Our eating style reflects and affects who and what we are. It identifies our approach to life. If we examine various societies and cultures, we see that each has its traditional foods and food ceremonies. "I am Italian. I often eat spaghetti, lasagna, or pizza," or "I am a real American. I eat hamburgers, hot dogs, steak, coke, and french fries." The French eat crepes, Belgians eat waffles, Chinese eat rice, the Swiss eat chocolate, Israelis eat felafel, Portuguese eat cod fish (bacalao), and Inuit eat whale blubber. In short, the "way we eat" reveals how we identify ourselves. It reflects and often determines our world-view, our values, and our entire approach to life.
To achieve historical perspective, we must go back in time to the beginning, to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge.
God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat from every tree of the garden. But from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil do not eat, for on the day you eat from it, you will surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17)
If only the first man, Adam, had kept on occupying himself with guarding the way to the Tree of Life, he would have continued to stroll through the Garden of Eden like one of the guardian angels. Shortly after God created Eve, in the afternoon of the first Friday of Creation, the first couple in the world committed the first sin by eating the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.
Today I’m not talking about Pizza or Shepherd pie but would like to teach about our Spiritual food and the choices we make. We are what we eat! I will guide you through God’s initial menu and how man fell from Grace. What we eat influences the way we think about ourselves.
What do you think about yourself? God has a purpose for you. He created dry land before man so we didn’t had the need to learn how to swim.
It’s difficult to see the difference between bone and marrow
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Bible gives an analogy: It’s like dividing joints and marrow. Joints are the thick, hard outer part of the bone. Marrow is the soft, tender, living inner part of the bone. That is an analogy of “soul and spirit.” The Word of God is like a sword that is sharp enough to cut right through the outer, hard, tough part of a bone to the inner, soft living part of the bone. Some swords, less sharp, may strike a bone and glance off and not penetrate. Some swords may penetrate partway through the tough, thick joint of a bone. But a very sharp, powerful double-edged sword (sharp on each side of the point) will penetrate the joint all the way to the marrow. “Soul and spirit” are like “bone joint and bone marrow.” “Soul” is that invisible dimension of our life that we are by nature. “Spirit” is what we are by supernatural rebirth.
Practically speaking, when we read or hear “the word of God” we sense ourselves pierced. The effect of this piercing is to reveal the truth of our thoughts and our motives and ourselves.
It’s very hard even for a doctor to tell where the bone ends and where the marrow starts, but God knows all things and through His Word we can receive the right judgment and perspective about the intentions of our own heart. It’s easier for us to judge others rather than judge ourselves. But through the Word of God we can have the understanding of who we really are. Without that understanding we will either overestimate or underestimate ourselves.
TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
choice between good and evil
tree of the SOUL
CARNAL things
Knowledge with no Eternal Life
Lead by the FLESH
usually negative impulses
TREE OF LIFE
choice between life and death
tree of the SPIRIT
INNERMOST things
Knowledge with God’s Wisdom
Lead by the SPIRIT
usually faith driven and positive
God created two trees in the garden of Eden and it’s important for us to understand the whole process of our thoughts.
These two trees are going to determine everything that you are and everything in your life is fashioned between these two trees and the choices that you make for either one of them.
Genesis 2:9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
People have a difficult time to know what is wrong and what is right. Example: Abortion
Doesn’t a woman have the right to make her choice?
This doesn’t mean it’s a good choice. Does abortion give life or take life? The understanding of good and evil will help us to make the right choices.
If you eat from the tree of knowledge for a long period you will not understand the values of the tree of life.
Everything in Scripture can be taken to these two trees. God gives us the choice to view things around us. And everything you see will be determined by the tree you are eating from.
Example: You come to Church and and you share the experience with many other people. If I go around at the end of the service and ask questions about how you feel the service was you will have different views and opinions. Usually people that eat from the tree of life are blessed and always receive from the Holy Spirit but people that eat from the tree of Knowledge will be critical and judgmental.
The way you observe things can determine your opinion about all the issues of life. The way you observe things determine the way you think about yourself and the Bible says,
Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinks in his heart so is he”
So is it important to have the right perspective about ourselves? I think so...
Some people eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil thinking that it’s the tree of life and then they wonder why they come to Church and their life is not going better.
Acts 17:26-28
26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
Why did God choose the place where you live? Why did he choose to have you been born in this particular moment of time and place you at this geographical location? Because there is something for you to do NOW and HERE. God designed me to impact this generation in this Nation in this particular time.
Once you understand you are here for a purpose all your life changes. The choices you made determined who you are today and the choices you make today will determine who you will be tomorrow.
Choose to believe that you are here for a purpose. You don’t have to wonder if you are here for a purpose.
I want to know that purpose
Even if I don’t know that purpose I will eat from the tree of life and He will take me to that purpose. He is faithful and true.
Allow His Spirit to live in you! Once the Holy Spirit is welcomed in your life everything changes according to His purpose.
YOUR MOMENT OF CHOICE
Which tree will you choose to eat from?
Will you choose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to be the basis of how you live your life?
Or, will you choose to eat from the tree of life, with its many blessings?
Genesis 3:24
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden ofEden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Revelation 2:7
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
1. Tree of Knowledge
choice between good and evil
tree of the SOUL
CARNAL things
Knowledge with no Eternal Life
Lead by the FLESH
usually negative impulses
you may get what you want but at the end you will lose everything
2. Tree of Life
choice between life and death
tree of the SPIRIT
INNERMOST things
Knowledge with God’s Wisdom
Lead by the SPIRIT
usually faith driven and positive
you will achieve God’s purpose and at the end you will have eternal life
Whatever tree you sow this is what you are going to rip. If you make decisions based on knowledge you will get soulish fruit. If you sow in the Spirit from the Spirit you will rip eternal things.
How do you move from eating from the tree of knowledge and get a “Tree of life diet”? You need forgiveness! Receive a new purpose in life and decide to eat from the right tree.
