TO BE IN CHRIST - THE TREE (PART TWO)

TO BE IN CHRIST – THE TREE

(PART TWO)

  He showed them a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. He bore our sins “in” his own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

  This was the second tree, the place of the second choice.  Adam had repudiated his relationship to God at that first tree, and said “no” to God. He then stepped out of life into death. He stepped out of dependence into independence, so that you and I (at that second tree the place of second choice) can say our “yes” where he said “no”.  We can step back out of death into life!  We will be raised from the dead, out of our self-will and independence, into a childlike dependence which is the obedience of faith.

  “I am the Lord that healeth thee”. This is the beginning of our salvation! This is to be reconciled to God by the death of his son.

  It is the tree for bitterness, the precious blood of the Lord Jesus that cleanses us from all sin and though our sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. This is the beginning of our faith and this is where we must begin. If we have not begun here we have not begun at all. It would be a very sad thing to stop there!

That is why we have this other valuable picture. It is found this time in II Kings 2:19 and the men of the City said unto Elisha “behold I pray you the situation of this City is pleasant as my Lord seeth but the water is naught and the ground barren.

  Here is beautiful City, enchantingly situated. The casual passerby, the stranger, the traveler, or the merchant would be glad to sojourn awhile.  They would congratulate the inhabitants on the good fortune that was theirs to live in such attractive surroundings; and yet beneath all this charming exterior there was heartbreak within the breasts of those who lived there.

  They showed a brave face when folk congratulated them; and when folk admired their beautiful City they displayed a sweet smile; they tried not to give their inner sorrow away, yet every time somebody admired and flattered the place where they lived it hurt them! They knew the inner secret: the water was naught, and the ground was barren.

  When it says “the water was naught it does not mean that there was no water as we shall see; but it was stale and stagnant, producing sterility! When it says the ground was barren it does not mean to say nothing grew otherwise the place would not have looked so charming the word barren means causing to miscarry.

  Had you been there in early spring you would have seen the tiny tender shoots bursting through the soil. You would have seen the leaves beginning to pop out of the buds on the trees and bushes. A week or two later you would have seen the blossom fashion, fade, and fall to leave the promise of a bumper crop.

  You might well have congratulated the people on all that they had seemingly to look forward to. That was the tragedy of it! Maybe there still lurked in the hearts of the inhabitants the feeble hope that this year things would be different. That maybe they had turned the corner and that everything was not to be all right, yet something heave as lead deep down in their hearts, kept saying No! It will always be just the same! You know exactly what is going to happen! And it did! It always happened! 

  The fruit just about to ripen, ready to be plucked, fell suddenly to the ground-premature and immature to rot and never to reproduce. This was the heartbreak of that beautiful City! So deceptive! So impressive to everybody except to those who lived there! What is this a picture of? It may of course be a picture of you! Do not be shocked when I say it. It is the picture of a carnal Christian.

Pastor James P. Norman Jr.