Are you Ready for the Rain?

Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:4-8

4
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the
earth and the heavens - 5and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had
yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,...

Introduction
As we look at this passage, I am not going to attempt to expound details of how God created the earth. Rather, I want
to look at how the creation account reveals something of the heart, the purpose, and the plan that God has always had
in mind.
Specifically, I want us to see that God always chooses to partner with people to achieve his purposes. This has been
his intention from the very beginning.

God Planted a Garden

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden
Gen. 2:8
 The garden had a location
 It was not a general area, it was a specific area, it was in the east
 The garden was a special area; garden is different to wilderness
 Wilderness is wild; it is untamed; it is a place where anything goes; where everything grows; it is wild; it is a
place not designed for human habitation
 The garden is a place of order; everything has a place, and everything is in its place
 I have a garden; I have noticed that in winter everything dies back; the leaves fall off the trees, the flowers don’t
bloom, many of plants disappear below the surface
 In winter the garden is dormant. When you look at the garden in winter, you just don’t know what potential there
is just below the soil
 Here we see that God had planted a garden, and he placed mankind in the garden. The Garden is the proper place
for mankind to live; it is the place where God always intended man to live.
 I believe that there is a spiritual lesson here; God still intends for us to live in the garden. The literal Garden of
Eden is no longer here, but I believe that we have an equivalent place today;
o it is the church.
o It is a community of believers living in accordance with the principles and the precepts that God has
defined, just as a garden conforms to the principles of gardener.
 God planted a garden in the east of Tewkesbury, in Northway!
No growth
 God planted a garden, but no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had
yet sprung up
There is an important word here; one word that makes ALL the difference; a word that changes our outlook from
desperation to expectation.
For those of a certain age, we can remember Live Aide in 1985, which was organised to provide famine relief in
Ethiopia:

Page 1 of 5
  Although crops had been planted, rains had failed in 1893 and 1984, and no crops had sprung forth. The lack
of food resulted in famine that:
o Affected 13.2 million people
o Resulted in 1.2 million deaths
o 2.5 million being displaced from their homes within the country
o Created 400,000 refugees seeking help outside the country
o 200,000 children became orphans
 Why, because NO growth HAD occurred – no growth results in trauma!
 But here in Genesis 2, we see that no growth had YET occurred…for 2 reasons; God had not sent rain; there
was no person to work the ground!

God had not sent rain on the earth

 Rain brings growth.
 My garden grows rapidly when there is rain. The grass is always greener, the flowers and the trees grow taller.
Rain is essential for growth.
 In Ephesians, Paul speaks about the Christian’s life using gardening terms.
16 17
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, And I
pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp
how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you
may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Eph. 3 17-19
Rooting & Shooting
 God had planted a garden, and he placed man in the garden. God did not place man in the wilderness, but rather
placed man in the garden that he had created. In other words, God’s preferred environment for mankind is in the
Garden, and not in the Wilderness.
 Here we have a picture of the earth; the church (the people of God), is the garden and the world (those who are not
the people of God) is the wilderness. Those inside the garden live by the gardener’s rules; and those outside the
garden live by their own rules.
 God wants people to remain in the garden and put down roots.

Growth
 The garden provides a place for growth. I live in a new build house. There was no garden when we moved in. We
planted seed to create a lawn, and we plant trees, shrubs, and flowers to make the garden a pleasant place to be.
 Recently, because some of the shrubs had grown beyond my expectations, I had to move some plants. If I didn’t,
their growth and health would have been hindered.
 The church provides a healthy place for growth. We first set down roots in God’s love, but then we start to grow.
When my plants have been in the ground for a period, I know that they have become established in my garden.
They are strong, they are happy where they are, and they are healthy
 We need the rain of the of the Holy Spirit to grow.

Page 2 of 5
Maturity and Strength
1
Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to
2
bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to
3
proclaim the year of the LORD's favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide
for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of
mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting
of the LORD for the display of his splendour.

Isaiah 61:1-3
We are in Sycamore road, we are surrounded by Cedar Road, Spruce Close, and Elm Road, but God calls us Oaks of
Righteousness, a planting of the Lord to display His splendour.
 I want to show you something: UK national stats vs Northway stats….
 This shows a legacy of Christian witness from the 1950s until now emanating from this church to this community.
If we say that we are 30 people, these stats say that within 2 streets in each direction, there are another 375 people
that identify as Christian. These are the plants that have died back in the winter season. They are potential new
members, laying just beneath the surface, needing just the rain and a person to work the ground.

There was no man to work the ground

Growth
 The difference is that in the Wilderness everything and anything goes. There are no rules; there is no management;
there is no control. Whilst in the garden, everything is managed. There is order in the garden – there are neat
pathways and tidy flower beds. Only those plants that the gardener wants are permitted to grow there.
 For these plants the garden and gardener provide room for growth and all of the nourishment that is essential for
growth.
Preparing the Ground
Breaking up the hard spoil to receive the rain; we can regard soil as:
1. A person’s heart – take for instance the parable of the soil: Evangelism

Page 3 of 5
a. Intellectual d. Relational
b. Confrontational e. Invitational
c. Testimonial f. Serving

Page 4 of 5
 2. The Church: Scanlon’s example
If we want to grow this church; we need people to feel that they can put down roots here!
Removing the Weeds that Choke
When the rain comes, it’s not just the flowers that grow
 How do you distinguish between good plants and bad
 New growth may not look like we expect it to look:
o Scanlon’s prostitute
o Smoking outside church
o Alan Cooper at Hanley
We need Skilled ministers, front line team, stewards, welcome team:

Pruning the Branches that don’t Produce Fruit

Even amongst the desired plants, not all growth is beneficial.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no
fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
(John 15:1-2)
 How do you prune without killing the plant?
 This is about refining our character: removing the rubbish from my life to allow goodness to flourish

Conclusion
We long for revival
We need the rain of the Holy Spirit to fall
We need to cooperate and partner with God so that when his rain falls, we are committed to tending the
garden, ensuring that the right things grow and order is maintained.

God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

Gen. 1:28

Page 5 of 5