Preached by Gregory W. Lee
25 May 2008
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Rev. 21
1. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
-- this morning, we are going to finish up our messages on heaven that we started right at the end of the series on the Apostle's Creed -- if you happened to miss any of these messages or just want to look at them again, I have them all posted on my blog now
-- before we begin, though, I hope you'll bear with me for a moment as I pour myself a little drink -- [pour coffee from thermos]
-- you know, I think most of you know this by now, but I love coffee -- in my mind, one of the finest things in life is pouring a hot cup of strong coffee -- just feeling the warmth of the cup in my hands -- seeing that wisp of steam coming up from the top -- the aroma of the beans roasted to perfection -- and then that perfect first taste -- there's few things, food-wise, that I enjoy as much
-- now I'm not just pouring this coffee because I'm thirsty -- but there's a point to this cup
-- as I was working on this series of messages about heaven, I would usually get up real early in the morning -- and the first thing I would do was brew a pot of coffee -- and then, when it was ready, I'd pour a cup -- sit at my desk -- and start working
-- and, as I was working, smelling the rich aroma of the coffee and enjoying the taste of that first sip, I found myself thinking, "I just can't imagine heaven without coffee -- I just can't imagine there being no coffee in the new heaven and the new earth -- that would be a great disappointment to me"
-- Mark Twain once remarked that he had gone to church as a boy and become convinced of the evils of drinking and smoking -- he was only 10 years old -- and he said that he left church that day and swore off drinking and smoking forever -- but he said it lasted all of 30 minutes, and he started right back, because he thought, "If a body can't enjoy a good glass of whiskey and a good cigar, then life isn't really worth living"
-- and I kind of feel that way about coffee -- now understand, I'm not trying to be flippant about heaven -- but think about it like this -- in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth -- He filled the earth with plants and with animals and with all kinds of living things -- and He pronounced it, "Good"
-- then He created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden and told them to work it and to take care of it and to enjoy of all that the garden had to offer except for the one tree in the center of the garden
-- do you know what that means? -- coffee trees are part of this world -- they were created by God and God called them good -- and God Himself told Adam and Eve to enjoy them -- and ever since then, people have enjoyed coffee -- even though the coffee and our taste buds are not at their best since the fall
-- this passage tells us that God is going to recreate the earth and heavens -- the old heaven and the old earth will pass away, making way for a new earth -- a restored earth -- and there is no reason to believe that coffee trees won't be part of this new world
-- there is no reason to believe that we won't be able to enjoy coffee in this new world that God is giving us
-- now this is not a message about coffee -- but, I just wanted to use the idea of coffee in the new earth to bring up a point about our eternal home that God is going to create for us
-- a lot of times, we tend to spiritualize our eternal home -- we don't really think of it as a physical place -- a place like our present earth -- but Scripture tells us it will be
-- why else would we have new imperishable bodies? -- why else would God restore to us the perfect bodies shared by the first humans if He didn't intend for us to live and enjoy a perfect, physical world? -- if there were not physical things to enjoy, then there would be no need for us to have a physical body -- we could just go through eternity as disembodied spirits
-- Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:49 that our new bodies will bear the likeness of the resurrected Jesus -- our bodies will be imperishable -- immortal -- and physical -- Jesus was not a spirit -- He was not a ghost -- He was flesh and blood -- after the resurrection, He talked with His disciples -- He ate with His disciples -- He touched His disciples and let them touch Him -- and our new bodies will be like His
-- without a doubt, the greatest thing about heaven is going to be the fact that God dwells with us on this earth -- that we will walk with Him in the cool of the day as He walked with Adam and Eve -- that we will be in His presence and see His face-to-face -- that we will know Him in a new and personal way -- but I have no doubt that God's intent in recreating this earth and the heavens is to give us a place that will bring glory to Him as all creation praises Him and as we enjoy all that He has prepared for us
-- when we live our lives to the glory of God, we are worshiping Him -- worship is more than just singing and prayer -- and in the new earth, we will live out our worship as we work and serve and play with God in this new land -- as we go about our daily activities of life -- and that includes drinking a cup of coffee and sharing meals with loved ones
-- and on the new earth, our worship will be even more real and more pleasing to God because it will not be hindered by our sin or the curse of the earth that we are currently living in
-- so, let's look now at this new earth and let's see what we can learn about it from this passage
II. Defining Characteristics of the New Earth
-- in Hebrews 11:10, we read that Abraham envisioned heaven as a city with foundations, whose architect and builder was God -- that vision of Abraham's will come to pass on the new earth
-- look at verse 2
2. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
-- now skip down to verse 10
10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
11. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
14. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
16. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
17. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using.
18. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
19. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
20. the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
-- here we read of the new Jerusalem -- the city of God -- that will come down from heaven to reside on the new earth
-- growing up here in south Georgia, I used to be scared of big cities -- we always heard stories of the crime and the violence there -- of how people were constantly getting hurt and robbed and killed in their streets -- and although these cities had great things within them -- magnificent architecture -- culture -- arts -- sports -- shopping -- we just wouldn't go for fear of what might happen to us
-- but can you imagine the new Jerusalem -- a city with all the advantages of an earthly city but with none of the disadvantages? -- a city with God -- a city with the best in art and music and culture -- the best in sports and society -- the best in people -- with no crime, no murder, and no violence -- no pollution -- no traffic or garbage or homelessness -- it would literally be heaven on earth
-- and that is exactly what we see described for us here in this passage -- the closest thing that I can liken it to is my trip to Atlanta for a Promise Keepers event -- we were riding the Marta from the airport to the Philips Arena -- and every stop, more and more Christian men got on -- and as they did, the atmosphere of that train changed -- people started talking -- people started singing -- and by the time we pulled into downtown Atlanta, that entire train was praising God
-- that is what the new Jerusalem is going to be like every day for eternity
-- but what about it's physical characteristics? -- John tells us in verse 16 that it would be like a cube -- with each side of the city being 12,000 stadia in length -- that's about 1,400 miles in length and width and height -- with the three sides reflecting the glory of the Trinity -- Father -- Son -- and Holy Spirit
-- just to give you some perspective, if you were to take a city this size and lay it out in the United States, it would stretch from Canada to Mexico and from California to the Appalachian mountains
-- the ground level would be about 2 million square miles -- 40 times bigger than England and 10 times bigger than France and Germany
-- notice that John says it is just as high as it is long -- that means that this city stretches up towards heaven for 1,400 miles -- we don't know this, but it is likely that this city might have different levels -- and if this is the case, assuming each level was 12 feet high, that would mean there would be 600,000 stories in the city
-- the new Jerusalem is an enormous place and it will be the centerpiece of the new earth because it will be where God dwells -- it will be the home of God -- look at verse 22
22. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. -- now flip over to Revelation 22
1. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2. down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
3. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
4. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
-- there will be no temple in this city -- there will be no need to go to a place to worship God because God will be there with us -- His throne will be in the center of this great city -- and we will simply worship Him in His presence as we live out our life in this new Jerusalem and this new earth
-- John tells us here about two other major features of this city -- in the center of the city, flowing from the throne of God, is the river of life -- this river reflects the provision of God -- it reflects how He meets all our needs and provides us with life itself
-- and along each side of this river stands the tree of life that was originally in the Garden of Eden -- Jesus told us in Revelation 2:7 that the tree of life was currently in Paradise -- in the intermediate heaven that we will be in until the new earth and the new heaven are created
-- at that time, it will come down with the city of Jerusalem and line the river of life -- providing fruit all year long -- and serving as a continual source of renewal and refreshing and revival for us and for all the nations on earth
-- look back at Chapter 21, verse 24
24. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
25. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
26. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
-- there's something interesting in these verses -- notice that John tells us that the "nations of the earth" and the "kings of the earth" will bring their splendor to this city
-- in the new earth, there will be nations and kings -- there will be countries -- and all will be united under the kingship and leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ
-- until I started this study, I never considered the fact that there would be nations and countries in the new earth -- but in Hebrews 11:14, we read that all the people of faith were looking forward to a country of their own -- and that's exactly what we see in this passage -- this gives us another picture of what the new earth will look like
-- Jesus tells us many times in Scripture that we will be rulers for eternity -- we will be kings and queens -- ruling with Him in the new earth -- so, I assume this means that we will be given authority over places on earth depending on our faithfulness to Christ in this life
-- we know what countries look like -- they are territories with rulers -- they have national interest -- pride in identity and citizens who are both diverse and unified -- and that is what we will see on this new earth
-- we will not all live in the new Jerusalem, although we will have a place there -- a mansion or a house built by Christ's own hands -- but we will have a place of our own -- a country of our own -- on this new earth that we rule as stewards for God
-- so, our new earth -- our home for eternity -- will be characterized by the city of God -- the new Jerusalem -- and will have countries and nations in which all are Christian -- in which all exist and serve to bring glory to God
-- I have no doubt that these countries -- these nations -- which evidently lay outside the 12 gates of the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem -- will be filled with the perfection of God's natural creation -- mountains and valleys -- rivers and streams -- great bodies of water -- great forests and sweeping plains -- all redeemed from the curse -- all restored to God's original plan of creation
-- there are places on our earth right now that are considered natural wonders -- beautiful areas that just take your breath away and leave you marveling at the glory of God and His creation -- the Grand Canyon -- Mount Everest -- Yellowstone -- the great prairies of America -- Niagra Falls -- the Amazon River
-- now you can you just imagine how much greater and how much more beautiful these will be in the new earth -- once all the corruption of the fall and all of the remnants of the curse are removed -- as Isaac Watts wrote in "Joy to the World"
-- No more let sins and sorrows grow -- Nor thorns infest the ground -- He comes to make His blessings flow -- Far as the curse is found"
-- this new world will reflect God's perfect creation -- nature will no longer have thorns or poison -- there will be no dangerous animals to contend with -- all will be perfect
-- and we will be given the opportunity to explore and to live and to experience God's goodness in nature and in society and in the great city as He originally intended life on earth to be -- men and women living in perfect harmony with nature and with each other and with Him
-- finally, before we close with our vision of heaven, let me answer the question that I'm sure is one everyone's mind -- yes, we will know each other -- we will know our families and those who have gone before -- our relationships will still extend into heaven -- we will still be husbands and fathers -- wives and mothers -- sons and daughters -- although our relationships will now be perfect and will be expressed through our relationship with God
-- the disciples knew Jesus -- they recognized Him -- they spoke with Him -- and, so, we should expect to be able to do the same in heaven -- in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul tells us that we will all be caught up together with those who have gone before -- and that we will all be with the Lord forever -- he urges us to comfort one another with these words
-- in other words, we are to be encouraged because for the Christian, death is not the end -- it is not the end of life -- and it is not the end of relationships with other people
-- in Don Piper's book, "90 minutes in heaven," he said that one of the most vivid memories that he has of his experience in heaven is being surrounded by family and friends -- and there is no reason to not expect the same when we are resurrected and put on the new earth and new heaven to live forever
-- so, yes, we will be with our families and friends, if they have believed in and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and received the forgiveness of sins from His atoning death on the cross
III. Closing
-- several years ago, I spent a couple of months in Antigua working for the University of Georgia -- I was there with only one other person I knew -- I was absent from my family and my friends and from all the familiar places I knew -- I was lost in a culture that was vastly different from my own -- and I got homesick -- I longed to be home -- I longed to see my house again -- my home again -- my family and friends again
-- I imagine that most of you here today have experienced this same feeling before -- maybe it's when you went off to college -- or on a long trip -- or some other time when you were separated from all that you knew -- and you longed to come home
-- whether you know it or not, every desire you have -- every longing that you have -- that ache in your heart for family and friends when you are apart -- that ache for the familiar -- is actually a longing for what you have never experienced but what you were made for -- eternity with God in the new heaven and the new earth
-- I'm going to close now with a quote from Paul Marshall, "This world is our home -- we are made to live here -- it has been devastated by sin -- but God plans to put it right -- hence, we look forward with joy to newly restored bodies and to living in a newly restored heaven and earth -- we can love this world [now] because it is God's -- and it will be healed -- becoming at last what God intended from the beginning"
-- when at the last -- at the sounding of the trumpet -- at the resurrection of the dead when we are caught up with the Lord and carried to the new heaven and the new earth -- it won't be a foreign place to us -- it will be home -- and it will literally be heaven on earth
-- let's pray
No comments:
Post a Comment