04.05.2026. Easter Sermon Rev. Lee Jeungbok
Text: Genesis 3:15, Romans 4:25, 1 John 4:10
Title: The Meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus
Genesis 3:15
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Romans 4:25
“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
1 John 4:10
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Today is the day we worship, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the most wondrous event in human history.
People often think of Easter as merely a day when Christians express their religion and celebrate among themselves. Some even think of the resurrection as a sudden miracle that appears only in the New Testament. However, the resurrection is not an accidental or unexpected event. It is the fulfillment of the covenant that was proclaimed by God in the Garden of Eden immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve—the “first gospel,” or the protoevangelium—brought to completion over thousands of years.
Today, I will preach on how the promise of Genesis 3:15, the first gospel given to humanity, is fulfilled in the “offspring of the woman” becoming the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and what spiritual victory His resurrection gives to us today.
1. God promised that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head.
Genesis 3:15
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
1.1) It is important to know who the offspring of the woman is.
Genesis 3:15 is the first gospel given to sinful humanity—the good news. However, God did not specify who the offspring of the woman would be or exactly when He would send him. Therefore, when Eve gave birth to her first son, Cain, she mistakenly thought that Cain was the offspring of the woman.
Even today, many religions have individuals who claim to be the offspring of the woman—that is, the savior. They speak as if they were sent by God to save humanity and even create and spread their own scriptures.
Only after Cain killed his brother Abel did Eve realize that Cain was not the promised offspring of the woman. People in our time, like Eve, may mistakenly believe in the wrong person as the Messiah. The leaders and founders of other religions today are not the offspring of the woman promised by God. This is not to criticize other religions, but to help us realize that what is at stake is our own eternal life.
Therefore, it is important to know who the offspring of the woman is, because God promised that through the offspring of the woman He would crush the head of the devil.
1.2) What does the phrase “offspring of the woman” convey to us?
First, it is a prophecy that the Messiah who brings salvation will come as the offspring of a woman. Eve misunderstood this to mean simply someone born of a woman.
Second, it is the promise that the one who will break the power of Satan and lead us to victory in spiritual warfare is the offspring of the woman.
Third, the phrase itself prophesies a supernatural birth.
Fourth, that the Savior will come as the offspring of the woman means that He will come into this world without sin. All people born through the lineage of man are born under Adam’s sin. However, the Bible clearly declares that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary and was born sinless.
Finally, that the Messiah would be sent as the offspring of the woman means that He would come into this world at the appointed time according to God’s plan. Therefore, the birth of Jesus as the offspring of the woman signifies that the promised time in God’s redemptive timetable had been fulfilled.
2. God made Jesus, the sinless offspring of the woman, an atoning sacrifice to redeem sinful people.
1 John 4:10
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
2.1) What is an atoning sacrifice?
An atoning sacrifice is an offering for restoring the relationship between God and humanity. To offer an atoning sacrifice means to cover or atone for sin. It is also called a Peace Offering or Fellowship Offering.
In the Old Testament, animals such as bulls, sheep, and goats offered as peace offerings had to be without blemish and clean. In the New Testament, Jesus, who was without sin or defect, offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice to God on the cross.
The purpose of the atoning sacrifice is to atone for sin, appease God’s righteous wrath, and establish a peaceful relationship with Him. In the Old Testament, those who offered the peace offering shared the sacrifice with the priest as a sign that their relationship with God had been restored. The priest represented God, and the offerer represented humanity, and they shared in the joy of restored fellowship through the meal.
In the New Testament, Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, we are forgiven and reconciled to God.
When we share bread in the Lord’s Supper, it is a sign that we remember the body of Jesus, who became the atoning sacrifice, and that we are reconciled with God. Drinking the wine symbolizes that Jesus died in our place for our sins and that we participate in the new covenant established by His blood.
2.2) Was there no other way to be reconciled to God except through Jesus becoming the atoning sacrifice on the cross?
The answer is that because of God’s righteous wrath against sin, only Jesus—born sinless as the offspring of the woman—could become an acceptable atoning sacrifice to the holy God.
A sinner cannot escape God’s wrath or save himself by his own works. Human efforts cannot appease God’s righteous wrath against sin. In fact, attempts by sinners to appease God may only increase His wrath. Trying to please God through sinful efforts is like a person with leprosy preparing food for a king while his skin is oozing—such an offering would not please the king but would instead provoke disgust and anger.
Therefore, in order for a person defiled by sin to please God, he must first be forgiven of his sins. But this is impossible for a sinner on his own. As we know, all people born as descendants of Adam are under Adam’s sin. Only Jesus, who came as the offspring of the woman, is free from Adam’s sin. Only Jesus, born sinless, can become the atoning sacrifice to the holy God. No one else can. Therefore, there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved except Jesus.
2.3) The entire plan of salvation, in which Jesus becomes the atoning sacrifice to save sinners, originates from God the Father who loves us.
We must not confuse the order of priority, especially when it comes to our eternal life.
Clearly, the one who planned, initiated, and completed salvation is God the Father who loves us. Out of His love, the Father sent His only Son, Jesus, to be born as the son of a woman. Out of His love, the Father made His Son the atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
Therefore, we who are saved must give thanks, praise, and glory to God the Father above all and more frequently for our salvation.
2.4) Let us summarize the work of the Triune God in salvation.
God the Father planned, initiated, and completed salvation.
God the Son, Jesus, willingly obeyed and carried out God’s plan of salvation by coming to this earth and becoming the atoning sacrifice.
God the Holy Spirit applies the salvation planned by the Father and accomplished by the Son to sinful people. The Holy Spirit gives faith as a gift to those chosen by the Father so that they may accept Jesus Christ as Savior. He also remains with believers who are born again by faith until the end of the world.
3. The true meaning of the resurrection of Jesus.
Romans 4:25
“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
Every year, as we commemorate Easter, we offer worship and praise to God. Some people use Easter as a message calling for unity among denominations. Others hope for the end of wars. However, Easter is not simply a day to wish for the end of division and war.
3.1) The resurrection of Jesus is the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.
If we view the cross and resurrection in light of Genesis 3:15, Jesus’ death on the cross fulfills the prophecy that the serpent would strike the heel of the offspring of the woman. The resurrection, however, is the event in which Jesus, the offspring of the woman, destroyed death—the greatest power of the devil. Therefore, the resurrection is the day when the prophecy that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head was fulfilled. It is the day when God’s promise, spanning thousands of years, came to completion. And this resurrection assures believers, the people of the victorious King, that our spiritual battles will also end in victory.
3.2) The resurrection is God’s declaration that He has accepted the atoning sacrifice and justifies those who believe.
The resurrection is God’s official confirmation that the atonement was fully accomplished through Jesus’ death on the cross. In other words, the resurrection is the clear declaration that God has accepted Jesus’ substitutionary death and justifies those who believe in Him.
Because this declaration of righteousness is grounded in the historical reality of the resurrection, believers are no longer under the dominion of sin. Though we may still sin at times, we can repent relying on the blood of Jesus on the cross and live as righteous people.
As those justified, our future is filled with hope. What awaits us is eternal blessedness in the presence of God.
3.3) But what if there had been no resurrection?
If we only think about the resurrection itself, we may fail to fully grasp its importance—just as we do not appreciate the value of air while we breathe it every day. If you want to know how precious air is, try staying underwater in a pool for ten minutes. Likewise, when we consider what would happen if there were no resurrection, we come to realize how amazing God’s grace truly is.
First, if Jesus had died on the cross but had not risen, it would mean that His atoning sacrifice was not accepted by God. Then those who believe in Jesus would still be in their sins.
Second, we believe that through faith in Jesus all our sins are forgiven. But without the resurrection, the message that believing in Jesus brings forgiveness would be a lie.
Third, believers live with the hope that after this life ends, we will awaken in heaven and live eternally praising God. But without the resurrection, this would be nothing more than an empty dream.
Fourth, without the resurrection, churches around the world that gather to celebrate Easter today would be deceiving the world.
Therefore, it is important that we understand the true meaning of the resurrection and rejoice in it. We must clearly recognize that the resurrection is the foundation of our faith and enjoy the joy it brings.
4. Then why do many people not believe in this tremendous resurrection—the fulfillment of prophecy and the opening of the way to righteousness?
It is because hearts, corrupted and distorted by sin, refuse to accept God’s amazing work of salvation and instead present various excuses.
Some deny the virgin birth. Others mock the death on the cross as the death of one who was cursed. At that time, the Jews believed that anyone who was hung on a tree was cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23).
For the Romans, crucifixion was a method of humiliating and torturing criminals who rebelled against Rome. This led them to regard Jesus not as a Savior but as a criminal.
People today often treat Easter as merely a Christian holiday. Some even consider it less significant than ordinary public holidays, saying that since it falls on a Sunday, it does not provide an extra day of rest.
Furthermore, the devil tempts people to focus their attention elsewhere.
The devil has turned Christmas into a season of sales and discounts, stealing from people the meaning, value, and joy of the birth of the Savior.
Likewise, the devil deceives people into thinking of Easter as nothing more than a religious event. Those deceived by the devil have no interest in attending Easter worship.
5. When I was in high school, my hometown held Easter worship in a truly magnificent way. Everyone in the city knew that Easter worship was celebrated like a festival. Even a non-Christian high school friend once asked to attend the early morning Easter service. He came with me and was truly amazed.
Do you truly know how precious the meaning of the resurrection is, and do you regard Easter as a valuable day? With what expectations and joy have you come to this Easter worship today?
If you do not have true joy in the resurrection, it may be because you do not understand the great benefits it gives to believers, or because you have been deceived by the devil and have the same mindset as the world.
This past week, I prayed that the saints who offer Easter worship to God would fully realize the benefits of Jesus’ resurrection and be filled with joy. I also prayed that this joy would not remain only in this moment but would overflow in daily life as the joy and hope of the resurrection.
And now I pray to God who has given us the resurrection:
May we not keep the joy of Jesus’ resurrection to ourselves, but may we share this overflowing joy with those around us, in the name of the Lord.
Let us pray. (End)