Paradise Restored
Notes
Transcript
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 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. 3 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. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 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.
Still in the Book of Revelation
Last week - The New Jerusalem, John given a tour, the dimensions and the sights of heaven..
Today we take a look at what do we enjoy in heaven?
Paradise was restored.
The original garden:
8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
There is an epic poem written in the 17th century by one of the greatest English poets John Milton - Paradise lost.
God makes everything beautiful: Example - the beauty of the fall season
He created the appreciation of beauty in us, the delight, the soul satisfaction
What God made beautiful was marred by sin.
In spite of the sin nature, there is a quest for what is beautiful and pure.. Romans chapter 8 tells us that there is a groaning within ourselves, waiting for the redemption of the body. — embedded desire for paradise inside of us — will be fulfilled in the restored paradise.
There are four that are prominent in the New Jerusalem
A River
A Street
A Tree
A Throne
A River
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
A pure river of water of life
Image HERE
refreshing running water, we do not want stagnant water.. carries disease, pestilence and even death
we like the sight if running streams of water… touching, dipping into, we are drawn to it,, even the sounds of gentle streams soothes us..
Coming out of the throne - An eternal reminder that God is the source of life.
represents the refreshing satisfaction found in only in Christ
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
God spoke about this river:
6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
A Street
2 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.
Ironically, the broad street in the New Jerusalem is only accessible to those who come to it by the narrow way:
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Jesus is the way
Some translations a broad street - A public square, a place of gathering and fellowship.
A reunion, departed loved ones who know the Lord..
What will they talk about? Only the truth of God — no liars..
Filled with thee grace of God, that there will be no room for murmuring..(talk)
Only pure talk, no uncleanness..
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Do a Heavenly rehearsal now..
A Tree
All redeemed people are returned to sinless innocence. Therefore, they may eat freely once again of the tree of life.
for our delight and enjoyment
which bore twelve fruits — what is your favorite fruit? you should taste Philippine mango --- I can imagine the fruits of the tree in God’s restored paradise will be so delicious.
Every month --- a reference to time?
Questions:
Will we eat in the glorified state?
Jesus ate after His resurrection
Spiritual significance of eating: Communion
Will we need healing? (the leaves)
A reminder of God’s faithfulness
The presence of God is the health and happiness of the saints, continuous health and well-being.
No, the “healing” is a reference to the perpetual blessing of the new heaven and earth; never again will the world be plagued by physical disorders or spiritual corruption.
“This tree is never empty, never barren; there is always fruit upon it. In heaven there is not only a variety of pure and satisfying pleasures, but a continuance of them, and always fresh. The fruit is not only pleasant, but wholesome. The presence of God in heaven is the health and happiness of the saints; there they find in him a remedy for all their former maladies, and are preserved by him in the most healthful and vigorous state” - Matthew Henry
While through sin, mankind lost access to the tree of life, ironically, God made the restoration of access through another tree.
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
A Throne
The throne of God and of the Lamb - The rule of God
The throne is mentioned 40 times
3 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.
There will be no more curse ==> Because there will be no presence of evil
We need as a church to speak up against evil - churches shy away from politics (two weeks ago), the devil’s division of churches, call evil for what it is.
The complete Gospel is light that exposes evil.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
We will serve the Lord. - the joy of serving..no personal agendas
4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
Not particularly branding us:
(1) We are marked by the Spirit as God’s - you are already sealed
(2) We know God and we shall see Him.
16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Even now, we can see God.
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
There shall be perpetual day, the glory of God gives the light.
5 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.
We shall reign forever and ever.
Paradise will be restored, and it will be beautiful:
9 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Takeaways from today’s lesson:
Since we are citizens of heaven, the restored paradise of God, we should even now:
Walk the narrow road.
Be different from the world.. in the way we live, in the way we love (one another)
Dwell in the light and expose darkness.
Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them..for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret..
“Secret sins” is an oxymoron, it is a contradiction - nothing is hidden from God
Point the world to the source of everlasting life.
The river of life — there is a reason in the Lord’s order in John 14:6.. He is the way, the truth and the life..
We were once lost — but Jesus showed you the way.
We were lied to - but Jesus told us the truth
We were dead - but Jesus gave me life.
Ending words: