The Garden of Restoration: From the Garden to Glory
Sermon Notes
by Pastor Alex
If I were to ask you to describe a garden in the Bible, what comes to mind? (Feel free to respond in the comments below.) Most people, when asked this question, think of the Garden of Eden.
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
-Genesis 2:15-17
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
-Genesis 3:1-7
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
-Genesis 3:22-24
The Garden of Eden was meant to be a utopia for all of humanity, where there was no pain, a want for nothing, and everything was to be provided. Can you imagine not having to worry about food or the cost of housing?! However, they ruined it for us by disobeying God. They had to leave the Garden, Adam and Eve. Humanity lost direct communication with God because of this. To think, man was in the Lord’s very presence in the beginning and they threw it away!
Gardens have been used throughout the Bible for significance.
As we get closer to Easter, as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, let us stop and view the gardens from a different perspective.
- The Garden of Eden shows what we lost, and what humanity could have had.
- In Song of Songs (Solomon) a garden is used as a symbol for God’s love for His people.
My beloved has gone to his garden,
To the beds of spices,
To feed his flock in the gardens,
And to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s,
And my beloved is mine.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.-Song of Songs 6:2-3
- The major turn for Christians happened in the Garden of Gethsemane!
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
-Matthew 26:36-46
Before Jesus’ crucifixion, before his death, and even before he was betrayed, he came to a garden to pray. Jesus was crying out to the Father in heaven, he knew the agony he was about to endure. He knew WHY it had to be done.
- To fulfill God’s plan of redemption for all of humanity.
- To fulfill prophecy.
- To atone for all things that separate God from mankind.
- To remove the barrier.
- To ultimately have victory over death and the Enemy.
- To show the depth of love that God has for us.
- To rid the need for blood sacrifices.
- To open the way for eternal life.
But before all that, Jesus said, “My father, if it is possible, don’t make me drink from this cup. But do what you want, not what I want.” Then, he was betrayed by a close friend. He was arrested. He was murdered. He was then placed in a tomb that also happened to be in a garden, imagine that!
The tomb is where all the prophecies came to a head, this is what we will be celebrating at Easter, this is where the tomb, death, could not hold him! This is where the new Garden of Eden was born!
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
-Revelation 22:1-5
The above scripture depicts a mirrored Garden of Eden.
- River of Life.
- Tree of Life.
- God is dwelling with His people, like how He walked with Adam and Eve.
- The sin that came from the first humans is no more.
- Humanity is no longer banished from the garden, they are to reign with God forever.
This is what Jesus brought forth, the ultimate fulfillment of the Garden of Eden’s original purpose. What was lost in Genesis has been restored by Jesus! The New Jerusalem is not just a return, to the Garden of Eden – it is better than the original, because sin, death, and separation from God are permanently removed!
Conclusion
As we step back and look at the grand story of the Bible, we see that gardens are not just places – they are God’s stage for His greatest works.
- In the Garden of Eden, humanity was given life but fell into sin.
- In Gethsemane, Jesus wrestled with the weight of our sin and chose obedience.
- In the Garden Tomb, death was buried and resurrection bloomed.
- In Revelation 22, we see a New Eden where God restores what was lost.
Jesus is the bridge between these gardens. Where humanity failed in Eden, Jesus conquered in Gethsemane and at the cross. Where sin brought death, Jesus’ resurrection brought eternal life.
Here’s my question for you…
Will you step into the garden of new life with him? Will you allow the Gardener of your soul to plant His truth in your heart and bring forth something new?
Jesus’ death and resurrection were not just in the past – they were the turning point of eternity! Through him, we are invited back to the garden, but this time, one that will never be lost. So come, step into the garden of grace. Let him restore what was broken and bring you into new life.
Amen!
Meet The Author
Pastor Alex
🏳🌈 🏳⚧Inclusive Historical-Theologian
⛪ Senior Pastor
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