Life And The Tree Of Death

[dave c]

HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #131aak Re-Written 24JUN09

Save Me Today—Part Sixty Three: Life And The Tree Of Death

by rev dave c

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! (Ph 2:5-8; NIV). Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (He 12:1-4; NIV).

On the night before He was to be crucified Jesus and His disciples gathered in the upper room to celebrate the Passover: After taking the cup, [Jesus] gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you (Lu 22:17-20; NIV). When we partake of ‘the body and blood’ of Jesus Christ, which is real food and real drink (Jn 6:47-58), we see in the proclamation of the New Covenant a realized participation in the tree of life that was initialized in the Garden of Eden and symbolized as the golden lampstand of the Tabernacle (Ex 25:31-39).

The cross of the New Testament, on the other hand, is a realization of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from Genesis Chapter Two that was also manifested as The Law of the Old Covenant—The Law that also brought death (Ro 7:10-14). As fully the Son of God and fully the Son of Man, Jesus partook of the knowledge of good and evil by allowing us to nail Him to ‘a tree’ (Ac 5:30/10:39, Jn 10:17&18). Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit (Ga 3:13&14; NIV). God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2Co 5:21; NIV). By taking all of our past, present, and future sins upon His person like a filthy garment that covered His innocence, Jesus became a curse in order to pay our sin debt, so that humanity and all of creation might be reconciled to God (Ga 3:10-14).

[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Ro 4:25-5:2; NIV). Scripture tells us that the cross was not just a terrible instrument of torture and death, but that it represented the worst that Satan, using the hands of man, could throw at Jesus. Christ permitted His mortal death 2,000 years ago so that we might have life today, and life eternally abundant, through His resurrection in the power of the Holy Spirit and ascension to the throne of His Father.

As a pre-born baby reaches full term, the very world in which it exists begins to reject it. All the child has known up to that point—the warmth, the sheltered protection, the abundant provision, the rhythmic sounds of the mother’s body, the muted sound of her voice, the indirect touch of her hand...in short, the very comfort, safety, and intimacy of being literally inside her person and presence—comes to an end as the muscles from within, and a doctor’s hands from without, begin the difficult, and in some ways violent, process of delivery into a world of harsh lights and sounds, rough touch, and that first painful rush of air into untried lungs. While we call this birth, life as the baby knew it has come to an end—birth into this world requires the death of life as it had been known. Just as we are born of a woman’s water, Jesus tells us that we must also be born again—we must be actually reborn as new creations through the Spirit (Jn 3:3-8, 2Co 5:17). Adam and Eve died because of their sin, and their expulsion from the Garden marked their birth into this world. Scripture tells me that, through Godly obedience, I must die to myself and to this world in order to be born into the next. What I regard as death in this existence is really birth into an eternity fully in the presence of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ (2Co 4:13-14, 1Th 2:19, Ju 1:24&25).

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done (Mt 16:24-27; NIV). ...Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Mt 10:38&39; NIV). Are we (am I) truly willing to take up the cross of death that we might find the tree of life? Listen to the words of Paul from Galatians 6:14&15: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation (NIV). Lord, save us today. Amen.