What Tree Are You Eating From?*

We hear it often said, "God is good - all the time", but "good" does not always equal God. Religion is man's futile attempt to reach God, and Jesus had trouble with the religious people of His day, and told them so. There is a deception that will come in the last days that would fool the very elect if possible, and we are seeing one form of it. This deception also tempts the Church to sleep, as all of the virgins did before the cry of the Bridegroom's arrival, as told by Jesus in a parable (see Mt. 25:1-10). In the parable, for those who are found to be unprepared, the door is shut to them and the Lord tells them that He never knew them. Jesus also had an encounter with an earnest young man: "And behold, one came and said unto him, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter unto life, keep the commandments." (Mt. 19:16-17). Jesus then began to recite the Ten Commandments to the young man, who said that he had kept all of these things since his youth, and asked Jesus, "What lack I yet?" (v. 18-20). "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." (v. 21-22). Jesus then commented to His disciples that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (also the name of a gate of entrance to the city that was difficult for a loaded camel to get through) than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were exceedingly amazed at this saying. They were prosperous fishermen, as well. So they asked Him, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus answered, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (v. 23-26). This young man had faithfully done the Commandments of God, but knew that there was something more that he needed. When Jesus proposed the challenging command to sell all and follow Him, it was revealed that the young man's riches meant more to him than following the One whom he had called "Good Master". Can any of us do that which we see as good, and walk in eternal life? Scripture says of all: "...both Jews and Gentiles...are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one...Destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes...Therefore by the deeds of the law (of Moses) there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Rom. 3:9-20, excerpt). Some, even Christians, believed that a wrong had occurred in the last election, and felt that it was "good" to cancel the election by insurrection on Jan. 6th. But "good" is not God. Jesus told a parable of the prayers of a Pharisee, a religious man who followed the law, and a publican, a despised tax collector, as both stood in the house of God. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not like that publican over there, while the publican came to God humbly for forgiveness. Jesus said that it was the publican who went home justified that day. The Pharisee felt confident that he was a good man religious, doing good works of the law, but "good" is not God. Where is the heart? The prophet Isaiah wrote that from the beginnig of the world, none of us have heard, seen, or understood what God has prepared for those who wait for Him. God meets and works righteousness in those who remember God in His ways. But God is angry..."for we have sinned...We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities." (Isa. 64:4-7). First John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins, and be cleansed. What about our nation? Second Chron. 7:14 says that the healing of the nation comes as a result of the heartfelt humbling and repentance of God's people. We are now seeing a rare hurricane, and an earthquake in California, drought and heat on the land, fires in Maui, Hawaii and Canada. When will we wake up and say that we have missed God? Hosea called God's people to return to Him: "O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so wil we render the calves of our lips. Asshur will not save us: we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy...Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein." (Hosea 14:1-3, 9). Our sins, iniquities, and transgressions cannot be overcome with good works, or good ideas. Isaiah wrote of the Servant of God who would die for our sins: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not...But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isa. 52:3-6). Isaiah was prophesying of Jesus, our Savior. We read above that Isaiah wrote that from the beginning, man has not seen nor understood what God has prepared for those who wait for (haka - wait, tarry, long for, adhere to, tied to) Him. From the beginning, man chose his own understanding of "good" rather than God. His choice was reflected in the tree from which he ate: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree 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." (Gen. 2:16-17). The serpent then questioned Eve regarding what trees man may eat, and when she told him that they may not eat of that tree or die, the serpent said to her: "Ye shall not surely die. 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." (Gen. 3:4-5). The woman "saw that the fruit of 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." (v. 6). After this choice was made, the LORD could no longer allow man access to the tree of life, which is our Messiah, and drove them out of the garden, setting angels with a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life. (v. 22-24). We are born into sin because of this. David said, "In sin I was conceived." Jesus sent His message to the church at Ephesus telling them that He saw their "good works" in His name, and their defense of truth against liars, their patience and their hatred of evil, and their hatred of the deeds of the Nicolaitans, who tried to "rule over" their brothers and sisters in Christ. However, the Lord said, they had left their first love. (Rev. 2:2-4). Where are our good works leading to if we have left our first love? Jesus then said this to them: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcommeth will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (v. 7). What tree are you eating from? As Jesus spoke to the church of Ephesus about the tree of life in paradise, we find this also in Revelation: "In the midst of the street of it (city of New Jerusalem come down from heaven), and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there...for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." (Rev. 22:2-5). Jesus warned "Behold I come quickly...to give every man according to as his work shall be...Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." (v. 12, 14-15). We are to see and understand what the Lord has prepared for us, yet we listen to and trust those in authority who speak from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why, and what tree are you eating from? Based upon the 8/20/23 message of Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. to the Church. To hear the full message, look for Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. You can contact this ministry at PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. God bless you.