Christ, The True Vine
Read First: Genesis 1-3, Romans 5, I Corinthians 15, Revelation 21-22, Ephesians 1-2, Hebrews 11-12, Matthew 21, Genesis 5, Genesis 6-7, Genesis 12, James 2:19, Malachi 1:3, Romans 9, Psalm 1, Matthew 6, Matthew 13, Mark 4, Ezekiel 37, Matthew 23, Acts 13:48, Isaiah 11, I Peter 2:1-11, Matthew 16:6-12, Mark 8:15, Luke 12:1, John 6, John 10
In the beginning God created
A vineyard, beautiful, with no sin
In it, the first Adam to walk with God,
And represent the sons of men.
But in this garden planted by God
The first Adam failed and did rebel;
Brought to his sons hatred and death
Now with the devil, destined for hell.
But God who is rich in mercy
Promised to send an obedient son
To crush the rebellion,
A true and better Adam would be the one
To restore the kingdom where the sons of God
Walk with their Creator
In perfect harmony and obedience
Perfectly and Perpetually in His favor
But now, cast out of the vineyard
Cherubim guard
The tree of life
From wicked men with hearts hard
They leave God’s kingdom
Dressed in garments of skins
An innocent lamb had been killed,
Blood required to cover their sins
To wait for the healing of the nations
With no more sin
No need for a lamp or light of the sun
The promised Son became for men
A new and better Adam
The water of life
The righteous branch of the vineyard
Reconciling His sons, with God no more strife.
God’s Enochs with Him walked
And waited for the promised day
God’s vineyard restored
Through the one who’d obey.
God’s Abels sacrificed
Knowing only blood could pay
For his sin and rebellion
A spotless lamb did slay.
God’s Noah’s were saved
Not by works but by grace;
The ark a shadow
Of the one whose face
Abraham sought,
Called away to a land
Though He’d worshiped false gods
By grace, now God’s friend.
This land a picture of Eden lost,
Flowing with milk and honey;
Better than earthly goods,
A heavenly country!
But in this promise the devils also believe
His children like Cain
Bring their sacrifices to God
And on others their sin blame
Destined to be like Esau and Pharaoh
A demonstration of God’s power
Carried away with the wind
Like dead grass with its flower
They seek an earthly kingdom
Making a name for their own
Laying up treasure on earth
For the seed has been sown
On ground not prepared
By the one who breaks stones
And breathes life into
Hopeless dead bones
They reject the landowner’s son,
Thinking they do right,
Kill Him and his children
Not knowing their plight
That the kingdom of God
Will be taken from them
And given to babes
Whose fruit comes from the stem
Of Jesse, the promised Son
The branch whose roots will bear true fruit
Perfect obedience
Will come from this shoot
And be given to a people
Like the tax collector in the temple
And the thief on the cross
They cry, “It’s me Lord, the sinner”
True fruit then is faith
In the redemption of Jerusalem
Like Simeon and Anna
Who were looking for Him
With eyes of faith
By God given
To all who were appointed
To turn from the leaven
The Pharisee’s free-will choice
Of self-righteous hypocrisy
Though zealous for God
They had no eyes to see.
That only God’s sheep
Who eat Christ’s body and blood
Will be found and made alive by Him
Who does all things good
So indeed will the vineyard be restored
Better than Eden
By the blood of the perfect Adam
Has come the Kingdom of Heaven.
