Just like taking care of a garden, a Christian must care for their own development. Presented by Tim Martens, July 18, 2020, at United Church of God in Northwest Arkansas.

1. Dress and Keep the Garden
©2020 Tim Martens
United Church of God-Northwest Arkansas

2. God instructs Adam
Genesis 2:15 (KJV)
And the Lord God took the man, and
put him into the garden of Eden to
dress it and to keep it.

3. God instructs Adam…
Genesis 2:15 (NKJV)
Then the Lord God took the man and
put him in the garden of Eden to tend
and keep it.

4. Proverbs 24:30-31
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.

5. Proverbs 24:32-34
When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 So shall your poverty come like a
prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

6. Spiritual Lesson
Biblical examples of dressing and
keeping the garden that we were given.
Physical
Spiritual

7. Physical example #1
2 Kings 25:10
And all the army of the Chaldeans who
were with the captain of the guard
broke down the walls of Jerusalem all
around.

8. Physical example #2
2 Chronicles 14:6
And he built fortified cities in Judah, for
the land had rest; he had no war in
those years, because the Lord had
given him rest.

9. 2 Chronicles 14:7
Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build
these cities and make walls around
them, and towers, gates, and bars,
while the land is yet before us, because
we have sought the Lord our God; we
have sought Him, and He has given us
rest on every side.” So they built and
prospered.

10. Nehemiah 4:7
Now it happened, when Sanballat,
Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and
the Ashdodites heard that the walls of
Jerusalem were being restored and the
gaps were beginning to be closed, that
they became very angry,

11. Poison Ivy and Sin
Genesis 3:17
…“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it All 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.

12. Poison Ivy and Sin
1) Poison ivy contains toxins in an oil
2) The oil is spread easily on skin
3) Red welts, rashes, bumps
4) Incessant itching -- intense pain
5) Avoidance is best
6) Wash thoroughly once exposed
7) Treat with ointment
8) Takes 3 weeks to heal

13. Poison Ivy and Sin…
1) Easily mistaken for a good plant
2) May not even realize it until later
3) Difficult to destroy the ivy -- roots
4) Ivy will climb trees
5) Ivy will hide along fencelines
6) Poison ivy will even spread poison in
the winter.
7) Smoke from poison ivy can kill you

14. The Twelve Spies
Numbers 13:1
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2
“Send men to spy out the land of
Canaan, which I am giving to the
children of Israel; from each tribe of
their fathers you shall send a man,
every one a leader among them.”

15. A Land Flowing with Milk & Honey
Numbers 13:26-27
Now they departed and came back to
Moses and Aaron …and showed them
the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told
him, and said: “We went to the land
where you sent us. It truly flows with
milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

16. There are Giants in the Land
Numbers 13:28
Nevertheless the people who dwell in
the land are strong; the cities are
fortified and very large; moreover we
saw the descendants of Anak there.

17. Some Saw Obstacles Instead of Fruit
Numbers 13:23
Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol,
and there cut down a branch with one
cluster of grapes; they carried it
between two of them on a pole. They
also brought some of the
pomegranates and figs.

18. Instructions from Jesus Christ
Parable of the Pounds
Luke 19:12-13
…A certain nobleman went into a far
country to receive for himself a
kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and
delivered them ten pounds, and said
unto them, Occupy till I come.

19. Six Times God Said, “It Was Good.”
Genesis 1:12
And the earth brought forth grass, the
herb that yields seed according to its
kind, and the tree that yields fruit,
whose seed is in itself according to its
kind. And God saw that it was good.
.

20. God Loves His Creation
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting

21. God Loves His Creation…
I John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in
the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him.

22. God Loves His Creation…but not sin
I John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the lust of
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life—is not of the Father but is
of the world.

23. God Loves His Creation…but not sin
John 15:19
If you were of the world, the world
would love its own. Yet because you are
not of the world, but I chose you out of
the world, therefore the world hates
you.

24. Purpose of Jesus Christ’s Ministry
Luke 4:43
but He said to them, “I must preach the
kingdom of God to the other cities also,
because for this purpose I have been
sent.”
,

25. Christ Is Going Away & Coming Back
John 8:21
Jesus Predicts His Departure
Then Jesus said to them again, “I am
going away, and you will seek Me, and
will die in your sin. Where I go you
cannot come.”,

26. Our Job Until Jesus Christ Returns
Matthew 24:45-46
Who then is a faithful and wise servant,
whom his master made ruler over his
household, to give them food in due
season? 46 Blessed is that servant
whom his master, when he comes, will
find so doing.

27. Teach and Care for the Brethren
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded
you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.” Amen.

28. Dress and Keep the Garden
God loves His creation – so should we
love and care for the world.
We are to occupy (care for, dress and
keep) the garden that God has given us.

29. What is the Garden?
Our bodies are the temple of God
1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you, whom you have from God, and
you are not your own?

30. What is the Garden?
Our possessions – protected by the 10
Commandments
Exodus 20
Deuteronomy 5

31. What is the Garden?
Our relationships – love one another
John 13:35
By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one
another.”

32. How Do We Dress and Keep the
Garden?
John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.

33. Dress and Keep the Garden
©2020 Tim Martens
United Church of God-Northwest Arkansas