Public Worship

Q: What does the Bible say about God's love?

The Bible describes God's love as pure, unconditional, and directed towards His chosen people. The Scriptures reveal God's love as an everlasting river of grace, flowing from the throne of God and signifying His sovereign will. In Romans 9:13, we see that God's love is particular, as it states, 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.' This means that God's love is not a vague or general affection; rather, it is a specific, deliberate love directed towards those He has chosen. Furthermore, this love is marked by its lack of conditions or merits from the recipients, emphasizing that it is solely based on God's sovereign purpose and delight in loving His people.

Q: How do we know Christ is the tree of life?

Christ is identified as the Tree of Life because He offers eternal life and sustenance to all who believe in Him. The metaphor of Christ as the Tree of Life is beautifully illustrated in Revelation 22, which depicts a tree yielding twelve kinds of fruit to nourish the people in the paradise of God. Jesus embodies this tree, as He is the source of eternal life and spiritual nourishment for believers. In John 14:6, He proclaims, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life,' affirming His essential role in providing life. Like the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, which Adam was barred from after the fall, Christ offers access to eternal life for all who put their faith in Him. Believing in Him allows us to partake of the fruit of salvation and healing for our souls.

Q: Why is public worship important for Christians?

Public worship is essential as it strengthens the church body, glorifies God, and facilitates collective faith expression. Public worship serves multiple vital roles within the Christian faith. Firstly, it is an avenue for believers to gather and collectively express their faith, strengthening one another through unity in worship. Ephesians 4:16 illustrates this, stating that the body of Christ grows itself through love as each member does its part. Secondly, worship glorifies God. Psalm 95:6 calls us to kneel before the Lord, demonstrating the importance of corporate reverence and honor toward God. Moreover, public worship allows for the preaching of the Word, the administration of sacraments, and the fostering of a community that encourages spiritual growth.

Q: What does it mean that Christ's death was substitutionary?

Christ's death was substitutionary, meaning He died in our place, bearing the penalty for our sins. The doctrine of substitutionary atonement is foundational to Reformed theology. Through His death, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of His people, suffering the wrath of God that we rightfully deserved. In Isaiah 53:5, it states, 'But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities.' This emphasizes that Christ's suffering was not for His own sins, but as a substitute for those He came to save. His death satisfied divine justice, affirming that no further penalty remains for those who believe in Him. As a result, we can live free from the condemnation of sin, made righteous through faith in Jesus.

Revelation chapter 22. Revelation chapter 22. In the paradise of God, John saw three things which seem to be the center and the source of all life, happiness, and worship in the city of God. He describes them for us in verses 1 and 2.

And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruit, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

He showed me a pure river of the water of life. The psalmist David said there is a river, a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. It is from this river that God graciously makes his people to drink, and drinking from this river our souls are abundantly satisfied with the rich blessings of his grace.

This river is the everlasting love of God in Jesus Christ. It is a river broad and deep, a river to swim in, a river of infinite love, immeasurable love, love beyond degree or comprehension. The Apostle Paul, when he thought about this love of God that's in Christ Jesus, made this prayer and this desire before the Lord that we might be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and the link, and the depth, and the height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God.

God's love for His own is as a pure river, clear as crystal. Without hypocrisy, His love's sincere. With nothing to hide, His love is pure. With holiness, righteousness, justice, and truth, God loves us. His love is as a pure river.

God's love for us is a river of the water of life. His love for us is the source and cause of our life in Christ Jesus. We live because God loves us. We live tonight because God loves us. And we shall live forever because God loves us. The streams of this river make our hearts glad. Oh, the streams of the river, who can describe them? They flow out to us in many directions.

Mr. Gill suggests that the streams of this river are the streams of electing love, redeeming grace, adopting mercy, justifying goodness, regeneration, pardon, and glorification. The streams of this river are the streams of salvation and eternal life and glory in Christ Jesus.

John saw this mighty river of God's love proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. God's love for sinners is infinite and immeasurable. It's free. It's unconditional. But it is sovereign love. It is particular love. It is special love. It is distinguishing love.

God's love for his own is directed by his sovereign will and by his sovereign purpose as the God of glory sitting upon his throne. The scriptures are very plain. The Lord God declares, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. God loves us because it is his will to love us. God loves us because he delights to love us. God loves us not because of anything in ourselves, not because of any goodness of our own, not because of any merit within us or any merit performed by us. He loves us simply because He delights to love us, simply because it's His will to love us.

The Lord God declares, I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. Love belongs to God. Love is His attribute. But God directs His love and sends His love and reveals His love to whomsoever He will. God loves us because of his own sovereign purpose. God's love is never spoken of in general, ambiguous terms. Men today talk of God's love as some kind of a general thing that really is meaningless, some kind of a general thing that really has no effect upon men, some kind of a general thing that really has no bearing upon the lives and destinies of its objects. But never is God's love spoken of in the scripture in general, ambiguous, ineffectual terms.

But rather in the Bible, God's love is directed toward his people. God's love for us is eternal love. His love is without beginning. There never was a time when God began to love us, but he rather always loved us because he always purposed to love us. His love is without measure. His love is something that can't be measured or comprehended. God loves us like himself with his whole infinite being. And God's love for us is without end. He never ceases to love His own. Having loved His own which were in the world, having loved us from the beginning, He will love us to the end. Once His heart is set upon us, He will never cease to love His own.

There is no possibility of us doing anything by which we can cause God to love us, but at the same time there is no possibility of one of God's elect doing anything or being anything or committing anything which will cause God to cease to love us or to love us less. His love is holy in himself, wholly caused by himself, and wholly dependent upon himself. God loves us, and there is this river of divine love flowing out to the sons of men from the throne of the eternal God, directed by the sovereign power of God, bringing the sons of God at last back again to the throne of God.

And then we're told, in verse 2, in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bared twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation." Now this tree of life is our subject this evening. This tree of life is the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

You will remember as I read to you a little bit ago, that in the garden of Eden there was a tree of life in the midst of the garden. We are not told what it was. We're not told what it looked like or anything of the kind. But when Adam sinned against God, he was driven out of the garden and driven away from the tree of life. The Lord God put flaming cherubim with flaming swords to guard the way to the tree of life specifically so that Adam could not go back and eat of that tree and live forever. I don't know what the significance of the tree was, really, but it's obvious that the Lord God, in infinite wisdom, mercy, and grace, would not allow fallen man to live forever upon the earth in his fallen condition.

God would not allow fallen man to live forever in the misery of sin even upon this earth. But rather the Lord guarded the way to the tree of life so that Adam could not possibly get back to that garden and eat of the fruit of that tree. It appears that the tree of life in the garden was intended to be a source of life and a source of life that would bring immortality to man in his innocence. Had Adam not sinned, he would have been allowed to eat of the tree of life and live forever. And he would have lived forever in that righteousness with which God created him. But God seeing man's sin, and God in infinite mercy refusing to allow man to live in that sinful condition, that condition that Adam brought upon himself and his race, drove Adam from the garden and guarded the tree of life so that now Adam could not get back to it. Adam forfeited life, and so he forfeited the right to the tree of life.

But in the paradise of God, in that heavenly kingdom, in heaven above, there is another tree of life. A tree of life from which we shall never be driven. A tree of life that's open for all who do but hear the words of God Almighty by His Spirit in His Word. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear, and I'll give to him to eat of the tree of life that is in the paradise of God, our Savior declares.

And that tree of life is Jesus Christ Himself. You see, Christ is to fallen man what the tree of life was to Adam in his innocence. He is, in the covenant of grace, what the Tree of Life was in the covenant of works. In the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life provided life for the obedient. But Christ Jesus, the Tree of Life, promises life to all who believe. He is God's pledge to us that if we believe on Him, we shall live forever and be saved by His matchless grace. Christ is called the Tree of Life because the life of God's elect is found in him and comes from him.

Hold your hands here in Revelation 22 and turn back to Psalm 1. Psalm 1. I know the Psalm has application to every believer, to every righteous man, but having application to every believer and every righteous man, it principally and foremost speaks of that one man who above all other men is the righteous man, the man of God's own right hand. Psalm 1, blessed is the man, the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he, this man, this righteous man, this man of perfection, this man of holiness, none other than Jesus Christ himself. He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth, that shall prosper.

Now in this passage here in Revelation 22, I want to show you two or three things about Christ the tree of life. First, let me begin where we must begin. The Lord Jesus Christ became the tree of life to us by his death upon the cursed tree at Mount Calvary. You see, in order for the Son of God to be planted in the city of God as the tree of life, he first had to suffer and die in the place of sinners under the wrath of Almighty God. You and I will never be able to eat of Christ the tree of life until we're able to see how that Christ Jesus was crucified in the horrible death that he had to endure as our substitute at Calvary.

The Son of God, 2,000 years ago, actually came into this world. Jesus Christ, the incomprehensible God. Jesus Christ, that God whom the heavens cannot contain. Jesus Christ, the eternal creator. came into his creation in the womb of the Virgin in a body of real humanity. He was born of the Virgin Mary in the fullness of time, and he lived in this world in perfect righteous obedience to God. But then at last, at the appointed time, the Lord of glory was taken by wicked men, and by the hands of wicked men he was crucified as a common malefactor at Calvary. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died between two thieves, crucified between two thieves as a common criminal, as one who was an insurrectionist and a murderer, as one who was unfit for the death of a common ordinary man, but this was a death reserved only for the most ignominious men. Jesus Christ then suffered and died the horrible death of the cross, but why? Why did he die such a death? How did the Son of God come to suffer such a death as this one? It was because apart from the death of Christ, there could be no life for guilty sinners.

Let's look one more time at this passage in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, when you want to understand something of the death of Christ, the meaning of the crucifixion, hear the words of the Lord God. In Isaiah 53 in verse 8, We read, he was taken from prison and from judgment. And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people was he stricken. There's the reason he died. It was for the transgression of my people. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. Because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. The Lord God, he hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. As a result of his death, he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. And by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquity.

Let me show you. Several things about the death of our Lord, things that you know. I don't have any doubt that you know all of them, but I think the things we need to be reminded of. The death of Jesus Christ, first and foremost, was a substitutionary sacrifice for sin. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered nothing for himself. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered nothing on account of himself. He did not suffer as a private individual. He did not suffer for any evil that was in him. He did not suffer for any evil committed by him, but rather he suffered for the transgressions of God's people. Buddy, he suffered for you. He suffered for me. He suffered for all the people of God, for all whom He loved, for all whom He redeemed, for all who were saved by His grace. He suffered for sinners. Jesus Christ was made to be sin, and being made to be sin for us, He suffered the horrible wrath of Almighty God in our place. That's substitution. He took our place. for time. He took our place at Calvary. He took our place under the wrath of God that we might take his place for eternity, that we might take his place in heaven, that we might take his place under the blessing of God's hand. The death of Christ was first and foremost a substitutionary death. He died in the place of his people. He laid down his life for his sheep. He died for his church, that he might redeem his church. He died for God's elect, that he might save God's elect. He died for sinners, that sinners by him might live forever.

But the death of Christ was specifically a cursed death. Turn over to Galatians chapter three. Galatians the third chapter. The Apostle Paul is here quoting from the book of Deuteronomy, and in Galatians 3 he says, verse 13, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Now listen, for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. In order for Christ Jesus to redeem us, in order for him to be our Savior, our Messiah, our Redeemer, He must endure a death that is specifically a cursed death. The Lord Jesus died not by stoning. They tried to stone him on occasion, but our Lord would not allow himself to be stoned. He could not be hanged. They might have hanged him like they did many others, but he was not allowed to be hanged, nor would he allow others to hang him.

But our Lord Jesus died a death that is specifically written in the Word of God to be a cursed death. You see, it is never written, cursed is the man who dies by cancer, or cursed is the man who dies by stoning, or cursed is the man who dies by hanging. It is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. And Jesus Christ was taken outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem, and he was hanged upon the tree as the object of God's curse, as the object of God's wrath, as the object of God's own vengeance, as the object that is cursed of God, cursed of man, cursed of heaven, cursed of the earth, cursed under the wrath of God. Cursed it is, the man.

Jesus Christ then, being made to be our substitute, and being made to die under the penalty of the law in our stead as our substitute, died a specifically cursed death. Cursed because we were cursed. Cursed because we deserve to be cursed. Cursed because under the law we were forever cursed. Cursed, condemned to die. But now, because he died under the curse, there's no more curse. Because he died in the condemnation, there's no more condemnation.

And our Lord Jesus Christ died a shameful, ignominious death. I said before that this was not the death of a common Roman citizen. This death of crucifixion was reserved only for the most violent criminal, and then only for those who were slaves to Rome. Never was a free-born Roman citizen crucified. But our Lord Jesus was crucified as one who was not fit to be called a citizen of the land. He was crucified in shame, in horrible ignominious shame. He was crucified as the most common and base of the most common and base men in all the world.

We had it this morning in Psalm 69 in our Sunday school class. In Psalm 69, The psalmist David here gives us the very words of Christ himself as he suffered for us. We read in verse 19, thou hast known my reproach and my shame and my dishonor. My adversaries are all before thee. The Lord Jesus was made to be the object of ridicule and scorn. Everybody that passed by wagged their head and shot out the lip at him and poked fun at him and plucked the hair off his face smote him on the face and spit in his face and they sang and laughed and danced and walked while God Almighty died in the place of sinners upon the cursed tree.

The religious crowd and the pimps and the prostitutes and the drunks and the soldiers all got together and threw a party mocking the Son of God. He saved others himself he cannot save. He says he's the Christ. Let's see if God will have it. Let's see if God will have it. And so they poked fun at him and laughed at him and mocked him while he stripped naked and hangs as a public object of scorn and ridicule before men.

The death of our Lord Jesus was an exceedingly painful death. What he suffered, no tongue can tell. He died upon the cursed tree. How can I speak of his pain? The pain of his body? Let us never make light of it. Let's never look at it as something not to be considered. He suffered what no mere man could ever suffer. For he suffered in his body the horrible wrath of God Almighty, even to the full extent of hell for us. Now what that means, I can't tell you. I can't begin to comprehend. I can't begin to imagine what it means. But our Lord Jesus Christ, when he paid the debt of sin for us, paid with pain in his body.

Read the 22nd Psalm. And hear how he cries as his bones stare out at him, as his body was burned with fever and his lips were parched with fever and thirst. And he cries out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The Lord Jesus not only suffered the pain of the horrible wrath of God and the crucifixion of his body, but he suffered the pain of the horrible wrath of God burning in his soul when he was made to be sin for us. and forsaken of God. Oh, what depth of agony there is in that cry from the Savior's lips, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by, behold and see if there is any sorrow likened to my sorrow. Look at the sorrow of my soul and the pain of my body in the day when the Lord afflicted me in his fierce anger. Fierce anger you deserved. Fierce anger you earned. Fierce anger that rightfully belongs to you. This is what I've suffered for you. This is what I've suffered for you.

His death was a lingering death. Pilate could hardly believe it when the soldiers came back and reported that Jesus was dead already. Because commonly, when men were crucified, they would linger on for days. They'd linger on hour on hour on hour, linger on at least for a day, sometimes two days, even been known to hang on the tree and still have life in them for three days, suffering horrible, horrible, excruciating pain.

But his death was also a penal death. In your mind's eye, try to imagine, try to picture, as best you can, the horrible agony of the crucified Son of God. The agony of his body, the shame, the spitting, the mockery, the lacerations, the beatings, the nails in his hands, in his feet, the spear in his side, but then try to grasp something of the agony of his soul when he was made to be sin. When he cried, and I said, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And when at last he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost, saying, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

And understand this, that's exactly what he, when he was made to be sin, deserved to receive. It was a penal death, a just death. He suffered what sin deserved. He suffered, Merle, what you deserve, what I deserve. It was a penal death, a just satisfaction for sin.

Horrible as the crucifixion is, horrible as the death of Christ is, horrible as that cursed death upon that cursed tree is, it's exactly what sin deserves. The wages of sin is death, eternal death, death by the hand of God's unmitigated wrath. He suffered the wrath of God as the just punishment for sin.

But hear this and hear it well. His penal death for sin was also a sin-atoning death. He suffered exactly what we deserved, and God will not see us suffer more. He suffered exactly what we deserved, and God will not inflict suffering more. He suffered exactly what we deserve, and God will not punish sin again.

The Lord God Almighty sees the blood of Jesus Christ, his son. He hears the Savior cry, it's finished! And God in justice says, that's enough! Sin is gone. Sin is gone. So that all for whom Christ Jesus suffered, the horrible wrath of God upon the cursed tree, now he is for them. a tree of life everlasting. Now, there is no more condemnation for those for whom Christ died. Oh, I wish I had the power to set forth Jesus Christ crucified before your very heart. God help you to see the crucified Savior and trust Him. The crucified Christ is the only hope of your sinful soul. He's the only hope of my own soul for life and salvation and eternal glory. Look to Him. Look to Him. Trust Him.

be saved and live only by faith in Christ Jesus. Because he died as the sinner's substitute upon the cursed tree, Christ is now the tree of life in the paradise of God. Now, as the tree of life, the Lord Jesus Christ is exactly what you and I need. I'm not a botanist, so I don't really know for certain, but I'm told that the palm tree is one tree that's useful from its root to its fruit. The root, the bark, the wood, the sap, the leaves, the fruit, everything about the palm tree is supposed to be useful. Now, I don't know about that, but I do know this. Jesus Christ, the tree of life, is a tree that's useful in all his being. A tree that's useful from the root to the fruit, who's useful in everything, a tree just such as we need. There's nothing in him but what we need and must have. Christ, the tree of life, is a tree of transcendent excellence and beauty and usefulness, the tree of life. Our Lord Jesus Christ exceeds all others. None can be compared to him.

Let's just follow this allegory, this picture that's given here in this text, and see if we don't find something of benefit to our soul. As the tree of life, Christ Jesus is a very fruitful tree. We read here that that this tree is a tree which bear twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Now this is a tree which bears abundant fruit. All the Israel of God in heaven and in earth eat of the fruit of this tree. But here is multiple fruit as well. Other trees, no matter how fruitful they may be, bear only one kind of fruit. Here is a tree that produces twelve manner of fruit. That means simply this, whatever our souls need, now or in eternity, whatever our souls need, both in this world and in the world to come, Jesus Christ provides.

What do I need? Specifically, John tells us that there are twelve manner of fruit, and I'll give you twelve things I need. I need forgiveness, righteousness, and life from God. That's what I need. I need my sin pardoned. Behold, Jesus Christ is the pardon of sin. I need righteousness. I need perfect righteousness before God. Jesus Christ is the Lord my righteousness. I need life. I need spiritual life. I need eternal life. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

I need love, joy, and peace toward God. I need a heart that loves Him, a heart that rejoices in Him, a heart that's at peace in Him. Jesus Christ gives me that love, that joy, and that peace.

I need long-suffering, gentleness, and goodness toward my fellow man. Oh, if I would live in this world for the honor of God and for the good of men, I must have a heart of long-suffering, a heart of gentleness, and a heart of goodness toward you. And that's contrary to my nature, but that's exactly what Christ is. That's exactly what He gives.

I need faith, meekness, and temperance before God, to live before him in this world with faith, that is, faithfulness, to live before him in this world with meekness, realizing and understanding who and what I am before this holy great God, who is the God of glory, and also temperance, so that I live in this world controlling the passions of my flesh, and that Jesus Christ gives by coming and residing within.

Here's continual fruit as well. In every month, in every month of the year, this tree bears its fruit. Behold the tree of life. It's always loaded with the fruit of grace. In the cold of winter and in the heat of summer, in the springtime of youth and in the fall of old age, in the deepest adversity and in the sunshine of prosperity, Jesus Christ is all I need. He's all I need. Yes, Christ is all I need.

Sunday school girl was quoted in Psalm 23, and she misquoted it, but she quoted it just right. She said, the Lord is my shepherd. He's all I want. And indeed, he is all I want. All I want. How about you? Christ, the tree of life, fruit abundant for every season of the year. At all times we may come to this tree of life and sit under his shadow and find his fruit sweet to our taste.

As the tree of life, Christ has healing virtue in his leaves. Again, referring to Dr. Gill, he suggests that these leaves of the tree of life are the blessed doctrines of the gospel, the doctrines of the gospel which we preach for the healing of the nations. The blessed gospel of doctrine of divine election. Oh, there's healing here. Healing for men and women who have fallen, depraved, and corrupt. How is it that we have life? God chose to give us life. There's healing in the leaves of this tree, in the divine message of substitution, in the blessed message of atonement accomplished, of justification by grace, and salvation by his infinite mercy. There's no wound so deadly, but that one leaf from this tree can heal that wound.

As the sight of the brazen serpent for those wounded Israelites gave them life, they would just look, just look. Are you perishing with the bite of the fiery serpent? Look! As a brazen serpent made to hang upon a pole, look and live. Even so, just the leaves of this tree, the blessed proclamation of the gospel of God's grace brings healing to all who believe. As the woman with an issue of blood did but touch the hem of his garment and was made whole. If you can but perceive the blessed gospel of Jesus Christ by faith, believing that which God has revealed, you'll live forever. If you can just trust the Son of God.

This tree is like the tree that was cast into the waters of Marah. You remember when the children of Israel came to the waters of Marah, they were thirsty. They had no water and they couldn't drink. There's plenty of water there, but nothing for them to drink. And Moses, the Lord told him, said, there's a tree over there. Take and cast it into the waters. And when he cast the tree in, the waters became sweet. And the Lord said, I am the Lord that healeth thee. That's what Christ Jesus is. He's a tree of life. He's a tree of life. A tree of life to all who believe.

And Christ Jesus, the tree of life, is as useful as he is excellent. This tree of life is good for food. Our Lord said, I am the bread of life. You'll have to eat me. Eat me. What does he mean? He certainly doesn't mean eat the bread of the Lord's table. And it certainly doesn't mean anything to refer to the silly notions of cannibalism that early believers were accused of. He's talking about faith. You take by faith my life of obedience, and you receive it as your life of obedience. One who believes is one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood. Now symbolically, by faith, we eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of his flesh and blood. But also now by faith, we do receive his obedience. We eat his flesh and we receive his sacrifice. We drink his blood and his obedience becomes our obedience. His death becomes our death. It is really and truly ours by faith in him.

This tree of life is good for clothing as well. Adam and Eve made them a garment of fig leaves. The Lord Jesus Christ had made for us a garment of perfect righteousness. And this tree of life is good for shelter. Shelter in the time of storm.

Now, pastor, preach to yourself. When God in his good providence brings the storms of trial and heartache and difficulty and confusion upon you, what can you do? What can you do? You can snuggle up under the safe shelter of the tree of life and there find safety. You can snuggle up close to the Son of God and find rest for your soul. Jesus Christ is a tree for shelter and for safety in every time of storm.

One last thing. Come and eat of the fruit. Eat of the fruit of the tree of life and find healing for your soul in the leaves of His grace.

I speak specifically to you who know not our God. I try every way I can to preach Christ to you. I try every way I can to explain to you in the simplest terms, terms used in the Bible, Isn't it a marvelous condescension of grace that God should so condescend that he pictures his son for us as a tree with fruit? Here's a tree. A tree. Just a tree. A tree with fruit. Fruit that if you eat, you'll live forever. Oh, what grace.

Now, I want you to see that Christ is the tree of life. And I want you to see the fruit, the fruit of life everlasting. but it'll do you no good to see the tree. It'll do you no good to admire the fruit. It'll do you no good to understand everything about the tree. You've got to eat the fruit. You've got to eat the fruit for yourself. If you would live, if you would be healed of the plague of your heart and the disease of your soul, You must come to Christ, the tree of life.

Maybe you're interested. Oh God, give you an interest. If you're interested, let me tell you plainly how to get the fruit and how to live. I can tell you exactly how to do it. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That's his word. That's his word. You take the fruit by faith. Faith is the hand that takes the golden apple of His grace and feeds upon it. Faith is the hand that takes the healing leaves of His grace and applies them to our own hearts. I come to Christ with my guilt, and I take the leaf of pardon, and it's mine. I come to Christ with my nakedness, and I take His righteousness, and it's mine. I come to Christ with my emptiness, and I take His fullness, and it's mine. Do you see what I'm saying? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and live.

How can I persuade you? I can't, but maybe God will use me to persuade you. Some years ago, Robert Fuller was traveling, preaching, and he came to a river that had swollen with heavy rains. And it started to turn back because the river just looked treacherous, and it was just too deep. He couldn't cross it. And there was a farmer over on the other side who recognized him. And the farmer hollered out at him, Mr. Fuller, it's all right. Come on through. Your horse will keep his foot in. I've been through just a few minutes ago. And Mr. Fuller started in and hesitated. And the man said, it's all right. Come on through. It's all right. You can come through right there. Your horse will keep his foot in. And Mr. Fuller said, well, I'll go on faith. to be leaving your word. And his horse started out into the river and the water got up to the horse's knees. And the hot water got up to the horse's saddle. And Mr. Fuller was getting real anxious now. And the farmer says, all right, Mr. Fuller, come on through. Come on. The horse will keep his foot in. He went on. And the water got up to his bridle. But finally, that horse walked out with the rider safe on his back on the other side. I'm telling you.

guilty, helpless, hell-bent, hell-deserving sinner. Come on, it's all right. Christ can bear your soul. Christ Jesus can heal you of your soul's disease. The Son of God can give you life. The Son of God can pardon your sin. The Son of God is able. He's able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. Oh, cast your soul on Him. Cast your soul on Him.

of the tree of life and live. God help you to do so, for Christ's sake. Amen.

Public Worship

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How do we know Christ is the tree of life?

Why is public worship important for Christians?

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Public Worship

What does the Bible say about God's love?

How do we know Christ is the tree of life?

Why is public worship important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ's death was substitutionary?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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