[Garden] - mjbjer333.com

Gardening in the Soils of Life

Gardens in the Bible

Garden of Eden
1. Can you imagine this garden that was fresh, beautiful, perfect, and full of joy?Genesis 2:5, 6, 8, 10a
2. Best of all in this garden, God HIMSELF came down to fellowship with Adam and Eve.Genesis 3:8
3. This perfection did not last. Discord was brought by the disobedience of God's laws. However, God loved us so much that He promised a Deliverer from the punishment (spiritual and physical death — separation from God; separation from our body) of sin.Genesis 3:9-21
4. Although God had promised deliverance from the punishment of sin, there were still consequences for this sin. Adam and Eve could no longer live in this beautiful, perfect place.Genesis 3:22-24
5. We live with the consequences of that sin today as after Adam all have sinned. We also deserve the punishment of sin.
Garden of Gethsemane
1. The Garden of Gethsemane was a stark contrast to the Garden of Eden. This was a garden of intense sorrow and betrayal.Matthew 26:36-40 and surrounding passages
2. The Deliverance of God had been promised and was at hand, but the Deliverer was killed. What a disappointment this must have been for the ones who believed in Him.Mark 14:32-34
Garden Tomb
1. There was Joy in this garden. The tomb was empty.John 19:41
2. The Garden Tomb was a place of miracles and deliverance. Christ arose. The punishment for sin was provided and death had been conquered.Mark 16:5-6
3. By accepting and believing that Christ took the punishment for our sin, our fellowship with God can be restored. We can have life through Him.
Garden of the Lord
1. This garden is amazing — the place I want to be. Notice that it does not say that your circumstances on earth will be easy. It says that He will comfort us and make Zion like Eden. He will provide salvation, joy, gladness, thanksgiving and voice of melody.Isaiah 51:3
2. God will make you like a watered garden.Isaiah 58:11 — However, this is not an unconditional promise. The promises come when the following take place.
  1. You sincerely desire Him.
  2. You loose the bands of wickedness.
  3. You undo heavy burdens.
  4. You let the oppressed go free.
  5. You break every yoke.
  6. You deal bread to the hungry.
  7. You bring poor to thy house.
  8. You clothe the naked.

Gardening Needs

To have a garden, you need several things. To expect any plants, you will have to have seeds.
1. The Word of God is referred to as a seed.Luke 8:11 It is very important that we stay in His Word each and every day, that we look to His Word as the solution to our problems, and that we obey His Word.
2. Seeds here on earth are corruptible. However the seed of the Word of God is incorruptible — it lasts forever! 1 Peter 1:23 Just think, spending time in His Word is spending time in something that lasts for all eternity. It is an investment in eternity!
The seed is useless unless there is someone to sow that seed, to put it in the soil.
1. We can be the sowers — at home, at church, in the community!Mark 4:3
2. Sow in tears, reap in joy!Psalms 126:5 The sowing should mean something to us; it should be our passion!
3. Sometimes, the sowing needs to change us, too. We should be leading righteous lives that can be an example to others. If there are things in our lives that should be repented of and changed, we should seek the Lord's forgiveness and make them right. Realizing our own weaknesses although we strive to sow in righteousness, we should have mercy as we reap.Hosea 10:12
4. It is easy to get tired in the process of sowing and reaping. God encourages us not to get weary. He will provide a harvest of what you have sown.
  1. Sow the Word in your children through Bible memory, Bible study, prayer.Deuteronomy 6:7-9 (You have to know them in your own heart to teach them to your children.)
  2. Sow by example.Titus 2:3-5
  3. Sow practically — use the Bible in situations that come up — show them how to apply it to their lives. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  4. Sow unceasingly/consistently — don't give up! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
A garden must also have soil in which to plant the seed. To grow, the seed must have just the right kind of soil.
1. Mark 4:1-20 — Four kinds of soil — Which one are you?
  1. v. 4 — fell by wayside, devoured = Satan immediately takes away the seed, the Word of God.
  2. v. 5-6 — stony ground, not much depth = hear Word with gladness, but they are offended at persecution.
  3. v. 7 — fell among thorns = cares of world, deceitfulness of riches, and lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.
  4. v. 8 — good ground, yield fruit and increased, some thirty, sixty, and an hundred fold = those who hear the Word and bring forth fruit.
2. Hosea 10:12 Break up fallow ground
  1. Get those things out of your life that should not be there.
  2. Get to know Him anew — bring in more light to your dark places.
Each seed must also have water and nourishment to grow.
1. John 4:10-14
  1. Jesus can give us Living water. Water that will quench our spiritual thirst as we go through life.
  2. We must come to Him to receive it.
2. Psalm 1
  1. We need water to grow and to to bring forth fruit.
  2. As a tree by the river will grow, prosper, and bring forth fruit, we will if we stay close to God.
  3. We find water by meditating in God's law day and night and delighting in it.
3. 1 Peter 2:2
  1. We should love His Word as a newborn babe loves milk.
  2. We grow through reading and studying His Word.
4. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
  1. As we grow, we should be able to get deeper into His Word.
  2. We should put aside the things of the World — the weeds of life.
    1. Weeds can be attitudes.
    2. Weeds can be TV shows, books, hobbies, anything that take the place of God or take our time from doing His will.
Plants need light in order to grow.
1. Jesus Christ is the light of the world.John 8:12
2. Christ hath shined in our hearts: the glory of knowledge of God through Jesus. 2 Corinthians 4:6
3. The blessed gospel, forgiveness from sin through Christ, is brought alive through Jesus — the Light! 2 Timothy 1:10
4. God's Word brings light and direction.Psalms 119:105
5. Through the trials of life, sometimes it seems that we have no light. If we ask God to give us light, He will do it. He will give us the wisdom that we need.Isaiah 50:10
Gardner
1. John 15:1-8
  1. God the Father is the Gardner!
  2. He will purge branches that bring forth fruit.
  3. We are closest to Gardner during pruning.
  4. Changes bring us closer to God.Psalms 55:19
  5. There have been times in my own life that God had to really purge me to draw me closer to Him and take out the dross. The most memorable time was when in a year, God changed everything in my life. He first started speaking to my heart through a message about making us into another vessel as was good to the potter (Jeremiah 18:4). At the time I did not understand what He was doing since I had my life planned out. However, in the next 12 months, God turned that plan upside down as a close friend was diagnosed and passed away from terminal cancer, a severe hurricane changed the landscape and life as I knew it for months, asthma forced me to realize I had to change climates, a move to another city with no job caused me to trust God's provision, an injury to my good knee made me dependent on others for the basics of life, and suffering another mini-stroke showed me that my life was not my own, but God's life. It was a year that brought so many changes, but so many blessings. As I look back on it, this year close to the Gardner is precious!
2. Just as a gardener patiently waits for harvest, God is patiently looking for the harvest.James 5:7
One of the hardest things in gardening can be waiting for the harvest. Sometimes, waiting is also required of us. There is a lot of growing and learning to do during these times of waiting!
1. God commands us to wait on Him.
  1. Wait on the Lord. His judgment is perfect.Zephaniah 3:8
  2. When trials are coming to you, rest and wait on the Lord. God will prevail.Psalms 37:7
  3. Turn to God. Be merciful as you wait.Hosea 12:6
2. You will not be ashamed.
  1. If you wait on God, He will not fail you. You will not be ashamed that you did.Psalms 25:3
  2. Those that wait on God will not be confounded or ashamed.Psalms 69:6
3. God will not be ashamed to be called your God. (Shouldn't that be our highest goal — to have God be able to say He is not ashamed to be called our God.)Hebrews 11:13-16
4. It is good to wait.
  1. We can praise Him and wait on Him as we have seen that He is faithful!Psalms 52:9
  2. The Lord is good to them that wait on Him.Lamentations 3:25-26
5. You will have rewards.
  1. Waiting on God brings hope to your life!Psalms 39:7;Psalms 130:5;Romans 8:25;Galatians 5:5;Psalms 27:14
  2. Waiting on God will bring you strength.Hosea 12:6;Isaiah 40:31;Psalms 59:9
  3. Waiting on God will provide meat — in due season. (Remember our time and God's time are not the same.)Psalms 104:27;Psalms 145:15
  4. You will receive blessing from waiting upon God.Isaiah 30:18;Psalms 37:34;Ecclesiastes 3:11
In every garden, there is purging of weeds and pruning to be done. These tasks make the garden beautiful and fruitful as old, dead leaves and weeds are removed.
1. God will take away our dross — our weeds and the parts of our lives that are unfruitful.Isaiah 1:25;Psalms 79:9
2. The trials we face will help us become more and more like Christ as the dross is removed. We will come forth as silver and gold — beautiful in His sight and the sight of those around us.Job 23:10;Psalms 66:10;Malachi 3:3
3. As we are pruned and purged, we will bring forth more fruit for Christ.John 15:2
4. God will give us rewards after enduring the temptations of this world.James 1:12;Revelation 3:18

Gardening Harvest

God will give us souls for Him. What greater reward couls we ask for?Matthew 9:37-38;Luke 10:2;Galatians 6:9;Psalms 126:6
RewardLuke 6:35;Proverbs 11:18;Matthew 5:12; Matthew 16:27;Colossians 3:24; Colossians 2 John 1:8;Revelation 22:12

Final Garden

Revelation 21

Revelation 22:1-5