He has a snow woman in his yard. The reason why it's a snow woman is because he's trying out this political correctness. But I've noticed that she's losing an awful lot of weight. Yesterday and today she's dropped a lot. Gravity's taking over and the heat's taking over and everything's going south. So, you know, and I didn't notice that until today. The reason I know it's a woman is because when a woman's wearing a long dress, you can't see her feet, right? You can't see the snow person's feet. So I just decided, you know, that God made man and woman and that's it. It's gotta be one or the other. And so, snow woman. You never thought about that before, did you? I know she's losing weight. She's already lost her nose and her ears and her mouth and her head's gone even her head's gone and Need to pray for that person in his yard I'm an observer of people and I guess it's my second nature because I Well, I've been in the ministry about 140 years. Seems like that. And I think I've heard every excuse there is. I've seen every kind of person there. At least I think so. But I observe people. And I have observed Jessica. And I have observed Jeff's wife. I think her name's Angie. I have never seen these two ladies. that they were not wearing a smile. Huh? You know what that does to other people when you walk up to somebody and they're wearing a smile? It picks you up, doesn't it? Unless they got rotten teeth. But it just picks you right up. But you know, the preacher said this morning that in a lot of ways our world is falling apart. And it is. I saw something today I never thought I would ever, ever see. I told you I was an observer. I saw Angie wearing a dress so short I could see her boots. You haven't noticed that yet, eh? That's the shortest dress I've ever seen her wear. She usually wears them out walking on them. She knows not to pay no attention to me. See, I made her smile. That's good. This is my outline for tonight. That's it. That's an hour and a half message right there. If I had a bigger one, you'd be in trouble. I want you to turn with me. I love your pastor. And I don't get to see him much, although I live right across the fence. and we call each other Wilson because we talk to each other sometimes and don't see each other. And, and, and Gail singing that song a while ago, she, what was that lady's name that used to sing with the Happy Goodmans? Gail sounded like her to me. And I love, I love, I love that sound. And I'm old enough to remember those Goodmans. Okay. And I love to hear Gail sing and I appreciate that song, Gail. And, But that's who she reminds me of and she reminds me of Jerry Lee Lewis No, I'm just kidding you guys need a sense of humor Or you need to wake up. I don't know which but so you'll learn me about halfway through this message Okay, I believe in I believe in being happy Okay They used to call them the happy good ones. They call me the happy Ledford. I Okay, all right. I want you to turn with me tonight to the book of Exodus chapter 15, and I would like for you to stand as we honor the reading of God's word. Exodus chapter 15. You probably haven't read that in a while, and you may have chewing gum on your papers about that place, and so it might be hard to find. And beginning in verse one of this chapter, there is the song of Moses and it continues through most of the chapter. But by the time we get down to verse 22, my subject is the tree of life. All right, beginning in verse 22, so Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea and they went out into the wilderness of Shur and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore, the name of it was called, what? Yeah. It just told us that, didn't it? You're doing good remembering, okay. And the people murmured. Don't tell me they didn't have some Baptist and free will Baptist back then. Amen. And the people murmured against Moses saying, what shall we drink? And he cried or prayed unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them. Father, thank you for these passages. Lord, indeed, this is your inspired word. And Father, we pray now that you would open our hearts that we might receive it and that we might appropriate it and that it might become a living part of our lives. and help us to understand the message and the types that we're gonna be looking at tonight and open our spiritual eyes so that we can see. And Father, we pray if there's one here that's not right with you, we pray, Father, that that will be settled before we go home tonight. For we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. Now, these Israelites had just been delivered from Egypt. They had just been delivered from the Red Sea. And they had been delivered from death. And so verse 1 through 21 of this chapter records their song of happiness and praise unto the Lord. But then they came to a place called Morrow. You know, just about when it seems that everything is online, something falls through, doesn't it? And so their trip is turning out to be much like National Lampoon's vacation. Any of you ever see that? Okay, they were on their way to Wally World. And you remember they picked up his aunt or her aunt on the way and while they had her, she died and they put her on top of the car in a rocking chair. Remember that? I mean, they were having some fun. Okay, they were having some fun. And so their first stop after the Red Sea was Shur, that's what it says here. The word Shur means wall. They're in the desert and now they're thirsty. And they begin to complain. One day they're singing, verse one, through most of the chapter we see they're singing. And the next day they're complaining. That's why I know there's free will Baptist there and Baptist there. Amen. And a lot of times throughout our pilgrimage in this world, there's not much distance between our songs and our sorrows. It happens a lot. And so the Maros and the Elam's are not far apart. Over in verse 27, it says, now this was after they came to Mara and left Mara. It says, and they came to Elam where there were 12 wells of water and three score and 10 palm trees, and they encamped there by the waters. So in between much water and all the restful shady palm trees and their songs, they're having a very bitter experience. Now what a great provider our Lord is. One day they were thirsting, the next day they had 70 palm trees to rest under with 12 wells of water. I mean, you can't beat that. You know, you just can't beat that. But on their, let's call it their day of thirst, okay? On their day of thirst, they had a bitter experience. And their faith is about to be tried. I mean, really tried. And God forbid that the bitter things of our life would stir up within us and create in our hearts murmuring. Although the waters are bitter, God's presence is still with them. You remember that before they crossed the Red Sea, Pharaoh's army was approaching them, and God put a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire between Pharaoh's army and the children of Israel. Now from that time on, through their wilderness journeys for 40 years, that cloud was there as a pillar in the day and a pillar of fire at night. It was always there to guide them and protect them. Now they've reached a place where the water is bitter, but God is still with them because the pillar of cloud is still there. In other words, God is going to fix the problem. Did you know that there's power in the tree of life? Did you know that? I see here in type the tree of life, and I'm going to show you that tonight if I can. You see, the cross of Jesus Christ is sufficient to transform and transfigure all of the morals that we might experience in everyday life. In the last part of verse 25, It says and made for them a statute and an ordinance or and he cried unto the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree Which when he had cast it into the waters the waters were made sweet Now that seems a little odd doesn't it? They were complaining and they were saying what in the world are we going to do? What shall we drink? Where will we find? satisfaction in this desert who will show us the good of all of this and Perhaps you noticed that Moses didn't murmur. He started praying. When you're a pastor and three million murmuring people, that's what you do, is you pray, amen? Happy is that person who has learned to pray instead of grumble. You know, I've been associated, I can say this now because I am retired. I have pastored a lot of grumbling people in my life. And you know why they're grumble? Because they're unhappy. And they're unhappy being unhappy, and they want to make you unhappy. And they have their own pity parties. They don't even invite anybody. They just have their own pity parties. They grumble. They don't know why they're grumbling. They're just unhappy. They're not right with God. That's why they're grumbling. When you get right with God, your grumbling will turn into prayer to God and thanksgiving to God. Now I want us to see how God in His wisdom and in His mercy and in His power meets all of their need here at this place called Morrow Morrow, the same as he does us, and do we not see before us, this is kind of a loaded question, but do we not see before us a type or in type the gospel of the cross? Now that's my task tonight to point that out. It says in the text that it was a tree. It was a tree. Now it had to be a dead tree. All right? Because you say, well, how do you know? A live tree wouldn't fit the type here. All right? Because what we see here tonight is a type of the cross of Jesus Christ. And I'm going to try to point that out the best I can. So the cross wasn't a, the cross of Jesus wasn't a live tree, was it? It didn't have branches growing on it. Neither was it manufactured in downtown Roman sawmill. Okay, now I know the Catholics got us believing that it was a real pretty decorated cross. You know, they have all kinds of stuff on it, you know, pretty things. I tell you, the cross wasn't a pretty thing. The only image that many people have today of the cross is the one that Roman Catholicism has pushed upon us. I can assure you that it did not look like the pictures you have seen. I'm going to take you to the Bible tonight and show you a picture of the cross and the power that that cross has. All right? And so I want us to see how God in His wisdom and in His mercy and in His power not only meets their need, but He meets our need as well. And so the cross, this tree was a dead tree. Neither was it manufactured. It was a tree or it was a pole like no other tree or no other pole. What was it that made our Lord's cross different than any other Roman tree? It was because it was His cross. It was His cross. That piece of wood that He was crucified on was dead. But He was alive and He died on that dead tree. He was buried and He rose the third day. It wasn't the cross that made Him what He was. It was He that made the cross what it was. Paul said, Cursed is he that hangeth upon a tree. And we know that Christ was made sin for us. literally made sin, he never sinned, but he was made sin in our place for us and therefore he was cursed with a curse in the sight of God because he was hanging on a tree and because he was cursed with our sins upon him. And therefore God turned his back upon him for a few moments on the cross and that was when people who are separated from God are suffering eternal death. He suffered eternal death for us that we would never have to. Separation from God is indeed and in fact eternal death. So what was it that made our Lord's cross different? It was Him. Now I want to go back to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 for just a moment. I won't stay too long here, long enough to read it and make about 30 minutes worth of comments. Okay? Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, it says, you remember this verse, I will put enmity or hatred between thee, or between you, Satan, and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. Now, Satan has a seed, which is the antichrist. Just as Jesus has a spiritual seed, It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Now, how did that happen? How did he bruise the Savior's heel? Now, let me tell you something. If the cross was manufactured in the image that we see in paintings and everything, how was... I mean, it's got a little platform on it in the picture where Jesus put his feet. as support. But I can tell you right now that the cross of Jesus had no support on it. All right? If His feet was put to that cross and to that platform and nailed to that platform, then how was His heel bruised? All right? I can tell you exactly how it was bruised. Jesus' feet was put on each side of that cross and nailed to that cross. He was nailed there by the shanks of His heel on that cross. That's exactly how it was done. And so the tree or pole that Jesus was crucified on wasn't a cross until Jesus was nailed to it. His body coupled with that tree or that pole made it a cross. Envision that if you can. This outline that I told you about I brought with me because I didn't want to forget it. There were four different types of crosses that the Romans used. I don't know if you know that. The crux simply was a pole. That was the name of it. Crux simply. It was a pole. Just a pole. You know, like a telephone pole. You say, well, I believe the Lord carried something more than a telephone pole. Have you ever tried to carry one? Huh? Have you ever, you go, go pick one up, cut it in half in two and carry it. Okay. And so the crux simply, and then the second one is the crux. decassata, that was made in the form of an X, a cross made in the form of an X. And then there was the crux commissi, it was in the form of uppercase T on your typewriter, you know, the big T. And then there was the crux emissa, that was in the form of your lowercase T on your typewriter. Now these were four different styles of crosses that the Romans made. Now, remember the tree of life in the garden eastward in Eden? Remember that? That's where we are, eastward in Eden. That's what the Bible says. The word Eden means earth. It was eastward in the earth, eastward in Eden. It too was a dead tree yielding forth the fruit of life. It was the tree of life. And I'm going to show you that in a moment. You know what it yielded? It yielded, now get this, supernatural results. It yielded, I'm going to say it again, supernatural results. Remember what happened when Adam and Eve sinned against God? God put some cherubims with flaming swords to guard the tree of life so that it would keep Adam and Eve from partaking of it because if they had partaken of that tree, in their condition, in their condition they would have lived in hell forever. They would have been preserved as sinners and would have never had an opportunity to be saved. But God protected them by putting some cherubims and flaming swords in front of that tree of life to keep them in a state to where they could at some time come to Him for forgiveness. And we know that it did happen because God covered them with coats of skins. He covered them with animal skins that the animal's blood had been shed. All right? And so that stood in their place. So remember the tree of life there in the garden of Eastward and Eden. It too was a dead tree yielding forth fruit. It yielded supernatural results, did it not? The tree of life. You see that same tree of life in the book of Revelation on each side of the river of water of life yielding fruit. You see it again over there. And the results of that tree is supernatural. The results of what Christ did for us on the cross was not natural. It was supernatural. We were born again by the Spirit of God. That is not natural. That is supernatural. And so it is supernatural fruit yielding forth supernatural life. It was the gift of life, just like the cross of Jesus. You know, to Jesus, it was the cross of death. To us, it was the cross of life. You know why? Because that cross of death for Jesus yielded supernatural results for you and me. Because of His death, we have been born again of the Spirit of God. That's supernatural. The Holy Spirit came to your heart and brought to you supernatural life. You were born again. And so just as the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary with Jesus supernaturally and in her womb, He impregnated our heart with the Lord Jesus Christ and we were born again supernaturally. So we were conceived supernaturally the same way that Mary conceived Jesus in her womb. Kind of makes us kin, doesn't it? Amen? So, anyway, remember Aaron's rod that budded? It was a dead pole, wasn't it? First thing it did is it grew leaves and then it started growing almonds. That fascinates me. And when you get over and you read of the Jews later on in the Kings, it was reported that everywhere the Ark of the Covenant was, that rod that budded was with it. That's amazing. The last time we hear about the Ark of the Covenant, the rod that budded was with it. Whether it was inside of it or not, I don't know, but it was with it. That's amazing. Okay? Now, remember the serpent that was, well, it was the tree of life, you know, and the tree of life, it yields results, okay? So, remember the serpent that was raised on a pole or on a tree in the book of Numbers? What did Jesus say about that pole? What did He say about that tree? He said, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Again, you have supernatural results. Remember that, okay? So, Paul wrote in the book of Galatians, Cursed is he that hangeth upon a tree. Peter said he bare our sins in his own body on the tree. You can't get away from it. You just can't get away from it. all the way from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden through the rod that budded and the tree that Peter speaks of. And I've read a lot of early Christian writings and the Apostle Thomas, his mission field was in India. And he spoke a lot of the mystery of the tree. That's what he preached on a lot was the mystery of the tree. And this is what he was preaching on. What I'm telling you about tonight you don't hear too much of today. But it's in Scripture. It's all through the Scriptures. And why are we being told this today? It will give you a totally different perspective on the cross and it will give you a greater appreciation for what Jesus endured. When you see him, there hanging on that pole or that tree with his feet nailed to the outside and his hands up over his head nailed through his, in the Jewish world, in the Roman world, everything from the mid-arm down was considered the hand. If you nail a person to a tree, in his hands it'll pull loose. But if you nail him here, in this part of the hand, it won't. It won't pull loose. So he was nailed to that cross like this. And every aspect of his body, the way he was nailed to that tree, made a cross. When he began carrying it, it was his cross. When he was nailed to it, it was his cross. When he was raised up on it, it was his cross. And I've heard it said that the Romans couldn't manufacture enough crosses. They didn't manufacture his cross. It wasn't manufactured by the Romans. He made that tree what it was. And so Paul said, of course, it is he that hangeth upon the tree. Peter said he bare our sins in his own body on the tree. Now the fruit of this tree is now within the reach of every human being. His tree produces life. It produces everlasting life, exactly like the one in the Garden of Eden did. that the serpent was on was the tree of life. You say, well, how do you figure that? Well, the people that looked to it, they were healed. And they didn't die. And Jesus said, as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man. In other words, the results will be the same. All right? You have to have faith in the one and you have to have faith in the other. And one is just as real as the other. The first one prefigured the second one. just like the tree of life. Jesus was the tree of life, supernaturally, and it pointed to every other aspect of life and Jesus and his sacrifice and his death and his burial and his resurrection, even eternal life because we see, I'll say it again, the tree of life over in Revelation there next to the new city. And so how interesting that is. The fruit of this tree is now within the reach of everybody. The fruit of the tree of life was in the reach of Adam and Eve, but they refused to take it. And so his tree produces life. It produces everlasting life, just like the one in the garden. If Adam and Eve had taken of the tree of life in the garden, they would have instantly received everlasting life. It was their choice. But they chose not to do it, as many today are choosing not to take from the tree of life. Now the pole that the serpent was on, it too was a tree of life because when they by faith looked to it to be healed, they were healed and they did not die. And third, the tree was pointed out by the Lord to Moses. It says in our text here, he showed him a tree. If the Lord hadn't received or revealed the tree, no man could have found it. They were thirsting to death and they needed someone to point the way. And the Lord showed Moses where the tree was. And so, is not Jesus Christ the gift of God? Is He not the revelation of God? Is it not He that shows us all these things? John 1 and 18 says, The only begotten of the Father, He hath declared Him. He hath made Him known. Romans chapter 3 and verse 25 said, Jesus Christ is set forth to be a propitiation for our sins. He is put forward. He has shown us what propitiation is. Propitiation means the place of sacrifice and it also means desacrifice. And did not the Father point out Jesus at the Jordan River when He said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased? Friend, it is to soul convicted sinners that cross the Savior is revealed to man today. The question is, that I had one time, what must I do to be saved? You know what happened? The Holy Spirit showed me Jesus. And He's still showing people Jesus today. And third, it was a tree at hand. God remembers, God's remedies are always at hand. That's too simple, isn't it? The tree of life is not far off for those who want eternal life. The Bible says the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth. It's not far off. All we have to do is speak a word and the Lord comes. And fourth, the tree was received and applied by Moses and these Israelites. It says Moses took the tree and cast it into the waters. You say, well, that's so simple. That's what it's like to be saved. It's so simple. You know, you'll stumble over the simplicity of it if you're not careful. I mean, it's not a complicated thing. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Just believe. Believe and trust, and that's what it takes. And so, it was a divinely appointed remedy, but it must be brought into contact with the polluted and bitter waters of life. All right? And that's the way Jesus is. You've got to let him come into contact with your bitter life. Man cannot provide the cure. He can only take the cure and apply it. Jesus said in John chapter 1 verse 12, and he gave to them the power to become the sons of God. And then fifth and lastly, a tree that made bitter sweet. Verse 25, and he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Jesus makes your life sweet. He makes the unbearable bearable. He makes that which is bad, good. Nolan was going through a little hard time here recently, last week, and he got a little bit worried about it. And I said, son, God never makes anything turn out bad. I said, he will bless you if you will just keep trusting him in this matter. Let him handle it. Let him take care of it. And Nolan did. He took my advice. Two days later, it turned out to be that the blessing was twice as much as what Nolan thought it would be. God never lets you down. I mean, when he surprises you, it's always good. It's not bad. He doesn't surprise you with ugly things. Amen? And so, if you're out looking for a good looking wife, he's not gonna surprise you with an ugly one. Amen? Or a husband, he's not gonna give you an ugly one. I've never seen an ugly person that knows how to love. I've never seen an ugly grandbaby. No such thing as ugly grandbabies. Well, I did see one one time. I got to be honest about that, but it doesn't live around here. It took after its mom and daddy, though. Bonnie said, don't pay any attention to me unless I'm preaching. A tree made bittersweet. The waters that were no good were immediately made useful. You know, when I visited the Holy Land and I was in Jericho, they got this huge spring there. It's probably almost as big as the whole front of this church building. I was standing there thinking about that spring. That was the second miracle that Elijah ever performed. The first one was when he came back across Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah and smoked the waters and said, where is the Lord God of Elijah? And the river parted and he walked across. And the first thing that confronted him when he got into Jericho, they were complaining because the water was causing the cattle and the women to miscarry. And he put some cruises of salt in the water, and it healed it, and it made it good to drink. And when I visited over there, it was 2,000 years, almost 2,500 years after the miracle, and it was still good water. That means what God does, he does a good job of it, amen? And you can go over there today and drink out of that same spring, and it's still good water. So the waters that were no good were immediately made useful. You know what? You need to let Christ in. and the bitterness of your heart will be sweetened and its waters will be made glad. It'll make your heart glad, and it'll make other people glad, too. There's nothing that makes other people gladder than a gladder person. Amen? And I remember reading in the book of Acts, it says, and those that were saved were glad and were baptized. I think when you get saved, it makes a glad folk out of you. Don't you? I mean, puts a smile on your face. Go to the cross, go to the tree of life, and look up by faith, and I tell you what, you'll be made spiritually whole. If you're saved and you've gotten spiritually indifferent, and things aren't right, you don't seem that you are where God wants you, I tell you what, it's your fault, it's not His, because He's always where He's always been. and he's always going to be there. Do like the shepherds when they left the mangers. The Bible said they returned to their work and their life praising God, having their lives sweetened with the power of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope you got something out of this tonight, and I hope that you'll take it for what it's worth and go home and study it. And I hope it'll give you a different perspective and a greater appreciation for the cross of Jesus Christ. You know, a lot of us, sometimes, we believe something because somebody else said it. And we believe something because we see a painting or something. The devil knows how to deceive our minds, even in the religious world. And so, you know, we have pictures of Jesus today. I mean, we don't really know what he looked like. You can go to Isaiah chapter 53, and that'll give you the best picture that you can ever find of what he looked like. But we don't know what he looked like. The only thing we've ever seen is a Roman Catholic depiction of what he looked like in portraits and pictures and such. And the same is true with the cross. Nothing would make the devil any happier than to take the sting out of the cross and to put in our minds a false conception of what the cross is really like. Always depend on what God's word says. It may shake you up a little bit. It may shake you thinking up a little bit, but God's word is always right. Brother Jeff. He's challenged me. Anybody else been challenged tonight with what he preached?