Mem. Sermon Betty Simpson

I never knew the tennis player Betty. I knew Betty in the closing years of her life with Ron as they came to our church.

! If I sum up one of Betty's great qualities it would be determination. She was astonishingly determined.

! There are certain people in church life you get home on a Sunday evening and somebody

says were they there or weren't they there? And then you spend the rest of the week trying

to remember whether this person was there or not and you ask different people and say I can't remember.

You never said that about Ron and Betty. Mainly because they arrived about 10 minutes into the service

with clattering and bangs and falls very often. But never have I been so glad that people came late

to church. And I want to say to Ron we as a church family we have so enjoyed getting to know you and Betty.

It was a joy for us to see her determination and her endurance and her perseverance. And we as a church

are very very grateful for her and for you. I'm going to speak from the reading that you just had so if you

keep that open before you. One of the distinctives of the Christian faith is the Christian faith is about hope.

It is about the future. It's about now yes. But it's about hope. D.L. Moody was a very famous American preacher.

Very colorful. And he said one day you will read in your newspaper that D.L. Moody has died.

He said don't believe a word of it. I am more alive than I've ever been. And we believe as the Christian

church in the resurrection of the dead. We believe that Christ will come again. We believe that there

will be a new heavens and a new earth. And it will be physical. And you might think you are really

living now. But for those who have trusted in Christ, God's word says you wait. You wait

as to what you will be. When your soul and your body shall be perfect.

C.S. Lewis in those great series of books, the Chronicles of Narnia finishes the seven books

with a chapter called Farewell to Shadowland. And this is from the last paragraph. He says,

For 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

world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover of 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 forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before. A world of peace

inhabited by a people at rest, ruled by the righteous king. And that's what you just have read to you.

It's an accurate summary of the last two chapters of the Bible. And I want to ask three questions

about this world which is to come. I want to ask firstly, whose new world is it? Whose new world is it?

What Mark just read, a world where there's no tears, there's no death, there's no mourning,

there's no crying, there's no pain. How does that world come about? You know if you've been alive,

well, you've been alive as long as you have. You know that humanity can't do that. A golden age

of humanity. People have been saying that for centuries, haven't they?

They think that we can create one. Maybe you think that. Maybe you think that in your life,

if I just get this, if I get in that relationship, if this happens, it'll be a perfect world. But you

can never, none of us can ever create a world like we've just read, can't we? Today is a great reminder

of that, isn't it? Funerals are times when we are faced with the reality that we can't make a golden

life for ourselves. But I want you to see in the fifth line of the reading, can you see whose world

this is? It says, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. Look at the second paragraph.

Who is saying that? Behold, I am making all things new. You see, you can't make a perfect world for

yourself, another guy. You can't insulate yourself from pain and suffering. But God says, doesn't he,

behold, I am making all things new. We are speaking about God's new creation. And only God can restore

men and women in the universe in which we live. Only God can make a new creation. All things have

passed away. And all things become new. Betty experienced that in her life, didn't she? When she became a Christian.

When God worked in her life and she moved from old creation to new creation. And when somebody is born again

and brought into a saving life, a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, that is a work of new creation.

And God is making all things new. And what you have at the end of the Bible is a picture that God is going

to do that on a universe scale. And it's overwhelming. And that is what God offers you today.

He offers you a world that you want. He offers you a world that you need. He offers for you to be born again.

To be made new creations. So that you can one day enter his new world. What's going to happen in the new world?

Well it tells us that it will happen and things won't happen and it will happen in an instant.

It says, doesn't it? Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

And the only way you can describe it, I don't know whether you picked it up,

the only way you can describe it in these verses is in the negative.

Do you notice what? No more tears.

No more death.

No more sorrow.

No more crying.

No more pain.

No more sin.

No more temple.

No more curse.

And he describes it.

I've not got time to go and pick up all the details.

But he's describing the new heavens and the new earth largely in negative terms.

That really shouldn't surprise us.

He's not being negative about what this new world will be like that God will create.

Far from it.

It's quite the opposite in fact.

But how do you describe something that is wonderful beyond description?

It's like a young man falls in love.

He goes home to his mum and he says, I've met this girl and I've fallen in love.

And his mum says, well, what's she like?

And he says, well, he doesn't provide, does he, a clinical summary.

He doesn't say, well, she's actually five at eight.

She's size 12.

She's got a large unusual nose.

She's got brown eyes.

He doesn't say like that, does he?

He doesn't give her distinguishing features.

What does he say?

What does the young man say?

He was fallen in love and his mum asked what she like.

He says, I've never met anyone like her before.

She's not like anyone I've ever known.

It doesn't help the police, does it, if they've got to go and find her.

It's not the kind of description that's going to help the police search.

But it does express, does it, how he feels about her.

And he can only describe her in negatives.

Because in his eyes, she is wonderful beyond description.

And that's what John does here in this passage that was read to us.

He talks about the new heavens and the new earth.

Imagine a world, he says, where there's no domestics.

Where there's no arguments.

Where there's no natural or international spike.

Where there's no racial prejudice.

There's no threat of war.

No threat of terrorism.

There's no poverty.

There's no disease.

Imagine a world where there's no Parkinson's.

Imagine a world where there's no drought or devastation.

A world where there's no tsunamis.

There's no family breakup.

There's no hurricanes.

No typhoons.

A world without pollution.

A world where there's no sickness.

No sorrow.

And no death.

A world where everyone's got more than enough to eat and drink.

A world where we're not hurt.

And where we don't hurt other people.

A world where we can reach our full potential as human beings.

A world where you never grow old.

A world where you're not frail.

A world where you're not senile.

A world where you don't lose your memories.

Somebody's described it like this.

This is what it's going to be like in the new heavens and the new earth.

It's going to be brilliant minds in perfect bodies in a transformed universe.

Brilliant minds in perfect bodies in a transformed universe.

And that is what the Christian has to look forward to.

That is the place where Jesus has gone to prepare for us.

And John describes it, doesn't he, largely in negative terms.

This is the world, not the world as we know it.

But the world that it's meant to be.

It's the world we long to see.

It's the world to come.

Look at the pictures.

There's some great pictures, isn't it?

There's a garden.

There's a bride.

There's beauty there, isn't there?

There's a community.

But here's the most important thing that's right in the middle.

Don't miss this.

What is it that's so special about this new creation?

It's the place.

Can you see it?

It's in the fifth line.

The dwelling place of God is with man.

With men and women.

God will be there.

There'll never be a place where God is not.

Jesus will be there and you will know him.

What a glorious thing that is.

Just notice for a moment something that's really helped me that I didn't mention earlier.

There's a puzzling phrase, isn't it?

It says there'll be no sea.

There will be no sea.

What the earth does that mean?

Does that mean that there'll be no sea at all?

Well, no, I don't think it is.

I think it's symbolic.

Remember where the Apostle John, he's writing this.

He's writing this from the island of Patmos, isn't he?

He's in exile.

He's separated from the people.

And as he looks out into the sea, it separates him.

Isn't that so helpful for us today?

That there is a day coming

when there will be no separation.

There is a day coming

when there will be no isolation.

There is a day coming

when there will be no loneliness.

When there will be no grief.

And so the third question is this.

Who's going to be there?

Who is going to be there?

Can you see at the end,

it tells us, doesn't it?

It says the one who conquers.

By the way of putting it,

it says the one who's overcome.

So that means there are those who've overcome

and there are those who have not overcome.

Does that mean, is it,

that he's so determined,

like I began with,

that she has kind of,

by her own determination,

kind of stormed the gates

to the new creation?

Of course not.

It's not.

Can you see it?

Apart from the third line up,

can you see it says,

it's those who are thirsty.

It's those who feel their need.

It's those who find their thirst

quenched by Jesus Christ.

And by his grace.

It's those who throw themselves

upon the mercy of God

and realise they haven't got everything together.

And they walk in the strength of him

who saves them.

And though they struggle

like Betty struggles,

and though they fall

like Betty fell,

they overcome,

not because they are strong,

but because of their faith

in Jesus Christ alone.

They love the Lord

and they want to obey him.

And they shall inherit this new world

by God's grace alone.

But not everyone will.

Those who have trusted,

those who have not trusted

in Christ.

Those who refuse

to believe in him.

The chapter goes on

to speak of the kind of people

that won't be there

in the new world.

It's an incredible description,

but one of the groups of people

that won't be there

is those who

don't believe.

And unbelief

is a wicked thing.

It keeps you

away

from Jesus Christ.

Unbelief

to refuse to believe

in the Lord Jesus

will destroy you.

And you will be

overcome by that.

And anyone who hears

the gospel,

the good news

of God sending

his son,

the Lord Jesus Christ,

to take the punishment

for your sin

and that he is

raised from the dead

and he will bring in

a new world.

Anybody who doesn't

hear the gospel

and does not bow

their knee to King Jesus.

Well, there's nothing

worse than that.

Can you look

at the

middle of the

middle of the

second paragraph?

I want to say to you

this isn't

sentimentality today.

This isn't

a dream.

And he was seated

on the throne

and said,

behold,

I'm making all

things new.

And also he said,

write this down.

Write it down.

Why is he to write it

down?

Because these words

are trustworthy

and true.

He said to me,

this is done.

I'm the Alpha

and the Omega.

What does that

mean?

Jesus is the

first

and he's the

last and he's

everything in

between for us.

And so please

don't think

this is just

sentimentality

today.

This is

trustworthy

and true.

And so in

this new world,

will you be

there?

Will you be

there?

Let me read

to you

an illustration

that I read

the day before

Betty died.

It's from a

lady called

Joni Erickson-Tarda.

Joni is now

in her late

80s.

If you can get

her books

through,

read it.

She was

17 years old

in 1967.

She was

in a diving

accident which

has left her

paralyzed from

the neck down.

And since

that point,

Joni has been

an incredible

witness to

God's kindness

and grace

in her life.

And in

particular,

she's written

so powerfully

on this

great hope

of a future

world in

which there's

going to be

total redemption

which Revelation

21 is about.

And in a book

she wrote about

heaven,

she says,

on one occasion

I was attending

a conference.

At the end

of the session,

the speaker

invited the

500 people,

if they were

able to,

to kneel

in front of

their seats

as they

closed the

session in

prayer.

She's paralyzed

from the neck

down.

And Joni Erickson-Tarda

watched everyone

around her

kneel.

And as she

watched,

she couldn't

stop her tears.

But she

wasn't crying

out of self-pity.

Here's what she

said was going

on in her head.

Sitting there,

I was reminded

that in heaven

I will be free

to jump up,

dance,

and do aerobics.

And though I'm

sure Jesus will

be delighted

to see me

rise on tiptoe,

there is something

I plan to do

that may

please him

more.

If possible,

sometime before

the party

really gets

going,

sometime before

the guests

are called

to the banquet

table of the

wedding feast

of the Lamb,

the first thing

I plan to do

on resurrected

legs is to

drop on

grateful,

glorified knees

and I shall

quietly kneel

at the feet

of Jesus

because the

day is

drawing near

when I'll

be able

to kneel

again.

It's a

beautiful picture

of a future

reality.

A future

reality.

A world

of peace

inhabited by

a people

at rest

ruled

by the

righteous

king.

And the

question I

can bet you

want me to

ask you is

will you be

there?

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father,

we thank you

for the

reminder of

the frailty

and the

fragility of

life.

We thank you

for Betty

and her

witness and

her testimony

to us.

we thank you

that she

loved and

believed and

followed the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

And we ask

that every

single one of

us will bow

our knees,

will get off

the throne of

our lives and

allow King

Jesus to

reign.

That in our

hearts you

would do that

miracle of a

new creation

and the hope

of a new

world,

a renovated

universe,

ruled by a

righteous King.

That that

would fill our

hearts and

minds and

affections with

joy.

We pray this

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Amen.