Christmas Part Two #2 (January 4, 2015)

Transcription

1 Happy New Year Church! Christmas Part Two #2 (January 4, 2015) We all know that as the clock ticked past midnight last Wednesday a new year began. But just what is it that made 2015 a new year? I looked up the dictionary and found that there are three uses of new: Something that did not exist before We might use this to refer to the new Pixar movie. Something already existing but not known before We might use this to talk about scientists discovering a new species of butterfly. Something transformed to begin anew We might use this to say in 2015 I intend to lose 10 kilos get fit be disciplined in my quiet time I am going to be a new man. It is not that 2015 was the first ever year. It is not that starting a year was unknown before. What made 2015 new is that the year began anew. Why is this important? Because right at the end of the Bible in Revelation 21:5: God the Father declares, Behold, I am making all things new. What did He mean is He speaking of:? Something that did not exist before Something already existing but not known before Something transformed to begin anew This is not an unimportant question because if God is making something entirely new or revealing something new then there is some bad news really bad news you and I won t be in heaven. There is a part of me that thinks this is what I would do if I were God.

2 If I created a perfect world filled with animals and plants and all good things and put man there and gave him a helpmate and he rebelled causing the entire cosmos to be corrupted I would probably incinerate the lot and start again. But God is far more gracious than me. Instead He formulated a plan that leads to a transforming a renewing of this world and of you and me. We will get to heaven but it will be a new you and new me that makes it there. Last week we began to look at the time when this renewing occurs. I choose to do this to remind us that the coming of Jesus Christmas actually takes place in two parts. The first time Jesus came to die so that men could be saved. And the second time He comes to finish what He started. For some, even for some Christians Christmas can be a hard and depressing time of the year. It need not be so. Last week I reminded us that: Every Christmas brings us closer to the final Christmas. Christmas is not just a time to look back at the first coming of Jesus but to remind us to look forward in expectation of His return. This week and last week, my purpose is fairly straightforward. I want to give you a message of hope to get you through the post-christmas blues. Basically, I want you to know that Christmas is not over because the best is yet to come. I thought the best way to do this is to look at the part of the Bible that most clearly outlines the events of the return of Jesus. Revelation chapters tell us who saves the world and how He does it. Here is how these chapters lay out. The One Who Saves The World 19:11-16 By Destruction 19:17-20:15 By Renewal 21:1-22:5 Last week we looked at destruction.

3 We saw that there are things in this world that must be destroyed before Jesus can reign as King Beasts, Satan and Sin. This morning we want to look at positive side of the Second Coming. Jesus saves through renewal. Jesus is coming to create a new home and a new people where a united people will enjoy the glory of a holy God forever. It breaks down like this. Jesus is coming to create: A new home 21:1-8 A new people 21:9-22:5 First, we will look at: A new home 21:1-8 This is the place where we will spend all eternity. And what we will see is that this home is: A Holy place v.1 where Holy people v. 2 glory in a Holy God v. 3 and Holy enjoyments v. 4 as their Holy inheritance vv. 5-8 If you would please look with me at what to me is one of the most encouraging passages in the Bible Revelation 21. Revelation 21:1: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. God created this world good. But sin messed it up. In this world people get sick and die. Tsunamis and earthquakes hit. But, there is no disease and death in heaven. There are no natural disasters in heaven. So this world the marred first heaven and first earth have to pass away. As Paul put it in Romans 8:20-21, because of man s sin: The creation was subjected to futility, [until the time] that [it] will be set free from its bondage to corruption.

4 Again, don t think of this world being totally destroyed and then a new world being created. God takes this fallen world and renews it transforms it makes it ready for us to enjoy eternity. But a question I keep getting asked is this what is this new heaven and earth like? When you think of the place where you will live forever what comes to mind? For many even for many Christians they think of eternity as something like this: Christians are raised as some form of angel, maybe with a with a harp. We are up in the clouds somewhere and heaven seems pretty sterile and dull. For others they picture heaven: In terms of the throne room of God. The Lord is there the angels and elders are there. We are there somewhere around the throne worshipping. It is almost as if we are at a Sunday worship service with one great exception it never, ever, ever ends. Many Christians struggle to get through an hour and a half of a worship service. They check their watch regularly and count the minutes and seconds. They groan when it becomes clear the preacher is going 5 minutes too long. So the idea of a worship service that never ends has only one possible redeeming feature for them it is not hell. Others have added a bit of literalism to heaven. Revelation 21:16 says of the new earth: The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. They take this very literally. They picture a 2,221 kilometre cube almost like the Borg cube out of Star Trek coming down from heaven to be an enormous cube sitting on the earth. And somewhere in this cube are apartments that we live in. It is almost like a Sci-Fi version of heaven. These are a few of the many interesting ideas of what eternity will be like.

5 To some heaven is a place that is supposed to be incredible but without the best things of this world such as chocolate, sport, sex or dogs. There is a lot of debate are we spirit or do we have bodies? Will we look like we do now? Do dogs get to heaven? (No one asks if cats make it to heaven) Will we know each other? I have thoughts on these but I don t know for certain. The Bible is not meant to be a travel review on the details of heaven. I am not sure we can understand the details. So what we have are pictures and it is hard to know how far to push the imagery but heaven does seem to have many connections with this world because it is this world just renewed made perfect. It is something like Eden only better because there is no possibility of sin or corruption. And here in these verses, we find five glories that show us what our renewed home will be like. The first glory of the new heaven and new earth is that it is a holy place. And the sea was no more. Don t be mistaken. Revelation is not saying that the new earth is a world without seas and oceans. This is a comment on sin. Throughout this book the sea is constantly used as a term for the sin and chaos of this fallen world. The first and prime reason this heaven and earth is renewed and perfect is that there is no sin. In fact, what makes this different to Eden is that there is no possibility of sin. No Satan to tempt. No men who are capable of falling. I can t even imagine a place with no sin. Even the best places here are corrupted.

6 I remember climbing a mountain to look out at the view and on top there was rubbish people had left and I looked and saw the yellow tinge of pollution in the distance. Not in eternity there is no sin just perfection. Then we find that there are holy people in this home. Verse 2: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Into the midst of this new and perfect creation comes a holy city the new Jerusalem. Throughout the Old Testament especially in books like Isaiah we saw the images of a ruined city and ruined woman made new by God. Transformed, renewed, made clean. Here is the picture. God removes sin from the world and He removes sin from His people us and then He puts holy us into this holy world. Remember the first world was created good but as soon as Adam fell his sin corrupted the entire cosmos. But not here. Holy people are put into a holy place. But some people have told me that if heaven is a place with no sin and they have no sin then they don t want to be there because it is going to be boring. You need a little sin to spice things up. Not at all. Everything that causes us pain will be gone and everything that causes us joy is no longer restrained by sin. We will be free to enjoy this world as God created it to be enjoyed. Think of the greatest moments in this world holding your newborn daughter looking at an incredible sunset watching the stars in the night sky. But that joy fades all too soon. These are glimpses of a good world. One day the glimpses will become permanent and the joy will never stop. And as holy people in a holy place we will glory in a holy God.

7 Verse 3: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. The Shorter Catechism tells us that: The chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy Him forever. Heaven is when we experience this in its fullness. Right now we have moments where we glory in God. When you first encounter the gospel. When you sin and are forgiven. When a Bible passage or sermon speaks to your heart. When a hymn captures your soul. When you see the glory of God in His creation. But these are mere reflections of the glory of God. They are good but imperfect and they all fade. The day will come when God will dwell among us and we will enjoy the fullness of His glory and it will not fade. Psalm 16:11 sums it all up: In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. That is heaven fullness of joy pleasures forever. We were created in such a manner that the greatest joy, the most incredibly glorious experience possible is to fully know God. In this life our sin has meant we could only know a sliver of that glory. Moses could see the back of God. The High Priest could enter the holy of holies once a year. The disciples beheld the glory of God veiled in the flesh of Christ. You and I know something of the glory of the indwelling Spirit of God. But nothing can compare to this day when we know Him fully. This is heaven.

8 We move now to the fourth glory concerning the new heaven and new earth. It is a place where there are holy enjoyments. Verse 4: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Just read this verse over a few times. It makes your heart long for the day. The pain of this world comes from the fall. Tears result from death, mourning, crying, pain and all these are a part of the first heaven and earth. When our Lord created this world He looked and it was good. No sin and no consequences of sin. But from the moment Adam rebelled against God we experienced the bitter fruits of sin. What are the bitterest moments of my life? The death of loved ones. Watching a loved one in pain. Experiencing my body fall to bits in this decaying world. Seeing the hurt my sin inflicts on others. At times the grief is almost too much to bear. You have been there. You have wept over loss, over death, over pain. You have wept when loved ones have died. You have wept when friends have suffered from painful illness. You have wept when you have watched sin shatter marriages and churches and friendships. But in eternity there is no sin so there are no consequences of sin. There are only holy enjoyments. Try and get your mind around this. There is nothing to fear. No cause for anxiety. No concern about tomorrow. Nothing that could cause us pain or grief or loss. Nothing that could cause us to shed a tear. There are only things that can bring joy and pleasure. That is somewhere I want to be. Finally, we come to the fifth glory concerning the new heaven and new earth. It is our Holy Inheritance. This is found in verses 5-8: And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning

9 and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Here is a truth to help you sleep easy at night. Heaven will come. Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. This is like saying chisel these words into stone they will come to pass. Nothing or no one in this heaven or earth can stop the reality of eternity. You will get to drink of the spring of the water of life. You will get to live forever. Death is not the end. And this life is a gift from Him it is without cost. We will be His sons. Not because of our righteousness or our worthiness or our deeds but because of His righteousness and His worthiness and His deeds. But unfortunately those who rejected the offer of amnesty in His blood will not enter this new home. I am fairly sure I have conveyed only the smallest fraction of the glory of heaven. Chances are I have done such a poor job you aren t just longing to be there. The beach, the mountain, your favourite restaurant, your favourite hobby they might sound more enticing. Well if so that is my fault. If I preached this right you would just be crying come Lord Jesus come because heaven is beyond awesome and when you get that you just want to be there. Yet as incredible as this new home is perhaps even more incredible is the picture of us the new people that follows. Here is how Revelation describes us. A new people 21:9-22:5 A united people vv enjoying the glory of a holy God vv forever 22:1-5

10 The angel declares Come I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. But what he shows them is the heavenly Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Again these same two pictures the woman and the city. This is us. Once ruined but now transformed redeemed renewed made clean. Notice then all these references to twelve. Twelve gates, twelve angels, twelve tribes, twelve foundations, twelve apostles, stadia, 144 which is 12 x 12 and twelve pearls. Throughout Revelation one of the crucial numbers is the number 12. Do your own study, but what you will find is that in each instance it signifies one thing the unity of the people of God. The 12 tribes of the Old Testament and the 12 Apostles of the New Testament united as one people of God. This becomes the symbol for the fact that people from every tribe and tongue and nation will unite as one in Christ. One of the great tragedies of sin is that Christians love to form divisions. We splinter over minutiae. I know some respected pastors who think that the Old Covenant Jews will still be a separate people with a separate purpose in heaven. There will be a Jewish section in eternity separate from the Gentile section. That is so wrong. We are never to think of eternity in terms of pre-flood saints here the Patriarchs there the Jews in this place Church over there millennial saints there. Never! We are one people of God. One of the saddest parts of life in this world is division and division among the people of God. I have seen divisions over some rather minor theological positions. I knew people in churches who split over how to wash feet and the proper mechanism of baptism is it three times forward from a kneeling position or once backwards from a standing position.

11 I have met people who deny those who hold different positions to them on areas such as baptism, eschatology, church government are saved. I am not saying these are unimportant I am saying you can disagree and still be saved. We might know this, but the way we act, it is almost as if we think heaven will have a Presbyterian section, a Wesleyan section, a Lutheran section and a Baptist section. But it is not just theology we divide over. We divide over the most minor things in churches. Real flowers or plastic ones. Blue carpet or grey. We tend to sit in the same spots and talk to the same people. We tend to look down on those who do things differently, look differently, practice their faith differently. Many Christians know how to hold a grudge. They say they forgive but they never forget. I have seen many Christian families split and divided over what are truly minor issues and it remains unresolved for years. That is just so wrong. But here is the good news the great news. When we get to heaven we will be one people. God will erase all the divisions our sin raised. Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free, Anglican and Baptist, forward dunkers and backward dunkers. The woman you silently despised and the man you didn t respect. The pastor you spoke ill of and the friend you fell out with. The in-law you found hard to love and the person who sat right across the church from you. Every division will be gone and you will be one. Here is my plea. Don t wait for heaven. You know who you struggle with. Forgive them. Ask them for forgiveness. Let love cover a multitude of sins. Bring a little heaven to earth and live in unity. The Bible has so many pleas for unity. As Paul said in Ephesians 4:1 3:

12 I urge you to bear with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Do the hard yards to live at peace with all men it is worth it. Then we see that when the Apostle John looks at the Bride the new people of God there is something else he sees: We are enjoying the glory of a holy God verses The idea in these verses is that God is there with us and He is all we need. He fulfils us in a way no one else can. Verse 22: And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. The Temple is where God dwelt in a very limited way among His people. But, in eternity, there is no need for a Temple as such, for God dwells in and with His people with no limitation. Verse 23 is awesome: And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Again, don t think this means that in eternity there are no stars, sun or moon. Why did God create the sun and moon? Psalm 19:1: The heavens are telling of the glory of God. The heavens sun, moon, stars these are but minor reflections of the glory of God. We are meant to look into the night sky or at the noon-day sun and see the hand of the Creator and the glory of God. But in eternity, the very glory of God Himself will shine throughout the city so there is no need of these temporary minor reflections of God s glory. The idea is that instead of having to look up at the heavens to see the minor glory of God the city itself shines with the full glory of the Lord Himself. He is one with His people. Then in verses we see all the united people coming to enjoy the glory of God forever. Again there is a lesson for us here.

13 We were created to find our joy in God. One day we will know that and we will experience the full joy of knowing Him. But we should start now. Tonight Danny has a great sermon on Psalm 1 for us. This Psalm starts out like this: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. You want blessings you want joy then turn from the way of the wicked and immerse yourself in His word and ways. The problem is that we look for false glories. Things our hearts say will bring us satisfaction entertainment, sex, pleasure, money, power. They can bring some fleeting joy but it doesn t last. Jeremiah 2:12 13 tells us: Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. We keep looking for satisfaction where it can t be found and we ignore the great fountain of joy God puts before us. Finally, we come to this truth. We will be: A united people enjoying the glory of a holy God forever 22:1-5 Revelation 22:1 5: 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. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. It might sound basic, but if we are to enjoy God forever, we have to live forever. In Eden there was a river that watered the garden and then it flowed out of the garden.

14 Here there is also a river it is the river of the water of life. It flows from God Himself throughout the city. It energises and fills the city. It provides eternal life for the redeemed. Here the river of the water of life is flanked by trees of life bearing twelve fruits in twelve months. Again twelve symbolises the unity of all the redeemed people who are given this eternal life with God. In Eden there was a tree of life. Adam and Eve were cast out lest they eat of the tree and live forever in their fallen state. Here the leaves of the tree heal the nations they are renewed so they can eat and live as redeemed people forever. Notice that there is no curse. There is nothing that can fetter or hinder us from enjoying God forever. So we worship God and praise His name forever. His name will be on our foreheads. Throughout this book, a name on the forehead has represented those who were purchased by the blood of the Lamb. He purchased us so that we might worship Him. This is what we were created for. We were not created for our pleasure we were created so that we might give glory to the Creator. Once Adam walked with God, served God and enjoyed God. But the fall drew him away from the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship God and serve Him forever. He is the Creator we are the creature. Scripture is insistent on this truth. John 4:23: The Father seeks [true worshippers] to worship him. Paul in Romans 12:1- urged us: By the mercies of God present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Brothers and sisters.

15 Evolutionists tell us that our creation is but a purposeless accident. The New Age says our creation has as its goal our self-realisation. The world says look I don t know if we have a purpose but eat drink and be merry in the meantime. The Scriptures say that you were created to worship God. To give Him the glory due His name. As Carrie Breck put it in her wonderful hymn Face to face with Christ, my Saviour. Refrain Face to face with Christ, my Saviour, Face to face what will it be, When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ Who died for me? Only faintly now I see Him, With the darkened veil between, But a blessed day is coming, When His glory shall be seen. Refrain Refrain What rejoicing in His presence, When are banished grief and pain; When the crooked ways are straightened, And the dark things shall be plain. Face to face oh, blissful moment! Face to face to see and know; Face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ Who loves me so. Amen! Verse 5: Face to face I shall behold Him, Far beyond the starry sky; Face to face in all His glory, I shall see Him by and by! And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

16 In eternity there will be no night no evil. There will only be the holiness and glory of God Himself. And in this holy place we will reign with the Lord forever and ever. Have you ever wondered what it means that we will reign? There is debate over whether we will reign over the angels or the animals. I think this misses the point. It is not so much reigning over something as reigning in the sense of being able to enjoy every part. God made us to reign as kings and queens over His creation. Adam blew it. But one day we will be what God created us to be. We will enjoy all the delights and glories of the new heaven and new earth. We will all eternity to find the wonders of a perfect world with God in our midst. A never ending bucket list of things beyond our imagination to explore and do with those we love filled with the glory of God. We will enjoy God and His perfect new creation forever. As we end, I need to note something. There is a part of me that wishes universalism were true that everyone got to heaven. But that is not true. Revelation 21:27 says: But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb s book of life. Only those who accept the amnesty of the King. Only those who receive the new heart the heart without sin. I have read these chapters so many times. They make me long for heaven. Almost certainly this sermon only conveyed the barest fraction of the real glory of heaven. But if you are here this morning and something in you was drawn to long for eternity. If something in you knows you were created for more than this fallen world. Then hear the words of God in this passage. Revelation 21:6 7: To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. You can t earn your way to heaven. You can t be good enough to deserve heaven.

17 There is only one way. To trust in the death of Jesus and to become the child of God. For those who have trusted in the Lord rejoice because His coming is certain and every blessing in this book will belong to us for all eternity.