“Losing Eden”

“Losing Eden”

Pastor Josiah Nordgren

November 2, 2025

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

Eden – The of heaven and earth. 

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭28‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

From the beginning, Eden was meant for .

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

Because of sin wherever humanity went, . 

God still has a plan for Eden . 

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

Discussion Questions

This week we began a new series called “Extending Eden”.

In the beginning, Eden was the overlap of heaven and earth — a place of beauty, order, and unbroken relationship where humanity’s work was worship and God’s presence was home. 

God told humanity to “work the ground” and “be fruitful and multiply.”  Meaning, they weren’t meant to settle in the garden but outgrow and expand it.  Eden was meant to follow behind them. 

But when Adam and Eve chose sin, Eden’s expansion stopped and brokenness spread instead. Every form of hurt, division, and death traces back to that moment — yet even in humanity’s fall, God’s plan for restoration was already in motion. He still has a plan for Eden, and He’s carrying it out through us.

1. When you think of Eden as “the overlapping of heaven and earth,” what do you think that would’ve felt like for Adam and Eve?

Where in your life right now do you most feel that overlap — or where do you wish you did?

2. After Adam and Eve chose sin, brokenness spreads instead of Eden.

How have you seen that truth play out in the world, your family, or even your own heart?

3. Genesis 3:21 says God clothed Adam and Eve — covering their shame Himself.

What does that reveal about God’s heart toward you when you fail or fall short?

4. We closed by saying, “God still has a plan for Eden through us.”

What could it look like for us to extend a bit of Eden — God’s life, peace, and restoration — as individuals, as an ‘Ohana Group, or as a church?

5. Pray.