Are You homeward bound?
Revelation 21:1-22:5
Sermon Introduction
Text
Prop:
Pristine, perfect, and
full of God’s presence. Are you living
as if this new home that awaits you is the ultimate reality or as if this life
and this world were the ultimate reality?
What is your perspective?
Are You homeward Bound?
Pristine
Presence
Perfect
Perspective
Romans 8:18-25 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not
worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For
the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of
him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be
set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the
children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been
groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not
only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our
bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is
not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what
we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
1.
Pristine
Revelation 21:1-22:5 (ESV)
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. 2 And I
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. ……. 5 And he who was
seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
1.1.
New – renewed.
Europe
and Medeivel versus the
Isaiah 65:17-25 (ESV)
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former
things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and
rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create
In the beginning, so we read in Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth. Because of man’s fall into sin, a curse was pronounced over this creation. God now sent his Son into this world to redeem that creation from the results of sin. The work of Christ, therefore, is not just to save certain individuals, not even to save an innumerable throne of blood-bought people. The total work of Christ is nothing less than to redeem this entire creation from the effects of sin.
Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, 273.
1.2.
Not totally
different.
Our time at Salibury – enjoying the beach.
Matthew 19:27-29 (ESV)
27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and
followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them,
“Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his
glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of
24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 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.
Me and science.a la Jonathan Edwards.
Edwards quote on learning in this life.
2.
Presence
Revelation 21:1-22:5 (ESV)
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. 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.” ……….
22 And I saw no temple in the city,
for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 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. 24 By its light will the nations
walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and
its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. ……………..
3 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. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 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.
My week at the beach – the ocean – the sound, the power, the mystery of the ocen, the peace, the constancy, the beauty and majesty of sunsets, the smell that brings it all back, the glory of bodysurfing, warmth of the sun, seafood, preparing this message from the balcony. The background sound thing on my computer.
Matthew 22:15-22 (ESV)
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his
talk. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the
Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God
truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed
by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to
pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice,
said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin
for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to
them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said,
“Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that
are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they
heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
· I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Matthew 22:29-33 (ESV)
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither
the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they
neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31
And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said
to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And
when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
’Tis from the little that the saints have seen of God, and know of him in this world that they are excited to praise him in the degree they do here. But here they see but as in a glass darkly; they have only now and then a little glimpse of God’s excellency. But then they shall have the transcendent gory and divine excellency of God set in their immediate and full view. They shall dwell in his immediate glorious presence and shall see face to face, 1 Cor. 13:12. Now the saints see the glory of God but by a reflected light, as we in the night see the light of the sun reflected from the moon. But in heaven they shall directly behold the Sun of righteousness, and shall look full upon him when shining in all his glory.
Jonathan Edwards, Praise, One of the Chief Employments of
Heaven
3.
Perfect
Revelation 21:1-22:5 (ESV)
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.” 5 And he who was seated on the
throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” ………….
10 And he carried me away in the
Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming
down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its
radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It
had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and
on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were
inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on
the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall
of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And the one who spoke with me had a
measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 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. 17
He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also
an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the
city was pure gold, clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the wall
of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the
second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth
onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth
topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a
single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. …………….
26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 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. 1 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 2 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. 3 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.
Isaiah 65:17-25 (ESV)
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former
things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and
rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create
3.1.
Absence of wrong.
At the beach with the bicker brothers.
At home with the irritability itch.
The political race? Tired of the strife?
Saying Goodbye, Vacation ending.
3.2.
Presence of right
Why we make stories like Lord of the Rings with Elves that live forever. – a longing for full, abundant eternal life – we are made for this and every death, every funeral, every suffering reminds us of this fact. And here is the answer!
4.
Perspective
Revelation 22:6-7 (ESV)
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the
Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his
servants what must soon take place. ” 7 “And behold, I am coming
soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Hebrews 11:13-16 (ESV)
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised,
but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that
they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak
thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had
been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had
opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better
country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
“The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I can not write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page; now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read; which goes on for ever; in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
C.S. Lewis, The Last
Ruined for anything else? – The Scream!
My
experience living in the PA area vs.
My friend at college.aready living for retirement.
For this life is given us on purpose that therein we might prepare for a future life. The present state is a state of probation and preparation, a state of preparation for the enjoyments and employment of another, future, and eternal state. And no one is ever admitted to those enjoyments and employments, but those who are prepared for them here. If ever we would go to heaven, we must be fitted for heaven in this world. We must here have our souls molded and fashioned for that work and that happiness. They must be formed for praise, and they must begin their work here. The beginnings of future things are in this world. The seed must be sown here. The foundation must be laid in this world. Here is laid the foundation of future misery, and of future happiness. If it be not begun here, it never will be begun. If our hearts be not in some measure tuned to praise in this world, we shall never do anything at the work hereafter. The light must dawn in this world, or the sun will never rise in the next. As we therefore all of us would be, and hope to be, of that blessed company which praise God in heaven, we should now inure ourselves to the work.
Jonathan Edwards
5.
Conclusion Applications
5.1.
Song
5.2.
Ministry
5.3.
Dismissal/Closing