You can go ahead and be turned with me to Genesis chapter 3 if you would please. The title of this message, Why Not That Tree? Why not that tree? When men and women talk about God being or not being fair, you hear that a lot today. Or when they express a desire to get what they deserve, They've not yet to see who God is and what they are. That's just a fact. They've yet to see the difference between holiness and sinfulness and righteousness and wretchedness. Men who see God as unfair and want what they deserve don't understand Why God forbid, why God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God gave Adam one commandment, just one. People talk today about the Ten Commandments, and some make stupid comments like, well, you know, I keep most of them, or I'm good on eight out of the ten, or blah, blah, blah. The truth of the matter is man can't keep one commandment. Adam couldn't. And he was created good after the image of God. Eve's curiosity, her desire to know something that she wasn't meant to know, led to sin entering the world. And there's always a purpose to God's boundaries. Always a purpose to God's boundaries.

In our text, we encounter a question that should make us stop and reflect, and the question is my title. Why not that tree? You ever thought about that? Why not that particular tree? Have you ever considered and proposed that question to yourself? To answer it truthfully sheds a great deal of light on why we shouldn't want what we deserve and never refer to God as being unfair.

Men and women will not want what they deserve when they truly see what it is that they do deserve. Right? When you see what you deserve, you don't want what you deserve. You want just the opposite. You want mercy. That's the opposite of judgment and condemnation, which is what we do deserve. No one desires eternal death and eternal wrath and eternal condemnation. That would be fair and that would be just. I don't want that.

Now here in Genesis 3, in verse 1 we read, Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden. Did God really say that? Are you sure about what God said? Did God really mean what He said? You shall not eat Of every tree in the garden? Now the command from God not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil is not about fruit and it's not about curiosity and it's not even about information.

It's about authority. It's about trust. It's about who gets to be in charge. It's not you and it's not me. It's God. And this marks the boundary between the creature and the Creator. There's a boundary. God alone has a right to define what good is and what evil is, and by prohibiting the partaking of that tree was God defining what belonged to Him alone. I've often said in messages that that was God's tree. And it was. God said, you can partake of all these trees, all these fruit trees, whatever they were, you can partake of all them. It's enough. But this one is mine. This is my tree. It's about authority. It's about trust. This marks the boundary between us and God.

God alone has the right to define what is good and what's evil. By prohibiting the partaking of that tree, God's simply defining what belonged to Him. I repeated that on purpose. Man was created good, innocent, and alive to God, but never, ever was he designed to be self-governing. are self-sufficient. The tree represented a line that God drew that man was never ever meant to cross. For a man to claim that God must be fair, he's assuming that he's God's equal. If man is equal with God, then he's deserving of what he desires, but man is not equal with God. And that's why He fell into sin. Because He desired to be.

God gave Adam and Eve everything that they needed. God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground, and He breathed into him the breath of life. And then God took Eve out of the man, out of his rib, and created her. God did that. And God put them in that garden, and He said, all this is yours. for take of it, but not that tree.

Why not that tree? It's unmerited grace that God provides. That's what mercy is. It's undeserved. God's provisions for us are not given because we're entitled to them. What makes people think that? They're given because it pleased the Lord to give them to us. That word, knowledge, means to know. Not hard.

Adam already knew God. Adam knew he must trust God. Adam knew that he must obey God. But Adam did not have the right to decide for himself what good and evil were. That's God's business. Eating the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil was not gaining information.

It was seizing judgment. It was man saying, I'm going to be my own God. I'm going to do things my way. That's right. But Adam didn't have the right to decide for himself what good and evil were. And eating of that tree was his way of saying, I will determine what's right for me. It was his way of saying, I'm going to determine what's right for me apart from God. That's why the serpent's temptation was, you'll be like God.

And the sin was not disobedience. Now listen, the sin was not disobedience, the sin was independence. Disobedience was the act. Independence was the heart. Adam chose self-rule over God's rule. And that was the birth of sin. That's when sin entered into the world. From that moment on, humanity has lived under the false assumption that they can define themselves, what's right and what's wrong, by their own reasoning, conscience, and experience. But they can't. Why? Because everything we do is tainted with sin. We don't see anything right. And this is why death followed.

God warned, He said, and in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die. You see, to reject God's authority is to reject Christ, who's the source of life. Our Lord said, I'm the bread of life. Our Lord said, I'm the living bread. Our Lord said, I come to give life more abundantly. Our Lord said, I am the resurrection and the life. And our Lord said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And men say, I don't like that. I think I'm going to make a go of this by myself.

Death wasn't just punishment added on for disobedience. Death was and is the result of separation from the source of life. That's the meaning of Romans 5, verse 19. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Humanity was under the federal headship of Adam. God's people were under the federal headship of Christ. Adam acts as the representative head of humanity. When Adam sinned, those united to him. And that's all of us. were made and constituted sinners. And Christ acting as the representative head of those who believe, when Christ obeyed, all that are united to Him. Not everyone is. Not everyone believes in Jesus Christ. But all who are united to Him were made and constituted to be righteous. Not the whole world.

If the whole world was righteous, the whole world would be saved and there wouldn't be any need for a place called hell. And we know that there is a place called hell. And we know that there's going to be many there. There's not one who's not been affected by the fall of Adam. And at the same time, not all the human race will believe and trust in Christ. So there, all means many. Those who believe.

And there will be many. A number no man can number. This is not a numerical issue. It's a corporate description. Many does not contradict all. All who are in Adam were made sinners, and all who are in Christ will be made righteous. And that will be many. Kind of think of it like this.

A king declares war, and the whole nation that he represents, that he's the federal headship over, are required to fight. And you don't say the king alone is at war. You say many are at war, meaning that all in that kingdom under that king's rule are at war. All under the federal headship of that king are at war.

All of us were made sinners. Only those who trust in Christ are given life. So whose headship are you under? Are you still under Adam's or are you under Christ's? Not talking about counting heads, this is a shared identity. The difference is not the size of the group, the difference is which group you're in.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall have everlasting life. Not the ones that don't. So Adam represented humanity in the garden and when Adam fell, humanity fell, all of us. And Christ represented His people in redemption. And when He obeyed, and He died and was buried and rose again, His people were credited with His righteousness and redeemed. How many? All of them that believed on Him. Not the whole world. Two men, two groups, two outcomes.

Adam ruined what God made good, and Christ restores what Adam lost. Adam brought a curse. Christ bore the curse. Adam affected everyone's nature. Christ affects every believer's nature. Adam was exalted and desired to be like God. Christ was God and humbled Himself to be like a man. Adam took from a tree. Christ died on a tree. Adam chose self-rule. Christ perfectly submitted to God's rule. Adam brought death. Christ means life. Christ brings life.

So again, the bottom line is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents man's attempt to live without trusting God in Christ. I'm going to do it my way. Sin's not just doing bad things. It's deciding that you don't need God to tell you what's good. Salvation is God rightly and justly bringing us back under His life-giving authority.

The serpent's first tactic was not to encourage rebellion against God, but doubt. Hath God truly said it? Is that what God said? Is that what God meant? Well, listen, a good rule of thumb to understand that God always says what He means and means what He says. God said, you eat of that tree, you shall surely die.

But Adam lived 930 years. He died to God. He died spiritually. No life spiritually within, though he lived all those years. Are you sure that's what God said? What was God's motivation for telling you that? Did God want you not to know something? Is God not telling you why you should not eat of that tree? Why not that tree? Questioning God always opens the door to sin.

If a child is told not to touch a hot stove, most of the time they'll touch it. But they might ask, well, why not? You know, I can remember my children, you go down that road a while, you're going to be there for a while. They'll ask why to every answer you give them. And pretty soon you just go, because I said so! And that's the way it is with God, because He said so. God's commands are for our good. He forbids certain things for our protection. This is the danger in choosing for ourselves. Verse 2.

And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it lest you die. And the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die. Now what is he saying there? He's saying God lied to you. God said you die if you ate of that fruit. You shall not die. That's calling God a liar.

Verse five, for God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God's, knowing good and evil. 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. Eve made a choice based on what seemed good to her. The fruit looked appealing. The serpent promised wisdom. Her pride was tempted.

She began with her perception over God's provision. Every time we partake of what God forbids, we're saying that we know better than God. Did you hear that? Every time we partake of what God forbids, we're saying we know better than God does. Verse 7, And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and that they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. They knew some things. God's protection of certain things was lost. Adam and his wife saw their nakedness. What a blessing it was not to see it before. They saw shame. They saw fear. They saw a need to cover themselves.

And that's what mankind has done ever since. Try to cover himself with his own works of righteousness. Every sin carries consequences, even and especially if it seems harmless to us. If a sin seems harmless to you, like, well, that ain't no big deal. I can do that. That's not a big deal. That's when it's a big deal. That's when it's a real big deal. Why not that tree? Why not that tree? Now they knew why not.

It's a question rooted in misunderstanding of God's love and protection for His people. And God gives us restrictions in order to protect us, in order to guide us, and in order to enable us to grow. The law was not given to restrict us. It was given to point us to our need of Christ. You can't keep the law perfectly in order to be saved. The law was given to show us our inability and our need of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ obeyed perfectly what we failed, and Christ bore the consequence of our... Why not that dream?

In Him we know. How ignorant to question the command of God, yet the glorious gospel reveals that our failures, our choices of forbidden fruit, become opportunities to experience God's mercy and grace. Isn't it amazing how God can turn around such a horrific sin in us and cause it to be for our good? Isn't it? Only God can do that. And the question, why not that tree, echoes from every corrupt heart. It's the seed of unbelief. It's the root of rebellion. And it's the beginning of estrangement from God. But it's also the question that points us to our need of Christ. May God help us to examine the trees in our life. What did He say about this tree? What did He say about that one? There are many trees we have to partake from. But I hope, by His grace, we learn to know the answer to, why not that tree?

Just for a few minutes in closing, I want to compare two trees, the first one and the last one. The first one that Adam ate of, and the last one that Christ died on. The one that brought death to all and the one that brings life to many. Two trees. The whole of scripture can be traced through these two trees. The one where humanity fell and the ones where some were redeemed. A tree of rebellion and a tree of life and redemption.

When our first parents ate of the fruit from the tree in the garden, as we've said, they chose self-rule over surrender. That's what men and women of religion are still doing today. Adam and Eve didn't simply break a rule, they were rejecting God's care for them. And what happened? Shame replaced innocence. What happened? Blame replaced unity. Fear replaced fellowship. Death replaced life. One tree, one act of rebellion with a ripple effect that has touched every generation of man's end.

Centuries later, outside of Jerusalem, another tree was lifted up and it was called a Roman cross. In Galatians 3, verse 13, Paul wrote, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. How? Be made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. That's what he did. That's what the cross was.

The first tree brought the curse. The second tree bore the curse. At the first tree, Adam reached out his hands in disobedience. And on the second tree, Christ stretched out His hands in obedience. At the first tree, Adam said, My will be done. But before the second tree, Christ said, Thy will be done. The cross wasn't an accident. It was not a tragedy. It was triumph. The tree that symbolizes shame became the place of salvation. Isn't that amazing? Only God can do that. Only God can do that. I've got good news.

The tree of life was restored. If you'll remember in Genesis, God put those flaming swords so no one else could protect that tree. There's good news. That tree's been restored. The tree of life has been restored. In Revelation 22, John sees the tree of life again, no longer guarded by the cherubim, no longer out of reach to man.

It's for the healing of nations. What was lost and eaten is restored in eternity. The flaming sword that once Obstructed the way has been satisfied at the cross. It's called the tree of life. Access is open again. Not because humanity improved. Not because we tried harder. How many times did you tell her? Well, just try harder. To no avail. Not because We've improved or tried harder, but because Christ paid the price in full, from the garden to the cross, all the way to glory. What about that tree? What about that tree? Two trees frame mankind's story, but only one determines their destiny. Every person stands between two trees.

And you cannot eat of both. Can't do it. You eat of one, you'll die. You eat of the other, you'll live. But you can't eat of both. So will you choose knowledge apart from trust? That's what the first tree offered. Will you bow to the restoration found only on the second tree of the cross? That's the issue. That's the question. That's the difference between taking and giving.

At the first tree, Eve took and ate. She gave to Adam, and he did eat. And at the second tree, Christ gave. He gave His body to be broken. Mankind fell in a garden called Eden, and Christ surrendered in a garden called Gethsemane. And isn't it something that Scripture opens with a tree that brings death and closes with a tree that brings life? And everything in between informs us of which tree gives life. Who it is that gives life. It's a book about Him. This is a Him book, isn't it? Adam desired to be like God and God the Son became a man.

Where a tree became the instrument of ruin, another tree became the instrument of redemption. So let me finish by asking you a very serious question. If there's only one tree for you and I to partake of that can give eternal life, sin judged, justice satisfied, wrath absorbed, Mercy extended. Righteousness given. Why not that trick?