Here is this week’s outline & verses in a downloadable PDF format.
2020 Summer Truth Pursuit Week 3
Spend some time this morning to open up to the Lord in prayer regarding what He touched you with during the previous six days. Review your notes and the outline points and verses. Ask the Lord what He would have you share with all the saints. Prepare a prophecy (1-2 minutes long) to share with the saints what you enjoyed this week.
Message 3: The Tree of Life and the River of Life Signifying God as Life to Man
Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:9–10; John 1:4; 14:6; John 10:10b; John 6:57; John 7:37–38; Rev. 22:1
I. Life is needed for God’s expression and representation—Gen. 1:26–27
Genesis 1:26–27 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. 27 And God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
A. As a vessel man can only express what is contained within him—2 Cor. 4:7
2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.
B. For man to express and represent God he must receive Him as life—Gen. 2:9
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
II. The tree of life and the river of life both signifying Christ—Gen. 2:9–10
Genesis 2:9–10 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went forth from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became four branches.
A. Christ is life—John 1:4; 14:6; 11:25; Col. 3:4.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the reality and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.
B. Christ is the tree—John 15:5
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
C. Christ as the tree of life is available to be enjoyed (eaten) by us—John 6:57
John 6:57 As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.
D. Christ is the river of life—Rev. 22:1
Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.
E. Christ as the river of life flows (dispenses) life into us in the same way that water quenches our thirst—John 7:37–38; 4:13–14
John 7:37–38 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.
John 4:13–14 Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again, 14 But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life.
III. We can enjoy Christ as life in our morning times and throughout the day
A. We need to use our spirit to receive more of God as life into us—John 10:10b
John 10:10 …I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly.