Lent 1 - Invocabit February 18, 2024
Genesis 3:1-21
By A Tree and A Meal
v.6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Dear friends in Christ, have you ever gone on a picnic? You know, taken a basket of food, maybe a blanket, and gone off to a park with your friends or family, spread out a blanket under a tree, and enjoyed the outdoors while having a simple meal? It certainly is a lot of fun--for meals and trees actually seem to go hand in hand quite nicely. We see the scene of the family picnic played out in the movies or on TV. And of course, much of the food that we actually eat--that graces our tables every day--even comes from trees.
Normally, we don't tend to think of there being drastic consequences associated with such things. Usually, a picnic lunch is just that--a picnic lunch. Often, the worst thing we have to fear is whether or not the mayonnaise on the sandwiches has gone bad before we start eating--no one wants to get food poisoning, believe you me--or, we may worry about rain--or having our nice lunch interrupted by marauding hordes of ants--or the birds using your head for target practice from the branches above!
Yet here in our text for this morning we witness the dreadful--and deadly consequences--that take place by a tree and a meal. Adam and Eve, our first parents, are tempted by the devil who throws God's Word into doubt, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" Which, of course, God did NOT say. Rather, "the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16)
God had nothing but good intentions for Adam and Eve--to live with Him forever is paradise. However, by following the tempting--and false--words of the devil, Adam and Eve disobeyed God's clear Word--and so brought sin--and death--into God's perfect creation. This brought great calamity to the world and universe--it is why we have so much hardship, pain, and turmoil in our lives. Sure, we would like to blame God for all the problems in our lives and in the world, but really who is to blame? We are. We deserve God's curses and much more because of our rebellion and sin--our desire to be gods ourselves and cast Him down from His throne. By a tree and a meal--WE brought death and devastation to light.
Which is why God said to Adam, "cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out if you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." And to Eve, He said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband and He shall rule over you."
And we continue to see the results of this dreadful curse carried out to this day. People working like dogs just to survive--and so many who actually starve. We see the ground unwilling to produce in abundance. We see the power struggle between men and women--who were made to be perfect partners for one another--yet who quarrel and fight constantly. Ultimately, the curse has its way with all people when we die and return to the dust in the ground from which we came. All by a tree and a meal.
Yet there is hope--hope found, ironically, in the midst of the curse of God to the serpent. Where He said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Herein the Lord God promises to undo the work of the devil--to put an end to the curse He had to proclaim--to provide a way of salvation and life to His beloved people who had turned away from Him. As John writes, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)
Jesus--the promised One of God--has come to undo the works of the devil--to put an end to the terrible effects/curses of sin. How? By a Tree and a Meal. The Lord Jesus came to take your sin--your guilt--your death--your curse--into His body and suffer and die for it on the tree of the cross. Indeed, as Scripture plainly says, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree." (Galatians 3:13) Christ Jesus became sin for you--He took your guilt and shame and death--and buried it in His own flesh while He hung dead on the cross.
By the blood of Jesus poured out on the cross you have been saved. You have been redeemed. By a simple meal Christ comes to you to bring you the precious fruit of that tree of the cross--where by His curse--He has brought about life and salvation. By His Word of promise simple bread and wine receive the real presence of His shed body and blood--the fruit of the tree of the cross--is placed into your mouths to eat and to drink to give you forgiveness and life and salvation.
This seems impossible to us. How could this be? But with God's powerful Word, which created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them in six short days--God's Word, which has power to curse and bring death--also has power to bring forgiveness and life. Even when attached to simple, ordinary things, like bread and wine. By a meal Jesus comes to you and feeds the gift of life--the fruit of forgiveness and faith--removing from your shoulders forever, the burden of your guilt and shame. For by a tree and a meal mankind was separated from God and cursed to death and hell--yet by a tree and a meal has God restored that broken relationship and brought life and salvation to all!
Now when you are hungry and thirsting after righteousness. Now when you are scorched by guilt and shame regarding your own sin before God--where can you turn? To the tree of Christ's cross. The shadow of His mercy that extends from His cross will grant soothing relief to burning consciences as you are covered in His blood and forgiveness. The meal of the Lord's Supper is here to strengthen and preserve you with the very body and blood of Jesus. His life bleeds into yours and grants you eternal life and salvation. By a tree and a meal the curse of sin has been broken--the devil overthrown--and the gates of heaven opened wide. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Genesis 3:1-21
By A Tree and A Meal
v.6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Dear friends in Christ, have you ever gone on a picnic? You know, taken a basket of food, maybe a blanket, and gone off to a park with your friends or family, spread out a blanket under a tree, and enjoyed the outdoors while having a simple meal? It certainly is a lot of fun--for meals and trees actually seem to go hand in hand quite nicely. We see the scene of the family picnic played out in the movies or on TV. And of course, much of the food that we actually eat--that graces our tables every day--even comes from trees.
Normally, we don't tend to think of there being drastic consequences associated with such things. Usually, a picnic lunch is just that--a picnic lunch. Often, the worst thing we have to fear is whether or not the mayonnaise on the sandwiches has gone bad before we start eating--no one wants to get food poisoning, believe you me--or, we may worry about rain--or having our nice lunch interrupted by marauding hordes of ants--or the birds using your head for target practice from the branches above!
Yet here in our text for this morning we witness the dreadful--and deadly consequences--that take place by a tree and a meal. Adam and Eve, our first parents, are tempted by the devil who throws God's Word into doubt, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" Which, of course, God did NOT say. Rather, "the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16)
God had nothing but good intentions for Adam and Eve--to live with Him forever is paradise. However, by following the tempting--and false--words of the devil, Adam and Eve disobeyed God's clear Word--and so brought sin--and death--into God's perfect creation. This brought great calamity to the world and universe--it is why we have so much hardship, pain, and turmoil in our lives. Sure, we would like to blame God for all the problems in our lives and in the world, but really who is to blame? We are. We deserve God's curses and much more because of our rebellion and sin--our desire to be gods ourselves and cast Him down from His throne. By a tree and a meal--WE brought death and devastation to light.
Which is why God said to Adam, "cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out if you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." And to Eve, He said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband and He shall rule over you."
And we continue to see the results of this dreadful curse carried out to this day. People working like dogs just to survive--and so many who actually starve. We see the ground unwilling to produce in abundance. We see the power struggle between men and women--who were made to be perfect partners for one another--yet who quarrel and fight constantly. Ultimately, the curse has its way with all people when we die and return to the dust in the ground from which we came. All by a tree and a meal.
Yet there is hope--hope found, ironically, in the midst of the curse of God to the serpent. Where He said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Herein the Lord God promises to undo the work of the devil--to put an end to the curse He had to proclaim--to provide a way of salvation and life to His beloved people who had turned away from Him. As John writes, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)
Jesus--the promised One of God--has come to undo the works of the devil--to put an end to the terrible effects/curses of sin. How? By a Tree and a Meal. The Lord Jesus came to take your sin--your guilt--your death--your curse--into His body and suffer and die for it on the tree of the cross. Indeed, as Scripture plainly says, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree." (Galatians 3:13) Christ Jesus became sin for you--He took your guilt and shame and death--and buried it in His own flesh while He hung dead on the cross.
By the blood of Jesus poured out on the cross you have been saved. You have been redeemed. By a simple meal Christ comes to you to bring you the precious fruit of that tree of the cross--where by His curse--He has brought about life and salvation. By His Word of promise simple bread and wine receive the real presence of His shed body and blood--the fruit of the tree of the cross--is placed into your mouths to eat and to drink to give you forgiveness and life and salvation.
This seems impossible to us. How could this be? But with God's powerful Word, which created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them in six short days--God's Word, which has power to curse and bring death--also has power to bring forgiveness and life. Even when attached to simple, ordinary things, like bread and wine. By a meal Jesus comes to you and feeds the gift of life--the fruit of forgiveness and faith--removing from your shoulders forever, the burden of your guilt and shame. For by a tree and a meal mankind was separated from God and cursed to death and hell--yet by a tree and a meal has God restored that broken relationship and brought life and salvation to all!
Now when you are hungry and thirsting after righteousness. Now when you are scorched by guilt and shame regarding your own sin before God--where can you turn? To the tree of Christ's cross. The shadow of His mercy that extends from His cross will grant soothing relief to burning consciences as you are covered in His blood and forgiveness. The meal of the Lord's Supper is here to strengthen and preserve you with the very body and blood of Jesus. His life bleeds into yours and grants you eternal life and salvation. By a tree and a meal the curse of sin has been broken--the devil overthrown--and the gates of heaven opened wide. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.