Follow The Thorns

_______, 2012

Follow The Thorns• “Life is a rose – beware

of the thorns.”

• Thorns are not only a part of our physical lives, but they also present problems within our spiritual lives!

• They are present throughout the Word of God.

Follow The Thorns•Thorns represent the

departure of man from the presence of God and the introduction of suffering into the world.

• Genesis 3:17-19

Genesis 3:17-19Genesis 3:17-19“Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:‘Cursed is the ground for your sake;In toil you shall eat of itAll the days of your life.18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,

And you shall eat the herb of the field.19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat breadTill you return to the ground,For out of it you were taken;For dust you are,And to dust you shall return.’”

Follow The Thorns•Thorns are instruments

of suffering that we do not want around us, but if we allow them to remain, we will suffer the consequences!

• Numbers 33:50-56• Joshua 23:11-13

““Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, Jericho, saying, 5151 ‘Speak to the children of ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, Canaan, 5252 then you shall drive out all the then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; their high places; 5353 you shall dispossess you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess.’”for I have given you the land to possess.’”

““And you shall divide the land by lot as an And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. according to the tribes of your fathers. 5555 But if But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in those whom you let remain shall be irritants in

your eyes and your eyes and thornsthorns in your sides, and they in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. shall harass you in the land where you dwell. 5656 Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’”thought to do to them.’”

Joshua 23:11-13Joshua 23:11-13“Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to

you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.”

Follow The Thorns•Thorns are the

oppression of those who lackwisdom and understanding of the Lord’s will.

• Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

• Proverbs 24:30-31• Proverbs 22:5-6

“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wiseThan for a man to hear the song of fools.6For like the crackling of

thorns under a pot,

So is the laughter of the fool.”

2 Timothy 4:3-4“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

“I went by the field of the lazy man,And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;31 And there it was, all overgrown

with thorns;

Its surface was covered with nettles;Its stone wall was broken down.”

“Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;He who guards his soul will be far from them.6 Train up a child in the way he should go,And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Follow The Thorns•Thorns are the cares of

the world that choke out obedience and righteousness.

• Matthew 13:7, 22• Mark 4:18

Matthew 13:7, 22Matthew 13:7, 22“And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.”

“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”

““Now these are the ones sown Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, ones who hear the word, 1919 and the cares of this world, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other and the desires for other things entering in choke the things entering in choke the word, and it becomes word, and it becomes unfruitful.”unfruitful.”

Follow The Thorns• Departure of man• Instruments of suffering• Oppression• Cares of the world

John 19:1-2, Matthew 27:29-30

“So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.”“When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.”

Follow The Thorns

Genesis 22:13 – “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up”

Follow The Thorns•Thorns are the

suffering that Christians endure despite living righteous lives.

• 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the

revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”

“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Follow The Thorns• “No pain, no palm;

no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown”