Recently I preached at my local church referring to the Bible verses as found in Genesis Chapters 2 and 3, Matthew Chapter 4 and Romans Chapter 5. As we have entered into a time of reflection during the period of Lent I want to ask a metaphorical question in regards to how does your garden grow in a physical and spiritual sense and offer some conclusions.
At this time of spring who doesn’t like a well maintained garden that reminds us all of the beauty of new and old seasons and all the majesty of the trees, flowers and bushes?
Thank you National Trust garden at Treslissick
My wife and I, when staying in St Ives in Cornwall a few years ago, visited the National Trust garden at Treslissick. It had lots of open and wild spaces as well as smaller and closed sections that was just as beautiful in its own way. There was perfection and pure ruggedness in abundance.
At Treslissick the gardens have to be worked and maintained on a daily basis that represents lots of hard work and could not be neglected or assumed it would look after itself.
Genesis
In the readings from Genesis Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 we note how the perfect Garden of Eden (meaning Delight) was a safe and secure home for Adam and Eve. All was well and life was for living and enjoying. We also read that God made the garden and all kinds of trees. It was beautiful and contained both the tree of life and knowledge. God placed man in the garden to work it and keep it in order and enjoy fruit from the trees.
However, God gave warning that nobody should eat from the tree of knowledge for as soon as they ate from it they would die spiritually. Then God felt it was not good for man to live alone and so created Eve as a helper and companion.
Following God’s instructions to Adam and Eve we find a serpent, as representing the Devil, speaking to them and questioning the advice and wisdom of God in respect to the eating from the tree of knowledge.
The whisper to the woman was “you won’t die, if you eat from the tree of knowledge! If fact you will have more knowledge just like God has”. Yet we all know they both ate from the tree and then realised that they were naked and so covered themselves. Later they heard the sound and voice of God saying to them “Where are you”!
God in conversation with Adam and Eve realised that they had eaten from the tree of knowledge and outlined the consequences of their actions. A curse and their life of perfection had vanished forever.
At this point it might be helpful to consider what fruit is forbidden for you in the context of your faith and walk with God. Adam and Eve were given specific instructions. So as we seek to get to know the Lord and follow in his footsteps the Lord will make clear to us what we should not eat or do and where we should go and be involved in.
Matthew
In our second reading from Matthew Chapter 4 we find Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. It involved him being tested over a forty day period as to his love and loyalty to his Father and to complete the task he had been given and not to be tempted and side tracked by the Devil.
I wonder what times of testing you may be experiencing at this present time? However we might understanding such challenges or not, we can ask for the strength of the Lord by his spirit to keep us true in faith, hope and purpose.
For me there are three aspect to Jesus being tempted by the Devil.
Firstly, Provision. Jesus was tempted in respect to where his physical provisions came from in the form of food, shelter, clothing and wealth.
Secondly, Trust. Who do we ultimately place our complete trust in? The Lord or ourselves! Early in February I preached at another church in Greater Manchester and their Motto and Mission statement for the year is:
Let Go (from self and circumstances)
Let God (Trust the Lord to provide and guide in a new and fresh way)
Thirdly, Power. The Devil offered Jesus all the riches and power over the world. Jesus on each occasion countered the temptations with the word of God. Lastly he declared “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only”.
After Jesus resisted the temptations, the Lord was comforted and assisted by ministering Angels and the Holy Spirit and he can do that for us as we also resist temptations.
Romans
In Romans Chapter 5 we have the Apostle Paul outlining the contrast between Adam and his spiritual death and Jesus who brings spiritual life for all.
In verse 14 from the Message Bible it reads “Adam, who got us into this mess, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it”. Then in verse 15 “the rescuing gift (of Grace) is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin”.
The point here is that God’s grace is totally out of proportion to the fall in Genesis. Many died spiritually through Adam’s fall. Many received the free and unmerited gift of God’s saving forgiving and redeeming grace.
In verses 18-19 we have a summary: “Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person (Adam) did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person (Jesus) did it right and got us out of it.
But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right”.
As mentioned we have entered into the time of Lent when we consider afresh Jesus in his obedience up to his crucified death. As followers of Jesus how much are we prepared to eat from the spiritual and physical trees of life? Are we more tempted to eat from a worldly tree of knowledge that takes us away from the Lord rather than draw us nearer to the Lord?
There are aspects in these verses that speak about God’s grace over sin and separation. They also speak about the stranglehold of religious laws and ceremonies rather than having that very special and personal relationship with God that Adam lost and we have an opportunity of returning to! Paul in his life of persecuting Christians changed to be one of the greatest advocates of Jesus and helped to establish the early church. He was beaten, persecuted and imprisoned and lots more.
He had to live with a thorn in his side that was a daily challenge for him. He constantly testified that God’s saving and redeeming grace, brought him healing and sustaining and that was sufficient for him.
May we pause for a moment and think about those areas in our lives where we have difficult thorns in our side?
May we as Paul, trust for a renewed sense of God’s grace and healing. As Jesus was comforted during his trials we find in Acts 27; 23 – 24 how an Angel comforted Paul and promised him that all on the stormy ship they were travelling on, would be safe.
Conclusion
Let us go back to the question raised at the beginning. How does your garden grow both in your front and back gardens?
In our homes we may have a front garden that is reasonably open to the public to observe and enjoy. When we consider our gardens at the back of our houses or flats that may be a different story altogether.
In our spiritual lives are we putting on a show to God and each other at the front garden while neglecting and allowing weeds and temptations to grow and flourish in our back and private gardens?
Adam and Eve experienced shame. They had to cover up and hide from the presence of the Lord. They were frightened of God rather than enjoying his perfect presence.
Jesus’s time had come and he intended to fulfil his mission right up to that cruel humiliation and death on the cross. Adam and Eve represent the loss of perfection. God is in the business of restoring us. He wants to renew us. He wants to fill us and empower us with his redeeming love and amazing grace.
He wants us all to lead a holy and sanctified life and we can do that as we trust and walk in both open and closed gardens that reflect his work of grace and presence in each one of us.
Graham
Selah: (Pause to think calmly on what has just been read) and check out A Time to Worship and Motivational Moments
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