TURN OF THE TIDE

When God created man, He wanted man to enjoy life, take charge of  the other creation and live forever. He made sure He provides enough food for man, Gen 2:9 “The Lord made all kinds of trees to grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. 

 a) Do not Eat

Now the tree of Life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard. Accoring to  Gen 3: 16-17, Adam was to eat of all fruits except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were to eat from the tree life since God had created them to live forever. However He warned them not to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as they would surely die. 

 As long as Adam and Eve remained obedient and didn’t eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they had full access to the tree of life. This was to constantly remind them that life eternity was a consequence of obedience. 

b)The Disobedience

However, in Gen 3: 1-7 we see the woman falling into the lies of the serpent and taking the fruit. Genesis 3: Vs 6 & 7 says “when the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to eye and desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave it to her husband who was with her and he it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew they were naked, so they sewed fig trees and made coverings for the selves” The glory of God which had covered them had left the moment sin came between them and God

 c) The fallen state

God visited them but now this time, they were in a fallen state, not the position God had created them to be in, They were hiding out....they were out of Gods presence.He punished them as a result of their sins, God told them they would  have to toil for food, they will eat from their sweat, the woman will experience pain during child birth and her offspring will be beaten by snakes( Wait a minute, this means that before, women wouldnt have experinced pain in child birth .....Ohh....I wish)

 God drove them away from the garden so that they may no longer have access to the tree of life lest they live forever. He placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard it.

 Eternal life was now no longer their portion and they would have to experience the consequence, death was to be part of human existance.

 d) The grace

 I find God so gracious in His decision to chase them away, the fallen state would be filled with pain and sorrow and it would have been so painful to live eternally with the sinful state full of pain, sicknesses, diseases, heartache, grief and sorrows 

e)Salvation

God is gracious and loving. He was  ready to have human kind reconciled back to Him and so he send His son Jesus as a sacrificial lamb. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our lord. The blood of lambs and goats could not redeem mankind,

 He died on the cross to redeem us, from our sinful nature, Romans 5: 17 “ for if by transgression of one man death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.” 

 f) Home work

However, God did not leave us without some home work, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten son that whatsoever believes in him shall not perish but will have eternal life” 

Ours is to believe in His son Jesus Christ( First as God's son, second as Christ-the sacrificial lamb) and keep His word.

The salvation is freely given...to every one, but we have our own steps to make. Jesus played His part, Let's humble ourselves and approach the throne of grace with repentance. We have the duty of reading the work of God and living in obedience. That even as we obtain the eartly things tied to obedience, we may also obtain eternal life with christ and the angels, that we may live with Him forever.

It is only those who avail themselves for the sacrifice on the cross will eat from the tree of life again and live forever. 

Rev 22: 14 “blessed are those that wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of Life and can ent

er into the city by the gates.

” Rev 2:7 “look! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book” 

It is my prayer that I and you will make it to see christ

Hebrews 12:1b .......let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Laura Lizz Bettie Mutavi

11th October 2017.