It Began In A Garden…

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Why did the Garen incdient happen in the first place?  Everything was going along fine. God created everything, it was good, He created man and woman, placed them in the garden, and gave them everything.

He gave only ONE commandment; “Don’t eat from that tree.”  But what did they do?  They broke it!  Now, sadly, God had to tell them the consequences of their actions.

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Freely.

The words in bold letters plus the underlined word tell the story.  God told the man about the “Freely” part; woman was not present.  She didn’t know.  So when the serpent came calling, she was deceived.  But Adam did.  He knew.  He was standing right beside her and said nothing.  As head of his household, he should have spoken up, but he did not.

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The Curse.

In Genesis 3 God first speaks to the serpent and, among other things, informs him that He is sending a Champion, The SEED of the woman, Who will “CRUSH HIS HEAD.”

Then he turns to the woman and says, in verse 16, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

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Sweat.

And finally, He speaks to Adam;
“16 Cursed is the ground for your sake; {livelihood/provision}
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 Both THORNS AND THISTLES it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the SWEAT OF YOUR FACE you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.” {death}

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Gethsemane.

Fast forward about 4,000 years to another garden; “Gethsemane.”  In this garden, Jesus knew what He was about to endure for us.  He prayed to His Father and SWEAT great drops of (sinless) blood.  Medical science tells us this can only happen to someone who is under EXTREME duress.  He was about to drink the full cup of God’s wrath and fully satisfy His just judgment that was leveled against us so that you and I wouldn’t have to.

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He was arrested, “tried,” convicted, scouraged mercilessly, brutalized by the entire Roman garrison who jammed a crown of thorns on His head and then crucified like some common criminal.
After hanging on that tree for 6 hours He cried out, “I thirst.”  They gave Him sour wine to drink.  Having consumed in His body every last bit of God’s fiery wrath He cried out with a loud voice, “FINISHED.”  Then He bowed His head, dismissed His spirit, and died.

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Gethsemane is derived from two Hebrew words: Gath, meaning “wine press;” “shaman,” meaning “oil.” Jesus, like the fruit of the vine which represents His shed blood, was “pressed,” in the garden; “pressed” at the scourging post; “pressed” at the cross;  all for us!  Everything His sinless blood touched was completely and unequivocally redeemed!

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(From more on Gethsemane, follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/gethsemane-2/)

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No More Sweat.

In Gethsemane, He redeemed our SWEAT, the very first curse from the first garden.  He reversed every last curse spoken to Adam after the fall.  No more “SWEATING” for blessings.  At the scourging post, every scourge that fell on Him, a disease or infirmity fell off us.

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With each lash, He was declaring, “There goes cancer; there goes diabetes; there goes heart disease;” on and on until every disease and infirmity was paid in full.

Therein is your healing!

The crown of thorns, which was literally hammered into his head, redeemed from condemnation our every wrong thought, every fear, every worry, all of which are sins too, for with God, the thought is the deed.
Unlike Abel’s blood that cried out “condemnation” from the ground, every drop of Jesus’ precious blood that dropped along that road to Mt. Calvary cried out, “Mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation!”

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Complete Shalom.

He purchased our complete SHALOM:  Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity in every area inclusing finances, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony and the absence of agitation or discord on that cross.

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What a God!!!  What a SAVIOR!!!  He emptied Himself of everything that was rightfully His, He became poor so we could be redeemed from the curse of poverty.  Yes, poverty is part of the curse.  No wonder we can come to the Father without any fear.  God has no judgment left for us because He laid it ALL on His Beloved Son.  He did so we could come boldly, sit on his lap and say, “Daddy!”

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God Isn’t Looking At You.

Because of Adam’s fall there was owed to God a GREAT DEBT.  Jesus didn’t owe it, we did.  We couldn’t pay it, HE DID!  Now, HALLELUIA, His perfect law-keeping is credited to us when we receive the free gift of righteousness in His outstretched, nail-pierced hand.  God looks at Jesus, our Lamb, to evaluate us and pronounce that He is well-pleased with us.

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Oh, yes; It began in a garden; and HALLELUIA!!!!!…..IT ENDED IN A GARDEN!