THORNS AND THISTLES
Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
The First Adam lost his place, and ours, because he listened to a voice other than God’s. And in doing so he came to disobey that which God’s voice had instructed him. But it was never so with the Last Adam – the Eternal Son, Jesus Christ.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
It is the same today in our world of religion! The vast majority of religious attenders are but listening to what others say about the Lord God, and not listening to the Lord Himself! John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: The Lord Jesus is outside the church door, knocking to awaken individuals within to come out from the influences of organized religion and into the organism of his true Body – the Church. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Those truly justified live only by faith! Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. And that faith only comes by hearing the voice of the Lord – the Word himself! Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; Therefore it is essential that one hears the sovereign voice of Life, both for the new birth and for the continued cleansing of the soul! Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
And we take note of the Lord God’s words to Adam, cursed is the ground for thy sake. Thorns and thistles were, heretofore unknown to creation. Reading Genesis 1:11,12 gives us an inventory of that foliage which the Lord brought forth on the third day of creation. And of everything brought forth the Lord saw, it was good! There were no thorns and thistles!
Therefore we understand that a cursed ground, resulting from sin, is necessary for the appearance of thorns and thistles. And it was Adam’s sin of failing in continued obedience to God’s command which caused the sin. And when the ground was cursed, so was everything made of it! 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;…19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air;
Romans 5:18a Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; 19a For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, 1 Corinthians 15:22a For as in Adam all die, …
And this curse of the ground for the sin of Adam was most severe. For not only did it provide thorns and thistles, but it also took away the springing forth of the flowers and vegetables, without man’s initiation, in the garden. Consider Cain’s curse and his severe reaction to it. For Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Genesis 4:2).
Genesis 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. No one location would sustain him any more as he had spilt human blood into the earth. And he cried out that this was a far greater punishment than he was able to bear!
And this was also a continued curse to those refusing obedience to God’s word as mentioned in the law of Moses. It was even stated that the ground itself would spue them out! Leviticus 18:27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. Listen to that which the Apostles Peter and Paul reveal to us of the situation that Adam brought upon creation, which can only be restored by Christ at the final resurrection. Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 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.
It was man’s sin of disobedience which brought sickness and suffering upon the entire created world. But it is The Man, Christ Jesus who shall bring deliverance from the bondage of corruption! 2 Peter 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Romans 5:18b …even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19b …so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
1 Corinthians 15:22b …even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
The first Adam was cursed due to disobedience of God’s command. But the Last Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, as we stated above, always obeyed his Father’s will – even to the giving of his life! John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
And as the first Adam’s sin was involved with a tree, so the last Adam reversed the curse by his becoming a curse for us, by hanging on a tree! Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 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:
The first Adam brought forth sin in a garden. And the last Adam brought forth righteousness from a garden. Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. John 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. 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.
The first Adam’s garden was a place of physical beauty. The last Adam’s garden is the spiritual beauty of his Bride, the Church. She has a sealed fountain so that no pollution can enter therein. Song 4:12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
The Lord God told the first Adam that he would eat in sorrow. The last Adam was a man of sorrows. Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
And the last Adam even made the hunger of his people to be a blessed thing in their journey in this life! And then he will remove it from them forever. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Revelation 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
The last Adam IS the very bread of God to the hungry souls of his people! John 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
And as our provided salvation is not of our works, but by grace through faith, he took the thorns to his cross as he reversed the curse on our souls! Matthew 27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
He also eliminated our sweating for our soul’s bread as he sweat great drops of blood! Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Now it is only those who involve themselves in the love of this world who have to put up with the thorns! Matthew 13:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
But those who have renounced the world for the love of Christ, have been provided a righteousness without our effort and sweat! For we are his priests. Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
And we appropriate the Bread of Christ to ourselves by faith as priests to our own souls. And to the priests are provided linen garments of righteousness by which we approach the throne without self effort and therefore without the offense of the odor of religious works! Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Ezekiel 44:17 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. 18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.
Dear Reader, Jesus paid it all! We, as in the natural birth, were acted upon. Grace and faith are free gifts. And all you have to do when a gift is provided is to receive it! Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Therefore all heads must be uncrowned, except His! Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Pastor Gene Breed
July 31, 2015
