Hope and Restoration: Cultivating God's Garden Story
Summary
Today’s gathering centered on the hope and promise found in God’s story—a story that begins in a garden, is redeemed in a garden, and finds its glorious conclusion in a final, eternal garden. As a church, we are in a season of “cultivating”—joining with God to prepare for what He wants to do in and through us. This means not only assessing who we are as a community, but also investing in the next generation and ensuring that our ministries and resources are aligned with God’s vision for us. Our children and youth are not just the future; they are the church of today, and we are called to steward their growth and flourishing.
We also paused to pray for those in our community who are facing trials, especially Pastor Seth and his family, trusting in God’s healing and faithfulness. In a world that often feels broken and uncertain, we are reminded that our identity is rooted in being beloved children of God, redeemed by Christ, and called to a purpose greater than ourselves.
Turning to Revelation 22, we explored the culmination of God’s redemptive work. The story that began in Eden, was chosen for us in Gethsemane, and won at Calvary, finds its fulfillment in the final garden—the New Jerusalem. Here, the river of life flows from God’s throne, the tree of life brings healing to the nations, and the curse is no more. God’s presence is fully restored to His people; we will see Him face to face, and His name will be on us. In that city, there is no more night, no more pain, no more division—only the light and peace of God’s glory.
Yet, we live in the “in-between”—after the resurrection, but before the final garden. Our calling is to keep our eyes on the prize, to persevere in faith, to be ministers of reconciliation, and to live as people of hope. Even as we face injustice, grief, or weariness, we are strengthened by the vision of what is to come. God is not absent; He is at work, bringing about the reconciliation and renewal He has promised. Our task is to live each day in light of that coming reality, to be inspired by God’s faithfulness, and to invite others into the hope and healing found in Christ.
Key Takeaways
- God’s story is one of restoration, moving from the brokenness of Eden to the wholeness of the New Jerusalem. The final garden is not just a return to what was lost, but a fulfillment and surpassing of it—where every need is met, every division healed, and God’s presence is fully restored. This vision gives us strength to endure and hope to persevere, knowing that God’s promises are sure. [01:16:58]
- The river of life and the tree of life in Revelation 22 are not mere symbols, but reminders that God’s provision and healing are abundant and for all people. In a world marked by scarcity, division, and pain, God’s future is one of generosity, unity, and wholeness. We are called to embody that reality now, being agents of healing and reconciliation in our communities. [01:28:02]
- God’s presence is the greatest gift of the final garden. While we look forward to seeing Him face to face, we are not left alone in the present. Through the Holy Spirit, we have access to God’s presence even now—a foretaste of the glory to come. This presence dispels shame, fear, and regret, and empowers us to live with courage and joy. [01:33:29]
- The peace and purpose of the final garden reorient our lives today. Our ultimate calling is to worship God and live in the light of His glory, free from the burdens and anxieties of this world. Even now, we can practice this purpose by centering our lives on Christ, finding our identity and rest in Him, and letting His peace rule in our hearts. [01:36:58]
- Living in the “in-between” requires faithfulness and vision. We are called to keep our eyes on the prize, to persevere through hardship, and to live as people marked by hope and expectation. The promise of the final garden is not escapism, but motivation to engage the world with love, justice, and resilience, trusting that God is making all things new. [01:40:09]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[31:58] - Cultivate Initiative & Survey Launch
[38:34] - Praying for Our Youth and Children
[01:04:53] - Identity in Christ and Prayer for the Weary
[01:08:32] - Update and Prayer for Pastor Seth
[01:13:01] - Marvel, Resurrection, and the Story Beyond
[01:14:25] - The Gospel in Gardens: Series Recap
[01:16:58] - The Final Garden: Revelation 22
[01:19:15] - Understanding Revelation’s Message
[01:22:25] - Christ’s Ultimate Victory and Our Call
[01:25:57] - God’s Promise: The Garden City
[01:28:02] - The River and Tree of Life: Healing for All
[01:31:33] - God’s Presence Restored
[01:34:40] - Peace and Purpose in the Final Garden
[01:38:09] - Living in the In-Between: Eyes on the Prize
[01:41:58] - Prayer for Endurance and Hope
[01:44:06] - Invitations and Closing Blessing
Study Guide
Small Group Bible Study Guide: “The Final Garden – Living in the In-Between”
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### Bible Reading
Revelation 22:1-5 (NIV)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
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### Observation Questions
1. According to Revelation 22:1-5, what are the main features of the final garden city that John describes? (river of life, tree of life, no more curse, God’s presence, no more night)
2. In the sermon, what does the river of life represent for God’s people? [01:27:04]
3. What is the significance of the tree of life and its leaves in the vision John receives? [01:28:02]
4. How does the sermon describe the presence of God in the final garden, and what is different from the original Garden of Eden? [01:32:36]
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### Interpretation Questions
1. The sermon says the story of the Bible moves from the brokenness of Eden to the wholeness of the New Jerusalem. What does it mean that the final garden is not just a return to what was lost, but a fulfillment and surpassing of it? [01:25:57]
2. Why do you think God gives us a vision of the final garden, even though we still live in a world marked by pain and division? [01:24:45]
3. The river and tree of life are described as bringing healing and abundance for all people. How does this vision challenge the way we see scarcity and division in our world today? [01:28:02]
4. The sermon says that God’s presence is the greatest gift of the final garden, but also that we have access to His presence now through the Holy Spirit. How should this shape the way we live in the “in-between”? [01:33:29]
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### Application Questions
1. The sermon calls us to “cultivate”—to join with God in preparing for what He wants to do in and through us. What is one area of your life or our church community where you sense God inviting you to “cultivate” something new? [31:58]
2. Our children and youth are described as “the church of today, not just the future.” How can you personally invest in the next generation, either in your family, church, or neighborhood? [38:34]
3. The vision of the final garden is one of healing, unity, and abundance. Is there a relationship or situation in your life where you need to be an agent of healing or reconciliation? What is one step you could take this week? [01:28:02]
4. The sermon reminds us that God’s presence dispels shame, fear, and regret. Is there an area of your life where you need to invite God’s presence to bring freedom or courage? What would it look like to do that? [01:33:29]
5. Living in the “in-between” requires perseverance and hope. When you face discouragement or injustice, what helps you keep your “eyes on the prize”? Is there a specific practice or reminder that strengthens your hope? [01:40:09]
6. The final garden is a place where worship and rest in God are central. How can you make space in your daily or weekly routine to center your life on Christ and experience His peace? [01:36:58]
7. The sermon says the promise of the final garden is not escapism, but motivation to engage the world with love, justice, and resilience. What is one way you can embody hope and healing in your community this week? [01:40:09]
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Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Invite group members to pray for one another, especially for areas where they want to “cultivate” hope, healing, or a deeper sense of God’s presence in the “in-between.”
Devotional
Day 1: Restoration Beyond Return: God’s Final Garden Surpasses Eden
God’s story is not merely about returning to a lost paradise but about moving forward into a restored and perfected reality. The final garden, the New Jerusalem, represents a fulfillment that exceeds Eden’s original beauty and peace. It is a place where every brokenness is healed, every division reconciled, and God’s presence is fully and permanently restored to His people. This vision offers strength and hope, reminding believers that the promises of God are sure and that the future holds complete restoration and wholeness. In the midst of life’s challenges, this hope anchors the soul and fuels perseverance. [01:16:58]
“Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)
Reflection: What specific areas of brokenness in your life or community do you need to entrust to God’s renewing work today, trusting that He will bring a restoration beyond what you can imagine?
Day 2: Living Waters and Healing Trees: God’s Abundant Provision for All
The river of life and the tree of life in Revelation 22 symbolize more than hope; they are vivid reminders of God’s generous provision and healing available to every person. In a world often marked by scarcity, division, and pain, God’s future is one of overflowing abundance, unity, and wholeness. This calls believers to embody that reality now by becoming agents of healing and reconciliation in their communities. The invitation is to reflect God’s generosity and to actively participate in breaking down barriers, offering grace, and fostering unity as a foretaste of the coming kingdom. [01:28:02]
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.” (Revelation 22:1-2)
Reflection: Who in your community or circle of influence needs to experience God’s healing and provision through your hands and heart today? How can you be a conduit of that healing?
Day 3: God’s Presence Now: A Foretaste of Eternal Glory
The greatest gift of the final garden is the full restoration of God’s presence with His people. While the ultimate hope is to see God face to face, believers are not left alone in the present. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s presence is accessible now, offering a foretaste of the glory to come. This presence dispels shame, fear, and regret, empowering believers to live courageously and joyfully. It is a source of strength and peace that sustains through trials and invites a deeper intimacy with God in everyday life. [01:33:29]
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Reflection: In what ways can you cultivate a greater awareness of God’s presence in your daily routine, allowing His Spirit to dispel fear and shame and fill you with courage?
Day 4: Worship and Rest: Living in the Light of God’s Glory Today
The peace and purpose of the final garden reorient how believers live in the present. The ultimate calling is to worship God and live in the light of His glory, free from the burdens and anxieties of this world. Even now, this purpose can be practiced by centering life on Christ, finding identity and rest in Him, and allowing His peace to rule in the heart. This reorientation invites a daily surrender to God’s reign, a deepening of trust, and a life marked by worship that transcends circumstances. [01:36:58]
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Reflection: What is one practical way you can center your day around worship and rest in Christ, especially when faced with stress or anxiety?
Day 5: Faithful Hope in the In-Between: Eyes Fixed on God’s Promise
Living in the “in-between” time—after Christ’s resurrection but before the final garden—requires faithfulness and vision. Believers are called to keep their eyes on the prize, persevering through hardship with hope and expectation. This hope is not escapism but motivation to engage the world with love, justice, and resilience. Trusting that God is actively making all things new empowers believers to live with purpose and courage, embodying the kingdom values now while anticipating their full realization. [01:40:09]
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Reflection: What is one way you can actively persevere in faith and hope this week, especially in a situation where you feel weary or discouraged?
Quotes
We're tracing the story of the gospel, the good news of who Jesus is through the lens of garden places in the scriptures, both the Old and the New Testament. And I'm reminded in this series, church, that gardens aren't just pretty places. Gardens are spaces where God reveals over and over again his desire for relationship, his propensity to restore and renew what needs to be restored and renewed in the world. When we look at gardens throughout the Bible, we bear witness to God's hand at work. When we look at gardens in the Bible, we see God's heart. And I thank God for gardens. And my prayer for you in this series, long after it's over, is this, that for the rest of your lives, that whenever you see a garden, you are reminded of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God does his good work in gardens. [01:14:25] (61 seconds)
Victory over death, hell, and the grave was realized that day, there in Calvary's garden. And today, as we step church into this final message in our garden series, we'll see that beyond the resurrection of Jesus, beyond the empty tomb, beyond the third day morning, when he got up onto that grave, there is yet one more garden. One final moment that God has been preparing for us since the beginning of time. In fact, that's our big idea this morning. I want to give away right here at the beginning. is simply this, that what was created and broken in Eden, what was chosen for us in Gethsemane, what was won at Calvary, all find their finality in this one final garden. [01:16:45] (51 seconds)
It is a revelation of Jesus himself. When we read the book of Revelation rightly, we see Jesus, our liberator, our redeemer, and our conquering king, and when we learn to properly handle this book, we see Jesus as the victorious warrior and king who refuses to quit until evil is finally vanquished, until justice fully rolls down and peace covers the entire earth. That's what we see in the book of Revelation. The first third of the book speaks directly, Jesus speaks directly to the seven churches there in Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey. He writes seven letters to seven churches and he encourages them and he corrects them, hoping to strengthen them so that they will remain faithful. [01:21:23] (48 seconds)
It's there in this section of the book where God actually completes all that God has been doing in human history. And it's here in this third section of the book that we see a picture that if we let it, will inform how we follow Jesus between the time of the resurrection and the day of Christ's return. The book of Revelation calls each of us, church, to not just watch passively from the sideline. It calls us to actively choose Christ Jesus every single day. The book warns us not to wallow in our sins, but to repent when we fall short. And the book inspires us not to grow weary in this life. Instead, it calls us to persevere through every kind of hardship. Revelation challenges us, regardless of our background, regardless of our age, regardless of how new we are to the faith, to remain fiercely faithful until the day that Christ returns to heal, restore, and renew everything that has been broken in all of creation. [01:23:22] (72 seconds)
Because while Christ is indeed resurrected, there's still much broken in our world. Indeed, he did get up out of that grave, but there's still sickness and disease in our world. He did get up on that third day morning, but there's still the reality that injustice runs rampant in our world. And if we're honest, it seems right now that unrighteousness is winning. But I hear God say through Psalm 37, For yet a little while, and then the wicked shall not be. So while the cross won victory eternally, God, in his wisdom, chose not to destroy all evil there at the resurrection. God could have chosen to bring Jesus out of that grave and immediately bring judgment on all of God's enemies, but God chose otherwise. He chose to do it a different way. [01:24:14] (61 seconds)
But God also knew that his people needed something to look forward to. And so God gives John a vision to share with the early church, and you and I, Sanctuary, are the beneficiaries of that vision as well. And so we join with the early church, and we look at this vision that John has received from God. And when we do, we see, first and foremost, write this down if you're taking notes, we see in Revelation 22, God's promise of the final garden. We see God's promise in that final garden. John is given this vision of a garden city. He's given a vision, a front row seat to see the new Jerusalem. He sees this place where the conditions that God created in Eden that were lost when Adam and Eve sinned against God, all those conditions are reversed, and they are restored and extended forevermore. [01:25:19] (62 seconds)
The tree of life that represents the healing of all people from every nation. It represents community reconciliation. Everything that in this world has been broken and divided and that has been lost, this tree of life represents the healing of all those things. It's a visible sign that God has abundance, that God is a provider. This tree is not fighting other trees for sustenance. This is the tree of life. This is a tree that is, as it says, the leaves are for the healing of the nation. It suggests to us that all God's people, people of every nation, every tribe, and every tongue will one day draw near to that tree and have their every single need met. [01:29:07] (52 seconds)
And this vision, if we allow it, offers us today strength, strength for today and tomorrow, strength to keep on fighting, strength to keep on loving, strength to be ministers of reconciliation and of kindness and of generosity, strength to keep on keeping on when it would be just as easy to lie down and die. We look at Revelation 22 and we see God's promise in that garden. But not only do we see God's promise in that garden, the second thing we see is God's presence in that garden. When we think of paradise, when we think of this garden city church, when we think of this new Jerusalem, I'm excited to let you know, brothers and sisters, that it comes with some perks. [01:31:55] (51 seconds)
But John shows us here in this new Jerusalem that the curse of sin has passed away. And the greatest personification of the blessedness of God's people is that in that garden, in that city, they will see God's face to face and they will bear his name. Listen, you can act like that's not a big deal for you. But I'm not too proud to declare that I need God's presence. When I imagine that one day we're going to stand face to face with the Father, my soul gets happy. Because in the presence of God, there's no room for shame. In the presence of God, there's no room for guilt. In the presence of God, there's no room for fear. In the presence of God, there's no room for regret. [01:34:09] (45 seconds)
Finally, today, there is the peace and the purpose of the final garden. Revelation chapter 22 and 5 says to us this. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. John tells us that when we find ourselves in that garden city, in that new Jerusalem, he says that lamps will have lost their jobs. John says in that garden city, the sun and the stars can go sit down somewhere. In that garden city, the moon can move out of the way. And at the very, every source of light that we know of becomes obsolete in that garden city. And yet there will be no night in that city. [01:35:21] (55 seconds)
This is not some daydream. This is not just some pie in the sky idea. The new Jerusalem, God's garden city, a city that is healed, a garden that is flourishing, a people that are reconciled. And in the presence of God forever, this is our vision. And so I want to encourage us sanctuary, though the world seems to be upside down right now. Keep your eyes on God's prize. Keep your eyes focused on justice and peace and healing and hope. And when this world tries to pull you down, keep your eyes on the prize. When injustice and sin and evil press against us and war against us, keep your eyes on the prize. When grief and despair seem to overwhelm us, keep your eyes, church, on the prize. Because God's promise is certain. And his faithfulness is forever. And even when we are faithless, God is faithful. [01:40:40] (64 seconds)
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