LIFE ON THE EAST-SIDE OF EDEN
"23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life." Genesis 3:23-24.
The beautiful and breathtaking garden was theirs! Everything they desired were all in the East of Eden. It was a place of security, comfort, abundance, assurance, joy and the awesome presence of God. There was no evil, demonic attack, disagreement, pain, suffering, poverty, disease, failure and death in Eden. Indeed it was the original land flowing with milk and honey. Adam and Eve enjoyed direct relationship with the Creator! There was no need for intermediary. God walked with and talked with them. They were in the glorious presence of the Most High daily. But, for life in Eden to continue, there was a condition! God told them that they could eat from any fruit from the trees in Eden except for the tree of good and evil. He warned them that if they ate from the tree they would die. But they disobeyed the Holy One! Adam and Eve sinned, and God imposed a capital sentence and expelled them. He drove them out of the garden of Eden and away from His presence.
Outside of Eden is not a pleasant place to be. It is a place filled with thorns and thistles. Outside of Eden is a place of hard labour and little returns. It is a land of scarcity and poverty. Outside of Eden is a place of struggling and difficulty. It is a wasteland. Outside of Eden is a place of sorrow and regrets. It is a place of separation from God. Outside of Eden is a place of shattered dreams and ambitions. It is a place of broken hearts and broken lives. Outside of Eden is a wilderness! Are you in the garden of Eden? You could be in church everyday, serving and ministering on the pulpit and still be living outside of Eden. You need to get back to Eden today! It is where God desires for us to be! He has a purpose for your life and a place in eternity that He has prepared for you. Isn't it time you return? God is waiting with open arms to receive you.
TROUBLE IN PARADISE:
Eden means paradise. Sadly human sin began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The punishment imposed on Adam and Eve for violating God's command affected every person after them. Romans 5:17.
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear" Isaiah 59:2. Anytime you see the word “transgression, iniquity,” or “sin” you are seeing the same problem. They are all sin! The word “sin” is from the Greek word “hamartia” which means “to miss the mark” and that mark is perfection. The word “transgression” is intentionally crossing a boundary like when a sign says “No Trespassing” and you go past the sign anyway. Transgression is defiance and contempt! Sin is transgression. The word “iniquity” is sometimes used when talking about premeditated sins. Iniquity bends and twists God's plans and purposes for our lives. Sin is a rebellion against God. It is to fall short of requirements Sin is idolatry. It is burning of incense to false gods. Sin is the practice of witchcraft. It is disobedience. Sin is a deliberate act against the law of God. It is sexual immorality. Sin is not doing the good you know. Romans 7:15. Sin is pride. It is unbelief. Sin is defilement. It is a deviation. Sin is lawlessness. It is trespassing! Sin is to go off a path, fall or slip aside. It is to deviate or wander from the right way or path. Sin is ingratitude. It is to reject God. Sin is yielding to temptation. Sin is deadly. Sin has consequences.
1. It robs us of joy. Sin causes us to lose the joy of our salvation.
2. It brings shame, reproach and disgrace.
3. Sin excludes sinners from Heaven. Sinners will end up in hell.
4. It brings God's anger, punishment and judgement.
5. Sin open doors into bondage.
6. It brings fear and guilt.
7. Sin brings God's curse. As long as the curse is in operation the blessings will ceased.
8. Sin brings calamities.
9. Sin brings death. Romans 6:23. When you're living in sin, you're alive physically but dead spiritually.
10. Sin quenches the Holy Spirit.
11. Sin separate us from God.
.12. Sin robs us of peace.
13. It robs us of confidence in prayer. Sin hinders our spiritual walk.
14. Sin is a major barrier to approaching God. It impedes worship and stops God's ears to our prayers.
15. Sin robs us of boldness and anticipation of Christ's return.
16. It damages relationships.
17. Sin deprives us of spiritual strength and comfort.
18. It weakens the soul.
19. Sin is a slave and it puts man under slavery. It holds man under its authority
20. Sin destroys innocence.
17. Sin brings with it pain and sorrow.
Sin hinders progress. It deflates hope and limit capacity. Sin prevent breakthroughs; it restrains God's hands.
The only way out of sin is salvation! The Hebrew word “salvation” means redemption from the power of sin. Matthew 1:21. It is deliverance from evil. Salvation means safety. It is to rescue. Salvation means victory. It is a manifestation of God's love. Jesus paid the price for our sins. No one has suffered more because of sin than Him. Isaiah 53:3-6. Jesus came to redeem us from death and to give us eternal.
Are you living in sin? You can have victory over sin today. Admit that you are a sinner! Repent and confess your sins. Resolve never to return to sin. Proverb 28:113. Invite Jesus into your heart as Lord and Saviour. Revelation 3:20. Now you are born again! This is the beginning of a new life. But the process is ongoing! That you are born again does not mean you're totally freed from temptation. In fact, you will continue to face condemnation and mockery. Your friends and former sin partners will invite you back to your old ways. But you can't go back! You have the Spirit of God in you and the power to say NO to sin. John 1:12. When temptations come, resist them in the name of Jesus. Avoid as much as possible the places, people and things that draw you back into your old ways. Strip off everything that get in the way of your salvation. Stay right under the cover of the Blood. 1 John 1:7-10. Read your Bible. Guard your salvation. Pray always. "Therefore seeing we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily ensnare us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1.
THERE IS RESTORATION:
As long as Adam and Eve obeyed God's commandment in the garden of Eden, they would have abundant life. But when they sinned, death came into existence. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10.
The word translated abundantly here is the Greek word perissos meaning “exceeding, over and above, more than is necessary, something further, more, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon.” This is the life Jesus has given us. When you’re born again, you become a partaker of the abundant life. This is the very life of God. Jesus died on the Cross and was resurrected from the dead so that we could live an abundant life.
There are many today, pursuing fulfilment, joy and happiness, but in all the wrong places! We pursue pleasure from things that rob us of our health. We seek comfort from people who can never give us joy. Sometimes we try to seek for fulfilment from another person. We go after bigger houses, cars, or a well-paying job that give us temporary joy. We seek higher education or other achievements because we're convinced it will give happiness, peace and fulfillment. But the truth is these things will not give us the lasting peace and joy we really desire. There is a joy from God that is not dependent on circumstances. He gives us joy in times of trouble.
The abundant life doesn’t mean an absence of adversity, but how we grow in the midst of difficulties. The abundant life is life in the Holy Spirit. It is to have peace in the midst of storms. Abundant life is to have joy when things are hopeless and uncertain. It is to hope when circumstances seem hopeless. Abundant life is to be able to say no to temptations. The abundant life is freedom from bondage. It is to have a sense of completeness and wholeness. The abundant life is being content despite apparent lack. Abundant life is oneness with God.
How do we partake in the abundant life?
1. Genuine Repentance:
Repentance is a decision to forsake sin and pursue righteousness. Admit your sin by confesssing it. Humbly ask for God’s forgiveness. 1 John1:8-10. Forsake sin and discipline yourself daily. Mark 7:20-22.
2. You must be attached to the true vine.
3. You must allow God to prune you. Endure divine discipline.
4. God's Word must abide in you. Read and meditate on the Word daily.
Study the Bible. It teaches us how to live and what to believe. The Word reveals to us when we have chosen wrong paths. It helps us get back on the right path. The Word helps us to stay on the right path. Hebrews 4:12.
5. Keep praying.
Prayers is a show of absolute dependence on the finished work of Jesus Christ. When we pray, the Ho!y spirit empowers us to say no to sin. Luke 18:1-8.
6. Receive God's blessings by faith. Ephesians 3:20.
7. Surrender to the Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit teaches us all truth! He instruct us about the consequences of every action we take. So walk by the spirit. Galatians 5:17. Focus your mind on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:6, Ephesians 5:18-21.
8. Resist every opportunity to sin:
Whenever you see the opportunity to sin presenting itself, quickly resist it. James 4: 7.
ETERNAL LIFE:
Abundant life is eternal life. It is a life that begins the moment we come to Christ and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour. Eternal life is life that does not end. Adam and Eve were created with the possibility of immortality in the garden of Eden! But there was one tree whose fruit they were not to eat, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned them, saying, “In the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die” When they did eat of it, they did not die physically that day. Romans 5:12. However, they died spiritually. Their fellowship with God was broken. So the eternal life that Jesus gives means restoration to the former state.
Our earthly bodies are weak. We become ill. Our bones breakdown, our muscles weakens. We die. But one day we will trade this our broken bodies for a new glorious body. The new body is from God. It is eternal. Our present bodies decay and die but our new bodies will not. Our earthly body is vulnerable to pain, aging, infirmities, diseases and death. But our glorified body will be free from these things. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. No pain, fever, HIV/AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, fibroid, stroke, or all manners of corona virus or disease will touch our new bodies. Revelation 21:4. We will be incorruptible, glorious, immortal and powerful.
We will live with God in Heaven forever. Heaven is our home! It is a prepared place for godly people. Are you prepared for Heaven? Hell is the opposite of Heaven. Hell is so terrible that we cannot comprehend how horrible the agony will be with the continual weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12. The Lord doesn’t want anyone to go there. Matthew 7:13-14. Is your name in God’s Book of Life? Revelation 20:15. Have you thought about it? Where will you end up when you leave this world? Where will you spend eternity? Will it be Heaven or will it be Hell? There is only one choice to be made. Which will be your choice, eternity with God or eternity without God? This world is a temporary place! But it is where we decide our eternal destiny. Don't pass through this life without preparing for your eternity. The gate of salvation is still open, but the day is coming when it will be closed forever. Have you asked Jesus into your life? If so, take some time today to thank God for His gift of eternal life. If not, you can make that decision today: Father, I confess that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for trying to live my life without You. I need and ask for Your forgiveness today. I need a Savior and know I cannot save myself. I believe by faith, that Jesus, Your Son, died on the cross to be my Savior. I believe He paid the penalty for my sin. I believe He rose from the grave to conquer death, sin, and sin’s separation of me from You. I trust You Jesus as my personal Savior. I receive You as my Lord, and I turn from my sinful ways. Thank you for your grace in forgiving my sins, coming into my life, and being with me forever, in Jesus name. You can now live life free of the eternal fear of sin and sin’s eternal condemnation.
"16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Father, help me to trust You more and to live a life that is pleasing in Your sight, in Jesus name.
2. O Lord, thank You for abundant life, in Jesus name.
3. Father, thank You for Your promises of provision and success, in Jesus name.
4. O Lord, give me power for a new beginning, in Jesus name.
5. Father, let the Holy Spirit fill me afresh, in Jesus name.
6. O Lord, catapult my spiritual life to the mountain top, in Jesus name.
7. Father, grant me victory over temptations, seductions and satanic devices, in Jesus name.
8. O Lord, make me to hunger and thirst for righteousness, in Jesus name.
9. Power to live a godly life, come upon me now, in Jesus name.
10. O Lord, heal every area of backsliding in my spiritual life, in Jesus name.
11. Father, wake me from any form of spiritual sleep and help me to put on the armour of light, in Jesus name.
12. O Lord, help me to hate sin with perfect hatred, in Jesus name.
13. O God who quickens the dead, give life to every dead area of my life, in Jesus name.
14. O Lord, create within me hunger and thirst after purity and holiness, in Jesus name.
15. Father, I thank you for answering my prayers, in Jesus name.
