Gospel House Ministries

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Let us pray. Most gracious and dear heavenly father, you are worthy. You are trustworthy. You are faithful. You are awesome. You are mighty. You are loving. You are kind. You are just. You are everything to us.

Guest (Female): Everything.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: And we just thank you, Father, for this life that you've given us. We thank you for your word that you've given us so that we can live this life. Without your word, we wouldn't be able to live this life. Without your word, we all would be gone. So now, Father God, use me to teach your word. Use me to preach your word and let these words rest in the hearts of your people. Let them not rest in their minds, but let these words rest in the hearts of your people that it may empower them for greater, that they may do the things that you have brought them in this world to do, that they may live in freedom and not in bondage. Your will be done today, and I thank you in every way for this word. It shall go forth and it shall not come back void.

So we bless you now. We praise you now. We thank you. Hallelujah for your word. And now we're at your feast table, ready to eat. Hallelujah. And help us not to drop any of this food to the floor. Let us take it all, eat it all, digest it all, and may it nourish our spirit. We thank you now in Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Amen and amen.

My sermon title today is the trees in my life. You look out that window behind you, you see trees. I don't care where you go, you see trees. Why did God plant so many trees? What is it with all these trees? You know God doesn't do anything by mistake. He does things on purpose. Trees, we will learn today, serve a purpose in our life, our natural life, and trees serve a purpose in our spiritual life.

I advise you, if you like the word of God, if you love the word of God, get a pen and paper. There's going to be some things that's worth writing down. Trust me, it will be. Amen. Trees are in everyone's life. Without trees, I don't believe we could survive on Earth very long because they provide and supply so much for us, for us humans. You eat honey that naturally comes from a tree because the bees desire it there.

One writer says that Jesus is sweeter than the honey on the honeycomb. You get sweet maple syrup from a tree. This syrup is graded by color and taste, and it's four. So you know the whole world loves maple. It is four grades of this syrup. Golden, which is a delicate taste. Isn't Jesus like golden? And the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He delicately deals with you. He's not a roughhouser. He doesn't roughhandle you.

The next one is amber. This is the one that I choose. I use this one. It's rich in taste. Isn't Jesus rich in taste? We just said, "O taste and see that the Lord is good." The next one is dark and robust. I'm here to tell you that God is a robust God. He's full of taste. He's full of power. And then the next one is very dark, a strong taste. Sometimes you get a strong taste, a strong dose of life. Sometimes God has to come and deliver you from that strong dose of life, disappointment. Hallelujah.

Many people enjoy pancakes, waffles, and French toast, but most store-bought syrup is unhealthy because it is artificially produced. We're living in a world of AI. I just can't get with that AI. Know why? Because it's got the word artificial. Why are people excited about artificial? Something's down the line. Something's down the road that we don't want to see. God showed me this. AI ain't no joke. AI is more of an enemy than a help, but Satan is cunning. He's presented it as a help now, but watch what that thing turns into.

Man, with his corrupt self, made it—the artificial syrup—not God. It came from a place from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Corn syrup and cane sugar are in these syrups, which produce diabetes and cancer. If you want good syrup, you must get it from the right tree and not from the forbidden tree. Know this: the forbidden tree will always hurt you and never help you. The forbidden tree is a corrupt tree filled with pain, and you won't ever gain. This tree takes away from you because it lusts for your soul.

The world will never give to you when it is always taking from you. Look at the properties of maple syrup. It's a natural sweetener containing a mix of sugar, water, and minerals like manganese, zinc, calcium, potassium. It also contains organic acid, amino acids, which are good for the stomach, vitamins, and antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. If there is a people who need that, it's us Black folks, because we swell up with all kinds of diabetes, all kinds of problems. Heart problems make your ankle swell, your leg, your arm, your hand. But you see anti-inflammatory? That's where arthritis comes in.

Another tree that provides that for you is the cherry tree. Cherry tree helps with swelling up, helps with arthritis. You see trees? God made trees to help us. I'm just giving you all a peep into the future of this sermon. God made trees to help us, not hurt us. Glory to God.

So maple trees, whether you know it or not, manganese is good for healthy bones. All it takes is one tablespoon of maple syrup, and it can give you 33% of your daily value of manganese. God's message in a question to us all today: are the trees you are eating from really helping you or hurting you?

Whether you know it or not, all trees have sap in them, which is the fluid that transports water and nutrients. Only trees such as maples and birch are typically tapped for sugary sap. Many popular foods use tree-derived seasonings for flavor. An apple tree—the wood and apples are good when cooking or barbecuing pork. An orange tree supplies tea, medicine, juice, and zest for baking and cooking. How many know Jesus will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory?

An almond tree helps with ice cream, cakes, and trail mixes. Almonds are rich in nutrients including healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium. They also contain antioxidants and can help lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and support heart health. Almonds are referenced in the Bible. Jacob gave them to Joseph as a gift in Egypt. Almond symbolizes the dependability of God. You find an almond tree in the Ark. Remember the Ark? You find it in the Ark.

In Jeremiah 1:11-12, it says in the Hebrew, almond means awakening, be alert. The Hebrew word is shakad. It also means watchfulness. The almond tree represents God's watchfulness and his promise to fulfill his word. Is not Jesus watchful? And has not he awakened your spirit? Did you know all of this? God says my people perish because of the lack of knowledge. So that's why it's good to learn and study to show yourself approved. We come to church to learn and not just shout. We've been shouting too long and learning much less. Some of us shouting don't know what we're shouting about, just know the beat is good.

Trees play a very important role in our lives. You have the mesquite tree, which are known for sweet, edible pods and for enriching the soil with nitrogen. The wood is valued for its furniture making and its aroma in grilling. Others are hickory tree, oak tree, pine trees. Trees provide heat when the wood is chopped and burned. Trees help us breathe. They help cleanse the air because they breathe too and absorb the pollutants in the air.

Trees are foundations built under our houses. Trees are walls built on the foundations, and trees are roofs on top of the walls, to the floors with... trees are roofs on top of the walls to provide shelter from the storms, the heat, and the rain. Inside the house, the trees make floors with a range of colors—mahogany, amber, walnut, red oak, pine, and more. On the floor of the house sit trees that have been in the hands of a craftsman who turned the trees into furniture. Elegant furniture can be found in the house.

Lastly, trees provide entrance in each room. These trees become doors that lead you in and out of the house. In John 10:7, Jesus said, "I am the door of the sheep." Trees are everywhere like God is everywhere. Trees provide shade. Just ask Elijah. His shade became shelter when he ran from Jezebel. We even build houses in the tree, treehouses, because of the protection and shelter it provides.

Truth be told, your house or home should be built in the Tree of Life, which is Jesus Christ. He said, "Abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me." He's a firm foundation. He's a shelter in the time of storm, and the devil can't do you no harm. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous run into it and they are safe.

Weapons like spears, bows, and arrows come from trees. Some of you are probably saying, "Preacher, what is it with the trees?" I'll tell you what's with the trees. The Bible starts out telling us about trees, and in the middle of the Bible, Jesus, the Tree of Life, is crucified on a tree. The Bible ends talking about a tree. The same tree that was in the beginning, you find at the end of the book: the Tree of Life.

How many know Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end? God says in Genesis 1:29, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed, to you it shall be for food." God feeds us spiritually and naturally. He feeds us in every way that we need to be fed.

How many of you know Jesus is our food? My sermon title is about the trees in your life. Look at all the trees and the properties trees have. How many of these trees are in your life? Did you know that God made trees with a repellent in them? The Ark of the Covenant was made with a special wood called acacia wood. This wood repels insects. It contains oils and compounds that make it resistant to insects and termites. There are some people who build their houses with this wood to keep the insects, the bugs out of their house. Extract from this tree are used as an effective insecticide against mosquitoes.

I believe trees show us the attributes of God. They're everywhere like God. They feed us like God. They provide shade and cover for us like God. They have oil and sap in them like we have the oil of the Holy Spirit in us that comes from God. Trees provide protection like God. Trees are homes to birds and other creatures. Trees can be used to fence us in like God has put a fence around us for protection.

When you wake up in the morning and look out the windows, the first thing you see is trees. Trees can be lifegivers, lifesavers, or lifetakers. People on survival missions eat tree bark. They have to learn how to eat from the tree. These trees give us ability to float on water so we don't drown in the water. Didn't Jesus do that with Peter? Have you ever rode on a boat or ship out in the deep waters? Take away the tree from under thee and you're going down. You're going to drown. Somebody may say, "I can swim, I won't drown." It doesn't matter how well you swim. There's too much water between you and the peaceful shore. You don't have the capacity to swim that great distance. But I know a great God who is quite different from the Coast Guard. He's the Tree of Life who came that we might not lose life but gain life. Trees don't move in a car accident. They stand. You and I are supposed to stand just like the tree, no matter what hits us.

Turn in your Bibles to Genesis second chapter, beginning at the first verse. It reads: "Thus the heavens and the earth and all the host of them were finished. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had done." How many know he couldn't rest until he finished? "He had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground."

That's where you get dew from. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Didn't they say God, he breathed, right? Trees breathe on us too, whether you all know it or not. Trees supply you with oxygen. So don't tell me God and trees are not like God.

"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food." You know, you can look at a television show or you can see a preacher preaching, you see trees on the stage. You see trees in a restaurant, especially one of those Latin restaurants, they got those nice palm trees in there and you go... it just makes you feel comfortable that you're sitting in there. You can find trees in homes. You find trees in menus and venues and etc.

Hallelujah. So back to verse nine. "So it's good that the tree grows that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The Tree of Life was also in the midst of the garden." So if it was in the midst of the garden, it was in the center of the garden, and the Tree of Life should be in the center of your life.

"And the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden." Now that's a river. "And from there it parted and became four riverheads." You know, four is a number of the world. So this river really represents Jesus coming, flowing from the garden. Eden represents heaven, so Jesus is that river from heaven.

"I got a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see, opens prison doors, sets the captives free. I got a river of life flowing out of me, spring up a well down in my soul, spring up a well that makes me whole, spring up a well that brings to me that life abundantly." Don't you want it?

Now, a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. See, God is trying to show you that I'm valuable to you and I will put value in your life. I will put precious things in your life. "And the gold of the land is good, bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river, that great river, the Euphrates."

And whether you know it or not, these... see, when Adam had Eve, he had his own jewelry store because the Nile River would swell ever so often. And when it would swell, it would come all the precious stones and gold would come on the land. So he could easily just go get him a wedding ring and give it to his wife. Work with me, work with me. You know women love jewels, don't they? God knows what they love. He put it right there for her man to get it for her. Amen. How many know God is a provider?

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat...'" Every tree! "Every tree you may freely eat; 'but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" Now look at this. We got ten commandments, they only had one. And they couldn't keep that one. Do you see how weak we are? You can't make it on your own. You need God. They couldn't keep one commandment, and they point to us. If they couldn't keep one, you can't keep one. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. They couldn't keep one, you can't keep one. So don't look down on them.

These were real trees with spiritual meanings. These were real trees, y'all. The Tree of Life is Jesus, and with that tree, there is the Kingdom of God. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and with that tree, there is the world and Satan is its ruler. You're either eating from one or the other. If there's no peace in your life, you are more than likely eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If there's very little strife in your life, you are more than likely eating from the Tree of Life.

In Genesis 3:15, it says, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." This is where God spiritually planted the seed of the Tree of Life into mankind by his word. God planted the seed right here in this scripture for the Tree of Life. And through the seed of Abraham, he watered what he planted.

In Genesis 22:18, God says to Abraham, "In your seed..." talking about Jesus, "...all the nations shall be blessed." He waters the seed through Isaac. He's Abraham's seed. And after Isaac, God uses Jacob to fertilize and multiply the seed. Why? Because it was all in his plan, that's why. This plan was awesome because now that the seed was multiplied twelve ways and created a nation, it became hard for Satan to destroy the seed. Stay with me, stay with me.

There were many of them. The seed of Christ is hidden in them, and Satan doesn't know where to find it. Remember, he tried to destroy all the male babies at the birth of Moses? Then he tried to destroy the seed once and for all when Esther became queen and Haman tried to annihilate all the Jews. And he ended up in the gallows himself. You reap what you sow. "Touch not my anointed and do them no harm." And then again, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper."

Esther said when she went before the king to hinder Haman's plan, "If I perish, I perish." See, she was willing to sacrifice herself. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for Jesus? We're talking about the Tree of Life. It had to come in seed form first. It couldn't just pop up as a tree. It had to come in seed form first. Now when the seed had come through the birth of Jesus Christ, Satan once again, for the third time, he tries to kill the seed through King Herod by ordering the death of all Jewish babies under the age of two according to the wise men. Satan tried to kill Jesus, but Jesus was crucified and paid a sin debt for our sins that we might live again.

Turn to Revelation 22. I advise you go back home and restudy this. It should be easy for you today: the first book and the last book. Ain't hard to find. You there? "And he showed me a pure river..." I'm trying to help you all out. That river is Jesus. "He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb." The water is of the Lamb. It tells you it's Jesus. It tells you it's Jesus. "In the middle of its street..." didn't we just read that somewhere? "And on either side of the river was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

Trees heal us, y'all. Now stay with me. Look at two again. In the middle of its street... in the middle of the street, all right, look. In the middle of the street, that's one tree. And on either side of the river was the Tree of Life. So that's three trees of life all together. Why so many? I thought it was just one in Genesis, right? Jesus is showing you that's what you're going to become: a Tree of Life. A Tree of Life! That's what you're going to become. That's really what you are right now. Because when people come to you, Mother, wanting you to pray, you was a Tree of Life. You see that? I was excited about your testimony. I said, the Lord used this for my sermon. Tree of Life! They came to you, told you to come because they know you got Jesus in your heart.

And that's what you are to be, church: Trees of Life. Not trees of cursing, not trees of judging and pointing the finger. You're supposed to bring life to the equation, not death. I don't care what the equation is, you are the conduit of life. Say that! That's good.

All right, now listen carefully. All right, now so if it's three trees, which bore twelve fruit, each tree yielding its fruit every month. All right. The leaves of the tree were of the healing of the nation. Three trees, twelve fruit, equals 36. You put the three and the six together, you got nine. It's the Holy Spirit at work, y'all. Do you see that? Do you see it? So the Holy Spirit was right there. Amen. And the Holy Spirit is right here for your avail. Amen, church. He's the one that comes in and makes things happen. See, God is the thought, Jesus is the plan, and when you get a plan, you gotta do... you gotta work it. You gotta move. Action comes into play. Amen. And the Holy Spirit is the action in your life. Jesus is the plan for your life, God is the thought for your life, but the Holy Spirit is the action in your life. Hello somebody! God is speaking deep.

"And there shall be no more curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads." Do you know what that means? Watch this. I'm going to say it; maybe one of you will get it. "They shall see His face," right? We'll see Him face to face, right? "And His name shall be on their forehead." You know what that means? You're going to be Jesus. Oh! You're going to see Him face to face, right? And all He's going to do is transform you into Him.

We all are going to be Jesuses. God only wants to see Jesus. He doesn't want to see you. He only wants to see... he do not want to see you and your raggedy self. He wants to see Jesus. Say on, Pastor. Because Jesus makes you whole, you won't be raggedy no more. He just wants to see Jesus. Do you get it? Hallelujah. None of you and all of Him.

And that's how you get through life. Take yourself out the equation so God can arise. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered. Let Him arise in you. Get rid of you! You in the way! You and your attitude and your ways and your griping and your complaining. God is sick of that with you. He wants more Jesus in you. Hallelujah. He wants the Tree of Life in you. And you gotta stay in His face. It says He shall see His face; you need to stay in His face so you can see His face in the end.

"There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever just like Him." That's your blessing. You're going to be like God. Amen. You're going to be like God. I know you find that hard to believe. God doesn't need you in your earthling mind in heaven. He needs you to have the mind of Christ. And what better way to do it than to transform you into Christ.

Then He said to me, "These words are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophet sent His angel to show His servant the things which must shortly take place." And if it shortly take place, you ain't got time to waste. "Behold, I am coming quickly." Look at that! "I am coming quickly." That means you ain't got time to waste. "Blessed is he who keeps the word of the prophecy of this book." Amen.

Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." Now this right here gets me to really believe that. Because this is an angel talking to him, right? He says, "For I am your fellow servant and of your brethren." Hello! But he's an angel. "The prophets and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of this prophecy." No, this gotta be told to everybody. Don't seal these words, everybody gotta see this. "For the time is..." what? At hand. The time is at hand, church. Look at your neighbor and tell them the time is at hand.

"He who is unjust, let him be unjust still." Now watch this now. "He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still. He who is holy, let him be holy still." Now you said, "Well, Jesus coming back and they saying if someone unjust, let him be unjust still," because look what He says in verse 7: "Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the word of this prophecy by book." By the time He showed up, if you ain't got it right, hon, you're going to stay that way.

That's what that means. I've shown up now. You can't... you should have been ready before I got here. I've shown up and you're still unjust. You ain't change your wicked ways. And it's too late because I'm here now. You can't say, "Oh, I'm going to get it right, Lord. I'm going to get it right. Please give me another chance." It ain't going to happen. It ain't going to happen, church. You need to change your wicked ways. You need to live according to... cause He can crack the sky tonight. That's right. Cause He says... see, He's coming back like a thief in the night. See, He's coming back... it's not literal night, but I'm trying to help you all out. It ain't literally night. He's coming back for a thief in the night because those who are living in darkness... that's the ones He's coming for. I'm coming back like a thief in the night. See, thieves operate in the dark, right? Thieves are not going to come out there and rob you in broad daylight. They are sneaky, they don't want to be seen.

So He says, "I'm coming back like a thief in the night to the unsaved." But we, He's coming for us in the morning. You all better get that. He's coming for us in the morning. That's why it pays to study your word.

So he says in verse 12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega." See, He was in the... wasn't the Tree of Life in the beginning? Yes, He was. Tree of Life is right here at the end. Amen, church.

"The beginning and the end. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the..." what? Tree of Life. Say it again! Tree of Life. See, you gotta do His commandments. You're not under the law, you're under grace. So all you gotta do is believe upon Him now. You can't keep the law because it's too hard for you to keep. That's why Jesus had to come to save you because you can't keep the law. None of us could keep it.

So, "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life." We're talking about that tree in the beginning and we're talking about this tree in the end. Somebody better get it. "And may enter through the gates into the city. But outside..." and this is who you don't want to be. "But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and whoever loves and practices a lie." Do you see that?

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches." Amen. Now, the angel here is who? The pastor. The angel here is the pastor. I'm going to read it again. "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you." Not this... not the angel that John is witnessing. "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches." You see that? In the churches. "I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And the spirit and the bride say 'Come.' And let him who hears say 'Come.'" I want to hear you all say "Come."

Guest (Male): Come.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: "And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Now let me tell you all something. I'm going to say this again, I've taught it before. When you were born, you was written in the Book of Life. Yes. When you were born, you was written in the Book of Life. The way you live determines if your name stays in the Book of Life. Don't say, "Oh, I want Him to put my name..." He already put it in there. If you're still living, your name is in there. Hello somebody! Because you still got a chance to get it right. Glory to God.

"The fruit of righteousness is a Tree of Life, and he who wins souls is wise." Why? When you use the seed in you to win a soul, you brought life to that soul. Everlasting life! And only the wisdom of God enables you to do so. You have proven to have the right to the Tree of Life. The seed of the fruit of righteousness is the word of God.

In this chapter, we see things. There's a new paradise. The old paradise was taken away because of sin. Jesus, the Tree of Life, was in the original garden but was no longer available to man in the garden because of their disobedience to God. Just like today. Today, Jesus is ready, willing, and able to do exceedingly abundantly far more than you could ever ask or think, if only you believe upon Him. In His kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. There is no wars in heaven, only on Earth. And Jesus will execute the final war on Earth. Let me ask you, what's in the trees? Messages from God.

As we continue our lesson, we will learn the messages of the trees. Trees are symbols of life, not death. No one wants a dead tree in their yard. It's a bad sign. I remember we were seeing a house in Delaware, and I said to my wife, "There ain't no way in the world I can let that tree stay in my yard." I mean it's dead, raggedy dead. It can't stay in my yard. I don't care what money I gotta go get, get it out my yard. It's coming up out that yard because it's a symbol.

You gotta understand, it's a symbol. Do you know everything is spiritual? Even the way you dress, there's a spirit behind it. It's true. So if the tree, a dead tree is in my yard, there's a spirit behind it. I had these ugly buzzards come and got on the roof of my house. I think I told you all this before. I went and got me some rocks and threw them at them. I think I did. And get them off... "get off my house! Ain't nobody dying in here!" I sure said that when I threw them. So they know now... now I had to throw at them three different times, but now they know not to come back no more. They haven't been back since.

Certain things you just don't let hang around you. You don't let anything dead hang around you. You serve a living God. What are you doing, doing dead things, walking around dead people when you serve a living God? Amen, church. To God be the glory.

When racism was blatantly strong in America, they hung Black people on a tree, which made it a curse to the person and a curse on their family. You see that? Spiritual things are behind all of that, y'all. It takes the Tree of Life to take the curse off the family. He did when He hung on a cross. When He hung on a tree for you and for me, way back on Calvary.

What makes it a curse is that... listen carefully. That there hangs a human being dead whom God gave life on a tree that symbolizes life. That's what makes it a curse. I'm going to say that again because all of you all didn't get that. What makes it a curse is the fact that God... what makes it a curse is that there hangs a human being dead whom God gave life to on a tree that symbolizes life. What is a dead thing... if God gave it life and then it is dead on a tree that symbolizes... what is that dead thing doing on that tree? That's what makes it a curse. Do you all get it? Hallelujah.

Galatians 3:13 says, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Jesus came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. He took away the curse and gave us grace and everlasting life. Life is full of choices. Hallelujah. Life is full of choices. Adam and Eve had to choose which tree to eat from, and so do you and I. The tree you eat from determines the life you go to after this life. If you eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, your destiny will be in the earth, hell. Hallelujah.

Hopefully, you are eating from the Tree of Life, choosing life, choosing everlasting life. This tree fruit is life, which means to me, the fruit is more than likely wisdom. Stay with me. Proverbs 3:13-18 says, "Happy is a man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies." What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Do you see that?

So wisdom... it says there, "Happy is a man that finds wisdom. The man that gains understanding. Her proceeds are more profitable than silver." See, God wants to add richness to your life. Not just things; He wants to add Himself to your life. He's the richness in your life. He enhances your life. He puts laughter in you. He helps you to make wise decisions. Hallelujah. He inspires you to go help somebody. That's what makes you rich, when you can go help somebody because God put the richness of Himself in you. So when you go lay hands on somebody, they're healed. Amen. That's rich! That's rich! That you can heal somebody and they ain't gotta go to the hospital and pay an enormous doctor bill because you saved them the money by just laying hands on them. Hallelujah. That's rich! That's rich! Amen, church. To God be the glory.

So I say... so it says, and all the things she is more precious than rubies, right? And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Look what she brings you: wisdom. Number one: length of days in her right hand. Number two: in her left hand, riches. Number three: honor. Number four: her ways are ways of pleasantness. Number five: how many know five is a number of grace? And this is the last one because that's what wisdom gives you. And all her paths are peace. She... listen to what it says, listen to what it says. "She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her."

So that's why I know the fruit on that Tree of Life is wisdom. Don't take hold to the world because the world will let you down. Take hold to Jesus and He will lift you up. Go to James, James fourth chapter. Now we talked about the two trees, right? Well, we're going to read about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil right now. You all trying to turn that page real silently. Go ahead, I hear you.

"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain." Why? Because you're eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That's why you're going through that. "You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask." You can't ask somebody you don't know. How can you ask Jesus for something and you don't even know Him? "You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

See, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil offered pleasure. That's what it did. When it said it's pleasant for the eyes and good a tree desired to make one wise, it was offering pleasure. Do you get it? Adulterers number four, "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." Don't eat from that tree!

"Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, 'The spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously'?" But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Look at your neighbor and tell them "Stay humble." That's how you're going to make it. God can't stand a proud person. Therefore, "Submit to God." There you go. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." You ain't gotta eat from that tree no more. Just resist eating it. Ask God to help you from... stop from eating it. You've been eating so long, you're tired. You're broke down. Eating it makes you tired. You can't even make it far, and when the morning comes, you can't believe it's morning because you didn't have no rest. You don't have the God to give you rest. You're trying to find rest by your own best, and you ain't best at all. Hello.

Amen. Glory to God. So it says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy. Who are you to judge another?"

Keep your mouth off people! If we... let me tell you, people... the church would be more powerful if we was praying for one another. If we were looking out for... instead of talking people business and talking about how they was with this man and they no business with that man, and you just running your mouth about this person, pray for the person! Pray for them! Yes! Stop talking about them. We stop getting jealous of one another. Somebody got a good testimony, you mad because they got a good testimony. What's wrong with you? You got Jesus too, don't you? Is not for Him to go around for the whole world? Why... why are you griping because He blessed somebody else? Isn't that what He said to Peter? What is it your business what I do with him, Peter? Talking about John.

So we gotta humble ourselves, don't we? So 13: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city...'" like you gotta go and like you know what you're going to do. You got it down pat. Not knowing the bus... the bus may turn over on the way down the road. Not knowing that your flight got cancelled.

"So we'll go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that'." Do you all get that? Stop boasting! Look what it says: "But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is..." what? Evil. Because you're eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That's why you boast. See, when you get in Christ, He humbles you.

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." To him it is sin. This is what happens when you eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. What God forbade in Genesis, the Old Testament, He still forbidding in the Book of James in the New Testament. As a Christian, there are trees in the world that you should not be eating from. All these trees do not look like trees. Some of them are ungodly institutions like gambling institutions, like whorehouse institutions, cults, occults, and corporate America, which are hidden and secret agencies that perform magic and mysticism and control. You are what you eat.

What tree are you eating from? What tree provides you with what you need? The trees of the world or the tree of God, the Tree of Life? When you wake up in the morning, what is one of the first things you see? It's trees. What's the first thing we... who should we talk to first thing in the morning? It's God. Why? Trees can be lifegivers or lifetakers. Trees are air filters. Trees are destructive in a storm, and trees cannot be moved in a car accident. Trees are symbols of God. They can carry a good portion of it... they carry a good portion of his attributes. Turn with me to John, John the twelfth chapter.

John 12:23: "But Jesus answered them, saying, 'The hour has come that the Son of Man should be...'" now we know what it looks like to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, right? "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground...'" didn't I tell you it had to come in seed form first? "'...it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain'." You're that grain, church. You're the grain. Look at your neighbor, tell them you're that grain.

"He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." You know how you... now you're saved, right? Look back on your life. Don't you hate that life you were living? That's why you're saved, cause you hate your life. You hated that life back there. I hate... when I think about it, I hate it. What I was doing, what I was saying. I hate... lord! And that should make you not to want to go back to it since you hate it, right? Amen, church.

"If anyone serves me, let him follow me." See, how do you follow Jesus? You follow him by doing what he did. Didn't God put trees everywhere that you look? Didn't he put trees everywhere you can see? Well, then you need to be planting trees everywhere you go then. If God put trees everywhere you can see them, you need to be planting trees everywhere you go, brother. Everywhere you go, brother. Do you all get it? How many know the Bible is... is full of mystery? It takes a man of God to take the mystery out and give it to you so you can understand it. Do we understand? That's why you gotta go back, cause you ain't going to get all the understanding just by me today. You need to go back and read this for yourself. Write these scriptures down.

"If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also." See, if I'm... see, where I am, my servant... if I was planting trees and you should be planting trees. "And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my Father will honor." Amen. You don't want to be living a fig leaf life. You don't want to live a fig leaf life cause you're trying to cover yourself when you got Jesus to cover you. See, when you... you... you... when you got a fig leaf life, you telling Jesus I don't need you. I got myself covered.

"Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this...' oh, I went too far. I went too far to this hour, but from this purpose I came to this hour." I just had to read it out. Amen. Jesus is saying to you if you want to serve Him, follow Him by doing what He would do. Don't live a fig tree life trying to save your life. No, give it to Jesus. Jesus is the Tree of Life. Trees are symbols of life, not death. Like I said, no one wants a dead tree in their front yard.

The world is full of dead trees that bears fruits of deception. There are two dead trees in our country that's full of deception. One tree is named Republican and the other... the other tree is Democrat. My God, my God today. Many run to these trees for shelter, but I will never abandon my tree of truth, the Tree of Life. Cause these two... these two trees, Republican, Democrat, they lie too much. But Jesus is the truth, the Tree of Life.

Hallelujah. Because this tree is not a man that he should lie. And this tree stands above all trees, giving shade and cover to all who lodge under it. This tree is everlasting while the trees of the world are temporary. This Tree of Life produces mustard seed for the Kingdom of God, and when they are planted in the garden of the kingdom, they grow and become a large tree, and the birds of the air nest in its branches. This is the church, which is still growing.

The church is full of trees that have been set apart for God. Look at your neighbor, tell them you're a tree. These trees mimic the Tree of Life. How are we and Jesus like trees? We get medicine from trees. "There is a balm in Gilead... there is a balm in Gilead," ain't that what the Clark Sisters sing? Trees have been proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and heart rate. Spending time in nature can also enhance moods, increase the feeling of well-being. Anybody know that? Have you ever go out to the park and just... Sister Kianna, you all went to Central Park yesterday. Didn't it make you feel stress-released? Didn't it make you feel free, to be grounded on the ground? Spending time in nature can also enhance moods and increase the feeling of well-being. Being around trees and nature in general tends to encourage people to engage in physical activity. How many know we need to run and lose some of that weight? Not no O-O-O-Ozempic! You need to run!

Such as hiking or walking, which can have positive effects on mental health. How many of you know we must be moving and be about our Father's business for our spiritual health? Trees since the beginning of time has furnished us with two essentials of life: food and oxygen. They provide shade and they cool the environment. The leaves on the trees absorb heat through their leaves and branches. God always visited Adam in the cool of the day.

Trees help regulate our water cycles. Did you know that trees are reservoirs that hold water to prevent soil erosion and flooding? Trees are standing reservoirs. Didn't know that, did you? They support local communities by providing fruit for trade, which produces money. And they offer trees as safe gathering spots. Shouldn't the church be helping the community they're assigned to? And shouldn't people be gathering at the church?

Trees provide homes for wildlife and us. Is God our provider, Jireh? They provide biodiversity for pollinators like birds and bees and butterflies. They help to fertilize plants. Trees maintain and restore the ecosystem and help climate change. Our God restores conditions and fertilizes our minds with his words so we can grow. Make sure you eat from the Tree of Life so you can grow up and be a green tree.

Jesus says in Luke 23:31, while being led to his crucifixion, listen carefully, "For if they do these things to a green tree, what will be done in a dry tree?" Jesus uses a tree for a metaphor for his suffering as an innocent person, the green tree, and the future suffering that will come upon the guilty people, the dry tree. It's all in the word, church. I can't make this stuff up. It's in the word.

Go to John 6, almost through. John 6:47 verse. Now you're really going to know who the Tree of Life is right here. Look what he says: "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, the one that one may eat of it and..." what? Not die. Amen, church.

"I am the living bread which comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." See? That's why you want to take from the Tree of Life. "And the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life what of the world?" The Jews therefore quarreled amongst themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you shall have no life in you." So people who are eating from the knowledge... from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they have no life in them. They are walking dead. You don't want that to be you.

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life," this is communion, "and I will raise him up at the..." what? Last day. Don't you want to get up? Look at your neighbor, ask them, "Don't you want to get up?" "From my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." You get food and drink. Amen. Didn't we just say that about the trees?

"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him," because they trust me. "And as the Father sent me, I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me." Look at your neighbor, tell them "Feed on the word." This is the bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers ate manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. Why? Because they satisfied the spirit.

Now go to Exodus. What a word, what a word! Exodus 15. And if you are annoyed by having to go through so many scriptures, you need to check yourself. I've been there. I've been there. "I don't know why we doing all these scriptures. Come on, I'm ready to go home." Don't be like that. I can say that because I've been there. You shouldn't be upset about the word, you should be happy about the word of God. You should invite the word of God in your heart. You shouldn't be pushing back on the word of God. "That's enough, I've had enough." Whatever God feeds you, you better eat it.

My grandmother would... I'll tell you. When I was a kid and my grandmother would put food on the table, "Grandma, we don't want that." "You're going to eat it." That's what she would tell you. "You're going to eat it. She won't going to cook nothing else. You're going to eat it." "Grandma, but I don't like..." "You're going to eat it!" You all better eat what God serves you. Nowadays, I had a coworker who had three sons and she was cooking three meals a night. The generation is weaker. Old days, ain't no woman going to do that. You're going to starve tonight then because they ain't doing all that for you. No.

Exodus 15:22: "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter." And there are people who are bitter in the world right now. "Therefore the name of it was called Marah." And the people complained... that's why I would never name my daughters Mary, because Mary means to weep, to bitterness. That's why I would never name... I'm sorry if your name is Mary in the room or on YouTube.

And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. See that? See a tree is all in your life! Tree is all in your life, church! Hallelujah! See, you get bitter. You need the Tree of Life to make your life sweet! Hello somebody! So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. And when he cast it into the waters, the waters... I wonder if it was a maple tree... "the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them." Do you see that? There He tested them! See, you can't complain just because you ain't getting what you want. Don't be complaining, because if you be complaining, you be remaining right where you're at.

"And said, 'If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right, right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you'." Do you see that? People are going through mess because they didn't trust God. People are laying up with handicaps and things in their bodies. Not everybody, I'm not saying everybody, but I'm saying some people are caught because they didn't trust God.

"Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees." You know palm trees got food on it, right? "Seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters." Look how God... God will take care of you. Yes, He will! Yes, He will! He will take care of you.

With that being said, I just hear this song. What did Moses do? He threw the tree in there because the water was bitter to sweeten the water. And it reminds me of this old song. "He's sweet, I know. He's sweet, I know. Storm clouds may rise, strong winds may blow, but I'll tell the world wherever I go, because you gotta plant some trees, that I've found a savior and he's sweet, I know." Ain't he sweet? Hallelujah! He's sweet. He puts the sugar in my tea. I don't drink coffee, he puts it in my tea. Amen. Glory to God, church. Glory to God.

Listen to me. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." Only God has the wisdom to hide truth in nature. Only God has the power to take the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. If you are someone who lives in bitterness, unforgiveness, aggravated with life, and you feel like committing suicide, seems like nobody is on your side, I have a savior to offer to you. He's sweet, I know, because I experienced Him for myself. We started this sermon talking about maple, sweet, didn't we? That comes from a tree. And I'm ending it with something sweet. Amen.

He can turn your cloudy day into what? Sunshine. God can do it, a matter of fact, He's already done it. What are the trees in your life? Make sure you eat from the Tree of Life so you can grow and know your God for who He is: the Tree of Life. If we're to be like God, we're to be trees, be a tree in the earth, providing people with the essentials of life. Amen, church. To be Christ-like is to plant trees everywhere you go, because God planted trees everywhere you look.

If you are a Christian, get on your knees and go plant some trees and be a good witness unto the Lord. If you're not changing, you're not growing. If you're the same place you were this time last year, you ain't growing. You're not studying, you're doing what you want to do. Why did Jesus come? Did He come to take you to heaven? Not just that, but He came to bring heaven to you. He came to bring heaven to you! Not for you just to go to heaven, He came to bring it to you! How many know we live in heavenly places? Satan under our feet. Amen! We walk on his head, and I can't walk on his head unless I'm above him. Amen!

Jesus don't just want to be in your life, He wants to be your life. He don't want to just be in your life, He wants to be your life. Do you hear that? Are you going to let Him be that? Amen. I love that answer. Sister back there said "Yes," she said it strong: "Yes!"

The Tree of Life... you become a Tree of Life too. The internet gives you everything from without, Jesus gives you everything from within. The internet feeds information and you pile it on like a garbage can. Do you all know that? So many people are going on the internet and you're gathering all that information. You're piling it on, piling it on, glad you know it, but after a while, it turns into garbage. And you become like a garbage can. Want to know why? Because you're not using it, you're just storing it and it turns into worms. You ever had garbage that let the heat hit it and been in the garbage can too long? It turns into worms.

And so you're wasting your time on the internet gathering all that information that's going to turn to worms because you can't use all of it for your life. But I know a man named Jesus. He puts Himself in you. Jesus on the inside, working on the outside. Hallelujah! He's my internet. He's my internet into heaven. Hallelujah! All right now!

Amen, church. Amen. The trees in my life. What are the trees in your life? What are you eating from? I hope this give you a different perspective about you and your God, who He is. Every time you see a tree from now on, you're going to think about God. Amen. Hallelujah. And you know why I say that? I'm putting it... I'm speaking that in your life because I want God to... Jesus and God to always be on your mind. That's why. Every time you see a tree, you're going to think about Jesus. Mark my word, it's going to happen. Everyone is standing.

Amen. Thank you, Lord, for your word. Hallelujah! That's it, give Him the praise. Come on, praise Him! Give Him the glory! Thank Him for His word! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I don't think there's a soul that didn't learn something today. Hallelujah! Amen! Glory to God! Amen!