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No claims of absolute originality are made for this material. As one man said, "I milk a lot of cows, but I churn my own butter." Please use these sermons as the Lord leads, but nothing on this site may be used for profit without my expressed, written permission!
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Revelation 21:1-8 Intro: In our last study of the Revelation,
we witnessed the Great White Throne judgment of lost sinners. We read about how
everyone who refuses to come to Jesus for salvation will one day face Him as
their Judge. He will order them to be cast in the Lake of Fire, where they will
suffer eternally for their sins. I
praise the Lord that the book of Revelation does not end there! After that
terrible time of judgment our attention is drawn toward Heaven. We are allowed
to get a glimpse of the world that is waiting on us when time is finished and
eternity begins. When
we begin to speak of eternal matters, we have entered a realm where we begin to
have problems. Our mortal minds cannot begin to comprehend an existence that is
eternal and perfect. We are so tied to time and so used to the problems of this
life that we cannot really even imagine what Heaven will be like. All we can do
is read our Bibles, believe the words they contain and rejoice in what awaits
us, even though we cannot possibly grasp it all now. In
our text, the veil between time and eternity is pulled back just a little. We
are allowed to look into our future in a place called Heaven. There
is a word in our text that is used four times. It is the word “new.
This word means recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn. This passage speaks
of that time When God Makes All Things New. That is the thought I want to magnify
today as I share of the elements that God will make new in
eternity. I.
v. 1 THERE
WILL BE A NEW CREATION A. A Wrecked
Creation Is Destroyed This verse speaks of the day when this world
and the atmosphere around it will be done away with. This world has been
stained by the blight of sin and the day is coming when the Lord will do away
with this world, Heb. 1:10-12; 2 Pet.
3:7-13. (Ill. This world is filled with explosive substances: nitrogen,
hydrogen, sodium, etc.) (Ill. 2 Pet.
3:10 elements = the basic building blocks of all matter; the
building blocks of the universe. The smallest of those building blocks
is the atom. Everything in the universe is made of atoms.
The word atom comes to us from the Greek language. It is a compound
word. tomos which means to cut and a which means not.
In other words, and atom is something that cannot be cut meaning
that is the smallest piece of matter there is. We now know that atoms can be
cut, and when they are, tremendous energy is released. Ill. The devastation of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki over 200,000 people died because man learned how to
cut a few atoms. Imagine what will happen to this world when God splits many
atoms. The atmosphere around this world has been
claimed as the habitation of Satan and his demons, Eph. 2:2. God will root out the devil and his army. He will cleanse
the earth and the atmosphere surrounding it. B. A
Wonderful Creation Is Displayed The old heaven and earth
will be replaced with a new edition. It will be remade as it was in
the beginning, before sin invaded the world and tainted and ruined
creation. In that new world, there will be no more curse. It will
be a perfect world created to be enjoyed by a perfected people. The new world the Lord will make will be
so glorious that this old world will never even be remembered, Isa. 65:17. Think for a moment about
the beauty of this world. Consider the fall of the year when the trees are
painted in colors of yellow, orange, red and rust. People travel for hours to
see those leaves. They won’t even be remembered when we get a glimpse of that
new world. When I first saw the Grand Canyon I was in awe. In fact, I envy any
person’s first glimpse of that amazing place. Yet, when God makes a new world,
no one will even think about the Grand Canyon. It’s beauty and grandeur will
pale in comparison to what the Lord will do in that future day. I praise the
Lord that I will be there to see it. John closes this verse by telling us that
“there
will be no more sea. When John penned these words, he was
a prisoner on the island of Patmos. He was separated from his congregation
in Ephesus by the vast expanse of the Mediterranean Ocean. John is
telling us that there will be no separations in that world. The sea,
as we know them, will cease to exist. The world will be delivered
from the grip of the oceans that cover over three-fourths our planet.
Instead of being a world where people are separated by natural boundaries,
it will be a world in which men will be brought together as one. I.
There Will Be A New Creation II. v.
2 THERE WILL BE A NEW CITY (Ill. Not only does John see a new
creation, he also sees a new city. He sees a place called the “New Jerusalem”.
I believe it is the city where the redeemed of God will spend their eternity.
This verse gives us a little information about that glorious place.) A. It
Is A Perfect City Ever since man began to populate the earth, he has
been in the business of building cities, Gen.
4:17. Every city built by man, regardless of how small or large it may be,
has one thing in common. They are all centers of sin and depravity. Of course,
the larger the city, the larger its population, and the more people there are,
the more sin and wickedness they devise. God is building a “holy
city! Every city is a reflection of its inhabitants.
We talk about a city being a place of sin, and the reason it is a place of sin
is because it is filled with sinners. This new city reflects the character of
its Creator. God is holy, separate from sin and sinners, and He is building a
city that will be free from the taint and presence of sin. Sounds like it’s the
kind of place I would like to spend eternity. B. It
Is A Prepared City Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband
When a bride prepares herself for her wedding day, the day she will give
herself unconditionally to her husband, she doesnt smear her face with grease
and put on a tow sack. She pulls out all the stops! Her make-up is perfect. Her
hair is perfect. She is resplendent in her white dress. She is the absolute
image of female beauty. Well, the Lord Jesus is preparing this city
for His bride, the church, John
14:1-3. He isn’t building a few cabins on the hills of glory.
He isn’t preparing a place that is common and run of the mill.
Jesus is preparing a city that is the epitome of perfection and beauty.
He is preparing a place that is worthy of God. We will talk more about
that city next week, Lord willing. Right now, you and I live in tents of flesh,
2 Cor. 5:1. One day, we
will fold up these tents and move into a mansion! That has been the
hope of the believer since the days of Abraham, Heb.
11:9-10. Lot moved to Sodom and Abraham continued in his tent.
Abraham would not have been happy with a city here, because faith
has already revealed a holy, heavenly city that he would occupy some
wonderful day. I know just how he feels!
I. There Will Be A New Creation II. There Will Be A New City III.
v. 3-4 THERE WILL BE A
NEW COMMUNION A. v. 3 It Will Be A Time Of Personal Communion
This incredible verse lets us know that when we arrive in Heaven, our days of
separation from God are over. I realize that god dwells in the tabernacles of
our hearts, 1 Cor. 6:19. I also
realize that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us, Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20. However, I also know that we are separated
from God by our sins and by this flesh, Ex.
33:20. But, there is coming a day when the barriers of sin, the flesh and
distance will be removed and we will see God face to face, Job 19:26; Matt. 5:8. This world is a place of evil. Everywhere
you look it seems like all you can see is the work of the devil. In Heaven, all
we will see is the presence of the Lord! Praise God, we will see the One Who
loved enough to send His Son Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. We will see
Him and that will be Heaven! B. v. 4 It Will Be A Time Of Pleasant Communion
When we leave this world and step into that Heavenly realm we will
see the Lord God. He will minister to us in a personal, profound way
that will change the way we live our lives for eternity. In fact,
while Heaven will give us more than we can imagine, it will also take
away some things that we will be glad to see go forever. Ill.
Once a man who was getting his shoes shined and the shoeshine boy was stumbling
a little and wasn't doing a real good job and the man was in a hurry and he was
all irritated and ill and hateful that day and he said, “What's the matter with you, can't
you do any better than that shining shoes? And
when he did, tears began to run down the face of that poor shoeshine boy. The
man saw him crying and said, “I’m sorry son. I didn't mean to make you
cry. And
he said, “Oh, no sir, you didn't make me cry. My mama died this morning and I'm
just shining a few shoes to get up a little money to buy some flowers
to put on her grave. No sir, you didn't put the tears in my eyes,
you just brought them out. 2. No
More Separation no more death This is a word of
death. It is all around us and it stalks us all. Nearly every person in this
room had been touched by death. Nearly every person here has lost someone they
love to that monster called death. And even if you havent, every person in
this room has a date with death, Heb.
9:27. In Heaven, there will be no death! According
to 1 Cor. 15:26 death will
be destroyed one day. We saw
that destruction take place in Rev.
20:14. Because Jesus conquered death, those who believe in Him
are going to land where there will be no dying; no mortuaries; no
wreaths on the door; and no sad families gathered around a lonely
grave. Never again will loved ones watch those they love slip out
of time and into eternity. There will be no death in Heaven! 4. No
More Sighing nor crying The word crying means an outcry. Never again
will the anguish of the heart spill out through the eyes. There will be no
arguments, no hurt feelings, no wayward children, no problems, and no
heartaches. There will be nothing in Heaven that will spoil the serenity and
peace of your heart. 5. No
More Suffering The word pain refers to great
trouble; labor to the point of exhaustion. No calamities, no valleys,
no trials, no burdens, no fatigue, no sickness, no disease, and no broken lives
or shattered minds. There will be nothing to cause us to become weary and worn.
There will be no loads to carry ever again! All that will be banned from the shores
of glory! 6. No More
Source for the former things are passed away All the causes of our
pain, our sorrow, our suffering, and our crying will be done away
with. All the evils we face are the result of the work of sin in and
around us. Sin will be banished forever in that wonderful land. Satan
will not be there, Rev. 20:10. The flesh will not be there,
1 Cor. 15:49-54. Sin will
not be there, Rev. 21:27.
While Heaven will be glorious for all that will be there; one of its
crowning glories is the things that will be absent! I.
There Will Be A New Creation III.
There Will Be A New
Communion IV. v.
5-8 THERE WILL BE A. v. 5-6a
A Heavenly Declaration
God issues a promise. He says, You can count on this! I am going to make
everything new again! This old world is going to vanish away, Isa. 51:6. On the other side of that,
we have the Lord’s promise that He will make a new world that is far better
than this one ever could be. B. v. 6b-7
A Heavenly Dispensation
God has some precious gifts to give to those who dwell in that new world with
Him. 1. v. 6b He Dispenses Life The inhabitants of
that city need never fear death. They are partakers of everlasting
life. They were given this life free of charge when they received
Jesus as their Savior. They were given a drink of living water and
they will never thirst again. This is just a reminder to the saints
that our heavenly existence is an eternal existence. (Ill. This is also a call to all those who
do not know the Lord to come to Him. If you have never trusted Jesus you are
not headed to Heaven, but to Hell. You can be saved, if you will come to the
Lord Jesus by faith, He will save your soul. It is simple, Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9; Rom. 10:13. It is eternal, John 6:47. It is foolproof, John 6:37. If you will come when He
calls, you will be saved!) 2. v. 7 He Dispenses Legacies Shall
inherit all things When you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your
Savior, you became a child of God, Rom.
8:15; 1 John 3:1-3. You also became a legal heir of all the things that
belong to the Lord God, Rom. 8:17. In
Heaven, you will receive your inheritance, 1
Pet. 1:3-5. You will also have intimate fellowship with the God Who
redeemed you. In heaven, we will not be servants, we will be sons. We will
enjoy tremendous intimacy with God the Father. I cannot imagine all that will
be involved in that, but I can say that I am looking forward to it with great
anticipation! C. v. 8 A Heavenly Determination This
passage closes on a tragic note. After reminding us about Heaven, who will be
there and what we will enjoy, we are reminded that not everyone will go to
Heaven. Some will not enter that city, but they will be forced to spend their
eternity in the Lake of Fire. Lets examine this list of those who will be
banned from Heaven for a moment. ·
The Fearful Those who allowed fear of the Lord
or the fear of man to keep them from coming to Jesus. ·
Unbelievers Those who refused to believe and
receive the Gospel, John 8:24. ·
The Abominable Those who gave themselves up to
vile, wicked lifestyles. ·
Murderers Those who willing took the lives of
others. ·
Whoremongers Those who gave themselves over to
live lives of sexual perversion. ·
Sorcerers Those who practiced the magical
arts. The word sorcerers comes from the word pharmakeus. It gives us
our word pharmacy. It refers to those who create and use chemical concoctions.
In other words, it speaks of those who are addicted to the use of drugs and
alcohol. ·
Idolaters Those who give themselves to the
worship of false gods and false systems of belief. ·
All Liars Those who do not know the truth,
but live a lie. If you saw yourself in that list, I invite
you to come to Jesus today. He will forgive your sins and prepare you for a
home in Heaven. If you refuse Him and reject His offer, there is nothing for
you, but the flames of Hell forever. Conc: I don’t know about you, but I am
looking forward to that day when the Lord makes all things new! I know that I
am saved! I know that my sins have been forgiven and that I am headed to Heaven
when I leave this world. Do
you have the blessed hope today? If you do, then you ought to get down before
the Lord and praise Him for His grace in your life. And, if there are problems
in your walk with Him, you need to come get those things right today. If
you do not have the blessed hope and you know that you are headed to Hell and
not Heaven, I invite you to come meet Jesus today. He will save you and we will
be glad to show how you can meet Him. If there are needs, this altar is open!
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Copyright 2003 by Alan Carr |
