THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

A live oak in Florida 

 

507- THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL 

 Pastor Henry F. Kulp

September 26, 1979

          

Genesis 2: 7 - 9 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3: 22, 23 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Last week we saw when God placed Adam in a garden, He planted trees and two of them are mentioned by name, The Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil, and The Tree of Life, and we saw two very important facts as we studied these two trees. First of all, Adam was placed in a garden, GARDEN HERE MEANS LUXURY. So he was placed in the very lap of luxury. He had every need, every want supplied by God, and we saw that he couldn’t appreciate God Himself or the gifts of God because we learn by contrasts.

1/ APATHY MEANS LACK OF PASSION, OR EMOTION, OR EXCITEMENT, OR LACK OF FEELING, AND WE COULD SAY HE WAS PHLEGMATIC, NOT EASILY MOVED OR MOTIVATED.

He was really neutral, he would be indifferent to the things of God, but when he did partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he was able to appreciate God and the things that God gave to him in the past and also in the present, and in the future.

2/ Then the second thing we saw was that Adam was not created to immortality. This has to do with the physical body. He was created in a body that could die. First of all, immortality means that which cannot die, even though he had partaken of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. If his body had been immortal, he wouldn’t have died, because immortality means you can’t die. He had a mortal body. Secondly, why did God put the tree of life in the garden? Adam was to stay alive by eating of the tree of life, and he was barred from eating of it after he sinned.

3/ Also we can learn ourselves by the means of contrasts. And by comparisons, Let me show you what I mean.

Acts 5: 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Here we are told the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye, Israel, slew and hanged on a tree.

I Peter 2: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Galatians 3: 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

4/ Any thoughtful student will naturally enquire, why should the cross of our blessed Lord be spoken of as a tree? Certainly there is some deeper meaning than that which appears on the surface. Was it not intended by the Holy Spirit that we should refer back to Genesis.

Genesis 2: 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And compare and contrast these two trees? I believe so. 

          5/ Let us look at some points of contrast.

First of all.

a/ The first tree was planted by God. Genesis 2: 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

So this tree was not planted by Adam, but by Adam’s maker, God.

The second tree – the tree to which our Lord was nailed was planted by man.

Matthew 27: 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

In this brief but terrible record, it was human hands that devised, provided and erected that cruel tree on the hill of Calvary. So it was the hands of the creature, not the creator who planted the second tree.

b/ The first tree was pleasant to the eye. Genesis 3: 6 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.

We find this tree was an object of beauty and delight, but what a contrast from the second tree. Here everything was hideous and horrible to the eyes. We have the suffering Saviour, the vulgar crowd, the taunting priests, the two thieves, the flowing blood, the three hours of darkness.

Psalms 22: 6 - 13 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

Isaiah 52: 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

Isaiah 53: 1, 2 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

There was no beauty in Him that they should desire Him.

c/ God commanded that they should not eat of the tree. But how startling by contrast, there is no restriction here. In this case, man is freely invited to eat of this tree.

Psalms 34: 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

We read, Taste and see the Lord is good.

d/  Because God said man could not eat of the first tree, Satan used every argument to get man to eat of it. But on the other hand, God now invites man to eat of the second tree, and Satan uses all his powers to prevent men from eating of it.

 II Corinthians 4: 3, 4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

 

Genesis 2: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The eating of the first tree brought sin and death, it was through the eating of the fruit of the tree that the curse descended upon our race with all of its miseries, but by eating of the second tree comes life and salvation.

John 6: 53, 54 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Of course, eating here is the fact of believing, or trusting or having faith, and notice it is eternal life. This is a beautiful contrast. Oh, how we gain through the second tree.

e/ Adam, I guess you realize, was a thief. He did partake of that which he was told not to eat of, and so he was turned out of Paradise. Do you realize that the second tree bears a repentant thief, one who trusted in Jesus Christ, and his eating of the second tree enabled him to enter into Paradise.

Luke 23: 42, 43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

6/ Let us consider some points of resemblance.

a/ Both trees were planted in a garden. The first in the garden of Eden, the second in a garden which is unnamed.

John 19: 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

Are we not told this for a very important reason, in order that we should connect the two trees? Is it not striking that the first Adam and the second Adam died in a garden?

b/ Both are trees of the knowledge of good and evil. Where in all the world, or all the Scriptures, for that matter do we learn the knowledge of good and evil as we do on the second tree, the cross? Here we see Goodness incarnate, here we behold the holiness of God displayed as nowhere else. Here we see the love of God being manifested, but then when we look at the tree, we also see sin and evil. Sin is the most hideous form, the hatred of man for God, and all that God stands for. Yes, the cross is also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

c/ The second tree is a tree of life. I Corinthians 1: 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Here the preaching of the cross is to those who are saved the power of God.

I Corinthians 1: 23, 24 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God. It makes one wise unto salvation.

d/ Galatians 3: 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

What does that mean?

Deuteronomy 21: 18—23 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Under the law, anyone who was hanged on a tree was accursed of God, no chance of salvation. Life is lost and the soul is lost.

Joshua 8: 29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

Here we are told, the king of Ai hanged on a tree until eventide, and as soon as the sun went down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree.

e/ Esther 2: 23 And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.

So you see, anyone who hangs on a tree is accursed of God.

d/ Genesis 18: 1 - 4 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

How suggestive is this passage? Why should we be told that Abraham invited his three visitors to rest under the tree? Unless there is some meaning to his words, and the tree? As we have seen speaks of the cross of Christ, and it is there that the rest is found.

Genesis 18: 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Here is an additional point. And he took butter and milk and the calf he had dressed and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree and they did eat. Eating here is a picture of COMMUNION. It was under the tree these three men ate, so it is the cross of Christ which is the basis of the ground for our fellowship with God. So first we are to rest under the tree, then we are to eat or have fellowship under the tree. How wonderful it is to meet people who are saved and believe in the cross of Jesus Christ. When you meet someone by accident, seemingly by accident, what sweet fellowship we have.

7/ Exodus 15: 23 - 25 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

Here we have a beautiful Scripture about the tree. When Israel at the beginning of their wilderness journey, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter, and Moses cried unto the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, which he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Comment is almost needless, I am sure, the picture is so apparent, so beautiful. Here again the tree pictures the cross of Jesus Christ. It was our Lord Jesus Christ who by going down into the place of death, sweetened the bitter waters for us. And this also speaks of our daily life, for Paul tells us we are to have the fellowship of His sufferings, we are to be made conformable to His death.

Philippians 3: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

8/ There is another point. We can see that it is very important as we study the trees. God demanded, commanded that Adam was not to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When Adam partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he rejected God’s authority. He becomes a rebel. I think we all have to admit that the Creator, God, possesses the right to issue commands and demands of His creatures. He demands obedience, and this is right, and in the Garden of Eden, God exercised His prerogative and said, Adam do not eat of this tree, but Adam disobeyed and did as he saw fit. Is this not a picture of our day? Rebellion against God? God has no right to tell me this, or tell me that. I will do that which I think is best. Adam thought he knew better than God.

9/ You look at Jesus Christ and you see the opposite. When you compare the first Adam and the second Adam, you see the first Adam in rebellion, but you see the second Adam who did not have to be in subjection to God the Father, being put in subjection. How often He cried out, Not my will, but thine be done.

John 4: 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

John 6: 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

          (Editor's Note:) He willingly came down from His home in Heaven, but He refused to come

         down from the Tree of Calvary so that He could take us back with Him to our eternal home.

     

         AMEN

         Ref: 09/26/1979 / 507 - THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL / 06/29/2020

 

THE BELIEVER’S BOAST

Photo taken from B Smith's patio

 

74 - THE BELIEVER’S BOAST

December 3, 1961

Henry F. Kulp

 

 

Galatians 6: 11-18  As we look at the 11^th verse, I think it lets us right into the heart of the Apostle Paul. Do you want to understand the Apostle Paul better than what you do? This verse will tell you much about him. He was some distance away from Galatia when word came to him that the Judaizing teachers had come in among the different assemblies there, and they were spreading the Gospel of works. Discrediting him and the Gospel he preached.

 

1/  The Apostle was so much disturbed by what he heard that he sat right down and penned this letter. It glows with a white hot heat of his burning zeal for the Gospel of God. It was not the usual thing for men to write their own letters in those days. Letter writing was a distinct occupation, as it still is in the different cities of the East. And if a man had a great deal to do, he would engage one of these professional letter writers. Just as a man here today engages a stenographer. He would not attempt to handle it himself.

2/  And so, ordinarily, the Apostle dictated his letters to various persons. He wrote them out and signed them and sent them on. But in this case there was no one close at hand that he could dictate to, and he was so stirred in his spirit that he thought he could not loose a moment in getting this letter off, so he sat right down and wrote it himself. He refers to this in verse 11.

 

3/   Compared to the Roman Epistle, this is a very short one. It is not more than a third the length of I Corinthians, and only about half the length of the second epistle to the Corinthians. Compared to the other writings of the New Testament it is indeed brief.

4/   If you were to go back to the Greek you would see that he did say, you see with what large characters I have written unto you with mine own hand, and that indicates not only that he was not used to letter writing, but also he had some kind of affliction with his eyes that he was not able to see well.

  

5/   You remember the time he was on trial in Jerusalem and the High Priest commanded him to be smitten on the mouth. God shall smite thee, thou whited wall. I think you will find this in Acts 23: 3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

And someone said, do you speak evil of God’s high priest? And at once he apologized and said, I did not know that he was a high priest. He ought to have known for there Ananias stood, no doubt in his priestly robes, but if Paul were at the other end of the room with his poor eye sight, he may not have recognized the man.

6/   And there are other suggestions in Scriptures that tell us the same thing. He had already said in this letter, Galatians 4: 15 I bear you record that if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. They would not have wanted to do that unless his sight was poor. I take from all this that he had an affliction of his eyes that he had to endure for many years. So therefore, when he sat down to write, he was like a half blind person, writing in big sprawling letters. He realized that he was not sending a neat manuscript, such as folks who made a profession of letter-writing would, so he apologized for it by saying, “You see with what large characters I have written unto you with mine own hands.” 

7/  I think that manuscript with its large letters ought to have touched the hearts of the Galatians, should have made them realize how much he truly loved them and how he was concerned about them. THOSE GALATIANS SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED WITH HIS OWN HAND AT THE COST OF PAIN, AND EFFORT HE HAD WRITTEN TO THEM BECAUSE HE LOVED THEM.

8/  You will notice the contrast here in verse 12. The Judaizers were not concerned for the Galatians spiritual well-being. Their motives were not pure, they merely sought to make a fair show in the flesh.

9/  And then you can make another contrast. Not only did these folks want to make a fair show in the flesh, but they were afraid of persecution. That is something that Paul never feared in his life. Paul never shrank back from being persecuted. He was willing to pay the price of taking a stand for the Lord Jesus Christ. Just contrast this with Galatians 6: 17 where he says, from henceforth let no man trouble you, for I bear in my body, now notice, the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wasn’t afraid to suffer persecution for these Galatians. He wasn’t afraid that he would be beaten. These Judaizing teachers who went into the province of Galatia knew that when you fought someone who believed in legalism you were putting your very life on the line. And you can always see that hatred of those who are legalistic. They tear you apart with words if they can’t tear you apart with their own hands. They tear you apart. There is nothing graceful, there is nothing loving about a person who is legalistic, and these Judaizing teachers knew if folks could get their hands on Paul they would kill him, and if they took sides with Paul they would be killed or maimed  perhaps.

10/  Galatians 6: 13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Paul goes on to expose these men even more when he says, neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law. In other words, the very thing they have been telling you to do they haven’t been able to do themselves, because no one can live up to the law. 

Folks say to me, well, the Sermon on the Mount is good enough for me – I’ll live by it. Did you ever see a man who has done that or is able to do that? 

Read Matthew 5 & 6 and see, test yourself honestly. Test yourself and see how far short of these wonderful portions of Scripture you fall.

11/  Then notice, he says they glory, they boast in your flesh. I read once where a certain worker said, The boast of a man, measures a man. What is meant by that is whatever one glories in reveals what he is. That which he esteems most important or valuable in his life reveals his innermost character. These folks, these Judaizing  teachers, boasted, glorified in the flesh , and flesh is corrupt. 

  

12/  But Paul says, God forbid I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said I never boast about flesh, or in flesh. I only boast about the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

   

13/  Everyone who submitted to circumcision became a feather in the cap of these false teachers. Another success for them, because they would boast – so and so, he believes that grace Gospel and he has been circumcised. But Paul said that is not true – when I lead one to the Lord through the Grace Gospel, I just glory and boast in Jesus Christ and what He has done by the cross to make it possible for man to be saved. 

14/  Notice, in verse 14… But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

…the cross does not even have a close competitor. Paul is very emphatic for he says here, but God forbid that I should glory. In other words there is nothing even close that Paul would consider. 

15/  Now come with me and stand at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you will see at the cross of Christ that it reveals the hatred of man for God. Mankind has ever despised God. Before Christ went to the Cross of Calvary. 

Matthew 27: 22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

They didn’t want Him – they hated Him, but the cross proves the hatred of mankind when Jesus Christ was upon earth. He had done nothing but good in that day, but still they hated Him.

You can see what men thought of Christ when He was on the Cross. 

Matthew 27: 39 - 43 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

First the crowd, approximately a million strong passed by the cross when He hung there for six hours, and they said, come down from the cross – they didn’t want the Christ. Then the chief priests those who were raised from childhood to do the ceremonies and sacrifices there in the temple, all these ceremonies and sacrifices pointed to Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection, but they mocked Him and said, Come down from the cross. 

The Scribes who copied the Bible were so careful as they translated the Bible, they said Come down from the cross. The elders, those who were the ruling body of the nation Israel said come down from the cross and we will believe Him. They hated the cross. These Judaizing teachers may have said, Oh, we believe Jesus Christ died for us, but they in reality, hated the cross, they proved it by their viewpoint of circumcision being added to the cross of Jesus Christ. 

 

16/  It hasn’t changed one iota today. There is not one bit of difference in or present day and age. 

I Corinthians 1: 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. Man today doesn’t think any differently about it, he doesn’t want to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t want to be redeemed with that precious Blood. He wants to be saved with what he can do, what he can offer to God.

17/  Then as you look at the cross of Jesus Christ, and at these wooden beams that held Him there, but the cross and all it stood for, His death for sin, we not only see the hatred of man but we see the awfulness of sin. The world says sin is a mistake, but God says, no, it is terrible. He tells us the wages of sin is death. It is so bad that My Son had to pay the price of the wage of sin so that sinners can be free and be in My Presence.

18/  And then this verse reveals to us the glory of God. The cross not only reveals the awfulness of sin, but it reveals the Glory of God. Remember what the Psalmist said?

Psalms 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

The heavens declare the Glory of God. That word, declare means make known—but in the cross there is the Glory of God that outshines the stars. They are cold and lifeless things while the cross of Jesus Christ is warm and it is life-giving.

19/  Now the heavens reveal the hand of God. The hand of God in Creation, and what a powerful hand it is, but the cross of Jesus Christ reveals the heart of God, and what a heart. 

You have folks say when they are touched by your generosity, your love for them, they will say, you are all heart. When I look at the cross, and I see the glory of God in that cross, I say God is all heart to take the vile sinner like Henry Kulp and save him by that death, because He gave His Son to die for me.

20/  Let us notice in I John 4: 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

And how did He love us? By sending His Son to be a propitiation for our sins. The cross reveals the love of God to me. The glory of God and the cross reveal how much God loves me even though I am certainly unlovable.

21/  Galatians 6: 14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Then the cross of Calvary shows me that it is a means of separation. All who believe in Jesus Christ by the cross are crucified unto the world—they are separated from the world, they should be dead to the world. There is an Old Testament illustration that I think fits in here so well.

Remember about Israel. They had been slaves to Pharaoh there in Egypt, and god had called them out of Egypt, and had separated them, and had driven Pharaoh to let them go, and as they were escaping from the Egyptians, and the Egyptians were pursuing them, wanting them back regardless of the fact that they had let them go, there is old Pharaoh on one side of the sea, crying, You come back here and serve me—put your necks under the yoke of bondage again, and I may be using a sanctified imagination, but I think I can use it here. I think I hear the Israelites saying, Goodby, Pharaoh, goodbye Pharaoh, we want no part of you, and then the Red Sea rolls between them. 

They had been crucified to Egypt, and Egypt had been crucified to them. The waters of the Red Sea rolled between them and destroyed the Egyptians. 

Just so it should be with the world. Not just the wicked things, but even the beautiful, cultured things.

22/  The Israelites could not go back. Remember they trembled when they stood at the shores of the Red Sea—ow could they get across? And God made it possible for them to get across, but how could they get back to Egypt if they wanted to get back? They donut not because the Red Sea now stood between them and their return to Egypt. So it should be with the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ—we have been crucified to this world.

23/  Then Paul elaborated, Galatians 6: 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Crucified and separated, for he says, As many as walk according to this rule—what rule? He has not laid down any rule. Yes, he has, for he has said we are a new creation. That is the way to test everything that is put before us. Is it of the new creation or is it of the old creation, so we can judge whether we should be dead to it, or it should be dead to us.

24/  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy.

Peace and mercy come through the Cross of Jesus Christ.

AMEN

Ref: 12/03/1961/ 74 - THE BELIEVER’S BOAST / June 25, 2020

WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO CALL GOD FATHER?

Oceanside CA photo by B Smith

 

KULP – 312 - WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO CALL GOD FATHER?

August 20, 1961

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Galatians  4: 1 - 7 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Paul, in Galatians 3 is explaining the reason the law was given. It was given first of all to Israel, and Israel alone. It was to be Israel’s school teacher to bring them to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now in chapter 4 he points out that the nation of Israel, the Jew under the law, was an immature child—a child who’s not even able to speak. He is heir of God all right, but he hasn’t reached the place of heir. He’s as a child who does not recognize he has a great heritage, he has a great inheritance coming to him…Thinking that a penny, a bright shining penny is far better than an inheritance than a couple millions because he’s not able to understand what a couple million dollars would mean. And therefore, as we read here in the first verse of chapter 4, he is differing nothing from a servant; he’s just like a servant.  

1/  Galatians 4: 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

But we in this day and age are not under law, and we’re not as immature children, but we have received the adoption of sons. Now what does that mean? When we think of adoption of children in this day and age, we generally think of taking and bringing up other people’s children. But that is not what the Greek word means in this portion of Scripture. It means the placing of a son—those who are already children by blood. In the life of a Hebrew boy, there came a time appointed by the father when the  adoption proceedings took place, and the boy was declared to be the son, an heir of the father. Before that time he had been a son indeed, but he was under tutors and  governors, and he had been told what he must do and must not do, what he may and may not do. He was not much different from being a servant. But when the time appointed finally arrived, he is now a grown son indeed. It is assumed he will no longer need the overseers to keep him in check. And so the adoption proceedings take place. The father would take this son who was up to this time considered a minor up to the forum, answering to our courthouse, and there officially adopted him as his son. Now that shows the difference between the Jew under law and we today under grace. 

Under the law, the Old Testament believers were all God’s children, but they were definitely not recognized as His sons. But in this age it is different. All of God’s children are also His sons. Now you say, Well what’s the difference? Quite a bit.

2/  Under the law they had never reached the age of maturity; but now we are the sons of God.

3/  Remember that in Jeremiah 31: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

God speaks of the Jew as the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land Egypt. They were not adopted as sons at that time. But we at the present time are adopted as sons.

4/  Before we consider our adoption as sons, having received the spirit of adoption, let us look at how this adoption became ours. 

Galatians 4: 4 where we read: But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son made of a woman, made under the law.  

Now there are those who tell us that Jesus Christ was not God’s Son from eternity. They say He became the Son when He was born on earth; but verse 4 definitely denies any such teaching. God sent forth His Son to be born of a woman. He was the Son before He ever stooped from the heights of glory to the virgin’s womb.

5/  Now notice in this Scripture He was made under the law to redeem them that were under the law. Now Christ gave us this exalted position as the Son of God, and put Himself under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the Father. He was put in the position of a child, of a servant. He was put in the position of obedience.   

Philippians 2  While He was on earth, He was God’s beloved Son to be sure; but the declaration of full Sonship could not yet be made. The adoption proceedings could not yet take place.

6/  Psalms 2: 7 I will declare the decree, the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I gotten thee.   

Notice this Psalm, for it tells us: I will declare the decree, the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I gotten thee.  And naturally you will ask, what day? Or, when was our Lord declared to be the Son of God? You will find the answer in Acts 13: 33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us, their children, that He raised up Jesus again. As it is written in Psalms 2, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. So it was at the resurrection that the decree was made that Christ was declared to be the Son of God, begotten.

7/  The same thing is told to us in Romans 1: 4 Concerning His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, now notice, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. 

The adoption proceedings as far as Jesus Christ is concerned are all over.  He was declared to be the Son of God on His resurrection day. So Christ put Himself in the place of obedience, subjection and was declared to be adopted by God the Father on His resurrection day that we might have the adoption of sons.

8/  Ephesians 1: 3 - 6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Now notice what it says here. We, not according to our works or our character, or our devotion, but rather by His own good pleasure of His will, He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we might be predestinated unto the adoption of children. But how could He make us holy and without blame before Him, and give unto us the place of adoption? There is only one answer and it is given to us in this Scripture, by Jesus Christ.

9/  Now notice, we are not merely saved, but we are accepted as grown sons in Christ, the beloved son, and given a place at the Father’s right hand where we have free access to all the Father riches in the heavenlies. 

So when Israel was under the law, they were as  immature children, as minor children under tutors and governors, with a thousand commands, not just ten commands, telling them what to do.  And now today without the law in Christ Jesus, we’re full grown mature sons in Jesus Christ. Now, we do not want to go back under the law? I’m sure you don’t. Our position is far superior to that which is under the law. How much better is our position in grace.

10/  Now we have received the Spirit of adoption, we’ve been called the full-blown mature children of God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this is speaking of our position. But actually we’ll have to wait until we are raised from the dead, and it will be by resurrection when we will come to the fullness of this position.  

Romans 8: 15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

It is by the Holy Spirit, placing us as sons of God, that we cry out Abba Father.  It is only when we have the spirit of adoption that we’re able to call God our Father.  And so we have the answer to the question that we’ve ask in the title of our message, Who has the Right to Call God Father?  We do, the ones who are full grown sons of God in Jesus Christ.

11/  Does this give us the right to live any way we want now, for we are not sons under probation, but we are full grown sons the moment we believe. Does this give us a license to sin? Oh no! Remember when Israel was under law, when they were mere, minor children, and were under tutors and governors and told what they may not do, what they may and may not say, God told them:  Exodus 20: 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Now most of us believe that we do this by swearing or by profanity. But that’s not exactly what it means here. But as children they were still called by the name of the Lord and are responsible to magnify His name. If they did anything that brought dishonor upon His name, they are taking the name of the Lord, their God in vain, for notice the word  Thy God.  Remember what the apostle Paul said. He said of them: Through you the name of the Lord is blasphemed among the Gentiles.  

Romans 2: 24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

In other words, The Gentiles saw so much that was wicked and corrupt in the behavior of God’s earthly people that were called by His name, that they said, If these people are like their God, He must be a very unholy being indeed. Well, if that is true of minor children under the Law, what should it be of us who are called the children of God – full grown mature children! How much more should we be careful of bring dishonor to His name.

12/  But now let us turn to the adoption of sons. We already have it in position, but it is not ours until a time of resurrection. 

Romans 8: 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Someday we shall come into full enjoyment of that position. And who knows how soon. Now notice when we come to  the fullness of this position, we will have as it says in Romans 8: 23 the redemption of our bodies.

13/  The first thing we must see is that our resurrection body is linked with the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus Christ, even as our resurrection body is linked with Him.  

Philippians 3: 20, 21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Now there is a thought here that thrills me tremendously and I’d like to pass it along to you this morning. There is nothing that can be said about the body of the Lord Jesus Christ besides the question of the marks of His wounds, that cannot be said about our bodies in the resurrection. What a glorious thought!

14/  First of all, our bodies will be a material reality. Let us therefore look at the resurrection of our Savior in order to find out what has been revealed to us about the nature of His resurrection body. It was a tangible, material body, and yet it was not a body that was subject to the laws that govern our material bodies in which we live today. Now we said His body was one that could be seen by the human eye. 

John 20: 20  And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  

I Corinthians 15: 5 – 7 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

They saw the Lord; they recognized Him; they identified Him as Jesus Christ.

15/  It was a body that could be touched with the human hand. The disciples were terrified when He appeared in their midst; they supposed they had seen a ghost.  

Luke 24: 39  But Jesus Christ said unto them, Why are you troubled? Why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and My feet, that is I myself. Handle me and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as ye see me have. 

It was a body that could be touched with human hands.

16/  The same verse also showed that it was a body that had a voice that could be heard by the human ear.

17/  On the third occasion on which the Lord revealed Himself to the disciples, they were returning to shore after a night of fishing in which they had caught nothing.  

John 21: 12  Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

The Lord commanded them to cast their nets on the right side and they brought forth the second miraculous draught of fishes. And when they come to shore they saw the Lord had lit a fire and fish were broiling thereon. The Lord then invited the disciples to come and dine with Him. Therefore, we must see that the body which our Lord possessed after His resurrection was that He could eat and did eat food in a normal manner.

18/  But on the other hand, we can see that there are differences between the resurrection body of Jesus Christ and our present bodies.  And this can be seen in several statements in the New Testament. First of all, when the angles rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb in which the Body of Christ had been laid, they did not do it in order to let Christ out, but in order to let the disciples in. The Lord had arisen, and not bound by physical laws which govern our bodies. He had passed through material things to appear in a recognizable form. His Body had been wrapped around with the linen of the burial with expensive spices between the layers of the cloth. But when he arose He passed through the bodily wrapping, leaving them in the shape of His body but empty of that body. After passing through the linen clothes and the walls of the tomb, the Lord Jesus Christ passed through the walls into the upper room where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.  

John 20: 19 The same day at evening, being the first day of the week when the doors where shut, and Jesus stood in the midst.

19/  Another difference between the Lord’s resurrection body and our present bodies can be seen from a comparison in two verses in the New Testament. In the great resurrection chapter, Paul says in I Corinthians 15: 49 As we have born the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 

In death the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ was removed from His body. When He rose from the dead He said to the skeptical disciples: Handle Me and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones that ye see that I have.  

Luke 24: 39  Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

How amazingly wonderful the way everything fits into every other verse, so that there is no possible contradiction in the revelation which God has given to us concerning His Son.

20/  Another difference between our Lord’s resurrection body and our present body is that his body was not subject to disintegration and decay as is ours.

21/  The final difference between our Lord’s resurrection body and our present body, is that He was able to move without restraint of gravity and to travel with the speed of thought.  

John 20: 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

At the first morning of His resurrection He met Mary and said to her: Touch me not, for I’m not yet ascended to my Father. Later the same evening He appeared to the disciples and said, handle me.  

Luke 24: 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

The inference is inescapable. Between the time when He told Mary not to touch Him and told the disciples to touch Him, He had been to heaven and returned.

We know in Acts 1: 10, 11 that He was caught up right out of the sight of the disciples. 

 

And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

So we know at the adoption we will have a resurrection body like unto His body, that can be seen, heard, touched and which are able to partake of food, bodies that are flesh and bone. They are bodies that can pass through material objects, and are capable of traveling with the speed of thought.

22/  I Corinthians 15: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

Paul tells us that the body is sown in weakness but is raised in power. The body is buried in weakness, but it is raised in power. There is no argument possible about the weakness of the dead body: even though it was the body of a great athlete, it could no more run or wrestle or box or play ball. But the resurrection shall be in power. Even though it was a body of a hopeless cripple, it will be a body that can do all things that anyone else can do. It will be like the body of the eternal Son of God.

AMEN

Ref: 08/20/1961 / 312 - WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO CALL GOD FATHER? / 06/25/2020