Six thousand years ago God, with merely a spoken word, created man in His
own image from the dust of the earth. In creating man, he placed Him in a
position of authority over His other creation; the birds of the air, the
beasts of the field, the sea creatures, etc...
But in the midst of this creation, God planted a tree. The tree was known
as the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. Upon all the other
instructions that God gave, He gave warning that the fruit of this tree
was off limits to the consumption of man. That by eating of this tree, man
would most assuredly die.
As you well know satan, speaking forth through the serpent, tempted Eve
and she in turn encouraged Adam to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. Upon eating of that tree, death entered into humanity, and
a curse fell upon the creation that God had intended for dominion and
authority.
For the next 4000 years man struggled to regain dominion over the creation
that God had placed him in:
? Men such as Nimrod devised plans that would construct a tower that would
allow man to ascend to the throne of God.
? Others created gods after their own image in an effort to circumvent the
authority of God and establish themselves as deity.
? Even in the last hundred years, men such as Stalin, Hitler and Hussein
have had the idea that they should control this planet through military
force and strategi superiority.
Yet all the efforts to regain control or authority have proven futile to
mankind.
? Our efforts through pagan spirituality have lead not to dominion, but to
factions.
? Our efforts through science has lead to a godless philosophy and a man
centered world view.
? Our efforts through the military has lead to death destruction and
global unrest.
Through all the ages and through all our efforts, we have failed to
realize that because of man's disobedience towards a tree; that it will
take man's obedience towards another tree...
And I am not talking about a blue spruce or a chinese elm. I am not
talking about a redwood or a mimosa either. I am talking a bout a tree
that was 4000 years in the gemination and development process. A tree
that didn't rise from the mineral rich soil of the fertile crescent; but
instead, out of the sin soaked soil of a lifeless man.
It was tree that didn't bear fruit but instead bore sorrows.
It was a tree that didn't offer shade but instead deliverance
It was a tree that didn't stretch forth it's branches but instead it
stretched forth the arms of our redeemer: Jesus the Christ.
Because of a tree we died. Because of a tree we now have access back into
life. Not back into a garden, but now into the throne room of the Lord God
Almighty.
We anxiously still go to the orchard of deception and pluck the fruit of
sin and feast upon it's poison, yet there is a tree of Life, wherein the
sick and afflicted are healed and the bound and oppressed are set free
that sits alone in the corner of our disobedience because we refuse to eat
it's fruit.
The deceiver is still peddling his treachery today. In the garden satan
told eve,
(PP) "Go ahead and eat of it, you will not die, but instead you will be
like gods."
It was a temptation of SELF
self empowerment
self gratification
self sustaining
selfishness
Do this the serpent said and self will be benefitted!!
But see saints, the treachery concerning the tree didn't end with man
expulsion from the garden. No, you see, 4000 years later that deceiver of
the brethren slithered up to another tree and began spewing the same lies.
In Matthew 27:40 he says to Jesus while that tree called the Cross of
Calvary,
"If thou be the Son of God, save thyself, come down from that tree."
Just like in the garden, satan offered immediate gratification and self
exaltation.
But see saints:
to come down from the tree that He created
to abandon His plan for mankind from the foundations of the earth
to act in self-preservation
Would have been in direct conflict to His nature. Do you hear me today?
To "come down from the cross", would have been contrary to who He was.
Gal 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (KJV)
Because YOU have been crucified your life has partaken of the tree. Not
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but the Tree of Righteousness.
When satan comes to you with his deceit and temptation, he is in effect
saying to you, "come down from that tree and save yourself."
come down and satisfy yourself
come down and justify yourself
come down and indulge yourself
come down and be like god
But to yield to the allure of satan is to effectively "Come down from our
cross"
It is to act contrary to our very nature.
2 Pet 1:4 says, "by which have been given to us exceedingly great and
precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
(NKJ)
Why is it that even many heathen cringe at the mention of such things as:
homosexuality, incest and self-mutilation?
Because they are obviously in conflict with that which is natural to
mankind.
***But why, do we as blood bought, born again believers in the Lamb of God
continue to act in direct conflict with the very born again nature that is
resident in our lives?
BECAUSE MADE A LIFESTYLE OUT OF ABANDONING THE CROSS!
We have listened to the seducing calls from the ground below
We have lost the focus of our responsibility to Christ Jesus and have
allowed the winnowing call of selfishness to catch our eye
We have abdicated our position as victors and have instead become fools
Come down from the cross and save yourself.
We have sniffled and whined and said, "I just can't do it." yet the Word
of God says,
Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
(KJV)
2 Cor 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather
glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (KJV)
1 Cor 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to
man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that
ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it." (KJV)
Just like there was a way of escape for them in the garden. It was in
embracing the word of God rather than the wooing of sin. Just like Jesus
demonstrated in the wilderness when satan came tempting Him to abandon His
mission towards the cross and He declared, "It is written."
Today, we have an escape. It's the cross.
Grace is gathered at the cross
Mercy is pooled around the cross
Power is manifested in the cross
Some of you are saying to yourselves, "but I have already been saved."
This is not a message to get you saved. This is a truth to keep you that
way. The cross is not a one stop fix-me-up, but rather a lifestyle
designed by God to bring you to that ultimate place of peace, prosperity
and righteousness. A place called death.
Now, am I talking about a physical death? No, I am not. But instead a
death to the flesh, a death to the desires and beckoning of this world.
Luke 9:23 says , "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (KJV)
A cross committed life is a life with an eye on the prize. What is that
prize?
Testimony of Jesus:
John 3:16 " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." (KJV)
Jesus came for one purpose and one purpose only.
Answer: To seek and to save the lost.
There was only one way to accomplish this feat.
Answer: To set His sights on Golgotha and press into that place of
victory.
Your victory will only be realized as you set YOUR sights on that one
destination that will insure you victory over sin. The Cross.
We have got to be like Jesus in pursuit of the Father's will. We have got
to keep one eye constantly focused on Calvary. We may be about the rigors
of everyday life, but each day and each hour we have got to move one step
closer to our destination. We may heal the sick along the way. We may feed
the hungry and clothe the naked. We may evangelize and socialize, but all
the while we are moving closer to that place wherein we realize "What's is
our purpose in Life."
its to say "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
(KJV)
Yet we are always looking for a reprieve. We are always hoping that
somehow, someway that our sentence or our destiny could be commuted and we
could just serve out our sentence in relative ease.
Matt 26:39 records what Jesus said as He approached His time to go to the
cross. While praying at Gethsemene it says, "And he went a little further,
and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."
(KJV)
Saints, Jesus came with a death sentence. Jesus walked straight to the
place of execution and bore the cross gladly.
His last meal, was a meat that ye know not of.
His last words, were unto thy hand I commit my spirit.
His final will and testament was "whosoever will come."
YOU TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN A DEATH SENTENCE.
What would have happened to the repentant thief had a pardon came on his
way to be crucified. What if somehow Pilot decided to spare another that
day besides Barabas and the lot fell upon him?
What if he would have came up short if the cross?
He certainly would never have heard the words, "Today thou shall be with
me in paradise."
Will you come down from the cross and save yourself? (Or)
Will you press towards the place that promises victory?
Disobedience concerning one tree brought death.
Obedience to another is the only way to life.
1 Cor 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (KJV)
