Well, we've come to the end of another week on things unseen, and we've been pulling on the ball of thread that's wound into Genesis 315 this week.

And actually, we've only reached Genesis 22.

But I hope it's perhaps helped us to see how you can unwind the story of the Old Testament yourself.

And since we're at the end of the week, I'm going to fast forward into the New Testament.

Genesis 315 announces a conflict that runs throughout Scripture right to its climax in Jesus' own ministry.

I think we need to remember that.

From beginning to end, our Lord Jesus' life was marked by conflict.

It emerges in Herod's early attempts to kill him. It reappears in his wilderness

temptations. And then think of his various conflicts with demons. Their invasion of Palestine

was surely a striking feature of his own lifetime, as well as his conflict with the religious leaders.

Ultimately, of course, his conflict is with Satan himself. He stands behind every other conflict with Jesus.

I think this helps to explain the vision statement Jesus announced at Caesarea Philippi.

I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

That's Matthew, chapter 16, verse 18.

The goal of Jesus' ministry was to build a church, an assembly of God's people. And notice he says he's going to do that in enemy-occupied territory,

where the strategies of Satan planned at the gates of hell are going to be affected.

But the serpent will not be able to withstand this seed of the woman.

Nothing will prevent Christ's ultimate victory

and his building of his church. The Apostle John expresses all this very pointedly in 1 John

chapter 3 verse 8. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Remember how John saw this in dramatic form in the amazing vision he had on the island of Pat

Moss?

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