The New 'Eden'

So we're going to begin worship now. We're singing firstly this evening from Psalm 93.

Psalm number 93 in the Sing Psalms. That's page 1, 2, 3.

We're singing to the tune Stroudwater.

The Lord is King. His throne endures majestic in its height.

The Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength and might.

The world is founded firm and sure, removed it cannot be.

Your throne is strong and you are God from all eternity.

Singing the whole Psalm, the five verses, on page 1, 2, 3.

The Lord is King.

The Lord is full in majesty and armed with strength and might.

The world is founded firm and sure, removed it cannot be.

The Lord is full in majesty and might.

The Lord is strong and you are God from all eternity.

The Lord is full in majesty and might.

The Lord is full in majesty and might.

The Lord is full in majesty and might.

The Lord is full in majesty and might.

The Lord is full in majesty and might.

The mighty night.

The Lord in throne, the night is strong.

For power full is He.

And then all the oceans waves are makers of the sea.

Pure royal statutes, Lord, stand firm.

And changing it to worth and holiness.

Adore to us all endless days, O Lord.

Now we're going to call upon the Lord in prayer.

Let's join together as we call upon God.

Lord, our gracious God, we come before you with thanksgiving.

To give thanks for that reminder and these great words we have sung.

Of your own greatness and majesty.

Of your sovereign rule over all things that you have created.

And we thank you, Lord, that that encourages us this evening.

Especially as we look in on ourselves and find so many marks of our own failures.

As we look over a world that seems to be in constant turmoil.

We thank you, Lord, that you rule over all of these things.

Sovereignly and in majesty.

And that you are worthy thereby of our praise and our adoration and our service.

We thank you, Lord, that you are worthy of the Lord.

We thank you, Lord, for the privilege we have of gathering here in your presence.

And of coming before you, Lord, not only to sing your praises.

To read your word.

To hear your gospel proclaimed.

But also to speak directly with you in prayer.

We thank you, Lord, for the promises that meet us as we come together in this way.

Promises that meet us as individuals.

Though we gather collectively before you, Lord, as a congregation.

We acknowledge that we have our individual requests and our concerns.

And our individual needs as well.

And we bless you for the way that you continue to provide for us.

And for the way especially that you do not mark our iniquity against us.

You have provided us instead with salvation in all its abundance in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we thank you tonight that as we come to you,

we come to one who has provided us with a mediator in him.

A mediator to represent God to us fully.

And to represent us before God.

We thank you for the way that Jesus Christ carries out.

All his tasks with perfect accomplishment.

And for the way that we can come to trust in him fully.

As one who is worthy of our trust.

Lord, grant us, we pray as we come,

that we may be conscious of your own presence.

Here in our midst and for each of us personally.

That we'll know our souls to be touched this evening.

By the truth and by the power of your word.

Bless us, we pray, with your Holy Spirit.

Grant that your Holy Spirit may apply your word to us.

With that power which he alone has.

To affect our lives positively.

To bring us further knowledge of ourselves.

And especially in the light of that knowledge of you that we need.

As one who has provided such salvation for us.

Bless us, we pray tonight, with all our concerns.

We bring before you, Lord, our own individual and collective concerns.

Our needs as a congregation.

Our concerns as a congregation.

As we seek to serve you in the gospel from week to week.

From day to day.

Lord, we thank you for supplying us with the ongoing resources.

To support the gospel practically, financially.

We pray that as we are thankful for that.

That we may see that upheld and even increased.

We pray, Lord, that you'll bless us too.

With further resources of a human kind.

That we may see others coming.

To join themselves to the serving people of God in this world.

And in this congregation as well.

Bless us, we pray, in all the work that we plan for this week ahead.

By your will.

Bless the work, we pray, amongst our young people.

Our children and our infants and toddlers.

We ask that that will be blessed to each and all of them.

And to the families that belong to them.

Bless, we pray, the Bible class and the Sunday school.

Bless us with further resources in terms of teaching.

Grant to us, Lord, that we may constantly bear before you in prayer.

The need for our children to be educated under the influence of your Holy Spirit.

And brought to know you at a young age.

We pray for those who belong to us.

Who will be with us for a time of holiday.

Who serve you in other parts of the country.

Those who are students and studying elsewhere.

Remember them, we pray.

As well as those locally who belong to us.

We ask, O Lord, that your blessing in all of these areas of our life as a congregation.

We'll know your blessing.

We pray for your blessing too tonight.

For those who have particular ailments and illnesses.

Remember them, we pray.

Those who suffer from mental health issues.

We pray for them.

We give thanks, Lord, that you have access to our minds.

More than we ourselves can possibly have.

And we pray that you'll bless all those tonight who have these issues.

And all those families who care for them.

Those who don't have the privilege of faculties like many of us possess.

We pray, Lord, that you would grant them your blessing.

Your presence.

Your salvation.

And we pray that you would bless too those who are seriously ill and receiving treatment.

Those who have been through surgery in recent times.

We commit them to you.

We ask too for those who mourn the passing of loved ones.

For they, Lord, are always with us.

And we hear every week that we gather here of others who have passed away in the week before.

And we pray that you'll bless them.

These families that we know of tonight.

Who mourn and who express their grief to you.

And, O Lord, we pray that they will know your comfort and your guidance.

And your strengthening of them during these difficult times.

Remember us too, we pray as a community.

Granted, we may be thankful for all the resources you provide us with.

Bless those in our local Corlea.

Our council who represent our various parts of the islands.

As they meet from time to time.

And all the officers of the Corlea as well.

As they take decisions, Lord.

Affecting us all from week to week.

Be pleased.

We pray to grant them your blessing.

To raise up others who will also come to contribute in that way to our society locally.

We pray that you'd help us, Lord.

As we pray for those in our community who have specific talents and gifts to help us in different times of need.

Whether it be at times of bereavement.

Times of illness.

Through the expertise in the hospital.

The hospice.

The care homes.

And the clinics that we find.

Lord, bless them all.

We pray.

Make us thankful that we have access to such resources.

That are so lacking in so many parts of the world.

And even in parts of our own nation.

And bless our nation, Lord.

We pray at this time.

Be pleased to bless those in government over us.

Bless those of them who fear your name.

And who bear that testimony before their fellow members of parliament.

And members of the Scottish parliament.

Lord, we ask that you would continue to bestow wisdom on those who lead us in that way.

And bestow wisdom on us as a people as well.

That whenever elections come round.

That we may be led of your spirit.

To elect those who will honor your ways wherever possible.

Those who will be known as a people of integrity and trustworthiness.

And we ask, O Lord, that you would guide us as a people in that way.

And so remember the world in which we live.

In all its turmoil.

In all its distress.

Especially those places tonight that have famine and disaster.

And war to contend with.

Bless your people, especially in those areas of the world.

Grant to them, O Lord, your own steadfast love.

To be known from day to day for them.

Be with us now, we pray.

Hear us in this our prayer.

And pardon our many sins and cleanse us.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Now we turn to sing some more verses.

This time we're singing in Psalm 106.

Scottish Psalter version on page 378.

We sing verses 1 to 5.

And the tune this time is St. David.

Give praise and thanks unto the Lord.

For bountiful is he.

His tender mercy doth endure unto eternity.

God's mighty works.

Who can express or show forth all his praise?

Blessed are they that judgment keep.

And justly do always.

Psalm 106.

The verses marked 1 to 5.

Give praise and thanks unto the Lord.

Amen.

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Remember me, Lord, with love,

which love to my God's name,

with thy salvation, O my God,

who blessed me from here.

But I, thy chosen, who may see,

and in their joy rejoice,

and may with thy inheritance

fly on with cheerful voice.

Now we're going to read from God's Word two passages,

firstly in the Old Testament,

in the prophecy of Ezekiel,

and then we'll read from the last chapter of the Bible,

Revelation chapter 22,

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

a few verses at the beginning of that chapter.

First of all from Ezekiel,

and chapter 47,

reading verses 1 to 5.

It's on page 888 or thereabouts,

if you're using the church Bibles.

Then he took me back to the door of the temple,

and behold, water was issuing from below

the threshold of the temple towards the east,

for the temple faced east.

The water was flowing down from below

the south end of the threshold of the temple,

south of the altar.

Then he brought me out by way of the north gate,

and led me round on the outside

to the outer gate that faces towards the east.

And behold, the water was trickling out

on the south side.

Going on eastwards with a measuring line in his hand,

the man measured a thousand cubits,

and then led me through the water,

and it was ankle deep.

And he measured a thousand,

and led me through the water,

and it was knee deep.

Again he measured a thousand,

and led me through the water,

and it was waist deep.

Again he measured a thousand,

and it was a river that I could not pass through,

for the water had risen.

It was deep enough to swim in,

a river that could not be passed through.

And he said to me,

Son of man,

have you seen this?

And if we turn now to the book of Revelation,

and the revelation of John chapter 22,

we'll read the first five verses there as well.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,

brightest crystal,

flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

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.

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.

We pray that God will bless to us

those two readings of his word this evening.

Let's turn to read and sing again in Psalm 36.

Psalm 36, and the Sing Psalms version on page 44.

The tune this time is Free Church,

and we're singing verses 5 to 10.

Psalm 37, and the Sing Psalms version on page 44.

Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.

Your faithfulness is wonderful, extending to the sky.

Your righteousness is very great,

like mountains high and steep.

Your justice is like ocean depths,

both man and beast you keep.

How precious is your steadfast love,

what confidence it brings.

Both high and low find shelter

in the shadow of your wings.

They feast within your house,

and drink from streams of your delight.

For with you is the source of life.

In your light we see light.

To those who know you as their God,

your steadfast love impart.

Maintain your righteousness

to those of pure and upright heart.

So verses 5 to 10, to God's praise,

Your steadfast love is great, O Lord.

Your steadfast love is great, O Lord,

it reaches heaven high.

Your faithfulness is wonderful,

Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.

Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.

Your righteousness is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.

Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.

Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.

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O cry and o'er find shelter in the shadow of pure peace.

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For when you reach the source of light, make your light please see light.

To those who know you must have gone, your steadfast love impart.

Continue righteousness to those of pure and of bright heart.

Now for a short time together this evening, let's turn to Revelation chapter 22.

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

Looking at these five verses that we read earlier from the beginning of the chapter, verses 1 to 5.

We're all familiar, I'm sure, with the work of war artists.

Sometimes they're commissioned by their country in a time of war.

Sometimes they just choose themselves to go to where there is conflict in order to depict what they see.

And sometimes that, of course, is used for propaganda purposes.

But very often you can find a war artist conveying a sense of the horror of war,

sometimes more effectively than just taking a photograph of it.

Because the war artist can, as an artist, can actually instill in their presentation of their work

something of emotion, something of the scale of things.

Things which really you cannot capture in a photograph by itself.

And down through the years, war artists have gone to war.

We think especially of the two great wars, the Second World, First World and Second World War

and other wars that their own nation have been involved with.

And have captured, in terms of paintings and drawings, something of what they witnessed there

and tried to convey a sense of what that was like in that terrible time of war.

We could really compare the book of Revelation to a series of paintings by war artists, if you like.

Because the book is really about a war between the Lamb, who is Jesus on one side, along with his people,

and his enemies on the other hand.

They're described in various ways through the book of the Revelation.

And the whole of the book of the Revelation is pretty much to do with that conflict,

with that warfare between the Lord and his followers,

and those who actually follow what's sometimes called the beast or the dragon,

representatives of evil and of opposition to God down through the centuries.

When you come to chapter 19, for example, you'll find that there's a representation there

of the final great battle and of the triumph of Jesus from verse 11 onwards.

He saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse.

The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

And you can see all the way through these verses that follow on from that,

an account of how he is portrayed, his might, his prowess, his ability, his final victory.

And so in verse 16, on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,

King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And so that fits in with the other portraits that we've called them,

these depictions of this conflict as you go through the book of the Revelation.

And looking at it like that, I think, helps us to sometimes get to grips with the teaching of the book,

which at some points is not easy,

but it tells us, it keeps us in mind of the one common strand or theme that runs through it,

this great conflict between the Lord and his enemies.

And then you come to chapter 21, where you have a painting there in words of the New Jerusalem,

leading into chapter 22 we're looking at tonight,

which you might say is the lasting peace that Jesus, by his conquest of evil and of sin,

has brought about for his people actually to share with him.

Now in the study Bible I use at home, I came across this comment,

and it's as follows,

the book of Revelation is designed not only to inform and assure Christians about God's final purposes,

but to increase their longing for God and the realization of his purpose.

The certainty of that consummation, that final victory,

comforts saints during times of temptation and persecution.

In other words, when you look at a passage like this passage in Revelation 22,

bringing you into the final state of things,

the peace of God's people that they enjoy together with the Lord,

what that is really for is for now.

It's not just projecting us forward to get some sort of glimpse into how things will be finally.

The whole of that teaching of Revelation is for the present situation of God's people

as they go through this life.

So that as they come and confront various difficulties themselves,

as they share in meeting the opposition that the enemies of the gospel in every generation actually throw at them,

here is the book of the Revelation that God gave to John and is now in the Scriptures,

so that we will find our comfort, our assurance, our certainty of final victory

when we come to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as we'll see, we share in that great victory that is his,

that is already achieved by his death and resurrection and exaltation to glory.

So all the time through the book of the Revelation,

as much as any other book in the Bible,

God is saying to us, this is for now.

This is for your present conflict.

This is to assure your heart that in Jesus Christ and on his side,

you are certain of victory, however tough, however challenging,

however stressful, however difficulty,

the way towards the final victory might be.

With Christ on your side and you on his side,

that is your assurance tonight.

And maybe you're here tonight feeling a bit downcast,

the challenges that you're facing,

things you maybe never really seem to get on top of,

the stresses of life as you go through life,

both for young people and older people like ourselves.

But here is God saying, I have given you this book

so that in looking through this book at the victory of Jesus and his people,

you can say of yourself as you find yourself amongst them,

this is actually my privilege and my portion,

that I belong to these people

and that he is my king and my lord

as he is king of kings and lord of lords.

So let's look at this passage briefly.

I'm first of all going to look at what I'm going to call the New Eden

because features of this passage remind us very much of a passage,

for example, like Genesis,

describing the creation at the beginning of things

where God created heavens and the earth

and ourselves, mankind as well.

Genesis 2, for example, verses 7 to 10

very much form a background or the imagery there

is very similar to this final chapter in Revelation.

Let me just read what it says there,

verse 7, chapter 2 of Genesis,

where then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life

and the man became a living creature.

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east

and there he put the man whom he had formed.

And out of the ground the Lord made to spring every tree

that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.

The tree of life was in the midst of the garden

and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden

and there it divided and became four rivers.

And you can see the similarity there in the description

with what you find here in Revelation chapter 22.

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

But three things in this chapter 22, this passage,

three things in regard to the new Eden that we're calling it.

It's, of course, different in the sense that Eden was,

as we'll see, something that man enjoyed,

mankind enjoyed only for a while

and then they were closed out from it

because of their own sin and rebellion against God.

Let's leave that for a moment.

But the three things that dominate the scene

are, first of all, the throne,

and then the river,

and thirdly, the tree in the midst of the garden.

First thing that dominates it is the throne of God,

the water of life,

this river that flowed with the water of life,

bright as crystal,

flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Christ on his throne, God on his throne.

And that is the source of this river,

this water of life.

But it's the scene,

in the scene,

it's the throne that essentially dominates the whole scene.

And if you go back to chapter 4,

of course, that's, as you know,

a chapter that deals with the throne in heaven

that John saw at that point

in the beginning of this revelation

that God gave him.

Behold, he says,

I saw a door open in heaven,

and the first voice which I heard said,

Come up and I will show you what must take place.

And I behold,

I was in the Spirit,

and behold,

a throne stood in heaven.

And he who sat there

had the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian.

And so on the description there.

There's the immensity of this throne,

the greatness of this throne of God,

this rule of God,

this sovereign control of God,

this God who rules over all things that take place,

whether they are evil or whether they are good.

But God, in his own sovereign oversight of everything,

is absolutely in charge.

We need to always remember that.

And you go back to chapter 20 as well,

where you find the defeat of Satan,

and then followed by the great white throne of judgment.

I saw a great white throne,

and him who sat on it,

or was seated on it,

from his presence,

earth and sky fled away,

and no place was found for them.

We're worshiping tonight this God.

We're worshiping this God,

as one put it in the Old Testament.

The heavens of heavens cannot contain you,

let alone, said Solomon,

this temple that I have built.

And it's the immensity of God,

the greatness of God,

the majesty of God,

the glory of God,

that fills this Bible from beginning to end.

It is the central feature of this Bible.

It is foundational to everything else that you read of,

and come to know through this Bible.

Every other single topic has to come back in some way or other to be related to

this throne of God,

this majesty of God,

this rule of God,

this greatness of God.

The throne that's in heaven.

You know,

you think of the grace of God,

the favor of God,

the love of God.

And we may think of these at times as,

as if they were kind of thin or flimsy things.

Some people in the world certainly would think of them as we're,

we're not really thinking properly if we give them the place that the Bible itself gives them.

But you see,

the grace of God is sovereign grace,

is royal grace.

The favor of God is a favor that is immense,

because it's God's favor.

The power of God is the power of the sovereign throne.

The authority of this throne is the authority of God,

whose authority covers all things.

Here's the throne at the midst of it,

in the midst of it showing us the immensity of God,

the greatness of God.

And that's why we bow in his presence.

And that's why we say this is the main feature of this Bible.

There is nothing more important than we realize that this grace,

this salvation is,

is royal,

it's sovereign,

it's kingly,

it's divine.

And you know,

one of the greatest marks of being a Christian

is that you accept in your heart,

that you accept in your mind,

that you accept in your conscience,

that you accept with your will,

this rule of God,

that you accept that God rules.

And that's why it's such a humbling and immensely rewarding thing

to come to hear of a Christian saying,

at the time of great distress or loss,

the Lord knows what he's doing.

The Lord is in charge.

He's in control of my life.

The throne.

The throne of God.

The throne in heaven.

The rule of God.

The majesty of God.

The greatness of God.

That's the first feature

in this wonderful painting of heaven for us in these words.

The second thing is the river.

I saw, he said,

the river of life,

the angel showed me,

the river of the water of life,

bright as crystal,

flowing from the throne of God.

Isn't that a wonderful emphasis?

When you think about the throne

and its immensity,

you maybe think of it,

some people might think of it

as really quite detached from human life

and from human needs,

but it's the very, very opposite.

The water of life that comes to course through

the life of God's people,

the life of his church,

the life of heaven itself.

Where does it begin?

Where does it source?

It's the throne.

The throne is the source of the water of life,

the source of salvation.

It is from God.

It is freely on his part provided for us.

You remember John in his gospel

that he spoke very often,

wrote very often of salvation

in terms of water.

That wonderful chapter four

where Jesus dealt with the women of Samaria.

She had come to draw water

and she met Jesus at the well

and in conversation,

it's a magnificent conversation,

isn't it?

That great interview.

She hadn't expected such a thing when she came,

but this is what she met with.

And he took her first of all to the water of that well,

that natural water.

Whoever, he says,

drinks of this water

shall thirst again.

But the water that I shall give him

shall be in him,

a well of water springing up

into everlasting life.

You see, it's not just that water comes,

the water of life comes,

eternal life comes from the throne of God,

but it flows into our lives.

It flows into the life of his people.

It fills their soul.

It dominates their thinking.

It fills their vision of eternity.

There's water of life which flowed from the throne.

And if you go to John chapter 7,

John 7 · chapter mention

you'll know the passage,

I'm sure yourselves very well.

John chapter 7, verses 37 to 39.

John 7:37–39

On the last day of the feast,

the great day,

Jesus stood up and cried out,

If anyone thirsts,

let him come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me,

as the scripture said,

out of his heart will flow

rivers of living water.

Now this he said about the spirit

the Holy Spirit,

whom those who believed in him

were to receive.

For as yet the spirit had not been given

because Jesus was not yet glorified.

And that's anticipating

the day of Pentecost

and everything that happened

subsequent to that in history,

the history of the church

with the power of the Holy Spirit

and the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Well, there it is in John 7,

they're portrayed as water flowing

from those who believe

as well as into those who believe

because God doesn't actually

bestow salvation on us

in a way that just keeps it

entirely to ourselves.

The influence of that

and the influence of that life

reaches outward.

The Holy Spirit,

the heart of a human being

who's been saved,

a Christian, a believer,

the Holy Spirit in the life

of that person

communicates things

to others beyond themselves.

And here is a reminder to us

that from this throne

in the middle of heaven itself,

this water of life,

brightest crystal,

flows as the source of life.

And you see what it's saying?

It flows through the middle

of the street of the city,

also on either side of the river,

the tree of life.

It flows through

the streets of the city,

through the middle

of the street of the city.

And again,

this is one of the main features

of this wonderful painting,

as we're calling it,

of heaven,

of the final state,

that you have this water of life

flowing constantly,

freely,

and it's coming

through every single part

of the city,

the main street of the city,

to make its way

through the whole city.

In other words,

that is such a wonderful portrayal

of how heaven itself

is just vibrant,

constantly vibrant,

perfectly vibrant with life.

Life in its abundance.

Life in its fullness.

Life supplied by God

from his throne.

The eternal life

that God

has provided

for his people.

And isn't it a reminder

as well,

as the woman of Samaria said,

or found out,

she left her water pot

and she hurried

to tell the people

of her own town

what she had discovered,

what had come her way

in meeting with Christ.

Why did she leave

her water pot?

There are all kinds

of fancy interpretations

of that

and what that represented

and what that might

have been a symbol of.

Well,

whatever you say about that,

she left it for this reason

among many others perhaps,

but she left it for this reason.

She had actually found Jesus

and she was so excited

she forgot the primary reason

she had come to that well

to draw ordinary water

because she had found

the water of life.

And she went back

and told her own people.

That's the Spirit of God

as that Spirit of God

works in the lives

of His people.

What do you want to do

when God has brought you

to see Himself

and to see that salvation

and to accept Jesus

and to know that a change

has taken place in your life?

You want to share that.

You want to tell people about it

in whatever way you go about it.

Some people are very shy about it.

They find it very difficult.

Others don't have that difficulty.

But in one way or another,

those who have come

to trust in Christ

and know something

of this water of life,

they communicate

the reality of that

to the world

in which they live.

And it's the burden

of your heart tonight

as a Christian, isn't it?

That those who see your life

will actually know something

of the beauty of God

being revealed in His life,

in His eternal life

that He's given you

through the life that you live.

So there's the throne

and there's the river

and there's also the tree

on either side of the river,

the tree of life

with its twelve kinds of fruit

yielding its fruit every month.

Now in Eden, of course,

as we see it in the book of Genesis,

the tree of life

was situated in the middle

of the garden

along with the tree

of the knowledge

of good and evil.

They had access to

the tree of life.

There's nothing to indicate

that they couldn't have partaken

of the fruit of the tree of life,

although the fruit of the other one,

of course, was prohibited.

The tree of life represented

life in the highest form

for man at that stage.

Now, of course,

through the sin

that Adam and Eve

perpetrated

as the head of the human race

at that time,

as Adam was,

Eden was closed to them.

Eden was actually then

shut out from.

They were shut out from it,

reminding us

that there is a curse

attending sin against God.

That rebellion against God

meets with God Himself,

separating us from life.

But it's restored

in Jesus Christ.

That life

that we forfeited

in Adam

is restored

in the last Adam

in Jesus.

And that's why

He came into the world.

So that He would not

just undo

what Adam had done

in his sin against God,

but that He would actually

do something

which would mean

that never again

would God's people

be excluded

from life,

from the garden of life,

from the tree of life.

And you can see

in verse 14 here,

in the chapter here,

that there's a very

important reference

there as well.

Blessed are those

who wash their robes

so that they may have

the right

to the tree of life

and that they may enter

the city by the gates.

When Adam and Eve

were excluded

from Egypt

and the way was barred,

they had forfeited

the right of access

to that life

that the tree of life

represented.

God was shutting them

out from that.

But He didn't shut

us out permanently

from access to life.

Here is Revelation

telling us

not only do God's people

have access

to the tree of life

and will have that

permanently

and everlastingly

in heaven,

they have a right to it.

What do you mean

they have a right to it?

I hear you asking.

How can they actually

be shut out

because of their sin

and at the same time

come to have a right

in it again

to have access

to the tree of life?

Well, they have a right

in it because of

what Jesus has done

and who He is.

He gives them the right.

They have their right

in Him.

He has opened the way.

He is the Savior.

He is the one

who has brought us

this life.

And as He opens

the way to it,

so God is assuring us,

I give you the right

to the tree of life

when your trust is in Me,

when you live by faith in Me.

And you know,

that's something

surely that encourages you

tonight

amongst the many times

that we doubt,

the many times

that we have

things in our lives

and in our thinking,

in our mind,

where we think

perhaps less of ourselves

than really God

thinks of us

as His people.

God is reminding us,

you have rights

that I have given you.

You have the right

of being My children.

You have the right

of adoption,

being heirs

with an inheritance.

You have a right

to that inheritance.

You have a right

to the tree of life.

You have a right to it

because the Savior Himself

has opened

and given you

that right.

And in Him,

nobody is going to

take that right

away from you.

The devil can actually

tempt you

and you can actually

have many times

of doubt

and of difficulty

and of struggle

in your Christian life.

But one thing

that cannot be taken

from you

is the right

to the tree of life,

the right that God

gives His people

to the life

that He has bought

for them in Jesus

at such great cost.

But they may have

a right to the tree of life

and may go through

to enjoy that

for themselves.

And you see,

the supply from the tree

on each 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.

The nations,

as they are brought,

people from all nations

to come to know the Lord.

Heaven is going

to be populated

by multitudes,

by multitudes.

And they're from all parts

of the world,

all backgrounds,

all races,

all singing

the same song,

all joining

in the victory

of Jesus.

No rivalries,

no conflicts,

no war times,

no divisions,

no jealousies.

all that's gone.

All that's left

in this world.

It's all about

peace

and life

and harmony

and sharing together

in the wonder of heaven.

And so the tree of life,

and it's a reminder

that it yields its fruit

every month

as you see in that

a reference to

the constancy

of the supply.

It's really a way

of saying,

well, you can't say

as time goes by

in heaven

or in eternity,

but let's just use

the phrase

as time goes by,

as you spend

eternity

in eternity,

there's a constant

supply of life

and will be

and it will go on

forever.

Because as chapter 7

puts it,

the Lamb who is in the

midst of the throne

shall be their pastor

and shall lead them

to living waters

of life.

And God shall wipe

away every tear

from their eyes.

What a prospect.

What a vision

of the future

for God's people

in heaven

to use in the present

as we said

at the beginning

to take for your comfort,

for your assurance

if you're a Christian

tonight.

And that's why

this is such a wonderful

feature of the New Eden,

the throne,

the river,

the tree.

Therefore use now

in our thinking.

Let's think secondly

though of fellowship

with God.

I'll need to be

briefer with this.

Fellowship with God

and really there's

two things in that

fellowship with God

that these verses

bring out for us.

First of all,

there's access

to God

all the time.

You see it's speaking

here of the face

of God

where it says

his servants,

his servants,

there's no more curse

and therefore

his servants

will worship him.

They will see his face

and his name

will be in their foreheads.

Now seeing the face

of God,

the face of God

is often in the Bible

a description

of the favor of God.

When God's face

shines upon people

that's a way of saying

they have his favor.

When God's face

is frowned

against others

that's a sign

of his wrath

or his anger

or his displeasure.

But here is

the face of God.

They see the face of God.

Through Jesus Christ

they are aware

of God's presence

as never before.

And as they see

the face of God

they see

that wonderful acceptance

that they have.

We could go through

some passages

tonight in Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

which speaks of them

being again

out with

the life

that God has

for his people

until they come

to know

the Lord Jesus Christ

himself.

You know the chapter

very well.

Ephesians 2

and verse 12

Remember

that you were

at that time

separated from Christ

alienated from

the commonwealth

of Israel

strangers to the

covenants of promise

having no hope

and without God

in the world.

That's the description.

Just as the description

was outside

of the gates

of Eden.

without God

without hope

in the world.

And what's next?

Christ.

But

now in Christ

Jesus

you who were

once far off

have been brought

near

by the blood

of Christ

for he himself

is our peace.

Now he's talking

there about peace

between Jew and Gentile

but it's true

on that other level

as well

that for us

as one time

outside of the

possession of life

of the peace

that we have now

with God

as Christians

but now

he says

it's no longer

how it was

it's now a different

situation altogether

you have

this peace

because he is our peace.

As you go through

the Bible

as you go through

the New Testament

especially

it's not just

the New Testament

you find in the Old Testament

too

these great words

of context

but

God

but

God

but

now

you see

he's talking

about the total

change

that grace

has brought about

that God

has brought about

that salvation

is

think of Psalm 130

Lord if you were

to mark our

iniquity against us

Lord who could

stand

but there is

forgiveness

with you

instead of

marking our

iniquity

placing it on

a record

and leaving it

there

for our

condemnation

forever

there is

he says

forgiveness

with you

there's loving

kindness

with you

there's grace

with you

and here you find

in this passage

in Revelation

that

they shall see

his face

and his name

will be

in their foreheads

what does that mean

it means

they have the mark

of ownership

upon them

possibly going back

to

Paul's own days

when there would be

the practice

for slaves

to be branded

with a mark

to show who

they belong to

not saying that

that was

commendable

these were the days

they were living

in

but

if you are

marked

as a slave

in whatever way

that mark

that branding

showed who

you belong to

and in a

spiritual fashion

the Lord's people

are marked out

by himself

and if you go to

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 6:19–20

chapter 6

verses 19

to 20

he says

you have been

bought with a price

therefore you are

not your own

you belong to

God

what was the price

of purchase

for us

as sinful

undeserving

human beings

the blood of

Christ

the death

of Christ

and when you

come to place

your faith

in Christ

in that Christ

who died

and rose again

and now sits

on the throne

you are actually

then marked

by God

you are marked

as his

and you can say

you are under

his ownership

and that's not

an ominous thing

although there's

a side to it

that we remind

ourselves of

every day

where we say

to ourselves

well we are

actually the

children of God

so our behaviour

in the world

is important

as the late

Queen Mother

once said

at one time

when the royal

family were

arriving at

D-side

and coming off

the train

and Queen Elizabeth

II's children

were then quite

young

and the Queen

Mother

as she was

then

was heard

to say

by those

standing nearby

now remember

children

royal children

royal manners

royal children

royal manners

you are not

your own

the apostle

said

you've been

bought

with a price

therefore

honour God

glorify God

in your body

and spirit

which are God's

there his name

will be on

their foreheads

they will be

known as the

people of God

they will know

themselves

as the people

of God

and there will

be no doubts

in heaven

as to who

they are

and who

they belong

to

and you know

one of the

wonderful things

is they will

know themselves

not just

fully known

by God

and that

that is the

case

but also

fully loved

one of the

great human

requirements

is to know

that you are

loved

there are millions

of people in the

world tonight

who can't say

I know that I am

loved and it's

precious to me

because they have

no source of love

even on human

in a human way

they don't know

of anybody who

loves them

they're desperate

they're struggling

with life itself

but in Jesus

you know who's

loved you

and in heaven

you will know

that you have

been loved

and are loved

and will be

loved

for all eternity

and the comfort

of that in heaven

is indescribably

great

and it's that

which you look

forward to

through faith

in Christ

and they shall

reign

forever and

ever

in other words

they will share

in that victory

of Jesus

they will not be

on the same

level as him

he is the king

of kings

and lord

of lords

but they share

in his victory

just like you see

in a royal family

privileges

whatever you might

say of that

that's not our

business

but where you have

a royal family

and members

of that family

they share

in those privileges

they share

in essentially

what the reign

of that king

or queen

is about

and very much

more so

is the case

with heaven

because all

those who come

to be brought

to heaven

by the grace

of God

they shall reign

with Christ

forever and

ever

they will share

in the victory

of Jesus

endlessly

throughout

eternity

what a prospect

that is

there's nothing

like that

in this world

the longest

reign in this

world

will come

to an end

sharing

with a monarch

in his

or her

kingship

or queenship

or reign

will itself

come to an end

the moment

they pass on

but this is

a reign

unlike any

other reign

the lamb

in the midst

of the throne

reigns forever

and they reign

and shall reign

forever and

ever with them

and so tonight

here is the

question

for ourselves

tonight

who

is our life

ruled by

where is

our confidence

on what

and in whom

is our trust

what is our

relation

with this

throne of

God

what are we

made of this

throne of God

revealed to us

in the Bible

where does the

throne of God

feature in your

own life

and in my

life

is it the

case with you

that you've

come to share

in the victory

of Christ

through your

trusting in

him

and accepting

of him

and giving

yourself to

him

by the grace

of God

or to put it

in Jesus'

own words

where is

your treasure

let me just

remind you of

what he said

in the

Sermon on the

Mount

do not lay

up for

yourselves

treasures

on earth

where moth

and rust

destroy

and where

thieves

break in

and steal

but lay

up for

yourselves

treasures

in heaven

where neither

moth nor rust

destroys

and where

thieves do not

break in

and steal

for where

your treasure

is

there will

your heart

be also

where is

your heart

where is

your treasure

is it in

this world

well if so

that's where

your heart

is

is your

treasure in

the Lord

himself

in heaven

if so

that's where

your heart

is

and it's

not what

you want

to lay

up for

yourself

treasures

in heaven

may God

bless

his word

to us

now we're

going to

conclude by

singing

psalm 72

psalm 72

in the

Scottish

Psalter

that's on

page

314

to

June

Effingham

singing

from the

middle of

verse 16

the final

four verses

page

314

the city

shall be

flourishing

her citizens

abound

in number

shall

like to

the grass

that grows

upon the

ground

there's a

prophecy

of the

final state

of things

for God's

people

what the

city of

heaven

will actually

be like

and then

his name

the name

of the

Lord

forever

shall

endure

last like

the sun

it shall

men

shall be

blessed

in him

and blessed

all nations

shall him

call

these four

verses

the city

shall be

flourishing

shall he

shall be

уки

our citizens

And now I shall die to the rest that rose upon the ground.

His name forever shall endure, last like the sun it shall.

Men shall be blessed in Him, our blessed, all nations shall dim call.

Now blessed be the Lord our God, the God of Israel.

For He alone, the wondrous works in glory have excelled.

And blessed be His glorious name to all eternity.

The whole earth is glory filled. Amen. So let it be.

I'll go to the door to my left after the benediction.

Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore. Amen.