Page 52 - SABBATH

evil. The tree of life brings one into union with the Father where all knowledge of good and
evil finds its source in Him. The tree of life represents man in union with Yahweh. The tree
of life is a place of rest where man has his head covered, where man refuses to act or speak
of his own initiative, but where he receives every command, every direction from the mouth
of God. The tree of life is the Sabbath tree.
In the parable of the prodigal, the wayward son represents every man. “All we like
sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one of us to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
When we come to our senses we are led to return to the Father and we determine that we
will now live to do His will. We know the righteous thing is to present ourselves as servants,
knowing that we are not worthy to be called sons. Yet in His mercy Yahweh does call us
sons. He declares, “This son of mine was dead: (he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil; he went and lived according to his own will and desires and he walked in death.)
Now my son has returned alive: (he has forsaken his own way and he has returned with the
heart of a servant to do My will. Now My son is eating from the tree of life.)”
There is great hope for this son that was lost. He has discovered how barren and
hopeless life is apart from the Father. He has discovered that living a self-directed life leads
to death. He is able to see what true life is. He understands that man lives by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God. By experiencing the depths of his own depravity and
his inability to govern himself he has seen his need and great dependence upon the Father.
There is great hope for this son for he has now come to make a similar confession as did
Yahshua; “No longer will I live for my will... I will live for You Father.”
Much of the church has missed the point of this parable of Yahshua. It is not enough
to simply realize that you are headed for hell and you are in need of forgiveness for your
sins. It is not sufficient to pray a sinner’s prayer if you do not have a similar heart change
as did the prodigal son. What is needed is a realization that we are unable to govern
ourselves. It is no solution at all to make a confession of Christ and then to continue to
direct one’s own life according to the leading of the soul.
Much of the church remains in this place, however. They renounce the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil and they proclaim the praises of the tree of life, but even as they
do so they are still eating of the tree that brings death. Much of the church proclaims
Yahshua to be the Son of God. They know that He alone led a life that was pleasing to the
Father, but they have failed to identify what made His life so pleasing. Yahshua said, “Not
My will... but Your will be done.” This was the chief characteristic of Yahshua’s life. He lived
to do the will of the Father. Yet many saints continue to live to fulfill their own desires. They
look to Yahshua for salvation, but they have not identified what they truly need saving from.
Many saints wish to continue living their lives much as they did before they heard
about Yahshua, but they want to know that their sins will be forgiven and they will go to
heaven when they die. Little do they realize that the Father wants to conform their lives to
the image of the One they look to for salvation. It is no salvation at all to remain in
independence from the Father, being led by one’s own soul. Such a saint is still walking in
spiritual death. The Father wants His elect to confess, “Not my will... but Your will be done.”
The Father wants His elect to forsake the tree that leads to independence that it might be
said of them as it was the prodigal son, “This child of Mine was dead, but now they are
alive.”