THE CROSS AND THE TREE
Genesis Chapter 2
April 22, 2012
In the second chapter of Genesis God said that He rested from all His work of creation. God created everything. Mankind has never created anything and never will. We cannot make something out of nothing. Only God can do that, and of course people who gossip, they can always make something out of nothing. God rested because He was finished with His creative work. There is no new matter in this world. It is a natural law that material things do not evolve into something better; they turn into something worse. We start to grow old from the moment we are born. Adam was made a perfect man.
God said that everything He made was good. Then he fell from perfection. He did not go from imperfection to perfection, but from perfection to imperfection. According to this natural law if the baboons could hang around for several million years they would not evolve into a man, they would devolve into a tadpole. Things evolves from better to worse, not from worse to better. If I left my old Buick out in the elements long enough according to evolution it should in time evolve into a Cadillac. If it changed at all it would not evolve, it would devolve into a horse and buggy. Things don’t evolve into better, but devolve into worse.
I went into a restaurant for supper and asked the server if she had any fish legs on the menu? She said, they did not serve fish legs. The reason I asked for fish legs was, I thought maybe there is something to evolution. If we all lived at one time in the sea before we crawled up out of the water and climbed a tree, surely there must be some fish today in the transitional state who still have legs. So far the missing link has not been found.
Verse seven of this second chapter of Genesis tells us how God made man. He made him from the dust of the earth. He did not make him from gold dust, or from powder of pearl, but dust of the earth. Just ordinary dirt. A song says, He made us from dirt, but He does not treat us like dirt. After He made us from dirt, He breathed into the man’s nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living soul. Our body is made from the earth and our soul came from Heaven. When you consider the origin of body and soul which one should receive the most attention?
Psalms 139 enlarges on the creation of man. David says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Think of the wonder of the creation of man. It was discovered recently that each of us is born with one hundred thousand genes. Every one of your genes is designer genes, and the designer is God. You are wonderfully made. David said that the Lord could see our substance when as yet we were imperfect. All our members were fashioned when as yet there was none of them. According to the 139th Psalm abortion is murder of the most heartless kind.
God made Adam from the dust of the earth. Suppose that it did take God several million years to make Adam, What about Eve? If Adam evolved after all those millions of years how many millions of years did God have to stand there with a bone in His hand trying to make up His mind whether to make a blonde, a brunette or a red head? God made Eve from a rib taken from Adams side. Some like to say that the Lord did not make Eve out of Adams head because He did not make Eve above Adam. This is not it at all. The real reason that God did not make Eve from part of Adams skull is because He did not want to give Adam an excuse for calling her a bonehead. If ever a man had a right to call anybody a bonehead it was Adam.
Verse five tells us that every herb and ever plant grew and there was not a man to till the ground. Think of that. Before God made Adam the plants and the herbs grew and there were no man around to smell the roses or till the ground or enjoy the fruits. It is a sobering thought that after you have left this world and go into eternity, the roses will still bloom, the sun will still shine, the fruit will still get ripe, and life will still go on with or without you. No one is indispensable, so lighten up.
Verse twenty-one and twenty-two tells us of the creation of Eve. God cause Adam to fall into a deep sleep, He took a rib and made the woman and brought her to the man. Actually it was not necessary to put Adam to sleep. There would have been no pain because pain is the result of sin at this point they had not sinned. The real reason for putting Adam to sleep was because this operation would be a type of Christ. As Adam fell asleep even so did Jesus fall asleep in that we call death? Adams side was opened, even as the side of Jesus was opened on the cross and blood and water came out. Adam was awakened from his sleep and his bride was given to him. After the resurrection of Jesus the Church began on the day of Pentecost when three thousand heard the gospel and responded to the terms of pardon.
Verse fifteen tells us that God took the man and put him into the Garden to dress it and to keep it. Even in a perfect place like the Garden of Eden there was work to do. One man said one time that in Heaven he would go bowling one day and plays golf the next. I heard one woman say one time that Heaven was a boring place to be since all there was to do would be sitting on a cloud all the time and listening to organ music. In the last chapter of Revelation John says that we will serve Him. There will be plenty to do when we get to Heaven. Not only did God say that they were to dress the Garden, but to keep it. He did not give them permission to destroy it. He said keep it. Take care of it. Don’t cut down all the trees. The motto of one conservation effort is, “Save the whales.” I am more concerned about saving souls, but we do need to save the whales. And while we are at it don’t let the yellow bellied sap suckers become extinct. God said, keep it. Take care of it.
The last verse of Genesis chapter two tells us, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.” One reason they were not ashamed was because the bonds of Holy Matrimony sanctified their nakedness. They were not shacked up. They were not ashamed also because they had not sinned. They had the innocence of small children. But sin changed all that. When sin came their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked and sought covering. Now they were ashamed to stand naked before God. Ashamed to stand naked before angels. Ashamed to stand naked before other humans that were yet to follow. Some now are so depraved that they feel no shame in appearing almost naked if not altogether naked. God provided covering for their physical nakedness. He also provided covering for our spiritual nakedness.
Jesus took the shame of our nakedness by dying on the cross naked so that we might appear before God unashamed. The person who is not a Christian may not feel any shame about their nakedness either physical or spiritual now, but on that day when they stand before the Son of God, the holy Angels, and the Almighty Father the guilt and the shame of their nakedness will be overwhelming. Daniel says it for us when he says at the resurrection many will rise to be in everlasting shame and contempt.
And then there are those verses in Genesis chapter two that need special attention. Verse eight, nine, sixteen, and seventeen. Hear these words regarding the famous tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And the Lord planted a garden eastward in Eden...the tree of life in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...of the trees of the garden thou mayest freely eat...but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
These words remind of another garden and another tree in the New Testament. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden. God also planted a tree in that Garden. It is not by accident that Peter referred to that cross as a tree. His accusation in Acts chapter five is in these words: Whom also ye slew, hanging Him on a tree.
The cross which is the tree in the garden where He was crucified represented both the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life because, by the preaching of the sacrifice of Jesus on that cross those who heard that news for the first time became wise and recognized that they were sinners and being pricked in their hearts cried out in the anguish of their
souls; Men and brethren what shall we do?
That tree that was planted in the garden where He was crucified was also like the tree of life. The cross was dropped into a hole dug for it that shook the foundations of Hell. Jesus said before His crucifixion, and I if I be lifted up will draw all men unto Me. So it is the tree of life, because those who responded to the terms Peter gave were given the promise of forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the hope of eternal life. It is most appropriate and important that we read those terms to you at this time. Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. Whatever the reason for calling the cross a tree we can say that the tree of
the cross reminds us of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life in the Garden of Eden,
Regarding those two trees the Devil opposed the Lord in both cases. The Devil told Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said, “Don’t eat of it.” Concerning the tree in the garden where He was crucified, the Devil tells us not to eat of it. God says eat of it. God said, taste and see if the Lord is gracious. Come to the feast. The woman did what the Devil told her to do and ate of the tree. Many today do what the Devil tells them to do and refuse to eat of the tree in the garden where He was crucified. Regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God said, “In the day you eat thereof you shall surely die.” They ate and they died. The curse came in death for man and the ground was also cursed. Thorns and thistles shall it bring to thee. In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread all the days of thy life?
There is a curse connected to the Garden where the Lord was crucified. Paul said, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Again in Galatians he said, “If any man preach any other gospel than that which I have preached, let him be anathema,” that means damned. There is a curse connected to the tree in both cases. Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be damned. There is the curse. Reject Christ and be damned. Reject Christ and go to hell.
God is a God of love and He is a God of grace, but He is also a God who cannot lie He means what He says. People make a mistake in trying to trade on the grace and the love of God. God means what He says when He says it whether it be in regards to the eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or whether it be regarding the tree in he garden where He was
crucified. Note also what the Devil told Eve would happen if she ate of the tree in the
Garden of Eden. He told her if she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil her eyes would be opened, “You shall know good and evil, you shall be as Gods.” The temptation to be wise is one the Devil still uses. He makes people feel dumb if they say they believe in God. Do you believe in evolution? Certainly not. Boy are you dumb.
Even when Eve reminded the Devil that she could eat of the cherry tree, the pear tree, the orange tree, the coconut tree, the pineapple tree and all the others, she still had to have the Devil’s approbation and approval to eat of that one tree that was forbidden. You shall be as Gods knowing good and evil.
God had something to say about being wise too. In First Corinthians Paul said, “Seeing the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jew and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” Then there is this statement: the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. I was in a Church service recently and just before I preached they had called on a man to pray. His prayer was, Oh Lord, we have come here tonight to hear what this fool has to say. Ladies and Gentlemen, No matter how many smarts you may have if you don’t know Christ and have a working knowledge of His word you are as dumb as a turkey.
Then again think of the thief in both gardens. There was a prominent thief regarding both trees The thief on the cross said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” The Lord told him, “This day shall thou be with Me in paradise.” The thief lived a thief and died a thief. In the closing hours of his life he reached out and stole heaven.
There was a thief in the Garden of Eden also. The thief was Adam. He took something that did not belong to him when he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Many misguided folk today appeal to the thief on the cross in the garden where he was crucified for their plan of salvation. I think of the world famous evangelist who sneeringly remarked that the thief on the cross did not even have time to be baptized. Of course he didn’t. Jesus had not yet sent the comforter with the message of salvation for us on the day of
Pentecost. The Church had not yet started. It was not until then that it could be said that the Lord added to the Church day by day those that were saved.
The thief on the cross gained Paradise and the thief in the Garden of Eden lost Paradise. And that ladies and gentlemen is why I see the cross in the Garden of Eden. Now this concluding statement.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps it seems strange to us when we consider the reason Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden. How come they lost paradise? What sin did they commit? Let’s see if we can tell for what reason. Certainly it was not because they were hooked on drugs. Nor was it because God gave them up to vile passions. Was it because they were drunkards? How about murderers? It does not appear that they even set a forest fire by forgetting to stamp out a cigarette butt, or were guilty of publishing a porno magazine or for that matter they were not guilty of any of the popular sins of this day. What was this terrible sin? The sin of Adam and Eve was, they refused to obey a simple, direct, easy to understand, hard to misunderstand command that would
honor God’s authority. In the day that ye eat thereof ye shall surely die.
You did not have to be a Philadelphia lawyer to figure out what God said. Anyone with two brain cells to rub against the other could easily comprehend what God told them about that tree. It seems that the Lord puts a high premium on obedience. They might have asked the Lord, Lord we have heard that you save by grace. Where is your grace in turning us out of the
garden and letting us die? Evidently from this event we need to learn that disobedience cancels out grace. Disobedience cancels out faith, Disobedience cancels out the blood of Christ. Disobedience cancels out hope. Disobedience cancels out salvation. Disobedience cancels out Heaven. Disobedience cancels out everything except Hell.
Men and brethren what shall we do? One preacher suggests that you might advise someone looking for salvation with these words. Tell them to pray, Father, I believe Your Son Jesus, died for my sins. I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me of my sins. I want to receive Your Son as my Savior, and I want to become a member of your Church. In Jesus name Amen.
This is the modern day plan of salvation. It sounds good to the ear, but it leaves out obedience in something that Peter included on the day the Church began. Listen carefully and see if you can understand this simple direct easy to understand statement from the word of God. Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
your sins and ye hall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
