It Started & Ended In A Garden
I find it fascinating sin and death came from Adam and Eve's decision of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, but freedom and life came from Jesus' obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let me explain.
Background
You see, God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree in the Garden except the tree in the center of the garden. They could not eat of its fruit or touch it, lest they would die. One day, a cunning serpent tempted Eve. The serpent told Eve a half-truth and a half-lie, enticing her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Declaring she would not die, but her eyes would be opened, and she would be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:1-7).
Seeing the fruit was desirable, had great benefits (being like God), and believing she would not die, Eve ate the fruit and shared the fruit with Adam. Their disobedience was an offense to God. Because of their decision to disobey, God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8-24).
As a result of their disobedience, sin and death ran from Adam to Moses. The Kings, and up until Jesus came on the scene (Romans 5:14-15). The good news is, Jesus was the long-awaited Savior. Jesus was the Son to be given (Isaiah 9:6) to free us from sin and death.
In the book of Isaiah, Isaiah prophesied, “And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken and it will be said in that day; “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; we will, be glad and rejoice in His salvation" (Isaiah 25: 7-9).
Some commentaries refer to the mountain as the Kingdom of God on earth. Some say Jerusalem or the New Jerusalem, but these verses also make me think of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Calvary (Golgotha).
Nevertheless, He said Yes
Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus is bold, courageous, outspoken and preaches with all power. But, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is found in a state of anguish and sorrow. Praying His prophesied destiny may pass. Yet Jesus declares, nevertheless, God’s will be done and not His own (Luke 22:42-43). Unlike Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Jesus chose to obey God.
Jesus had every opportunity to say no. He is the Son of God. He has all power and authority to do as He pleases, yet He still desired the will of the Father. Jesus fulfilled the purpose for which He came (John 17:1-5). Hence the reason why I believe the greatest victory in all of history began in the Garden of Gethsemane because Jesus obeyed God’s will to die for humanity, bringing life to us all. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had Jesus said no?
Jesus Had You In Mind
The Goo News is, “when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die” (Romans 5:6-7).
We are the ungodly, but Christ still chose to die for us. When Jesus died on the cross, He died, knowing He would be the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. Jesus took the keys of Hades and Death (Revelations 1:18). And because of the victory of Jesus’ decision in the Garden of Gethsemane, sin no longer has dominion over us (Romans 5:16, 22-23).
Not only are we justified by His blood, but Jesus’ decision to obey the Father even unto death saved us from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9). For salvation is open to all. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).
So What Now?
The word of God tells us faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "why should I call on Him if I don't believe in Him? Why should I believe in someone I've never heard or seen? And if I don’t belong to a church, how am I supposed to hear a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).
No worries! When we hear the Gospel or the word of God being preached, our hearts begin to get stirred. And we become curious wanting to hear more. The more we hear the truth, the more we begin to grow in faith.
If you’ve never received Salvation and would like to, you may go to the Prayer of Salvation page (tab) of my blog by clicking HERE. Say the prayer of Salvation and dedicate or rededicate your life to Christ.
If you have received Salvation, but feel as though you backslid a bit, it’s okay. You are still saved. I encourage you to continue to develop and grow in your relationship with God. As we never stop growing in Christ. "For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again..." (Proverbs 24:16).
If you are questioning who God is, especially, in light of COVID-19, reach out to friends and family who are believers and ask them questions. You can ask me questions too, just click HERE.
Since most cities and states have been mandated to "shelter in place", one can easily find a Bible-based church online. As my cousin said, Facebook has become the Netflix of Church. So, find a church live streaming services in your area. Join virtually for now, until church buildings open again.
In the meantime, you can start developing your relationship with God by reading and praying. You are more than welcome to review January’s series, Growth Series. In the Growth Series, I talk about growing and developing our relationship with Christ. Click HERE to access January’s series.
Until next week, shelter in place, stay in quarantine, wash your hands, and come in when the street lights turn on!
Just kidding, but seriously, until next time, remember, victory over death and sin, was a decision won in the Garden of Gethsemane on your behalf!
Be Encouraged!
