Revelation 21-22

Flip to the end and you'll find it.

There you go, Revelation 21 and 22.

But let me encourage you to turn there, actually,

because I want us to be able to see some of the riches that are here for us.

You know, I think it's pretty common that as another year ends,

we're all taking stock of where we've come

and perhaps where we're headed in the year to come.

And I think this is a time when we sort of look over the last year

and we start thinking about the story of our life

and where that story is headed.

But, you know, I think it's very easy as we consider our own stories

and the different paths that our life takes,

it's very easy to lose sight of where the greater story is headed,

the story that God is bringing about in history,

and the story that all of us are a part of,

whether we realize it or not.

This is the story that the Bible tells.

After all, the Bible isn't primarily a book of rules, right?

There are a lot of rules there.

There are a lot of commands that tell us how life works best.

But at its core, that's not primarily what the Bible is.

The Bible is actually essentially a grand narrative,

the true story of the world,

and more importantly of the God who made the world

and where he's taking us.

And of course it matters greatly how the story ends, doesn't it?

I mean in the here and now, right?

That the future actually shapes our present, doesn't it?

At least what we know about the future.

We did a lot of driving over the last week.

It got me thinking about driving in the car.

And you know there's a big difference, right,

between driving in your car on the way to a Christmas party

or on the way to a New Year's Eve party, right,

or driving to the dentist.

There's a qualitative difference in your experience of that journey

depending on what your destination is.

One's typically pretty joyful,

the other is typically fairly dreadful.

Sorry, Jonathan.

But it goes deeper than that, doesn't it?

Knowing how the story ends changes

not just our sort of experience in the here and now,

but the meaning of the here and now.

When you know that Romeo and Juliet both end up dying in the end,

sorry for the spoiler alert if you haven't read that one,

then the whole story, even the funny parts,

get colored by tragedy.

And vice versa.

When you know that there's a grand resolution

of the parts,

then even the tragic parts sort of have a different shade

and a different color, don't they?

In other words, the future helps us

to actually understand rightly the present.

I think today as Christians,

we don't think enough about the future

that God has in store for us.

I think perhaps we've become too timid,

maybe thinking that if we talk too much about our hope,

people will just think that Christianity is

pie in the sky,

by and by,

an opiate for the masses,

with no teeth to really change here and now.

I think sometimes we get so anxious to affirm

that Christianity is about more

than just going to heaven when we die,

that we've stopped talking about our hope altogether,

including the really good news

that we actually go to heaven when we die, Christ.

But you know, again and again,

the New Testament calls us

to dwell upon our hope.

In Ephesians 1, Paul prays this great prayer

that the eyes of our hearts

would be enlightened,

that we would know,

really know,

deep in our bones,

in an experiential way,

the hope to which God has called us.

I wonder if much of our difficulty

in living the Christian life here and now

is because we don't know,

really know,

where Christ is taking us.

After all, right,

the Bible tells us to be people of love,

and joy,

and patience,

and kindness,

and generosity,

and faithfulness.

But most of the time,

we think we're on our way to the dentist,

as opposed to on our way

to the party.

And no one's very loving

and joyful

when they're on their way to the dentist.

But you know,

the apostles in the early church

understood this dynamic.

They weren't ashamed to talk

time and time again

and to celebrate the future

that Christ had won for His people.

They knew that our hope

wasn't just the grid

through which we could understand the present,

but that our hope

was also the fuel

to help us live

rightly in the present.

So with all that being said,

let's look then

at our hope.

The hope that God has in store for us

as His people.

Turn with me to Revelation 21.

Look down there with me.

We're not going to read

all of these two chapters,

just some selections.

Let me read this for us.

John writes this.

He says,

Then I saw a new heaven

and a new earth.

This is the beginning of 21.

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 is seated

on the throne said,

Behold,

I'm making all things new.

Skip down to verse 22.

And I saw no temple

in the city

for its temple

is the Lord God

the Almighty

and the Lamb.

And the city

has no need of sun

or moon to shine on it

for the glory of God

gives its light

and its lamp

is the Lamb.

By its light

will the nations walk

and the kings of the earth

will bring their glory

into it

and its gates

will never be shut by day

and there will be

no night there

and they will bring into it

the glory and honor

of the nations

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.

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

and 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.

So what does this

stunning picture

of our future

tell us about life

here and now?

A lot more than we could

cover in one sitting

but for now

let me just point to

three things

as we think about

this passage.

And the first is this

because of how

this story ends

because of how

your and my story ends

we can know

first that the tears

of this life

are temporary.

One of the first things

we're told

about the new heaven

and the new earth

is what's not there

right?

Verse 21

chapter 21

verse 1

He says

and the sea

was no more.

Now I admit

that's a pretty strange

detail at first

right?

For us

the sea

is where we go

for vacation

and if you're like me

you get there

and you go

and you get a sunburn

and it's not really

that much fun

but my wife likes it

so we go.

What's so bad

about the sea?

We have to realize

that in the Bible

the sea

the ocean

is often an image

of chaos

and danger.

The ancient Israelites

were not a seafaring people.

In fact

whenever they needed

to cross a body of water

God parts it for them

and they go across

on dry land.

Did you realize that?

So what John

is saying here

in a symbolic way

is that the confusion

and sorrows

and tears

of this life

the oceans

of it

that we have known

on that day

will at last

be done away with.

As he says

in verse 5

God

will make

all things

new.

And then there's

this incredibly

intimate image

in verse 4

He will wipe away

every tear

from their eyes.

Every tear.

every tear

of loneliness

every tear

of regret

every tear

of grief

and loss

everyone

He says.

The tears

everyone has seen

and the tears

no one has seen

and the tears

you didn't even

remember

and the tears

you never could forget

everyone

wiped away.

Isn't it incredible

that the first

thing

God does

when we're

in His presence

in the new heaven

and the new earth

is this.

If you know

the book of Revelation

you know that

at this point

in the book

God has judged

the world

and renewed

the cosmos

and descended

into the midst

of His people

and what does

this almighty

sovereign

God

do?

He comes

like a gentle

father

and begins

wiping the tears

away from His people.

You see friends

there will come

a day

when our sorrows

cease.

He'll wipe

them away.

When death

shall be no more

when pain

is a thing

of the past

our tears

in this life

are temporary.

And I think

that means

two things

for us

in the here

and now.

If the tears

are temporary

and that means

we can face

them now

with courage.

Right?

When pain

and sorrows

come

when grief

and loss

come

as the

inevitable

do

we can

know

that it's

not going

to be

this way

forever.

That it's

not the last

word.

That God

isn't going

to forget.

That like a

father He will

one day

wipe them

all away.

The psalmist

says

though the

sorrows

last

for the

night

joy

comes

in the

morning.

And that

gives us

great courage

to face

our sorrows.

But it also

means I think

a second

deeper thing.

As we look

at the new

heavens and the

new earth

and as we

see that our

tears are

temporary

it means

that right

now we

can trust

Him

in the

pain.

After all

there isn't

a single

tear that

God permits

in our

lives that

He won't

on that

day

personally

wipe away.

You know

it helps to

realize that

the book

of Revelation

was originally

written to

a group of

churches

not who

were you

know holding

prophecy

conferences and

speculating about

the last

times right.

The book

of Revelation

was written

to a group

of churches

that were

suffering.

And as

John tells

them they're

about to

undergo a lot

more in

the days

ahead.

You see

the message

of Revelation

is a message

for sufferers

for the

afflicted

for the

persecuted

and the

weary.

And in

the whole

book

if you were

to sum

it up

God

basically

says

trust

me

I'm

still

in

control

and I

haven't

forgotten

you.

And I'm

bringing

this story

to a

conclusion

so glorious

and so

good

and so

fitting

that every

loss

and every

tear

will be

swallowed

up

in

joy.

It's

just like

Isaiah

said

in our

reading

earlier

he will

swallow

up

death

forever

and the

Lord God

will wipe

away tears

from all

faces.

And Paul

in 1 Corinthians

15 looking

looking at

that same

passage

in Isaiah

puts it

this way

death

is swallowed

up

in

victory.

Friends

if our

tears

and our

death

are going

to be

swallowed

up

in

victory

then we

can trust

him in

the tears.

He's going

to swallow

them up

and make

them a part

of his

redeemed

new

creation.

And in

the place

of tears

there will

be joy.

And joy

brings us

to the

next point.

The picture

that John

gives us

here of

the new

heavens and

new earth

is important

not just

because of

what's not

there.

There are a lot

of things

that are

not there,

right?

There's no

sea,

there's no

night,

et cetera,

et cetera.

But notice

what is

there.

Because of

how the

story ends

when we

see what

is there

we can

know that

the joys

of this

life are

just a

foretaste

of what's

to come.

Now think

with me

for a second.

Let me

do a

little test.

The average

person's

picture of

heaven,

what is it?

When you

think of

heaven just

right now,

what is it?

I'm going

to read

your mind.

We're all

wearing togas

for some

reason.

We're sitting

on clouds

and we've

all learned

how to

play the

harp.

We're sort

of ethereal

spirits just

kind of

floating in

the heavens,

hanging out,

involved in

some sort

of disembodied

church service.

Ugh.

It's not

very sensory,

it's not

very dynamic,

it's all

kind of,

well,

boring.

But,

when you

read these

chapters,

and when you

read what

else the

Bible has

to say,

about our

future and

our hope,

the picture

couldn't be

more opposite

than that.

That where

we're headed

is not

less sensory,

but more

sensory,

and not

less dynamic,

but more

dynamic,

and not

less real,

but more

real.

If you're

familiar with

C.S.

Lewis' book,

The Great

Divorce,

it's sort

of this

allegory of

the afterlife,

and he

sort of

imagines there

are visitors

to heaven,

and the

visitors to

heaven who

aren't a

part of the

new heavens and

new earth,

as they

step and

as they

walk onto

the fields

of just

the outskirts

of heaven,

the grass

pinches and

hurts their

feet,

because that

world is so

real, so much

more real than

they are,

that even the

grass itself is

like sticks

poking them

through their

shoes.

Of course,

it's just an

image, right?

But it's a

pretty good one.

Let's look at

how John

describes our

future.

In verse

21-2, we're

told it's a

city, the

new Jerusalem.

So much for

ethereal and

weightless,

right?

Nothing can be

more concrete

and dense

than a city.

And so much

for boring,

too, right?

I mean, no one

in their 20s

moves to a

city because

it's quiet and

serene and you

can find a nice

place with a

backyard and a

picket fence,

yeah?

No one moves

to a city because

they're just

looking for

some peace

and quiet.

No, they go

there because

there's something

always going

on.

That it's a

center of

opportunity and

culture and

energy and

creativity and

it's teeming

with life.

Heaven, John

says, is a

city.

And not just

any city, but a

city, he says,

prepared as a

bride, adorned

for her husband.

A city decked

out in

radiance.

and splendor.

The second

half of chapter

21 that we

didn't read shows

us how radiant

this city is.

And there's this

beautiful image,

John says, as

it's coming down,

it's like a

rare jewel with

light shining into

it and sparkling

out.

And, you know,

as this description

goes on of this

city, it's almost

as if the line

between this city

as a place and

this city as the

people of God

starts to blur.

Is this city the

place where we

dwell or is this

city us coming

down where God

will dwell?

And in some

sense, I think

John's being

intentionally

ambiguous.

This city is the

place and it's the

people.

And we're arrayed

like a bride,

dressed in beauty.

You know, one of

the neat things

about being a

minister is that

you get to be on

this side of

wedding ceremonies

and you get to

see a lot of

brides come down

aisles.

And it's great.

You know, you get

to actually see what

the groom sees.

You get to see the

splendor and the

joy and the

excitement of that

moment time and

time again.

And isn't it

fitting that when a

bride comes in, we

all stand up?

And everyone

starts to get a

little excited and

hopeful.

Maybe I'm a

romantic.

I don't know.

Yeah?

You know, weddings

are one of the

most eschatological

things that we do

as human creatures.

It's a great play

acting of the final

day when we come

ushered in to the

presence of God,

decked out like a

jewel.

But you know, it's

something more than

that, isn't it?

When we come to

chapter 22, 1

through 2, it

seems that this

city is also a

lot like a

garden.

There's a river

flowing through the

middle of the

street.

And there are

trees growing

there.

And not just any

tree, but the

tree of life.

Which, of course,

takes us back to

the beginning of the

Bible, doesn't it?

To the Garden of

Eden.

And here, in the

midst of this city

garden conglomeration,

is that tree of

life.

bringing fruit and

healing to the

nations.

You know, if a

city speaks, if

that imagery speaks

of beauty and

energy, I think

this agricultural

garden imagery

speaks of life and

restoration and

peace.

And what God

began in creation,

he finally completes

in the new

creation.

And there it is,

the life that

he's promised us.

Growing like a

tree, flowing

like a river.

For anyone to

come and to

drink without

cost.

But it doesn't

just stop there.

There's a third

image that John

sweeps up into

his description.

In verse 21-3,

we're told that

God dwells there.

Literally, God

makes his

tabernacle there.

And in verse

22 of chapter

21, we're told

that there's not

an actual temple

structure in the

city, because

God is the

temple in its

midst.

In other words,

it's as if this

city garden thing

coming down from

heaven, it's as if

the whole city is

a temple, because

God dwells there.

It's a city and a

garden and a

temple all at

once.

And surely, this

last image is the

most profound,

isn't it?

At the center of

the city is the

Lord God Almighty

and the Lamb.

God dwells there

in his glory.

And there's no

need for the sun

or moon.

It's as if his

brilliance is so

bright that the

greatest lights we

can imagine seem

to go dim in his

radiance.

And night flees

away and is made

no more.

night, of course,

being heavily

symbolic in

scripture, right?

Night being our

ignorance.

Night being our

sinfulness.

Night being our

sorrow.

And yet in the

radiance and light

of God's presence,

a deep knowledge.

And at last,

holiness and

happiness.

happiness.

And then, in

probably one of the

biggest understatements

of the whole

scripture, in

chapter 22,

verse 4, we're

told that they

will see his

face.

They will see his

face.

The one thing that

Moses couldn't do,

see God's glory.

That will be the

privilege of everyone

in that city.

And then we're

told something that

seems a bit kind of

strange.

God's name will be

on their foreheads.

Which I think is a

picture of the

union between God

and his people.

But you know, this

beholding God and

this increasing

union with God,

even that is

something that's

going to be

dynamic and

progressive and

that goes on for

all eternity.

Jonathan Edwards

wrote a treatise

called The End

For Which God

Created the World.

And at the end

of that treatise,

he says,

imagine a point

infinitely high

and imagine us

and God

excelling towards

that same point

at a rapidly

increasing rate

at every moment

getting closer

and nearer

and more

entwined.

And he says it

will just keep

going and going

and going

and going.

After all,

who could

fathom the

depths of

God's wisdom?

Scripture tells

us that they

are unfathomable

for us.

So you see

what that means?

As we learn

more and more

about who God

is, as we

grow closer to

him in eternity,

it just opens

up further

and further

and deeper

and higher

and wider.

That there's

no end

to the wisdom

and to the

love and to

the righteousness

and the goodness

that will behold.

You know,

there's analogies

to this in our

present experience,

isn't there?

You know,

if you take any

expert in any

field, say

mathematics or

music, you know,

it's usually the

one who's the

expert who will

joyfully confess

that there's much

more to be

discovered and

enjoyed than he

or she could

ever realize.

That the more

they understand,

the more they

realize that it's

just a slice of

what's there.

And friends,

if that's true

of something like

mathematics or

music, how much

more true is it

of the God who

created them both

and created every

other field of

learning that there

is?

So the picture

that John gives

us of this

city, garden,

temple where

at last God

is the center

of our

affections for

all eternity

with no end

shows us that

all the joys of

this life now

are just a

foretaste of

that unending

feast.

The things that

we enjoy now

are just a

shadow of the

substance that

will be there.

Just an echo,

just a strain

of that ever

swelling symphony.

And if that's

true, if our

joys are just

a foretaste,

just a mere

glimpse of what

will be held

there, again,

I think it means

two things.

First, it means

that the joys

that we experience

here and now

should always be

leading our

hearts upwards

in gratitude

and forwards

in anticipation.

That we should

never in this

life experience

any delight

or any

satisfaction

or any joy

without, in some

sense, using it

to call our

hearts forward

to that day

when we'll

behold God's

face and we'll

fall forever

into the depths

of the One

who is the

fountain of

all good.

God's face and

so when music

swells our

hearts and

when laughter

brightens our

faces and

when the table

is set and

the chairs are

full, friends,

it would be a

waste of them

not to take

that experience

and to go on

and to think of

the world to

come.

It would be

to cut our

present pleasure

short, to cut

short what

they're telling

us if we

didn't experience

them and then

go on to dwell

on the great

day when we

will dwell in

the new heavens

and the new

earth.

You see, all

of our present

joys are entryways

to true worship.

And second, if

our present

joys are just

a foretaste of

what's to come,

you know, then

it means it's

okay if we

don't experience

everything that

life has to

offer.

It means that

you don't need

the most amazing

job and the

most amazing

vacation and the

most amazing

spiritual experiences

here and now

to be eternally

satisfied.

it's okay if

you didn't get

exactly what you

want for Christmas,

right?

There's something

better in store.

And you know,

besides, even if

you found the

perfect job or

the perfect spouse,

they wouldn't do

the trick.

There'd still be

hunger for

something more.

Because we were

made to behold

the face of God

and to enjoy

Him forever.

If we find that

this life leaves

us longing for

something more,

then it means

we're seeing

things the way

they really are.

Because there is

something more.

And it's coming

for those whom

He loves.

So John has

shown us that

our tears in

this life are

temporary and

that our joys in

this life are

just a foretaste

of what's to

come.

But finally,

we see that the

pursuits of this

life are a

preparation.

You know,

from what we've

seen so far,

one might think

that in light of

the world to

come,

that life here

and now,

at the end of

the day,

doesn't matter

much.

If that life to

come takes away

all our tears

and completely

engulfs all our

present joys,

why bother so

much with this

life here and

now?

But,

John has one

last image for

us.

at the end of

chapter 21

and verse 24,

we read,

the kings of

the earth will

bring their

glory into the

city.

And then again

in verse 26,

they will bring

into it the

glory and honor

of the nations.

You see,

the great

gathering of

God's people

into that city

will also be a

gathering of all

that they've

done to his

glory.

All the unique

ways in which

God's glory has

reflected itself

through countless

human cultures

and countless

human lives

will be swept

up in the

celebration and

beauty of the

world to come.

That's hard to

say exactly what

that's going to

look like.

Perhaps it's

hard not to

think of the

upcoming Olympics

and I think

40 days,

right?

There's a

little ticker

on the

website if

you go.

Counting

down.

You know,

in the opening

ceremony,

the nations

stream in,

each displaying

what's unique

about their

culture.

Sort of a

triumphant and

joyful moment.

But that,

of course,

will be just a

dim reflection

at best of

what will take

place in the

city to come.

When the

kings of the

nations and the

nations themselves

bring in their

honor and

glory.

The way in

which God has

refracted and

reflected and

poured himself out

on them in all

their unique ways.

In your unique

way.

In my unique

way.

And then John

tells us that the

nations will not

just gather,

but that we will

reign.

At the end of the

passage that we

read this morning,

John says that

we'll reign forever

and ever.

Life in the city

to come will not

be static or

sedentary.

We will reign.

In the original

creation, remember

what God told

Adam?

To keep and to

cultivate the

garden.

That was our

original mandate,

to rule under

God, to be

culture creators,

to take God's

name into the

world, and to

bring out the

sort of latent

beauty and

potentiality of the

world that God

has made.

And what do we

see here in the

new creation?

We see that in

the new creation

having been rescued

from all the

effects of the

fall, we take up

that creation call

once again and

bring the glory of

God forward into

the new heavens and

the new earth.

And the lives that

we're living now are

preparation for that

day.

when we stream

into the city and

flow forth raining

forever.

And friends, don't

you see that if our

pursuits now are a

preparation for that

day, then by all

means, they matter.

Christian hope doesn't

steal the meaning of

this life, just the

opposite.

It makes life now

eternally meaningful and

significant.

what we do now gets

swept up into the

world to come that

will never end.

In fact, it's only a

biblical worldview that

really gives lasting

meaning to our

pursuits in this life.

Think about it, if in a

million years we're all

going to turn to ash when

the sun expands and no

one will remember a thing

about humanity, then maybe

there's some short-term

meaning to be had.

But friend, nothing

really matters in the

end if that's true.

And at best, at best,

our work and our acts

of mercy and our longing

and pursuit of justice and

our relationships, friends,

if that picture of the

world is true, at best,

those things are just a

distraction from our

annihilation.

But that is not where

the story is headed.

And because our pursuits

are a preparation for the

new heavens and the new

earth, they are rich with

meaning and significance.

And secondly, if they are a

preparation for that day,

then surely that's an

encouragement for us to

begin shaping and directing

all of our pursuits here

and now to the glory of

God.

That's what matters in the

end.

Paul says whether you eat

or whether you drink, do

everything to the glory of

God.

In other words, the future

that's in store for us gives

our pursuits a single

magnificent focus.

No longer are we doing them

for our own sake, but for

God's sake.

No longer are we going

about them to advance our

own desires, but to advance

what God desires.

No longer are we doing

them out of a longing to be

recognized or remembered or

to get the praise of our

fellow humans.

But we're doing them out of

love to God who made us

and loved us and redeemed

us and with whom we will

dwell for eternity.

So let me end this morning

with two final exhortations.

First, as we consider the

future that God has in store,

it puts a very serious

question before us, doesn't

it?

It asks, are you sure that you

will be a part of that city?

At the end of chapter 21,

John makes clear that not

everyone will be there,

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.

And you know, the reality is,

friends, that we're all trying to

get our name into some kind of

book of life, aren't we?

But you can have your name

etched on buildings because

you've given so much money to

the man.

And you can have your name

footnoted in scholarly tome

after scholarly tome.

Or you can have your name

plastered on billboards.

Prince is coming to one of the

casinos, by the way, in case

you didn't notice.

I saw that on 95.

His only East Coast appearance.

You can have your name plastered

on billboards.

You can have your name

endlessly debated on blogs.

You can have your name revered

on the sports field, and they

can raise it up in the stadium,

and there it is, your number

retired.

But friends, eventually, all of

these things will fade and

perish.

And if that is where we're

putting our hope, then we will

perish with them.

But if our name is found in the

book of life that belongs to the

Lamb, if He knows our name, then we

will never perish.

Friend, do you have the assurance

that your name is written there in

the book that never fades before the

one who lives forever?

Have you placed your faith and

your hope in Jesus Christ?

He is the Lamb who came to earth

and died and rose again so that you

might enter that city.

We're told that nothing unclean can

enter it.

So what hope is there for us who are

unclean, who have done what is

detestable and false?

Friends, our hope is the Lamb who

came to earth and was crucified and

made unclean so that unclean sinners

like you and me might be made clean

through faith in Him and given

access and freedom and joy to enter

that city.

Are you sure that your name is in His

book?

Finally, for those of us who are

trusting in Christ, the question is

this, how can I be living now in light

of the city that is to come?

How can I be living right now?

Because that is true.

That is the future, brothers and

sisters, that Christ has purchased for

you.

This is the inheritance that He's won

for you.

And it is sure and it is solid.

Write this down, God says in chapter

21, because it's true.

I'm the beginning and I'm the end.

And this is what I've prepared for you.

So friends, in the midst of the tears of

this life and the joys and the pursuits,

keep your eyes on the city to come.

Remember who you are and where you are

headed.

Live now in light of that city.

And I can assure you that it will soften

your tears and it will deepen your

joys and it will focus your pursuits.

And then at last, when we reach that

city, as C.S. Lewis writes at the end of

the Chronicles of Narnia, we find that

all our life in this world and all our

adventures had only been the cover and

title page, he says.

Now at last, we'll begin chapter one of

the great story, which no one on earth

has read, which goes on forever.

And in which every chapter is better than

the one before.

Let's pray together.

Oh Lord God, we thank you that you have

looked upon us in our hopeless estate and

drawn near to us in Christ.

God, I pray for my brothers and sisters

here that this hope, as Paul says, would

be a burning realization in their hearts.

Lord, enlighten all of our hearts so that

we might know this hope to which you've

called us.

God, we want to live our lives now in

light of that future.

We want to be a people who are bringing

that future into the present in joy and

in courage and in passion.

God, make us so by your spirit.

And Father, I pray for those here this

morning who, Lord, don't know you, who are

far from you, who are uncertain whether

they are indeed in your book, as you say,

your book of life.

God, I pray that by your spirit you would

get a hold of them and open their eyes to

see the beauty of Christ crucified, our

Lamb.

God, would you call forth in them faith and

repentance and hope in him.

God, help them to see that this hope isn't

just pie in the sky, but it is a certain and

sure future that you have purchased for your

people.

God, make it so for your namesake.

Amen.