Years ago, a magazine called Collier’s published a story about a little girl in an orphanage. The little girl was very unattractive and had VERY annoying, And as a result, she was shunned by the children and disliked by the staff. In fact, she was so annoying that the director of the orphanage was looking for a way to ship her off to another institution. Now for some time it was suspected this little girl was writing secret notes to people outside of the orphanage. And then, one afternoon their suspicions were confirmed. One of the other children reported “I saw her write a note and hide it on a tree near the stone wall.” So, the director hurried to the tree, found the note and he read it. Then he quietly passed the note to his assistant. And this is what it said: “To whoever finds this: I love you.” (from a sermon by Melvin M. Newland)
There was a TREE that held a note that spoke of the hopelessness and despair of a little girl.
And in the Garden of Eden, there another tree that spoke of hopelessness and despair. And that tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had left Adam & Eve only one command “Don’t eat of this tree!” and they blew it. They ate of the low hanging fruit and disobeyed God - and their sin devastated their lives, robbed them of their hope. and placed them under a curse. And now everything was a mess! (Pause)
Now, what’s interesting is that there’s a verse we can read in Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the CURSE of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”
We live in a fallen world and we live in a world that is cursed, and because we have personally sinned, our sin has placed US under a curse. Our sins have declared us guilty. And there come times that our sin so shames us that we want to cry out “Whoever finds this: I love you!”
We want God’s love - but we just don’t feel worthy. We feel trapped by the curse; trapped by our despair and hopelessness. But then (pause) Galatians 3 tells us “You don’t have to feel hopeless because ‘Jesus redeemed us by becoming the curse for us…’”
Really??? He became cursed for us? How did He do that? He did it by hanging on the tree – the cross. Now, down through history there’ve been people who’ve been hung on a tree. There was Judas, who - after betraying Jesus – went out and hung himself. Then, there were the two thieves who died with Jesus on Calvary. And back in the Old Testament there was a young man named Absalom whose hair got caught in the branches of a tree, and his enemies killed him as he hung there.
But each of those individuals – well, they weren’t very nice. Each of them deserved to die. They were ALREADY cursed before they hung from those trees. BUT NOT JESUS! Jesus didn’t deserve to die. Jesus wasn’t under the curse because He’d never sinned
1 Peter 2:22 “(Jesus) committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” He didn’t deserve to die!!! He wasn’t under the curse because He’d never sinned! And yet He became cursed FOR US. Cursed… because he hung on the tree (on the Cross). 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us “For our sake (the Father) made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
ILLUS: One commentator explained contrast between the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree upon which Christ died, the cross. 1. The first tree (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) was planted by God. But the second tree (at Calvary) was planted by man; 2. God had forbidden man to eat the first tree. But NOW God has invited US to draw near & eat of the fruit of the second tree; 3. Eating of the first tree brought sin and death. But eating of the second tree brings life and salvation; 4. Adam, by eating of the first tree, was thrown out of Paradise. But we, by eating of the second Tree, are allowed to enter Paradise. (W. Pink, in his book “Gleanings in Genesis” with a few alterations on my part).
You see, that’s the contrast between the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree upon which Jesus died at Calvary. The tree on which Jesus died fixed what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had broken.
But now, there’s a 2nd tree in the Garden we haven’t talked about yet. After the sin of Adam and Eve we read this: “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the TREE OF LIFE and eat, and live forever” therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the TREE OF LIFE.” Genesis 3:22-24
The TREE OF LIFE.
If Adam and Eve continued to eat of the Tree of Life, they could have lived forever. But God made it so they couldn’t do that. He placed a cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the tree. And so, Adam and Eve were banned from coming near that tree ever again.
Now, that does raise a question: Why would God do that? Why ban Adam and Eve from the Tree of Life? I mean… I thought God liked them! This action almost seems unkind and harsh.
But here’s the problem: After disobeying God, Adam and Eve were damaged and broken people. If they had remained in the Garden and continued to eat of the tree of life, they’d have lived continually as damaged and broken people. And they would have REMAINED that way … for eternity.
Their sin had cursed them and left them wounded people. And being broken without the opportunity of being healed – well, that’s not good. Because there would be no reason for hope FOR Eternity! Something had to change! Their sins NEEDED TO BE healed… and the curse NEEDED TO BE removed. Otherwise - there will be no hope, no healing, and … no heaven. Something had to change!
So… what changed? Well, it was the Tree Of Life that changed. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are cursed because they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge Of Good and Evil. The only other important tree in the Garden was the TREE OF LIFE … but the fruit of THAT tree couldn’t fix what Adam and Eve had broken. If it had been able to, God would simply have had them eat of that tree and everything would be better. But that was never going to happen. The tree of Life in the Garden of Eden wasn’t designed to fix Adam and Eve’s sin.
But by the time we get to Revelation 22 we find the Tree Of Life… had changed. Not only could you eat of THAT TREE and live forever, but THAT Tree of Life (in Revelation) was able to heal as well. Revelation 22:2-3 explains: “The leaves of the tree (of Life) were for the healing of the nations.” And because of that tree… “there shall be no more curse.” The leaves of THAT Tree Of Life …could bring healing. And THAT tree’s purpose was to remove the curse.
The Tree of Life in Genesis couldn’t do that, but the one in Revelation could. Something had changed? But what?
Well… what changed was Jesus. 1 Peter 2:24 says “(Jesus) himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been HEALED.” The cross became the Tree Of Life for us. It was there, on the cross, that our sinful lives were healed and the curse was to be reversed.
I’ve taken the liberty of altering an old hymn to reflect what I just told you (sing it with me if you will) “The TREE upon which Jesus died is a shelter in which we can hide. And its grace so free is sufficient for me and deep is its fountain as wide as the sea. (Chorus) There's room at the cross for you, there's room at the cross for you. Though millions have come, there's still room for one. Yes there's room at the cross for you.”
That was The Tale Of the Two Trees. And I’ve covered most of the theology of it here. But the question is this: Why should we care? I mean – I can see how these trees relate to each other, but what difference does it make in MY life?
Well, it makes a difference because it’s only AT THE CROSS that we have any hope. If Jesus hadn’t died on the Cross you and I’d still be dead in our sins. If Jesus hadn’t died on the Cross we would be without hope. If Jesus hadn’t died on the Cross… we’d never (never) make it to heaven. The cross is central to our faith.
Now, granted, when we become Christians we re-enact the death, burial and resurrection in Baptism. And Baptism (along with Faith, Repentance and Confession) are our way of accepting God’s gracious gift. But EVERY SUNDAY after we’re baptized – we take of Communion we focus on the broken body and the flowing blood of Jesus, and the price He paid for us. Observing communion is repeated over and over again, and in that we remember Jesus died FOR ME! And in that we also proclaim that Jesus died FOR OTHERS! I Corinthians 11:26 “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS. It’s about remembering that Christ redeemed us from the CURSE of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree."
CLOSE: At the beginning of the sermon I shared the story of a little girl who was unattractive and annoying, and nobody wanted her around. The superintendent even sought to get rid of her. But she wrote a note and put it on a tree, and the note said “To whoever finds this: I love you.”
(PAUSE)
Someone else wrote a note and put it on a tree outside the city wall. Of Him, too, it was written, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men.” So they sought to get rid of Him. They took Him out to Calvary’s hill where they crucified Him. They nailed Him to a tree. But when men go there they find on that tree a note that reads, “To whoever finds this: I love you.” (from a sermon by Melvin M. Newland)
INVITATION
