Got Life?

Notes on Peter Gregory
InTents - SAU
Monday
9.29.08

Background
Garden - Surrounded or covered
Eden - Pleasure, delight, or happiness
Garden of Eden - Hebrew meaning: Surrounded by pleasure/covered with delight/immersed in happiness.

In the Garden of Eden there were 4 rivers. A river, in Revelation, is life. River of Life. (Revelation 22:1-5) The Hebrew meanings for these 4 rivers, all have to do with being ALIVE!

• Pishon - grow up/increase/get bigger
• Gihon - bursting forth
• Hiddekel - rapid/speed
• Euphrates - much fruit

We all want to live our lives like this! Growing up! Bursting forth! Moving forward! Being fruitful!

What they lost
When Adam and Eve sinned and left Paradise, they weren't leaving things such as flowers, animals, and beautiful lakes. Those things were outside the garden as well. But they were leaving 3 things they could not take with them.

1. Tree of Life - represents that life should be eternal (Quantity of time)
2.Garment of light - represents that life should be lived without shame (Quality of time)

• Genesis 2:25 - Adam and Eve were naked but they were NOT ashamed
• Genesis 1:26 - We were made in God's image
• Psalms 104:2 - God has a covering of light
• Conclusion = They were not ashamed because they had a covering of light just like God

3. Face to face communication with God - life should be full of conversation with God

• Genesis 1 - "God spoke and it was..." Genesis 1 is full of God speaking!
• We were made in God's image so we were also made to talk
• Because God speaks and we are made in His image, then we represent God and his character by our words!
• God gave us the ability to talk so that we can talk to HIM!

After sin
After sin, there are three main desires that humans always try to fulfill:
1. We want to live forever - do everything we can to postpone age
2. We long to shine - be the best at whatever we do
3. We long to talk - communication and relationships with those around us

Sanctuary: an answer to our need
Exodus 25:8 - Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.

• By creating an earthly sanctuary, God was bringing Eden down to the human race to answer those needs that humans had been trying to fill on their own
• The Sanctuary was surrounded/enclosed/covered - just like the Garden of Eden!
• The Sanctuary was a mobile Garden of Eden
  

There were three things when you enter the Sanctuary that immediately fulfill our 3 needs:

1. Table of Showbread - Everlasting life
2. Golden Candlesticks - Light
3. Altar of Incense - Prayer (Communication with God)

Our answer today
Again, God has provided 3 ways to fulfill these needs that we still have:

1. Showbread = Bible
2. Candlestick = Holy Spirit
3. Incense = Prayer

Through these three things, we can have our own Paradise on earth. When we use these to fulfill our needs, we will feel Alive in Christ and be fruitful!

Aaron's Rod

• The rod was a piece of stick. It was dead. There was no life in it.
• Many times we are like Aaron's Rod - spiritually dead. Not even a desire to come alive.
• Numbers 17:8 - When the rod was placed IN THE SANCTUARY, it came alive!
  
• The rod went through the Garden of Eden experience!
• WE need to go through that same Garden of Eden experience. We need those 3 essential things to become ALIVE!
  

At first, it can be very boring. It can be monotonous. You've been dead, so it's not very fun. But consistency is key. Even if it's only 5 minutes a day, make it a consistent 5 minutes every day. Stay with it and experience life!

In order to buy back the Garden of Eden for us, Jesus spent time in the Garden of Gethsemane

• In order to buy back the tree of life, Jesus carried the tree of death
• In order to buy back our garments of light, Jesus became naked and was covered in darkness
• In order to buy back our face to face communication with God, Jesus was cut off from God
  

Jesus Himself was the essence of the Garden of Eden

• "I am the bread of life"
• "I am the light of the world"
• "In my name you pray to the Father"

CONCLUSION
We try to buy our own paradise by working all our life for monetary goods. And finally when we have made "enough" money and are ready to enjoy our "paradise", then our body fails.

Why are you here?
What are you trying to buy?

When you wake up in the morning, do you buy your paradise in heaven or on earth?