“The Gardner & The crops”
By
District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Matthew 13:1-3, 9-11, 24-28 “The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up”.
Opening:- We find here in our text first of all a word that I want to enlighten some on. That word is “Parable”. The dictionary says a parable is a story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson.
In other words a parable is a natural story with spiritual implications. Remember That. God often used natural stories and situations in order to bring to light the spiritual meaning He was trying to convey to the people.
We find in our text that Jesus was talking to or teaching the multitudes that followed Him, imparting to them some very profound spiritual revelations. However, He is presenting it to them in a natural and simplistic manner and he was doing that for a couple of reasons.
1. Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For my thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.
2. He told the disciples after they asked why speakest thou unto them in parables vs #10, He said “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given”
1st Corinthians 2:14 says “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned”.
See in order to understand the things of God you must be spiritual. Understand spiritual doesn’t mean shouting and speaking in tongues, but to be transformed in the renewing of your mind, literally having the mind of Christ in you.
The Bible says in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”.
Sadly somanytimes people get emotional and spiritual mixed up. Understand you can be emotional and not be spiritual, but when you are spiritual that will produce and emotional response.
So we see that Jesus taught in parables and that a parable is a natural story that has spiritual implications, but you must be spiritual to understand it. In its simplest form being spiritual is based upon and predicated upon your relationship with God. You can’t read it in a book or watch it on television and think that you will learn how to be spiritual you have to have a personal experience/relationship with God yourself. I can’t read in a book or see on television how to love my wife, I have to have a relationship with her and build that relationship based upon the personal experiences we have.
WHY:- because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and not unto them, those that don’t have a relationship with God.
This message that God has given me today is in the form of a parable but the implications are spiritual and the results can either give you eternal life or cause you to spend eternity in hell.
TODAY:- I want to talk to you about the Gardner and the crops.
TEXT:- The was a rich and powerful man that had purchased a beautiful garden. This garden was unlike anything ever seen before. It was full of different types of fruits and vegetables that were full of nutrients and essentials beneficial for a healthy life.
There were in the garden sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, red peppers, and Chinese cabbage, these were all full of vitamin A which keep the eyes and skin healthy and helps protect against infections.
There were black eyed peas and great northern beans that were full of Folate, which help women reduce the risk of having a child with brain or spinal cord defect.
There were navy beans, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans, soybeans, chick peas, and lentils that were full of fiber that decreases the risk Coronary Artery Disease.
There were strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, oranges, and mangos in the garden that were full of vitamin C that helps heal cuts and wounds as well as keep teeth and gums healthy.
This was a beautiful garden and the owner of the garden loved this garden. However, the rich man had to go on a journey for a while and he had to leave his garden. He had invest so much into the garden and spent so much time working in it that he didn’t want anything to happen to his garden while he was gone away.
So the rich man called a friend of his and he told his friend I must go away for a while and I have called you to take care of my garden while I am gone away. I called you because I can trust you based upon the relationship that we have.
He told his friend I want you to water my garden, make sure no one destroys my garden, keep all the animals out of my garden that will try to eat my garden up. I am trusting you to take care of my garden so when I return from my journey I will not have lost any of my garden.
The rich man gave his friend everything he needed to take care of his garden. He gave him the keys to the shed so that he may be able to get the tools he needed to take care of the garden. The he called his friend the gardener and said to his friend it is now your jobs to ensure no harm happens to my garden so make sure you take good care of my garden until I return and when I return I’ll have my reward for you with me if you maintain my garden, but if you fail and destroy my garden vengeance is mine.
The rich and powerful man left and left the gardener, his friend, in charge of his priceless possession the garden.
The gardener took good care of the garden he watered the garden, fertilized the garden, and kept the animals out of the garden. Day and night that garden was part of his life, he did everything he thought was right for that garden.
But one day the gardener went to the check on the crops in the garden and he noticed something that was in the garden that wasn’t there before. At first he didn’t think it was that bad of a thing, but a little while later the gardener noticed that it was a weed and it had begun to grow and began to choke the crops, trying to destroy the garden from within.
The gardener looked and noticed that the red peppers were not as red as they once were because the weed had begun to choke the peppers. He looked and noticed that the carrots weren’t as crisp as they once were because the weed had begun to choke them out as well.
Not wanting to destroy the garden his friend had left in his care he wondered what to do. So he ran to the shed and looked for something to get rid of the weeds and saved the garden. In the shed the gardener found a shovel, a hoe, a pair of pruning shears, a rake, and some trash bags. He grabbed the tools and ran back to the garden in order to save the garden. As he used the tools trying to save the garden he noticed that some of the leaves of the cabbage came off, but the head was still rooted in the ground and he was able to remove the weed and keep it from choking out the cabbage.
As he cut the weed from the peppers, strawberries, beans, and the rest of the garden he noticed that the plants began to lean because they were fragile from the abuse of the weeds, but they were still rooted in the ground of fertile soil.
After he removed all the weeds, the gardener took the rake and began to clean up that which he had to cut away in order to save the garden. No matter how much it hurt he had to cut in order to save the garden from being destroyed. He had to have it done because he didn’t know when his friend was going to return home and he didn’t want to let his friend down, because his friend trusted him, so he had to make sure everything was decent and in order in the garden for when his friend would return.
WELL HERE WE GO!
The rich man is Jesus and the garden is the His church, which He purchased with His blood. I am His friend – John 15:15 says “Henceforth I call you – can I stop here for a minute – He said henceforth I call you. This is Jesus Christ Himself, He said I call you – man didn’t call me, Bishop didn’t call me, you didn’t call me. See if man called me, bishop called me or you called me then whomever called has the right to tell me what I should do and say. There’s an old saying that goes “it’s your dime” since it is His dime therefore it is He that gets to do the talking.
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friend…”
He has called me to be the gardener (pastor) of His garden (church/AGC) and He has given me a command. He said gardener (pastor – son of man) I have set thee a watchman…; therefore thou shalt hear the words of my mouth and warn them for me” Now behold watch and pray for no man knoweth the day or the hour, but I come quickly and my reward is with me.
Now that I have been set as the gardener by Jesus Christ to till the ground (Gen 2:5), I noticed there are weeds that are growing in the garden that are trying to choke out the fruits and vegetables of the garden. So I had to run to the shed – which is the altar- and I began to look (seek God’s face) for something to take care of the garden. I found some pruning shears, a shovel, a hoe, and a rake – these are the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life, for these are they which testify of Jesus Christ.
II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works”.
Given by inspiration of God:- Theopnuestos" = GodBreathed. The word “inspiration,” which is Theopnuestos is used in a way to mean that God breathed into His Word the exact words that He wanted the inspired writer to write. It was the work of the Holy Spirit that so influenced and guided the inspired authors that they wrote down exactly what He would have them to write. Peter in 2 Peter 1:20, 21 says, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Profitable for:- yielding advantageous returns or results. Sometimes it hurts, but just say as Bishop Later said on the other week Ouchallujah and stand.
Doctrine:- Right thinking about God, man, the world, living, and so on.
Reproof:- Convictions of wrong thinking and wrong actions.
Correction:- brings us back in line with what is right.
Instruction in righteousness:- the teaching and learning of knowledge in righteousness.
That the man of God – the gardener, pastor, watchman, me.
may be perfect- mature and responsible accountable.
throughly furnished unto all good works. – that I may equipped to bring out of your that which God has deposited it you that produce good works. This is being beneficial to others.
Sometimes there may be some stuff that comes from my mouth that might cut and hurt sometimes, it might hurt a little bit for a little while, but I got to make sure that the garden (you the church) is healthy. Understand that I haven’t been sent here to make you happy but to make you healthy for the benefit of others.
WATCH THIS:- I said that the garden is full of fruits and vegetables that will help produce a healthy life.
God has filled you with His spirit the nutrients and essential that are so beneficial to others have been place inside of you.
Some of you are carrots that are beneficial in helping others to see the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
Some of you are strawberries and pineapples to help heal the cuts and wounds of those that are hurting.
Some of you are beets and sweet potatoes which help maintain a healthy blood pressure. The Bible says that life is in the blood.
I WISH YOU COULD UNDERSTAND JUST HOW BENEFICIAL YOU ARE.
Some of you are kidney, black, lima, and great northern beans which are beneficial in decreasing the risk of Coronary Artery Disease. The Coronary Artery is the avenue the heart uses to supply blood and oxygen to all the rest of the body.
OH I PRAY SOMEONE WOULD SAY I WANT TO BE A KIDNEY BEAN.
The devil desires to sift you because he knows the potential and benefit that is placed in you. If he can choke you out of fulfilling your destiny and reaching your potential, he knows many souls will be lost.
So he sends weeds in among the garden. He cause the children to become uncomfortable in church and begin to run around and cry. This is a weed that begins to choke out some of the fruits and vegetables causing them not to be able to reach their destiny.
He sends weeds of discontent into the garden trying to choke out that potential that God has placed in you.
He sends weeds of discouragement, haughty spirits, confusion, loneliness, suspicion, jealousy, disobedience trying to destroy the garden.
But I am here to say the devil is a lie. As Kevin Costner said in the Bodyguard – Not on my watch. I am determined to do what God has called me to do and that is to cultivate and bring out of you that potential that He has placed in His garden – you.
Let me bring this home.
As the gardener sometimes I have to dig around the fruits and vegetables, sometimes it causes some leaves to fall off, but I must get rid of the stuff that is trying to choke you out of your blessing and destiny. There are times when it may hurt, but my job is to get you ready for His return.
I want to close with this question what are you in God’s Garden?
Are you a bean that is helping or are you Okra.
You heard when I said that beans are beneficial in decreasing the risk of Coronary Artery Disease. The Coronary Artery is the avenue the heart uses to supply blood and oxygen to all the rest of the body.
Okra is full of vitamins and nutrients as well; however, okra will irritate your skin when handled.
Are you living up to your potential or are you and irritant.
District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Pastor
