Receive to believe...Two Trees.

Receive to believe

Faith is received.

The work of the Lord is to believe in the one He sent.

Once we think we have to earn something from God, we have missed the point of faith.

Faith is a gift.

Holy Spirit is a gift.

Life is a gift.

Love is a gift.

Jesus is a gift.

There is a world full of people who think God doesn't love them.

People think that God only loves people if they do this or do that right.

People think that they have to earn God's love.

Two Trees

There were two trees in the garden of Eden.

The tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The greatest trick that Satan played on Adam and Eve was not that he got them to look at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...

It was that he got them to take their eyes off of the tree of Life.

Trust, rest, relationship and love were all characteristics of life before the inevitable moment of Satan's deception.

There was such trust and unity between God and Adam and Eve until this point.

In taking their eyes off the tree of life, Satan achieved the planting and growth of pride in the lives of Adam and Eve.

Up until then there was an absolute dependance on God, his word, and the tree of life, but as soon as Satan introduced Adam and Eve to the "other" tree in the garden, things started to fall apart.

Adam and Eve went from complete trust and acceptance of their position in the care, authority, and relationship of God, to believing that there was another way...

A way through knowledge to become like God...to have their eyes open, as if they weren't already.

Satan is still deceiving people today.

People think that their eyes are open, but in fact their eyes are blinded.
Blinded by unbelief, by the prince of the air, the ruler of this world...Satan.

In the beginning, life and relationship was based on trust, trust that wasn't earned but trust in which "receiving" God was absolute...this receiving God was called and is called faith.

Without receiving from God there is indeed no relationship, and as such no restoration to life which God had always intended that we have.

His intention was ALWAYS that we would eat from the tree of life.

Some may argue this and some may argue that, but the truth is none of us is God, and as such none of us can understand the mind and thoughts of God, apart from God himself.

Enter Jesus.

Jesus demonstrated a life that showed his obedience to the Father, but more to the point his faith in the Father.

Jesus did not fight with the Father on anything, he simply believed...received from the Father.

He received his Fathers plan, but also power from the Father.

This power and direction is through Holy Spirit.

Whilst we may forever in and of ourselves think that we know or should know and walk in what our understanding is of what is right and wrong, God is the only one who truly knows and can lead us.

How can we eat from the tree of Life again, now that we are walking in the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

Through receiving, resting in, responding to, and walking in the gift of faith in Jesus given to us by Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit is the one who enables our "hearing" of the word of God...he reveals to us what is true...and then it is up to us how we respond to the truth.

Essentially it is only through our receiving of Holy Spirit that we can once again partake of the fruit of the tree of Life and so be reconciled to God for eternity.

Jesus says:

"Come to me all of you who are weak and weary, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart.  My yoke is easy and my burden is light, and you will find rest for your souls."

You see from the moment Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they were subject to the law.

Being subject to the law now meant that they had to "of their own accord" achieve perfection to be like God and live forever.

There were of course some examples of people that somehow pleased God...though not perfect, and in these cases I would say that they had faith...and received life from God's righteousness more so than dependancy on their own righteousness or perfection.  This is faith.  Enoch and Noah are two examples of such people.

So here we stand today.

Whether you are a person who has believed and received Holy Spirit through the gift of faith in Jesus or not, this warning is here for your benefit.

Eating from the tree of life is were you will find life.
Eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil will only end in death.

The tree of life is full of grace, relationship, love, trust, hope, and is eternal.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil will only serve one purpose:  Death.

Jesus came to set us free of the trappings and death that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought and brings.

Jesus offered himself to become the tree of life for us by first eating the fruits of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, dying, and then by Holy Spirit power being raised to life.

Jesus reveals to us through the word of God that another would come who would convict the world of sin and unbelief, as well as righteousness and the coming judgement, that those who don't believe stand condemned already.

Holy Spirit is our counselor, comforter, and the one who will reveal all truth to us...he is also the only one who can fill us in such a way where we once again walk in relationship, being clothed with His love and power, and restored to our place as children of God given free access to the tree of life.

If you are walking in pride of your own goodness, then you are walking in the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and there is only death for you.

If you are walking in humility acknowledging God's goodness and your sin, then as you turn from sin, receive faith in Jesus and are led by Holy Spirit, you are walking in the fruit of the tree of life.

There is now eternal life for you in Jesus which overflows to touching others and also restoring people in this world to the tree of life found only in Jesus.

So as you receive the gift of faith through humility choose which tree you shall eat from.