"The New Heaven and New Earth"

Well, good morning, church.

Would you turn with me to Revelation chapter 21?

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

That's page 977 in the Pew Bible.

Revelation 21, we'll be considering verses 1 through 8.

So Memorial Day weekend, sometimes consider the start of summer.

For those of you in school right now, middle schoolers, high schoolers,

I'm sure you're more than ready for summer break to begin

as you grind out the last couple weeks of school.

And looking forward to summer, that sort of helps, right?

You know that in just a couple short weeks, the trials will be over,

the tests and exams will be passed,

and you'll be able to enter into your rest, at least for a couple months.

But when you graduate from school, summer breaks go away.

And yet, don't we still know what it's like, as adults,

to be motivated in the present by something good in the future?

Maybe it's a vacation, a trip you've been planning to take,

or maybe it's an upcoming event that you get to celebrate with one of your kids,

or maybe it's a plan for retirement.

Whatever it is, we know what it's like to be motivated in the present

by something good that's coming in the future.

And the more certain that thing is, and the more exciting that thing is,

the more it can motivate us to press on through hard days,

to persist through the ups and downs,

and to not give up or to give in.

As we turn to the final two chapters of Revelation,

this is exactly what John is trying to help us to do.

He's going to hold out for us our ultimate future in Christ.

He's going to show us the supreme good that God has in store for his people.

And his aim in doing so is that we might be motivated in the present

to press on, to persist, to not give up,

or to use the language of Revelation to conquer, to overcome.

When we get weary of running the race,

when we're tempted to throw in the towel

and just join the world in their apparent victory,

John holds up this eternal vision of glory

and says to us, don't give up.

God has unimaginable good stored up for you,

for those who conquer, who overcome, who persevere.

So let me read Revelation chapter 21, verses 1 through 8,

Revelation 21:1–8

and then I'll pray as we consider God's word.

So Revelation 21, 1 through 8.

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.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

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.

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.

And he who was seated on the throne said,

Behold, I'm 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 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.

Let's pray together.

Father, as we consider this passage,

renew our hope.

Help us to see the glorious future

you have secured for your people

so that we might not give up.

And would you open the eyes of the hopeless

that they might see Christ in all his beauty,

the King who has purchased this future

for all who surrender to him and his grace.

We pray in the name of Jesus, our King.

Amen.

Amen.

So what is this future

that God has in store for his people?

Well, John says,

it's nothing less than a new creation.

We mentioned two weeks ago

that the book of Revelation

in these final chapters

is showing us what we're saved from

and what we're saved for.

Well, here we're beginning to see

what we're saved for.

And it's life in a new heaven

and a new earth.

And verses 1 through 8 of chapter 21

are sort of like an introduction.

They're this opening summary,

this prelude

of the entire final section of Revelation.

Each of the themes

and images of these first eight verses

are going to be unpacked

in greater detail

in the following passages.

And in the coming weeks,

we'll explore those,

the new city,

the new temple,

the new garden

of this new creation.

But what comes to the forefront

in this prelude

of verses 1 through 8

is this,

that the real glory,

the real gift

of life in the new creation

is that it is life

in intimate communion with God.

John's writing this book of Revelation

to churches a lot like ours.

If you go back

and you read chapters 2 and 3,

the letters to the seven churches,

what do they face?

They face pressures within

and pressures without.

They're tempted to compromise morally

with the world around them.

They're tempted to lose

their first love for Christ.

They're tempted to rely

on their own strength and security.

They're tested and tried,

even persecuted

by an increasingly hostile environment.

But the final vision

that God gives to John

is of a future

so good

that we shouldn't want

to live for anything else.

And what is this good thing

that God has in store?

Well, it's God himself.

God is the good

that is in store.

Intimate communion

with God.

Now, where do we see that

in our text?

Well, we see it in verses 2 through 3.

Let me read those verses again.

John writes,

And I saw the holy city,

New Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven

from God,

prepared as a bride

adorned for her husband.

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.

Now, we'll see

in the coming weeks

that the New Jerusalem

is a metaphor

for the resurrected people of God

shining forth

in their true identity.

Here's the church

on the last day

in all of her beauty.

Beauty, John says,

like a bride or husband.

We've seen this marriage metaphor

before in Revelation 19, right?

The church is God's beloved.

You see,

after the Lord Jesus

returns in glory

to save and to judge,

when he wins

the final battle

against evil,

when he renders

perfect judgment,

when the earth and sky

flee from God's holy presence,

as we saw in chapter 20,

verse 11,

then on that day

he will establish

a new heaven

and a new earth

and take his bride,

his beloved,

to himself.

Verse 3 expands

on this idea

of intimate communion.

There we're told

that God

in the new creation

will dwell in our midst.

And the word dwell there

is the same word

for tabernacle.

In other words,

the Old Testament

tabernacle and temple

where God

took up residence

in the midst of his people

in a provisional

and sort of typological way,

that image

will be fulfilled

in the new creation.

But this time

there won't be

a literal tent

or temple

with their curtains

and their walls

separating people

from God,

restricting who

can enter God's presence

and when.

No, in the new creation

it will just be

God himself

dwelling in our midst.

They will be his people

and God himself

will be with them

as their God.

No barriers,

no restrictions,

just free,

intimate access

to the Almighty.

The last image

of intimate communion

is found in verse 7.

God is depicted here

not just as our husband

but as our father.

Look at verse 7.

The one who conquers

will have this heritage

and I will be as God

and he will be my son.

Now I think God

intentionally uses

that word son

to describe this

intimate reality

for all Christians,

men and women.

Why?

Why does he not say

sons and daughters

or children?

I think because

in the ancient world

the son legally

had all the rights,

all the privileges

of the father

and God is saying here

that's what's true

of every Christian,

male and female.

We have all the rights,

all the privileges

of being the father's

true heir.

It's all yours.

That's how much

the father loves you.

That's the sort of

intimate communion

he has in store for you.

He holds nothing back.

And as we'll see

in chapter 22

in a couple of weeks,

that means that we will

reign with God forever.

So at the heart

of the new creation

of this new heaven

and new earth

is this,

it's intimate communion

with God.

God will no longer

feel distant

or far away,

but like a loving husband,

like a caring father,

like a perfect lover,

like a perfect parent,

he will be near

in intimate communion

with us.

But what does

this intimate communion

with God mean

for our life

in the new creation?

Well, from this vantage point,

we can consider

kind of the rest

of the passage.

And we can kind of

do it in three ways.

First, we'll see

what won't be there

in the new creation.

And then second,

we'll see what will be there.

And then third,

we can consider

how to get there.

So what won't be there

and what will be there

and how to get there.

That's kind of

the rest of our passage.

So first,

take a look at

what won't be there

in the new creation.

As we experience

this intimate communion

with God,

what will be absent?

What won't be there?

Curiously,

John says in verse 1,

the first earth

has passed away

and the sea was no more.

Now, why won't there be

a sea in the new creation?

Well, for us today,

what does the sea represent?

What does the ocean represent?

I think for a lot of us,

the ocean is a place

of beauty, right?

It's a place

where we go on vacation.

Yeah?

We sail, we fish.

It has mostly

positive connotations

for us today.

But in the ancient world,

the sea was viewed

much differently.

The sea was actually

not a place

where you went on vacation.

The sea was a place

of danger.

It was a place of chaos.

Sailing, for example,

that was a risky business.

Not to mention

there were creatures

lurking in the deep

of the seas

that were frightening.

What's more,

in the book of Revelation,

John and his sort of,

you know,

metaphorical casting

in this book of Revelation,

what do we see?

Well, it's Satan

and his beasts

that are depicted

as rising out of the sea,

right?

That place of kind of chaos

come the great enemies

of God and his people.

And it's upon the seas

that the kingdoms

of this world,

we saw this in Revelation 18,

it's upon the seas

that the kingdoms

of this world

engage in their economic trade

and their exploitation.

So when John says,

the sea was no more,

he means that chaos

and evil,

he means that oppression

and violence,

he means that uncertainty

and danger,

these things

are removed forever

from humanity's future home.

And what remains

when all those things

are removed

is nothing short

of brand new,

a new heaven

and a new earth.

Now, does that mean

that everything

in this old world

is completely eradicated

or annihilated, right?

You know,

when we compare

the various passages

from Isaiah

like Kevin read

for us earlier

or when we look

at passages from Paul

or even from Peter

that speak about

the new creation,

we see that some passages

emphasize continuity.

They seem to say

that the new creation

is a renewal

of this old creation.

But then we also see

that some passages

emphasize the kind

of discontinuity.

They seem to say

that the new creation

is a replacement

of the old.

So which is it?

Well, I think

the best analogy

to help put

these pieces together

is actually

the resurrection

of Jesus.

After all,

the bodily resurrection

of Jesus

was the first act,

the inauguration

of the new creation.

The bodily resurrection

of Jesus

is the foretaste

and the pattern

for the whole.

And when you think

about it,

you see this same

kind of distinction

in Jesus' resurrection

body, right?

When you think

about it,

in one sense,

Jesus' resurrection

body was the same.

It was recognizably

Jesus, right?

And the tomb

was empty.

It was the same

body that came out.

But at the same time,

Jesus' resurrection

body was undeniably

new.

To some,

he was actually

at first hard

to recognize.

And certainly,

if you go back

to the first chapter

of Revelation,

John's vision

of the risen Christ

at the beginning

of this book

shows us

how stunning

his newness

can be.

Well, I think

the same will be

true of the new

creation.

I think we'll still

recognize it

as heaven and earth,

right?

There'll be continuity.

It's not going to be like,

oh my goodness,

it's Mars,

where are we,

right?

No, it's still

heaven and earth,

material,

real,

more real

than we experience

it now.

So there will be

continuity,

but at the same time,

it's going to be

utterly new,

radically new.

Paul says on that day,

creation will be freed

from its bondage

to decay.

Or as John puts it,

the sea will be no more.

You see,

where God dwells

in his fullness,

there will be

no more evil

and no more chaos

and no more oppression

and violence.

The sea will be

no more.

Can you imagine

a world without

those things?

A world without

those fears

and insecurities?

That's what God

has in store for us.

But that's not all.

There's something else

that won't be there.

The reality of this

intimate communion

with God

gets much more personal.

Look at verse 4.

Verse 4 says,

God 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.

Friends,

on that day,

the hand

that created

the stars

and the galaxies,

the hand

that raised

the mountains

and carved

the rivers,

the almighty

hand of God

will come

to you personally.

And with a tenderness

you've never experienced,

he will wipe

every tear

from your eye.

all the pain

you've accumulated

in this fallen world,

the mourning,

the crying,

the suffering,

will be met

by the hand

of sovereign love

and in tenderness

God himself

will wipe

the tears away.

He will tend

to your wounds

and he will heal

your broken heart.

so what won't

be there,

neither the seas

of evil

nor the tears

of pain,

neither will have

their place there

in the new creation.

Suffering,

sickness,

decay,

and death

will all be gone.

But what will be there?

If the sea won't be there,

if tears and death

won't be there,

what will actually

be there?

Well,

we see our second point

in verses 5 and 6

and 7,

especially at the end

of 7,

God says,

to the thirsty

I will give

from the spring

of the water of life

without payment.

The seas might be gone,

but John sees

that there'll be a spring,

a spring of the water

of life.

In other words,

in the new creation,

there won't just be

the absence of chaos

and death and tears,

but there will be

the fullness

of satisfaction.

In intimate communion

with God,

our hearts will be filled

by an ever-flowing

spring of life

flowing from the very

heart of God.

Now,

ask anyone today,

who doesn't want

life

and more of it?

Who doesn't want

to take life

and drink it deeply

like a spring of water?

You know,

listen to practically

every self-help

wellness podcast

that there is,

right?

Whether it's

Mel Robbins

or Andrew Huberman,

you know,

pick your favorite one.

What are they reaching for?

What are they hoping

to achieve?

What are they grasping at?

Is it not a fullness

of life?

Not just to be healthy,

but to be happy.

But of course,

this life cannot

finally give us

those things

in full measure.

Our desire will

at some point

be thwarted

in this life.

Our protocols

and our plans

will one day

fall short.

But in the new creation,

in the future

that God has in store

for His people,

there's a spring

of living water.

And what is that spring?

Again,

it's God Himself.

The Alpha

and the Omega.

The sovereign Lord

of history.

The one who rules

from beginning

to end

and every moment

in between.

The one who makes

all things new.

The one who's

trustworthy and true.

The one who will say

on that day,

it's done.

You see,

what God's saying

to us here

is that He's not

just our Creator.

He's not just

the Alpha,

the beginning.

But He's also

the Omega.

He's the end.

God's not just

the Creator,

but He is

the consummator.

He is the desired

goal of everything.

God is the journey's end.

Whether it's

the magnificent view

at the top

of the mountain hike,

or whether it's

the warm fire

and the comfort of friends

at the end of the day,

it's all speaking of Him.

And He is bringing

everything

to its appointed end.

And one day

He will say,

it is done.

And in His intimate

presence,

we will drink

and drink

and drink

and know

a satisfaction

and joy

that is unspeakable

and full of glory.

He will be

the majestic view.

God will be

the warm fire.

He will be

the goal

we've been longing for.

So John shows us

what won't be there

and what will be there.

But last,

how do we get there?

Look at verses 7 and 8.

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.

There are two options,

John says.

They're the conquerors

and they're the cowardly.

In this life,

we will either press on

through trials,

holding on to the faith,

or we will fall away.

We will either remain faithful

or our profession

will prove to be false.

We might look like Christians

for a while,

but when hardship comes,

we will leave the path

and become just like the world.

And John holds up

this vision of the new creation

in all of its goodness

so that we might be motivated

not to fall away,

so that we might press on

and be those who conquer.

Now conquer in Revelation

has a special meaning.

The conquerors in Revelation

are those whose lives

are characterized

by a refusal

to compromise their faith

despite the threat

of persecution.

So in reality,

John's using the term

sort of ironically,

isn't he?

Christians conquer

when they maintain their faith

even though they may appear defeated.

Even though in the world's eyes,

because of persecution,

they look utterly defeated,

John says,

no, they're the conquerors.

So what does it mean to conquer?

Well, it doesn't mean

what the world means.

It doesn't mean, you know,

you win every argument

and you enforce your will

on others, right?

No.

To conquer means

to hold on to Christ

even when the raging seas

and the abundant tears

of this world

press against you

from every side.

That's what it means

to truly conquer in this life.

To cling to Christ

even if it costs you everything.

But how do we do that?

How do we overcome?

How do we conquer?

And how can we possibly

have enough strength

to do this?

Are we just meant

to do it on our own, right?

Who can possibly make it

through all the trials

and all the tears

of this life

and not fall away?

Is not our own grip

too weak?

The reality is, friends,

if we were left

to ourselves,

we wouldn't make it.

Like the disciples

on the night

when Jesus was arrested,

we would all fall away.

But here's the good news.

We aren't left

to ourselves.

Conquering,

persevering,

pressing on

isn't something

we do

merely in our own strength.

No, we look

to the one

who has already

conquered,

the lamb

who was slain,

the Lord Jesus.

He promises

to complete

the good work

he began in us.

He seals us

with his spirit

so that we might

be protected

and safe

so that we might

turn from sin

and pursue holiness.

He places us

in local churches

so that we might

spur one another on

to love and good deeds.

He gives us

his word

full of promises

and exhortations

to keep us

running the race

with endurance.

But the greatest

gift of all

is the gift

of himself.

Do you want

to know the secret

of endurance,

of overcoming,

of conquering?

it's not

what you do.

It's to see

what the true

conqueror

has done

for you.

Consider verse 3

of our passage.

How is it

that God

will be able

to dwell

in our midst?

How can we

possibly have

such intimate

communion

with a holy God

for eternity?

You and I

are sinners.

We deserve

judgment,

not welcome.

It's possible,

friends,

because of what

Jesus has done.

In the incarnation,

Jesus became flesh

and tabernacled,

dwelled among us.

Because Christ came

and dwelt with us

in our sin,

we can dwell

with God

in his holiness.

Or consider verse 4.

How can there be

no more pain

or death?

because the Son of God

suffered and died

on the cross

for our sins.

You and I

can know

an eternity

without suffering,

without death,

because of that.

He shed

his tears

so that

our tears

might be wiped

away.

Or consider verse 6.

How can this

water of life

come to us

without payment,

totally free of charge?

I mean,

goodness,

if you want to get

the advanced content

from Andrew Huberman,

you've got to pay up,

right?

Nothing in this life

is free.

And yet here,

the greatest gift

comes to us

without costing us

anything.

So who paid

the price

so that we can

drink

and drink

and be satisfied?

It was Christ.

Jesus hung

on the cross

for your sins.

He said,

I thirst

so that you need

never be thirsty again.

And if you see that,

brothers and sisters,

if you see what Christ

did for you,

then you won't

fall away.

He will be the one

who actually holds you

in the palm of His hand

and He will never

let you go.

And all the pleasures

of this world

will seem like trifles

compared to spending

eternity

with the God

who loves you

like that,

who is so infinitely

glorious

that He would rescue you

by sheer

unmerited grace.

In other words,

if you hear Christ

say from the cross,

it's finished,

and you realize

that He said that

for you

and all your sins,

past and present

and future,

then friend,

you will surely

hear those words again

in the new heavens

and new earth

when the one seated

on the throne says,

it's done,

it's finished.

I am the Alpha

and Omega,

the beginning

and the end.

So press on,

brothers and sisters.

Don't give up.

Lord,

the future that God

has in store for you

is so good,

there's nothing else

worth living for.

Let's pray.

Father in heaven,

as we gather

before you this morning,

Lord,

we are sure

that if we were

to list all the trials

and temptations,

all the deep wounds

and pains

that each one of us

carries in this room,

Lord,

it would be

an incredible weight.

And Father,

if we were then

to begin

to confess our sins,

to show the ways

in which we've fallen

short of your glory

and turned aside

from your ways,

oh God,

would that not be

just a crushing weight?

So Lord,

we come before you

this morning

with much suffering

and much sin.

But we also stand

before you knowing

that we have

an even weightier

and even mightier

Savior.

And we thank you

that because of his work,

we can overcome.

That our pains

can be healed,

that our sins

can be forgiven,

that we can run

this race with endurance,

looking to you,

Jesus,

the author

and the perfecter

of our faith.

Oh Lord,

fuel our hearts

with a desire,

with a hope

of this great day

to come.

Lord,

help us to carry on

and to press on

because we know

that the future

is good.

and you

are trustworthy

and true.

You have never

disappointed

any of your promises.

They are all yes

and amen in Christ

and this one too

shall be yes

and amen

in Christ.

So would we live

for that day?

In Jesus' name,

amen.

Amen.

Amen.