All of these following verses are associated with one another very closely.
- They all speak of life
and death.
- Eternal life, at that.
- An element can get
inside our lives that will kill us.
- We must refuse this
element.
- Anything that tempts
us with this one element must be refused.
- And this element is
VERY tempting.
- In every congregation
and church service, some people are feasting on it as I speak.
Matthew 16:24-26
Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my
sake shall find it. (26) For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD
God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;
the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge
of good and evil.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man,
saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17)
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.
Genesis 3:3-6 But of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4) And the serpent said unto
the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that
in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall
be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6) And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and
a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and
did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis 9:3-4 Every moving thing that liveth shall
be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
(4) But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall
ye not eat.
Jesus said that OUR LIVES or OUR SELVES must be denied.
- We take up a cross
and follow Jesus if we desire to serve Jesus.
- And he proclaims
a principle that makes this true.
- After saying
we must deny self, he says, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
- Its not simply
loss of life that Jesus says will cause you to FIND IT again.
- It is losing
your life for HIS SAKE.
- And its not just
losing your life as in dying a martyr's death, although if standing for
Jesus demands your death beneath a persecution that is absolutely that antichrist,
then it certainly fits the scenario.
But this loss of life is
a general thought of denying self.
- You do not have to
die in Saudi Arabia for being a Christian in order to LOSE YOUR LIFE for
Jesus.
Denying self is as follows.
The explanation of these words is greatly assisted by the pictures such
as the story of the Garden and Adam and Eve and the story of Noah.
- As Jesus gave
parables, God has given us actual accounts of lives that act as object lessons
for us today who wish to serve Jesus.
- Somehow these
true stories will tell you something about serving Jesus, if you read them
prayerfully enough.
Adam and Noah were so similar.
- As Adam was the first
man of the human race, Noah was like him in the sense that Noah was the
eldest man after the flood when all the rest of the world was destroyed.
- And God told Noah the
same words He gave to Adam: Be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth.
- God even gave Noah
authority by giving all creatures into his hand, as he did to Adam in Genesis
1:27-28.
- And God also gave Adam
and Noah very similar "dietary" instructions.
Adam could eat of all trees'
fruit except the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.
Noah could eat all meat, except one kind.
- Never before did men
eat meat.
- But eating meat
was actually relief from the curse of sweating in working the earth in order
to eat its fruit.
- Animals are not
toiled over for their meat as working the earth for fruit was after the
ground was cursed.
- God said Noah's
birth would actually alleviate the work of man with the ground (Genesis
5:29).
- It did that by
Noah's sacrifice and covenant that allowed flesh for food.
But he could eat all meat
except meat that still retained its blood.
The fruit Adam could not eat and the meat Noah could not eat both had one
ingredient the other fruit and meat did not have, which was the killer.
- All fruit trees were
pleasant to the sight and good for food (Genesis 2:9).
- But the forbidden
fruit tree was not only pleasant to sight and good for food, but was a TREE
DESIRED TO MAKE ONE WISE (Genesis 3:6).
- Notice the concentration
upon SELF.
- The other ingredients
that were in the other trees as well, were basically innocent elements.
Someone said the lust of
the eyes and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life were in the forbidden
fruit because, respectively, the tree was Pleasant to the eyes, good for
food and desired to make one wise.
- But the association
of the desire to make one wise turned something pleasant to the eyes into
a LUST of the eyes.
- The quality of being
good for food turned into a LUST OF THE FLESH.
Only one element of the
forbidden tree was evil.
- The desire to make
oneself wise.
- And it tainted all
the other aspects that in themselves would otherwise have been innocent.
To exalt oneself, is the
warning.
Now this relates to Noah's forbiddence to eat meat with blood in it.
- All meat was good,
like Adam's trees for fruit, except the meat with one ingredient in it that
the permissible meat did not have.
- BLOOD.
And this idea really does
connect with the forbidden fruits element of desire to make one wise.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the
blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for
your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Genesis 9:3-4 Every moving thing that liveth shall
be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
(4) But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall
ye not eat.
The life of the flesh is BLOOD.
It was SHEDDING OF BLOOD that Jesus experienced on the cross to save our
souls!
It gave us eternal LIFE!
Get the picture.
- The meat's inherent
LIFE must be removed before it can be eaten and proper for Noah.
- The fruit could
not have desire to make self wise.
The fruit of Life was pleasant
to the sight and good for food also.
- If it had been like
the forbidden fruit with the element of desire to make one wise, it too
would have killed Adam.
- Eternal life
without the ingredient of desire to make one wise.
- Death with the
ingredient of desire to make one wise.
- Eternal life
versus death.
Genesis 3:2-6 And the woman said
unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
(3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden,
God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
die. (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely
die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
(6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that
it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with
her; and he did eat.
The element the serpent concentrated upon in verse 5 was the element of
desire to make one wise in verse 6.
This was the devil's own desire.
Isaiah 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
(14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like
the most High. (15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to
the sides of the pit.
Self exaltation.
And we need to reject the desire of the devil from becoming our desire
and seek the desire of Jesus to be our desire.
Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing,
remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
So if we compare the meat with the fruit, should Noah REMOVE THE BLOOD
OR THE LIFE OF THE MEAT, then it would correspond to fruit that gives eternal
life.
Now, we now that eating meat without blood does not give eternal life.
- But there is the genuine
thought to be had there of what Adam could eat and what Noah could eat.
- Eating natural meat
without blood in order to live and receive strength is a picture of the
fruit of life that gives eternal life.
- And the truth is, if
Adam did not disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit, he would have lived
forever!
"Noah, the meat must lose
its life, and that corresponds to what Adam could eat in FRUIT OF ETERNAL
LIFE."
The fruit of life that has lost the desire of self-exaltation is the truth
of Jesus Christ.
- Jesus denied self and
died on the cross.
- We take that fruit
of this truth and experience it ourselves.
- Jesus associated his
own self denial and the cross with our need for self denial.
John 12:24-26 Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (25) He
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this
world shall keep it unto life eternal. (26) If any man serve
me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if
any man serve me, him will my Father honor.
Who desire will we take to ourselves?
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said,
Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now,
lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat,
and live forever:
Fruit of life causes you to live forever.
In order for Adam to eat that fruit, after seeing the forbidden fruit desired
to make one wise, Adam would have to neglect his own self exaltation and
proceed to the tree of life.
On the way to the tree of life is a forbidden tree.
- You must pass the forbidden
desire to exalt self in order to deny self and lose your life and find it
again in resurrection!
Jesus said we MUST LOSE
"OUR" "LIFE".
- As the meat MUST LOSE
ITS LIFE, WHICH IS ITS BLOOD, we must lose our LIFE.
- And we read that
we will find it.
Eat fruit that speaks of
LOSS OF SELF LIFE.
- Fruit in this case
speaks of WORDS and BELIEFS.
- Fruit that speaks
of GAINING ETERNAL LIFE.
Matthew 16:24-26
Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my
sake shall find it.
But look what another verse adds to this thought.
John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose
it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
UNTO LIFE ETERNAL!
That connects us to the idea of fruit of life that gives eternal life!
Losing our lives is simply losing the focus and stress upon ourselves.
- To carry our cross
is to be willing to suffer persecution and "flack" for loving Jesus.
- Those who are
unwilling to do that simply refuse to obey Jesus and will not LOSE THEIR
LIVES.
- Like Eve, they
desire to focus upon themselves.
- SELF-LIFE is
so precious to them, more than Jesus is to them.
- Jesus said no
greater love has any man than that he would give his life for his friends.
- If you love Jesus
you will be willing to LOSE your life.
- In other words,
let go of some things that are against God's will, no matter how self-fulfilling
they are.
- Sin is pleasurable.
- But if we really
love Jesus, we will LOSE OUR SELVES and thereby freely give up such sins.
The reason the devil is
so successful with seeing people sin, is because he appeals to the element
inside of us that desires SELF to enjoy all that it can.
- He appeals to the same
part of us that he targeted in Eve.
- But real love
for God will not allow him to succeed.
- Because we will
lose OUR SELVES.
- We do not focus
on ourselves.
- What can the
devil do to people like that?
- People can persecute
us, but we're not THAT concerned about us that we quit on Jesus.
- You can be viciously
attacked in a verbal manner by someone, and you keep on serving Jesus because
you are not THAT preoccupied with yourself.
- We deny that
self-preoccupation.
- Oh, it takes
an effort.
- But we must do
it!
We must fill ourselves
with fruit of Life that concentrates upon HIS ETERNAL LIFE instead of OUR
SELF LIFE.
That was the difference in the two fruit.
- It was the SORT
OF LIFE that was stressed.
- One preserved
SELF LIFE and exalted SELF only to leave one to die!
- But Fruit of
LIFE, causes you to LOSE SELF LIFE, to FIND LIFE AGAIN, which is HIS LIFE,
and is eternal life.
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
We read of TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS that are akin to TREES OF LIFE.
- And these trees are
His planting.
- God did the work.
- The notable thing
about SELF exaltation is that it glorifies yourself.
- What YOU DID
and what YOU CAN DO.
Trees of righteousness
cause the Lord to be glorified.
Its HIS LIFE coming out
from them.
Paul LOST HIS LIFE and found ANOTHER LIFE.
Galatians 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.
Christ lived in Him.
He was crucified with Christ.
- . He believed
in the work of the cross of Jesus so that his old life died on that cross,
and Paul found a new life.
- He said he lived,
resurrected.
- But he said that
it was more correctly Christ living in Paul, because Paul's life was not
the focal point in Paul !
- JESUS WAS!
John 15:8 Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
John 15 speaks of Jesus as the vine and the members of the church as His
branches.
- Its not the life of
the branch that brings out the fruit.
- Its the life
in the vine.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
So when ANOTHER LIFE comes through yourself, and its not that self-life
exalting YOU, Its GOD'S LIFE.
- And people see
your fruit and they glorify God.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven.
PLEASANT TO THE SIGHT!
GOOD FOR FOOD.
These were the two elements of the fruit of Life.
- Our lives must
be pleasant to the sight.
- They must have
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.
- Fruit has seeds
in itself that bears after its kind.
Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the
earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding
fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was
so.
If you take the LIFE of Jesus, as indicated by this seed of the fruit of
life in Genesis, you will bring forth the same thing from your life.
Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23)
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (24) And
they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
No flesh and lusts that go with fruit of death.
When God works in your life, FRUIT come out of you.
- It is called FRUIT
IN YOU because you simply bear these things.
- They start coming
out of your life automatically so long as you're attached to the vine.
But Paul contrasted that
with WORKS OF THE FLESH.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
(20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in
time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.
WORKS are contrasted with FRUIT, because YOU PUT FORTH SELF EFFORT in a
SELF-LED LIFE, that does not look to Jesus.
- You exalt self
and you are producing from your own personal life abilities, and therefore
what comes forth is more like works rather than automatic fruit.
- Paul is listing
things that come from your life of SELF WORKING.
- They are some
undesirable byproducts from a life that won't let go of SELF.
- I guarantee you
that if you do not lose YOUR LIFE, you will find yourself committing works
of the FLESH.
- And not inheriting
the kingdom of God is simply dying.
When hatred comes forth
out of our loves, we are not pleasant to the sight.
We are not good for food.
Our lives shoulD be like trees of life that are as follows:
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good:
blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Notice that tasting to see that the Lord is good is associated with blessings
on a man who trusts in Jesus!
- That is losing
his life to find God's life!
What would we be tasting?
Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste!
yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Watch what words you receive.
- The forbidden
fruit of exalting self and rejecting God is intimated in the slogans of
the world that appeal top your self-desire, "Have it your way," and "Where
you're number 1", "Look out for number 1"
- The world is
not helping you deny self.
Do people get fed from
our lives?
- Are we good for food?
- Oh, the forbidden
tree was also good for food, but its association with desire to make one
wise appealed to the baser and wicked desires in people for food.
- There is good
food and bad food.
- Both are desirable.
- We need to give
people food that is spiritually and eternally good.
Are we pleasant to the
eyes?
- Fruit of love
and joy and peace are pleasant to anybody's eyes.
- Do you portray
these things?
- Let go of self
and love the Lord and follow Him and you will be pleasant to the eyes.
You light will shine and
you will cause people to glorify God!
In Revelation, John saw Jesus in the midst of seven golden candlesticks.
- These candlesticks
are actually the picture of the seven-branched menorah from the tabernacle
and temple furniture in the OT.
- And the branches
that made the candlesticks were called the churches at the end of Revelation
1.
- If the branches
are candlesticks, then what aspect of the candlestick is the branches' fruit?
- FLAME.
- LIGHT!
- FIRE.
- So when Jesus
told us to let our light shine, as candlesticks, in order to cause men to
glorify God, he is telling us to HAVE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, which is love,
joy, peace, etc.
Don't settle for plastic
fruit!
- ...fake love
and fake peace and joy.
- Plastic faces
in church.
- Get the real
Love of God and joy by truly getting into the fellowship and love for the
Lord.
SELF DESIRE got us out
of the Garden, and letting that go is the only thing to get us back in.
There were two trees.
- Two fruit.
- And since the cross
is called a tree in Galatians 3, there are two crosses today.
- One is false and the
other is true.
- And the false cross
will offer only blessings and prosperity, but no self-denial.
- Beware of the false
cross.
- Jesus even said He
is the TRUE VINE in John 15.
- That means there is
a false vine around.
The fruit of Life is on
the tree called the old rugged cross.
And if the cross has anything to say to us, its LOSE YOUR LIFE WITH JESUS
AND FIND RESURRECTION ETERNAL LIFE WITH JESUS AGAIN!
CHOOSE THE TREE THAT REFUSES TO EXALT SELF, AND LIVE FOREVER
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