The Tree of Life
We ended our last Backyard Conversation with this verse:
Jeremiah 17:7-8
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Trees are a big deal in Scripture. We live between two important trees. By living between I don't mean between two trees like you could tie a hammock to. I mean two trees set in time – we live in 'an epoch' or 'a season of time' between two trees.
The first is:
The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. This is the tree that was so dangerous to us after having eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in direct defiance of God's instructions not to eat of it. Being cast out of Eden was an act of love. Ostensibly, eating of the tree would have doomed us to everlasting spiritual death while living physically alive. A zombie-like living death!
Genesis 3:22-23
And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever [in this fallen state]." So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden.
That banishment started the so called 'clock' on our 'between the trees' epoch. Now we live in a state of grace. It may not feel like that some days, as the world is, of course, fallen and evil, a direct consequence of our fall. But God has entered our world and offered a way out of this smothering darkness and separating death – offering, instead, life eternal and in His marvelous light. God put in place a plan for life everlasting... His name is Jesus!
The second tree in the tree continuum is:
The Tree of Life found in the New Jerusalem which will straddle the River of Life that flows from the throne of God. Someday all Kingdom Citizens will eat once again of that tree and live forever in the presence of our Lord and King!
But for now we live in that difficult in-between period between the first reference to the Tree of Life in Genesis and the last reference in Revelation 22.
Revelation 22:1-2
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood *the Tree of Life*, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
We live between two trees.
In this in-between season, Jesus has given us life-saving instructions. Instructions on how to live in this world while not being of it. He calls it "Abiding."
This secret of abiding has much mystery and misinformation surrounding it. We have been chatting about it for several weeks now in our Backyard Conversations. In the same way that Jesus used word pictures when speaking of the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of God is like...), perhaps a picture will help us come to terms with what it means to abide well.
As we noted in our last Backyard Conversation, to abide well is to be like a tree that is rooted deeply in God and produces a fruit that remains.
Try this on for size:
We can break this picture down into three components: God's contribution, my response, and then what happens with God and I together:
God's contribution...
Soil – The realm of the Father: The condition of the heart
The Father's sovereignty over all things is the soil from which all things 'Kingdom' are conceived. It is the Father who removes our heart of stone and gives us a new heart 'grounded' in Him alone (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26, Hebrews 8:10).
Water – The Holy Spirit's Saturating cover
Scripture is replete with water metaphors concerning water and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of the dove as Jesus rises from the baptismal waters is a good example. Another is the overflowing of the Holy Spirit as streams of living waters described by the Apostle John (John 7:38-39).
Sun – Jesus Christ Light of Life – Illuminating, directing and transforming
Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12), and our true Light (John 1:9).
Seed – God sows the Word of Truth concerning the Gospel of the Kingdom
The parable of the soils found in Mark 4, Matthew 13, and Luke 8 gives life to this reality that the 'seed' is the truth of Scriptures testifying to the Gospel of the Kingdom in Christ Jesus planted in the good heart. This is the heart that God supplies us after He removes our heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26).
My response...
The Seed – My new life is "activated" by my repentance from false realms (bad soils) and the sin of embracing it in my old life.
My life in Christ begins with my confession of allegiance by faith to the King Jesus and by acknowledging my commitment to His rule and reign and Kingdom purposes. The confession of my sin, and my renouncement of my self-reliance and my beliefs in false 'kings' releases the saving, living power of the gospel in me.
Roots – (Eph 3:17) Rooted and grounded in love and truth
I am directly and intimately connected to the Godhead by prayer, true fellowship, and the Holy Scriptures.
Trunk
This represents obedience to His informed commands from the truth emanating from our spiritual "roots." Obedience is the strength and core of my faith in action.
Branches – Loving service in Christ-like, sacrificial actions
Our obedience to these newly planted truths increases the distance between the believer and the old world of lies and the destructive paradigms that once held the believer hostage. Obeying is the ultimate demonstration of love for Jesus (John 14:15) and we know that these acts of obedience are not cumbersome (1 John 5:3) but instead allows the believer to be authentically fulfilled. The parable of the two sons in the test of obedience (Matthew 21:28-32) acknowledges how obedience is core to the Gospel of the Kingdom.
These branches represent obedient deeds motivated by justice, compassion, mercy, generosity, contentedness, gratitude, simplicity, etc.
God and I together – The union of God's grace and my obedience advances the Kingdom...
Fruit of the Spirit
Naturally produced spiritual fruit that grows from my healthy life in the Triune God. The fruit of the spirit is not about many of the markers we sometimes think of as a successful ministry (church attendance, the size of the church, even the number of baptisms can be manipulated). The Apostle Paul quite clearly defines the fruit of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I suspect the fruit of the spirit is not limited to these nine characteristics. The attributes of Christ's glory is magnificent and unending. Living in His glory means manifesting the myriad fruit of that glory!
I know that this is a lot to digest in one sitting. But believe this – *abiding is less about doing religious things and more about being in Jesus.*
This is Dave Scherrer and much of this Backyard Conversation content today is taken from the nearly finished book I am writing as a primer to the Gospel of the Kingdom. Please do not re-publish this without the permission of 100 Fold Ministries! I am sure you understand! Peace!
