, “I’m just the messenger. Someone who is stronger than I is coming after me, and he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Then we meet Jesus. He is baptized by John, and a voice from heaven bears witness to his unique identity. Then he is tempted by Satan in the wilderness, but he overcomes. Then he begins preaching and casting out demons and healing people, and everyone is amazed because they’ve never seen anything like it. That brings us to chapter 3.
Some of the religious teachers came down from Jerusalem to see what Jesus was all about, and they accuse him of being a tool of Satan. Mark 3:22: “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.’” So the accusation is that Jesus is possessed, which means his authority comes from the devil. That’s what they are saying—“he casts out the demons by the prince of demons [aka Beelzebul].” That’s the accusation.
Let’s look at Jesus’s response in the next few verses. Verse 23: “And he called them to him and said to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan?’ In other words, why would Satan be casting out demons? That seems contradictory. Jesus points out the absurdity of their logic. Verses 24–26: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.” The logic of Jesus being demon possessed makes no sense. And also notice how Jesus is distinguishing himself from Satan. That’s part of the context and meaning of this passage.
Look what he says next. Verse 27: “But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.” What in the world is he talking about? First, let’s make sure we get the details right. No one can plunder a strong man unless he ties him up first. That makes sense. If he’s not tied up, he would run you off or hurt you. But after he’s tied up, then his house can be plundered. What does he mean? Remember the context. They are talking about casting out demons. He’s done that. People have never seen anything like it. The religious leaders accuse him of using evil power to do it. Jesus says, “That doesn’t make sense.” Then he says, “Let me tell you how I do it. I am the stronger man who is capable of binding Satan. And these exorcisms are evidence not that I’m using Satan’s power but that I’m plundering his house.
Here’s what’s really interesting. Remember what John said back in chapter 1? “Someone who is stronger than I is coming after me.” Here in v. 27, Jesus is the stronger man who is capable of binding Satan. Now, of course, that means he’s no ordinary man, which is why everyone is so amazed. God through Jesus is plundering Satan by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That explains this next part as well. It’s a part of Scripture that is misunderstood because it is seldom read in context. Verses 28–30: “‘Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’—for they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” Again, remember what John said. Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit, so the accusation of the religious leaders that Jesus’s authority is from the devil is a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. As one NT commentator writes, “The sin referred to is willfully and spitefully denying the activity of God’s Spirit in the ministry of Jesus and labeling it an unclean spirit.”[1] That’s clear because Mark tells us in v. 30: “for they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” So Jesus has entered Satan’s house and bound him, and he plunders his house. The promise of Gen 3:15 is being fulfilled. Someone has come to crush the head of the serpent.
Crushing the Serpent
As we read the rest of Scripture, this becomes even more clear. Let’s just look at a few places. Colossians 2:13–15:
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh [that’s our problem, but look what God does], God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses [how?], by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands [So there is a legal hurdle that is overcome on the cross; Jesus is the substitute for our sin, for all our lawbreaking]. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross [But notice there’s more than just rules at work; there are powers]. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them by it.
On the cross, Jesus disarms the rules and authorities. He plunders them. Through the cross, he triumphs over Hell. This word translated triumph is really interesting. When Roman generals would win a major battle, they would have a huge parade called a triumph. It was a rare and incredible honor, and they would parade through the streets with their captives in front of them. Paul is saying that Jesus has won the battle over Hell on the cross and he parades through the streets in victory.
Just a couple of more places to show you. Hebrews 2:14–15: “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.” Jesus’s death defeats the devil. The devil bruises Jesus’s heel, but Jesus crushes the serpent’s head.
First John 3:8: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus’s death and resurrection break the power of Satan’s hold. Satan has all of us locked away, captive to sin, unable to please God. Christianity does not teach do better. Christianity does not think humans can overcome sin in their own strength. That’s an ancient heresy called Pelagianism, and though it is ancient, it is alive and well, so listen to me clearly. It’s not just that we need forgiveness. It’s that we don’t have the ability to not sin. We are incapable of breaking free. We are dead in our sin. But the cross changes that. Jesus comes to break Satan’s hold on us.
What does all of this mean? It means if you are in Christ, you are free from the power of sin. One of the most amazing realizations for me was realizing that as a Christian I am not enslaved to sin. I do not have to sin because Christ has broken the power of sin. Before I was in Christ, I could do nothing but sin. I did not have the power not to sin. But in Christ I am no longer a slave to sin. Yes, I am forgiven, but I am also free.
Romans 8 makes this clear. Listen to vv. 12–14: “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
The power of Jesus’s death allows you and me to live differently. Satan’s house has been plundered. Now we can be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can live lives that are pleasing to God. Think about this in your struggle for holiness. God has not left you on your own to figure it out. He has empowered you to overcome, to endure, and to have victory. Jesus has defeated the serpent.
Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? It’s really a fitting conclusion. It’s not a story about us defeating our giants. It’s a story about a king defeating a giant. And it’s not just any giant but it is a giant who represents evil and that which is opposed to God. It’s interesting that the Hebrew word often used to describe Goliath’s armor shares the same root with the word used for the serpent in Genesis 3. And nobody can stand up to Goliath. Scripture says King Saul and all of Israel “were dismayed and greatly afraid” (1 Sam 17:11). But when David hears Goliath’s insults, he agrees to represent Israel and fight Goliath. You know the story of course. But the story is a type of a much bigger story. A greater David steps forward to fight a more dangerous giant. He represents each of us. Jesus steps forward and crushes the head of the serpent. Jesus defeats sin, Satan, and death on the cross. And we can share in his victory when we look to him, so look to him.
When we realize that Christ has defeated the serpent, it completely changes our perspective. For one thing, we should be astounded by the good news of the gospel. Yes, we are forgiven, but we are also free. This is the power of the gospel. It’s amazing.
For a discussion guide click here.
[1] Garland, ZIBBCNT, 228.