Revelation 22: The Abundance of the River of Life

Introduction

"Have you ever seen or experienced a restoration?" That is the question Mikey opens with in the final message of the "Living in the River" series at Arun Church. It might be a powerful moment in your life, or simply an episode of Repair Shop on the BBC.

Mikey has always wanted to preach on Revelation. He stops at Revelation 22:1-5, the river of the water of life and the tree of life, where the book reaches its end and heaven comes down to earth.

His main thread fits in one sentence: "There is abundance in the river." God restores what is broken, he provides for everything we need, and he invites us to step into the river.

Message outline

1. A broken guitar, then restored

While still at school, Mikey saves up for a long time to buy his dream guitar, a cherry-red Epiphone Firebird. He is deeply influenced by the Foo Fighters, and Dave Grohl is his hero. "It was the best day of my life."
He takes it to rehearsals for his church youth group, even though it is "the most rock and roll guitar" you could bring to a time of worship. One day, with no stand, he lays it on the floor to go and get a drink. Someone grabs his attention, he takes a step: "Crack."
His foot landed right where the headstock meets the neck. The guitar is snapped clean through, the headstock held on only by the strings. "I was in tears. I'm the worst musician in the world. Who does something like that?"
For two or three months, he never opens the case again. Then he hears that a luthier repairs instruments near his home. He doesn't believe it: "It's beyond saving." A few weeks later, the guitar is repaired, with pins running through the neck that hold the headstock despite the tension of the strings. It plays again.
The dictionary defines restoration as the act of bringing something back to its original, normal state, or to its "former good condition." For Mikey, that last word matters: at creation, God said at every step that it was good (Genesis 1). The good is the state God intended.

2. Revelation, the moment the sun comes back

In Revelation 22:1-5, the angel shows John the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, and the tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse or night, and the Lord God will give his people light.
Revelation belongs to apocalyptic literature: things go from bad to worse, then suddenly everything becomes good and the rest. The Greek thought of the time saw history as a cycle, and many still think that way today. Revelation says something else: "We are in the good part, the part that is good forever."
The word "Apocalypse" means to reveal. God reveals to John what will happen at the end and what is on his heart.
Mikey takes the image of The Lord of the Rings: during the final battle, everything is dark, there is no more sun. As soon as the battle is won, the sun reappears. All through Revelation there are black clouds; here, the sun returns. "Spoiler alert: Jesus wins."
God's purpose is to redeem all things and bring them back under his rule: a kingdom freed from shame, sin and suffering. Heaven comes to earth.

3. From Eden to the new creation

Between Eden and the new creation, the Bible multiplies mirror images. In the end, it is not we who go to live with God: it is God who comes to live with us.
In the garden, God lived with Adam and Eve. There was no shame, no sin, no suffering, no separation. Humanity could look God in the face. The new creation takes up this image and says: "It will be even better."
"The Bible is, at its core, the story of God's faithfulness: he will restore what has been broken and make it new."
The city of God has its gates open. Who leaves their door unlocked at night? Our locks, our alarms, our bank card PINs and our facial recognition show that we live in a world not yet fully restored, because sin, suffering and shame are still here.
Genesis already speaks of a river: it flowed out of Eden to water the garden, then divided into four branches (Genesis 2:10). From the very beginning, a river nourishes the earth all around.

4. From a mindset of lack to a life of abundance

Mikey grew up without much money. His school meals came from Tesco's budget range, there were never holidays abroad, only camping down the road, and he spent those holidays mostly perched in a tree. His phone didn't even have a camera, "and it's not because I'm old."
In his family, money was frightening and never talked about. He grew up with a constant sense of lack.
Now married and a father, he has had to learn to move from a mindset of lack to a mindset of abundance, instead of holding everything tight. During his wife's maternity leave, income was low. The question became: "How do you stay generous when you don't have much?"
He has learned to thank God for what he is doing now, instead of thinking: "If only I had ten thousand pounds more, an extension, a car, a new phone."
"The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
An abundant life does not mean getting rich, winning the lottery or receiving a million pounds. In the middle of the message, a notification from his bank pops up: "You're spending less." He laughs: "I need to be more generous."

5. There is abundance in the river

The world chases financial wealth. An abundant life is spiritual wealth: the fruit of the Spirit. "How much love do you have? How much joy, peace, patience? Are they overflowing?"
"Here is my main point, what I want you to take away: there is abundance in the river." God is the one who provides. He restores and he provides.
The river brings life to everything it touches, because it flows from the throne of God. The tree of life bears fruit every month and its leaves bring healing. Everything we need is there.
Together, the river and the tree of life speak of hope, eternal life and the fulfillment of God's promises. They recall the restoration and renewal that await believers in his presence.
Already in the garden, God had given Adam and Eve everything they needed: food, safety, their relationship with each other and their relationship with God. "We are fairly simple creatures, believe it or not."

6. It's not a break I need

On top of all this, we have received the Holy Spirit, the power of God at work on earth today. "Walking with the Holy Spirit is no small thing." He renews our mind so that we live the way Jesus did rather than the way the world does (Romans 12:2).
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" (Luke 11:13).
Mikey shares that he is going through a hard season, for himself and his family. At a leaders' meeting, he said: "I'm so tired. I need a break, but I have kids, so I don't get a break."
Then he understood: "It's not a break I need, or a holiday. It's God's presence." He had been going through pain, grief, anger and frustration in his own strength, without coming back to the river.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn't happen once and for all. We keep coming back to God to say: "Fill me again, so that I overflow."

7. Jump into the river

What does God need to restore in you? A dream that seems dead, a relationship, your physical or mental health, your heart for your brothers and sisters in Christ or for those who don't know Jesus, your thoughts, your actions, your finances?
God wants to give it to you. He doesn't set conditions like "if you don't do this, I won't do that." But he asks for your life, so that you live fully in his abundance and his restoration.
"But seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). The abundant life is freedom in Jesus ("the truth will make you free," John 8:32), faith in him, communion with God, worship and faithfulness.
To respond, Mikey invites the congregation to make a gesture: step out of your row, take a slightly uncomfortable step and jump into the river. "Let's not put limits on God."
His closing prayer asks for the courage to leave behind what holds us back, and to enter the river "not just with a toe, but fully."

Key takeaways

Restoration brings things back to their good state, the one God intended from creation.
Revelation ends well and forever: God comes to live with us, in a creation freed from shame, sin and suffering.
There is abundance in the river: God restores and provides for everything we need.
The abundant life is not financial wealth, it is the spiritual wealth of the fruit of the Spirit.
When you are exhausted, you may need God's presence and a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit more than you need a break.

Personal application

Where have you already seen or experienced restoration in your life?
Do you live more with a mindset of lack or of abundance, especially in the way you give?
How much love, joy, peace and patience do you see overflowing right now in your relationships?
Are you going through a season of exhaustion in your own strength? What would change if you came back to the river and asked to be filled again?
What dream, relationship or area of your life do you need to entrust to God so that he restores it?

Verses cited

Frequently asked questions

What does the river of the water of life mean in Revelation 22?

The river flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb, and it brings life to everything around it. Together with the tree of life, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, it says that everything we need is found with God. For Mikey, the message is simple: there is abundance in the river.

What is the link between Eden and the new creation?

In the garden, God came to live with humanity, without shame, sin or suffering, and a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden (Genesis 2:10). Revelation 22 is its mirror image: God comes to live with us, a river flows from his throne, and it will be even better than in the beginning.

Does a life of abundance mean becoming rich?

No. Mikey makes clear that an abundant life does not mean winning the lottery or receiving a million pounds. It is about spiritual wealth: love, joy, peace, patience and the other fruit of the Spirit, to the point that they overflow in our relationship with God and with others.