Are You Planting A Garden This Year?
Introduction
I remember when I was in high school, you could just about tell what interests somebody had, or what groups, or sports, or vocational clubs they were a part of by what they were wearing. You had the FBLA, the Future Business Leaders of America, and they wore these fancy blue sport coats with their vocational club emblem sewn on the front. You had the band members who wore their band letter-jackets. You had those who wore the sports letter jackets, and I had one of those. As a Health Occupations student and president of our local and regional chapter of Health Occupations Students of America or HOSA, I wore a white, short-sleeved lab coat with our Health Occupations insignia stitched on the front. But I always remember the guys and even girls who wore the dark blue corduroy jackets with the FFA insignia on the front. The FFA was the Future Farmers of America, and you could just about guess which students were in the FFA even without their jackets. These were the students who typically drove pickup trucks, wore boots and blue jeans, and generally had a lower lip full of tobacco. These were the good ole' boys, the rednecks, the Future Farmers of America. This was the crowd that raised calves and pigs. This was the crowd that would have excitedly answered, "Yes" if you asked them, "Are you going to plant a garden this year?"
But the FFA boys are not alone on the farm. As Warren Wiersbe writes, "Paul was fond of agricultural images and often used them in his letters. "Ye are God's husbandry" simply means, "You are God's cultivated field, God's garden." In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus compared the human heart to soil and the Word of God to seed (Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23). Paul took this individual image and made it collective: the local church is a field that ought to bear fruit. The task of the ministry is the sowing of the seed, the cultivating of the soil, the watering of the plants, and the harvesting of the fruit."
How did this image of the church as a "field" apply to the special problems of the Corinthians? To begin with, the emphasis must be on God and not on the laborers. Paul and Apollos were only servants who did their assigned tasks. It was God who gave life to their efforts. Even the faith of the believers was a gift from God (1 Cor. 3:5). It is wrong to center attention on the servants. Look instead to the Lord of the harvest, the source of all blessing.
Note the emphasis in this paragraph on increase or growth. Why compare preachers or statistics? God is the source of the growth; no man can take the credit. Furthermore, no one man can do all the necessary work. Paul planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but only God could make it grow (1 Cor. 3:6).
The passage before us is a continuation of Paul's discussion concerning the carnal Christians. And he is trying to offer the right perspective that we are not separate in God's garden, but we're all in it together.
I. Notice The Farmers In This Passage (vs. 5-6,9)
A. This Was An Appointed Role
(1 Corinthians 3:5) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1. Let's Consider The Objective Of The Appointment
"by whom ye believed"
2. Let's Consider The Overseer Of The Appointment
"the Lord gave to every man"
B. This Was An Agricultural Role
(1 Corinthians 3:6) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1. This Involved Implantation I have planted
(Luke 8:11) Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
2. This Involved Irrigation
This figure is taken from the practice of watering a tender plant, or of watering a garden or field. This was necessary in a special manner in Eastern countries. Their fields became parched and dry from their long droughts, and it was necessary to irrigate them by artificial means. The sense here is, that Paul had labored in establishing the church at Corinth; but that subsequently Apollos had labored to increase it, and to build it, up. (Barnes' Notes)
Water speaks of The Spirit Of God - (John 7:38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
The Word Of God - (Ephesians 5:26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; The Life Of God - (Revelation 22:17) 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.
C. This Was An Agreeable Role
(1 Corinthians 3:8-9) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. {9} For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1. We Are Agreeable With The Laborers
"he that planteth and he that watereth are one ... we are labourers together"
Wiersbe said,."No matter what work a person is doing for the Lord, he is still a part of the harvest. "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one" (1 Cor. 3:8).
Paul, Apollos, and Peter were not competing with each other. Rather, each was doing his assigned task under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Even though there is diversity of ministry, there is unity of purpose; and there ought to be unity of spirit.
2. We Are Agreeable With The Lord
"we are labourers together with God"
(1 Corinthians 3:5) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
Our word minister, as now used, does not express the proper force of this word. We in applying it to preachers of the gospel do not usually advert to the original sense of the word, and the reasons why it was given to them. The original word diakonoi (NT:1249) denotes properly "servants" in contradistinction from "masters." (Barnes' Notes)
One of the great problems that the Corinthian believers had was that they were focusing on the ministers instead of the master. But...
II. Notice The Focus In This Passage (vs. 6,7,8)
A. God Is The Focus Of Our Increase
1. This Is A Real Truth
(1 Corinthians 3:6) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. gave the increase - Greek 837. auxano, means to grow, i.e. enlarge: --grow (up),.
2.This Is A Repeated Truth
(1 Corinthians 3:7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
B. God Is The Focus Of Our Involvement
1. This Truth Reaches All
(1 Corinthians 3:7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
2. This Truth Removes Arrogance
(1 Corinthians 3:7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
This is to be taken comparatively. They are Nothing in comparison with God! Their agency is of no importance compared with His. It does not mean that their agency ought not to be performed; that it is not important, and indispensable in its place; but that the honor is due to God. (Barnes' Notes)
C. God Is The Focus Of Our Incentive
(1 Corinthians 3:8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1. There Is The Promised Mention Of Reward
"every man shall receive his own reward"
2. There Is The Personal Measure Of Reward
"according to his own labour"
The word "reward" misthon (NT:3408) denotes properly that which is given by contract for service rendered; an equivalent in value for services or for kindness; see the note at Rom 4:4. In the Scriptures it denotes pay, wages, recompense given to day-laborers, to soldiers, etc. It is applied often, as here, to the retribution which God will make to people on the Day of Judgment; and is applied to the "favors" which he will then bestow on them, or to the "punishment" which he will inflict as the reward of their deeds. (Barnes' Notes)
God does not reward his servants according to the success of their labour, because that depends on himself; but he rewards them according to the quantum of faithful labour which they bestow on his work. In this sense none can say, I have laboured in vain, and spent my strength for nought. (Adam Clarke's Commentary)
III. Notice The Field (Or Farm) In This Passage (vs. 9)
(1 Corinthians 3:9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
husbandry - Greek 1091. georgion, meaning cultivable, i.e. a farm.
A. We See The Identification Of The Field
(1 Corinthians 3:9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1. He Is Referring To These Corinthian Believers
2. He Is Referring To These Carnal Believers
B. We See The Immediateness Of The Field
(1 Corinthians 3:9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1. The Immediate - Purposeful Aspect Of The Field
(Proverbs 31:16) She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
considereth - Hebrew 2161. zamam, zaw-mam'; a primary root; meaning to plan, usually in a bad sense: --consider, devise, imagine, plot, purpose, think (evil). She bought the field with something in mind.
2. The Immediate - Present-tense Aspect Of The Field
"ye are God's husbandry"
C. We See The Indications Of The Field
(1 Corinthians 3:9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1. We Are The Father's
2. We Are The Farm
Just to give you the idea of this word "husbandry," listen to what Adam Clarke wrote about it.
The word which we translate "husbandry," signifies properly an arable field. It would be more literal to translate it, "Ye are God's farm." (Adam Clarke's Commentary) God bought the farm!
In light of this indication, perhaps the question is not, "Are you going to grow a garden this year?" but, "Are you going to be a garden this year?"
Conclusion
Do you remember the nursery rhyme?
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row."
I ask you tonight, how does yoir gardem grow? Are you bearing fruit for God's glory?