The Three Gardens
The sermon highlights the significance of the three gardens in the Bible, emphasizing the importance of remembering our redemption and the role of Gethsemane in making possible the glorious garden of paradise regained.
John Henry Jowett emphasizes the significance of Gethsemane in the journey of redemption, connecting it to the gardens of Paradise lost and regained. He warns against taking redemption lightly and reminds believers that they were reconciled to God through the death of His Son. Jowett highlights the importance of remembering that we are bought with a price, which should humble us and fill our hearts with love for Christ.
Text
REVELATION xxii. 1-14.
The Bible opens with a garden. It closes with a garden. The first is the
Paradise that was lost. The last is Paradise regained. And between the two
there is a third garden, the garden of Gethsemane. And it is through the
unspeakable bitterness and desolation of Gethsemane that we find again the
glorious garden through which flows "the river of water of life." Without
Gethsemane no New Jerusalem! Without its mysterious and unfathomable night
no blessed sunrise of eternal hope! "We were reconciled to God by the
death of His Son."
We are always in dire peril of regarding our redemption lightly. We hold
it cheaply. Privileges easily come to be esteemed as rights. And even
grace itself can lose the strength of heavenly favour and can be received
and used as our due. "Gethsemane can I forget?" Yes, I can; and in the
forgetfulness I lose the sacred awe of my redemption, and I miss the real
glory of "Paradise regained." "Ye are not your own; ye are bought with a
price." That is the remembrance that keeps the spirit lowly, and that
fills the heart with love for Him "whose I am," and whom I ought to
serve.
Sermon Outline
- The Three Gardens
- The Garden of Paradise Lost
- The Garden of Gethsemane
- The Garden of Paradise Regained
Key Quotes
“Without Gethsemane no New Jerusalem!” — John Henry Jowett
“We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.” — John Henry Jowett
“Gethsemane can I forget?” — John Henry Jowett
Application Points
- We must remember that we are not our own, but were bought with a price, and keep the spirit lowly and the heart filled with love for God.
- The sacrifice of Christ in Gethsemane is the foundation of our redemption, and we must not take it lightly.
- Humility is essential for appreciating the real glory of paradise regained.