Sermon of the Week for: May 20, 2012
"a" Church
Bear River, Wyoming
2007, 2012
"The Fourth Garden"
Revelation 22 v 1-2
"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
Just the other day the sun was shining, and for a few brief hours the winter cold gave way to spring like weather. My wife was lite upon her feet and all was well with the world. She said to me:
“The weather is so nice I feel like starting a garden.”
To her working in a garden brought joyful and creative memories to mind. Visions of peace, solitude, and wondrous pleasure lifted her soul above the limitations of this world. And so do many see a garden a place of sweet repose, and the activity found therein to be one of joy!
As I thought about this, I pondered what memories a garden would bring to the mind of the one true God. And that is the source of our message for this week.
Let us turn to the very first garden, the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2 v 8
“And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
God created man and woman in His own image, and had planned that the joys and peace of a garden would be our eternal destiny, our daily delight…
Genesis 2 v 9
“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
The first garden would supply all our physical needs for food, and water. It would be a place to call our home…
It was in this first garden that man first met woman. Where we would find human completeness in each other. Where we would first experience the blessed joys of love for each other; man for woman and woman for man. And where we too could experience the satisfaction of creating things. By giving birth by natural means of procreation. The first garden would be the neighborhood of our sons and daughters…
And it would be where we would find our greatest fellowship, our greatest opportunities to commune with God Himself!!!
Genesis 3 v 8
“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”
It was here in the Garden of Eden where daily God was known to fellowship with mankind. The One true God would visit us daily and we would experience great intimacy with our heavenly Father!!! ***In the cool of the day!
And too, this first garden would be where His precious human creation would doubt Him, trust Satan’s word over God’s glorious and life giving word: THE BIBLE!!!
And where man would first sin against God Himself.
The second garden, found Jesus praying for His own.
John 18 v 1
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.”
The second garden, the garden at the Mount of Olives: Gethsemane…
Matthew 26 v 31
“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.”
It was here in this second garden that Jesus would seek His final rest before His passion upon that bloody Roman cross. He would think of how His beloved disciples would flee in terror, and would be scattered as sheep who’s Shepherd has been killed.
It would be in the privacy of this garden that His closest disciples would be trained and where they would ask Him many questions.
Matthew 24 v 23
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
In this garden Jesus would discuss the future judgment of the world and the salvation of the remnant of Israel.
Luke 19 v 37-38
“And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38. Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.’
It would be in this garden where a multitude of His disciples would give praise to God for all that Jesus had done. It is here where His disciples would recognize Jesus to be the King, the long expected Messiah…
It would be in this garden that Jesus would go, after spending many hours in the Temple teaching all those who would listen; to rest and pray…
Luke 21 v 37
“And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.”
Mark 14 v 35
“And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.”
It would be in this garden that Jesus would see so clearly the agony and passion of death… So painful and sorrowful, yet for LOVE sake Jesus would be willing to experience it even a thousand fold for our redemption and justification!!! As He pondered however the greatest and eternal agony of all, that of all the sins of all humanity being placed upon His shattered, dying body on that heinous bloody cross, that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit would leave Him, and for the first time, and the only time, Jesus would be utterly alone and damned for our sins… His beLOVED Father, His beLOVED Holy Spirit ripped from within Him, wrenched, torn out of His very being for They could not look upon those sins……. To be damned at that “Eternal Moment”, Jesus the man could not endure the reality of it, so Jesus would plead that God, His Father, would provide another way for our conversion and salvation.
Yet, not His fears and doubts be done, but GOD’S WILL BE DONE.
Mark 14 v 36
“And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
It would be here in this garden that His closest friends: Peter, James and John would not be able to stay awake with Him, to share in His sorrow…
Mark 14 v 37
“And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?”
It would be here in this garden that Jesus would encounter feelings of profound loneliness…
It is here in this garden, that Jesus prays for Himself:
John 17 v 5
“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
It is here in this garden Jesus prays for His known disciples.
John 17 v 9
“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.”
And it is here in Gethsemane; in that hour of His greatest anguish He prayed for ALL BELIEVERS…
John 17 v 20
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;”
It was here in this place of solitude, here in this garden, here in Gethsemane that Jesus’ suffering was so immense, that literally He sweat enormous drops of blood!!!
Luke 22 v 44
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
***And it was here in this garden, that the supreme act of evil was ever perpetrated…
Mark 14 v 44-45
“And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. 45. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.”
It was here in this garden, as Adam and Eve had betrayed God’s love in the first garden, it was here in the second garden, Gethsemane; that Judas Iscariot, an Apostle, a friend, BETRAYED JESUS WITH A KISS…….
***And not just a little kiss, but the Greek word says: a LOVER’S KISS…
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus in this garden with a passionate, deep, ravenous kiss…….
Psalms 41 v 9
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”
***We all betrayed Jesus in that hour, in that garden; by OUR OWN SINS!!!!!!!
The third garden, the place of the skull, laid a tomb that had never been used by man.
John 19 v 41
“Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.”
In the first garden, in the Garden of Eden JESUS HAD SAUGHT HIS OWN.
In the second garden, the Garden of Gethsemane JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS OWN.
In the third garden, the place of the skull JESUS DIED FOR HIS OWN.
It was in this third garden that the lifeless, brutally beaten body of Jesus Christ was placed by mankind to rot, and be no more.
***But it was this, the third garden, where Jesus proved His power to save, where He demonstrated He is the KING OF KINGS and the LORD OF LORDS; HE IS GOD ALMIGHTY!!!!!!! It is here in this lowly, place of death, that JESUS RAISED HIMSELF FROM THE GRAVE AND BECOME THE FIRST OF THOSE WHO WERE RESURRECTED FOR ETERNITY…….
John 2 v 19, 21
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…21. But he spake of the temple of his body.”
Colossians 1 v 15B
“…the firstborn of every creature:”
The firstborn from the dead to never die again…
This leaves the garden that ALL CHILDREN OF GOD are waiting for.
The fourth garden…
Revelation 22 v 1-2
"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
The garden of God…….
The garden that EVER POSSESSES the WATER OF LIFE…
The garden that is PURE AS CRYSTAL, for GOD’S THRONE IS EVER THERE. ***FOR HE IS EVER THERE…
The garden where our GREAT SAVIOR IS EVER THERE…
The garden where ALL LIFE LIVES FOR EVER THERE!!!
The garden where SIN AND TEMPTATION ARE NEVER THERE!!!
The garden where there is no need for a sun or a moon, FOR GOD IS EVER THE LIGHT THERE!!!
The garden where THERE ARE NO MORE TEARS OF SORROW THERE!!!!
The Garden where THERE WILL NEVER BE DEATH THERE!!!!!
This the FOURTH AND FINAL GARDEN, WHERE THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED GOD'S OFFER OF ETERNAL SALVATION ARE EVER THERE!!!!!!!
REVELATION 22 V 17
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
In the fourth garden, WHERE JESUS LIVES AND HIS CHILDREN LIVE ETERNALLY, FOR ALL THOSE WHO GENUINELY LOVE HIM, BY THE GRACE OF GOD!!!!!!!
Revelation 22 v 21
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
In the first garden, in the Garden of Eden JESUS HAD SAUGHT HIS OWN.
In the second garden, the Garden of Gethsemane JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS OWN.
In the third garden, the place of the skull JESUS DIED FOR HIS OWN.
In the fourth garden, the garden of God JESUS WILL LIVE WITH HIS OWN!!!!!!!
Dr. Harold Chris Smith, sbc
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