"Come with me ! Follow the trail of blood to the crime scene, where you will find things to be far different than what they appear. I would suggest you closely examine the Blood. Be particular in this case. Keep an open mind since the evidence keeps proving the exact opposite of what you perceived. For example: you may find life where you thought there was death; you may encounter mercy where you expected condemnation, but I want you to seek out your own assurances here.
This is not Warner Brothers or MGM but it is definitely "Show Biz" (Col 2:15).
The props are profoundly simple: a tree and some fruit. The backdrop a garden.
Mankind didn't get it the first time. God was with them in the Garden but His desire was to be "IN" them. He wanted them to eat of the tree of life. God loves intimacy. Motivated by the same desire -- LOVE -- He brings back the tree and places it where it will affect the whole world forever. Will anyone eat of this fruit and live?
I offer you the" Tree of Life"..again.
God will not be outdone. What you are witnessing here is an astronomical reversal. God took the very same thing the enemy used (thats His strategy) and in one sweeping motion took things back into rightful ownership. God is not impressed when the enemy messes with His special creation, the one He has His "eye" on (in love with ). He will with the temptation make an escape route.
It was a combination of unbelief and self-centeredness, embodied in flesh, that brought His creation down by indulging in the wrong tree. Christ in "flesh" was "lifted up"on a "tree of life" to draw all men by love and in an exemplifying show of mercy -- a woman -- delivered the Son of God to the world (think about that, if you have any doubts as to the true nature of God.)
The insignia of true love is the cross.You cannot experience the love of God apart from it -- they are inseparable. Those with limited vision and shallow understanding cried, "Show us your power, but don't show us your love." "Be our King and Miracle Worker, but not our Savior." "Please don't DIE."
The love they thought was a dead end was really an open door. Love passes knowledge because it is an action word. Knowledge is receiving"hearers" -- Love is giving "doers". Love motivates death because it is not self-centered or near-sighted. It is often totally misunderstood. At the very apex of His love for us Jesus was criticized.
As you more closely examine the evidence, you will see beyond the aspect of forgiveness, the desire of our God to be "ONE" with us. Jesus Christ is the one who said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." He had this seed of knowledge, the passion of which drove Him to "finish" the work.
The entire plan and purpose of God was to get us re-connected to the vine, so we could ultimately bear fruit and replenish the earth with goodness. By wrong choices Adam and Eve experienced a spiritual abortion of their seed of faith and by their consequent actions were severed from the vine. The first command from God was, "Be fruitful and multiply," followed by botanical instruction concerning seed-bearing fruit trees. He even repeated Himself so there would be no misunderstanding. "You are what you eat, so be careful which tree you choose!"
Our anatomical weakness seems to be our "ears". This inherent gene has surfaced in all generations, recognized in the '90's as hearing impairment. Herein lies the substance from which our enemy constructs a landing strip in our mind. He can cause doubt if we are not sure of what we heard. Faith comes by hearing (oops!), so my faith is in direct proportion to my ability to fine-tune the audio! I cannot progress to being a "doer" without first being a good listener.
Make sure this is not more than an external problem. In the vine and branches scene, things quickly escalate to circulatory problems, preventing growth of fruit and continuation of new life. The Son had life in Himself; the seed is in the fruit. In nature the plant produces seeds, disperses them to new growing places and then they sleep. Christ came to die ONCE for and as every man and became the "firstfruit." He planted during His earthly ministry, then died to give us life. The condition of the soil of our heart determines the growth. If the heart is pliable, roots will go down in search of water and a stem will reach up in search of air. (We are born of the water and the spirit). The air and the water mix flowing into the cells. The "son-light" gives energy through the "leaf" of faith!
Without faith it is impossible to please God -- we need to be hearing, receiving, and believing. Understanding is the root that stabilizes and the love of God (the sap) flows through us with food for nourishment and growth. God wants us to eat of that fruit as conveyed to us at the Last Supper. "Eat my flesh," get it inside of you, understanding that the "WORD "was made flesh. He is the bread that came down from Heaven. His words are spirit and life. The five letters of the word "FAITH" remind us of our five senses which activate our desire to "injest" Flavor, Aroma, Insight, Texture,and Harmony (of presentation).
*CAUTION* -- the mixture of Faith and the Word causes a serious chemical reation! You cannot receive the intrinsic Blessing of God without being connected to the vine. Everything follows a natural or supernatural course. We need Him flowing through our vascular system giving us life. Let it happen. We cannot produce by ourselves. We need to be spiritual "blood vessels" in the great circulatory system of the body of Christ.
We need to know that the cup was indeed "bitter" to Him but became a cup of Blessing to all who will drink. The "tree" made the bitter water sweet. It is Multiplied Blessings for us to be one with Him in partaking of His flesh and blood. The New Covenant was procured and ratified by the Blood -- A Charter of Pardon, an act of indemnity. The foundation for all other Blessings.
By the breaking of the bread -- His body -- nuclear power was released. He actually split the atom for the purpose of empowering us! The Son was broken for us. We cannot contain the whole but rather are the beneficiaries of the "rays" of the Son. The meaningful life of the Son was death for multiplication. The Father has placed in each of us a measure of Faith . When our little spiritual faith-man hears the voice of the creator, he starts reaching out, longing for the connection that will bring life and make him mature.
The Verdict: We too can live a purposeful and productive life -- "IN HIM."
"But if it DIE it bringeth forth MUCH fruit!"