The World We All Want

Amazing, beautiful chapter of the Bible,

which does lots of things for us,

but it certainly is gonna do this for us, I think.

It's gonna complete God's story of salvation.

So there's a story that runs all the way through the Bible,

from creation and Genesis to new creation and revelation.

And here we are going to find the great happily ever after

that your heart and mind deep down longs for,

of a universe reborn and made perfect,

of paradise regained and restored,

of a glorious reunion that lasts for all eternity.

Here too, we're gonna find a chapter

that captures some of our deepest human longings.

We're all different and we're all from different places,

but there are certain things that we have in common.

The desire for a love that is permanent.

The desire for a glorious home and a homecoming.

And for a life that is truly satisfying.

And we're gonna see in all of this

that Christ Jesus is the key.

So the book of Revelation has kept on reminding us

that Jesus is the one who died and then rose again,

who returned to heaven and who will return one day.

And now he's pictured in wonderful ways.

He is the bridegroom who loves his bride.

He is the one who prepares an eternal home

for all of God's children.

And he is the one who supplies the life that satisfies.

And so taken together,

this chapter as we come towards the end of Revelation

reminds us that our future as followers of Jesus

is glorious.

And it's glorious because he, Jesus, is glorious.

I hope as well that as we get into some of the details

of this chapter,

it's gonna stir up certain emotions.

Perhaps it's gonna stir up for us a sense of hope

as we're being presented with a world of perfection,

a world of perfect love.

Here is the world we all want.

Here is the goal.

But it might also,

and this isn't necessarily a bad thing,

it might stir up a sense of homesickness in us,

especially as the people of God.

As we recognize that there is this world

that we all want the way that we want it to be,

but often don't we find it so different.

And we struggle in the tension

that life is not supposed to be like this,

we often think.

Difficulties in our relationships,

difficulties and frustrations with work,

in our health, even in our churches.

But Jesus offers promise,

he says, that when he comes back,

that's when everything is made new.

Here is when we will enter into the life

that we were made for.

Here is where we will live forever

in this world that we all want,

when everything sad will forever come untrue.

And remember that this book

and these pictures are given in the first instance

to help Christians who are struggling

and who are suffering.

And it's a way for God to say to us,

remember, it is all worth it.

But maybe as we read this,

maybe especially if you're not a Christian,

you're new to church,

you're thinking, is this too good to be true?

Is this something that we can trust?

Does it all sound a bit pie in the sky?

And so it's really important

before we get into the details

to just consider who is speaking.

In a way, this is very similar

to what we said to the children.

Verses five and six,

we have God seated on the throne saying,

I am making everything new.

He presents himself as the eternal,

the almighty king.

And it's this one who says,

it is done.

And it's this God who speaks truth from heaven,

who invites us to come with our thirst

and to be satisfied.

He is the one who makes everything new

and he invites us to listen in,

to receive what he has for us.

So our plan this morning,

we could spend forever on this.

So this is a wonderful chapter.

We're going to take three big themes.

We're going to take the theme of the wedding

and the home and the garden.

I think God's glory and the gospel is so good

that he gives us different pictures

and maybe our hearts will go to one

or other of these this morning.

And we're going to think about

how do they kind of speak to our longings

and how does Jesus, the Savior,

fulfill the story?

How does Jesus bring us into this world

that we all want?

So that ultimately, all of us,

whoever we are,

we would take the invitation

to trust in Jesus,

that we would be enjoying life with him today,

looking ahead gladly for the promise

of eternal life with him.

Okay, so we're going to do this very briefly.

The first story that we see in our chapter

is the story of a wedding

in the first four verses of Revelation 21.

And that takes us back to creation,

Genesis 1 and 2.

There was also a wedding.

There was Adam and Eve.

Remember that God gave a wife to the man.

And he gave to them a marriage with a mission.

He said, here is your calling.

Fill the earth, rule over the earth,

spread the glory of God

and enjoy life with me while you're doing it.

But into that perfect picture came the devil,

came the serpent.

Genesis chapter 3,

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

into the marriage came sin.

As the man and the woman disobey God,

ultimately they want to replace God,

to reject his rule.

And the moment that that happens

and sin comes,

relationships break down.

They're now hiding from God.

They feel a sense of shame together.

There's blaming.

There's pain.

There's the loss of the presence of God.

But God comes and he calls to them.

And even in that,

it's a reminder that God desires

to invite people again.

He would have a people whom he loves.

And that's the story of the Old Testament.

See, if we go all the way

towards the end of the Old Testament,

we go to a prophet like Hosea.

Hosea is a really dramatic book.

God says to Hosea,

Hosea, I want your marriage

to be like a picture

of my relationship with Israel.

Hosea was a good husband

married to an unfaithful wife.

And God said,

that's like my people.

They commit spiritual adultery,

turning to follow other gods,

turning to make alliances

with other kings.

God was showing love and faithfulness,

but again,

the people of God

turning their back.

It's a picture of the heart of sin.

God offers us himself.

God offers us love,

but we turn our back

because we want to be in charge.

We think other things will satisfy.

But God's purpose

to have a people whom he will love

and be with together forever

does not fail in the end.

Look at chapter 21 of Revelation.

We're reminded that this is new creation.

I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

The first things have passed away.

The world has been remade.

The curse of sin is gone.

There's no more sea.

The sea is always a symbol

of chaos and evil.

So when sin and evil are done away with,

there's going to be another wedding.

God again is going to give a wife.

Look at verse 2.

The holy city comes down

out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride,

beautifully dressed for her husband.

And God pronounces his blessing

over this marriage.

God's dwelling place is now among the people.

They will be his people.

God himself will be with them

and be their God.

This is the goal of salvation,

that God would live with his people

in a perfect world forever.

And there's this wonderful picture

of intimacy in this marriage

that we have a Savior who is so good

that he comes so near

that he wipes every tear,

that he removes everything that spoils.

No more sorrow,

no more grief,

no more death.

The powerful King ensures

that he will be with

his bride made beautiful forever.

Now what's the significance of this

for you and me today?

It's significant because

we are made for relationship.

All kinds of relationships.

And they are a source of profound joy

and happiness to us often.

Think about the picture of the passage.

Some of us here will have had

the joyful anticipation

of being a bride waiting

for the wedding day.

And that sense of here is a love,

here is a sense of permanence,

here is a place of security.

But we also know in our relationships,

disappointments,

and griefs,

and losses,

and longing.

We know that death casts its shadow,

that death always comes.

But we are made for relationship,

and most of all,

we're made for relationship with God.

And the Bible says to us,

the love that you and I long for,

that we can spend maybe all our life

looking for,

it's found in God and in His Son,

the Lord Jesus.

Here is a love that is eternal

and unbreakable.

Here is the one whose love never fails,

who will never disappoint.

Here is the promise of perfect

and forever love in Jesus.

And that tells us that the Savior,

Jesus,

is so important to this story.

And actually by God's design,

Ephesians 5 tells us,

every time we go to a wedding,

every marriage that we see,

speaks to us something of the gospel,

speaks to us something of the relationship

between Jesus and His church.

A bridegroom is supposed to love,

and to sacrifice,

and to serve as a picture

of what Jesus does

for His bride,

His people.

There is union,

and there is love,

and there is joy,

and there is safety.

Now how does Jesus show

His undying love and commitment

to His bride,

His people,

the church?

What we do in a wedding ceremony

is we give wedding ring,

but Jesus gives something much more.

He gives His own body.

That it's the broken body

and the shed blood

of the Lord Jesus on the cross

that is a sign

of the covenant commitment of God

to save and to love

a people for Himself.

And the Lord Jesus

is such a wonderful bridegroom

that He removes all the ugliness,

all our sin,

all our shame,

and He clothes us

with His perfect righteousness

so that the church

and all of our sin,

in the end,

we will be this radiant bride

for Jesus.

And so the Savior invites us

to look to Him,

to trust Him,

and to find that one love

that never fails,

that never disappoints.

That's one way of thinking

about the story of the Bible.

Here's the second way.

It's the story of a home

and a homecoming.

This is a kind of a theme

that runs through

the rest of chapter 21.

But again,

just to take us back

to the beginning

of God's story,

in the beginning,

God made the world

and He made,

He planted a garden

called Eden.

And this was a special place.

This was like a garden sanctuary

because God came

and God met

with Adam and Eve there.

And God planted Adam and Eve

in that garden

and it was a place of beauty

and they had everything

they needed

and His glory

was on full display.

Imagine there,

I don't know what your first home

was like,

but that was Adam and Eve's

first home.

And it was wonderful

and it was wonderful

because God was present.

He would come,

as it were,

to walk with them

and to talk with them.

And so they were

to live their lives

working and worshipping

and resting

and serving,

loving and enjoying

relationships with one another

but with God

in this true

and beautiful home.

But if we know the story again,

we know that they failed

to look after that home.

They failed to guard

and keep it.

And so again,

the serpent,

the snake,

the devil came,

temptation came,

sin came,

and the consequence

was they were sent

out of that home

into exile.

But again,

God's goal

that He would be God

with His people,

that would continue.

And key to this whole promise

of God living with His people

were a couple of different structures.

One was a tent

called the tabernacle

and one was a mighty building

called the temple.

But they were both

in different ways

sanctuaries,

places where the God of glory

lived among His people.

So if you wanted

to meet with God,

to be with God,

you had to go to this tent

or you had to go

to this temple.

And in both the tabernacle

and the temple,

there was one particular room

that was especially significant.

It was called

the Holy of Holies.

We're told the dimensions

of this room.

In the tabernacle,

it was 10 cubits

by 10 cubits

by 10 cubits.

It was a cube.

By the time

they were building the temple,

it became 20 by 20 by 20.

Okay, so there's this cube,

this box.

And once a year,

one man,

the high priest,

could go in

and meet with God

and offer sacrifice.

And it was the job

of the people

to look after

and to be holy

around this home.

But again,

they would fail

to guard and to keep.

Instead,

they would set up idols.

They'd be half-hearted

in their worship.

They'd be divided

in their loyalty.

And in the end,

again,

God's people

would lose their home.

And in the end,

the prophets tell us

that God's glory

would depart.

And so the story

of the Bible,

by the time we get

to the end

of the Old Testament

before Jesus comes,

the people of God

are left with a longing.

Will God return?

Will God's glory

return to His temple?

Will take that with us

into Revelation 21.

As we recognize it

in the new creation,

hope becomes promise.

And here we find

the people of God

invited to an eternal home

and an eternal homecoming.

Look at verse 10.

Here is the home

for the people of God.

What do we know about it?

It's the holy city

comes down out of heaven

from God.

It shines with the glory

of God.

God's glory

has got these 12 gates

reminding us

that the way of access

is open because of Jesus,

because of the gospel.

There's security.

There's high walls.

But there's also

no fear of intruders,

we're told later.

There's nothing

that's going to come

and spoil.

Nothing that's going

to ruin this life

that God has made

with His people.

And so there is

this great homecoming

here within our text.

In verse 12,

who lives here,

whose names are written

on the gates,

that say this is their home.

Twelve tribes of Israel.

Verse 12,

that tells us

all the Old Testament

believers about their faith

in God,

that He would send

as Messiah Jesus.

They're going to be there.

Verse 14,

the wall of the city

had twelve foundations,

and on them

were the names

of the twelve apostles

of the Lamb.

And so here's

what this is saying.

Everyone who believes

in the message

about Jesus,

they're also going

to find their home

in here.

So what started

as a garden

where Adam and Eve

live with God

now becomes

this huge city

where everybody

who believes in Jesus

across all time

and countries

and cultures

gathers together,

people from every nation

and background

united together

in the presence

of God

in perfect love

and joy.

We have found

our true forever home

in these pages,

and God

is wonderfully present.

So we talked

a little bit

about the dimensions

of the Holy of Holies.

Now pay attention

to verse 16,

and it explains

why we get

the numbers here.

The city

was laid out

like a square,

as long

as it was wide.

He measured

the city

with the rod

and found it

to be twelve thousand

stadia in length

and as wide

and as high

as it is

long.

Here's the symbolism.

The new creation,

like a massive cube.

And the point of that

is to say to us

that the God of glory

will fill

the whole earth

and God's people

will live forever

in the true

Holy of Holies.

We will never be

a moment

outside of the

perfect presence

of God.

We will enjoy

life with

our God forever.

We too

will work

and worship

and rest

and serve

and love

and enjoy

and God

will be there

always.

This isn't just

for one person

once per year.

This is for

everybody

who puts

their trust

in Jesus

for all

of eternity.

Now what's

the significance

of this theme?

home,

even just to say

the word

home,

can have really

powerful associations

for us,

can't it?

For some

it connects us

with places.

Often it connects us

with the people

that we love.

At its best,

home is associated

with warm welcome,

a place of true

belonging,

a place where we feel

secure and we feel

joy.

It's the world

we want.

But in part,

home and homecoming

is such a powerful image

because we know

this to be true

that we live

among the ruin.

Most days of the week

our church is open

so that asylum seekers

can come

and they can learn English.

What does home

mean to them

if you have to flee

from persecution

and war?

But to take it

closer to home

for ourselves,

many of us here

today,

I imagine,

have lived at

different points

with a sense

of homesickness.

This isn't your

home country.

Even if it is

your home country,

sometimes you

perhaps wish you

were where your

parents were

or where your

friends were.

In a city like

Edinburgh,

it's really easy

to be surrounded

by people but yet

to feel like a

stranger.

There is a real

problem of loneliness

in our own city.

The idea of home

can bring mixed

emotions for us.

It can be a castle

for us.

At times it can be

a prison for us.

Where do we find

our true home?

Where do we find

that warm,

loving welcome?

Where do we find

those arms that are

open to welcome us

into true belonging,

to bring us into

a place where love

and joy will be

unbroken?

And the answer

again is from

Jesus.

To think about

the story of

Jesus, he is the

eternal son of God

but he entered

into history,

leaving his true

home of heaven

to come down,

to be born on

this earth,

to be God

with us,

to be the true

temple actually.

So he would say

that so that now

if we want to

meet with God,

we go to Jesus.

If we want to

encounter the glory

of God,

we need to go

to Jesus.

And Jesus gave

that wonderful

promise in

John 14.

Just before he

was about to die,

he says,

I'm going to

prepare a place

for you.

My father's house

has many rooms

and I'm going to

go and I'm going

to make a room

ready and one

day I'll come

back and I'll

take you to be

with me,

that you may be

where I am.

Jesus prepares

an eternal home

for his people

by going to

the cross to

die in our

place for our

sin before

rising again

and going back

to rule in

heaven for us.

Jesus went

into exile

for us,

went into

the far

country,

on the cross

felt forsaken

by his father.

So if we turn

from sin to

trust in Jesus,

we can be

brought home

to God

so that we

will live

for all

eternity

in the true

holy of holies

and that

involves

a tearing.

Mark's gospel

does something

really helpful

for us.

It tells us

that when Jesus

was dying on

the cross

and his body

was torn

as a loving

sacrifice,

over there

in the temple

the curtain

was torn

and the curtain

was torn

so that

the glory

of God

would break

out and begin

to fill

the earth

so that now

God comes

to dwell

in the hearts

of men

and women

and boys

and girls

all around

the world

and the church

continues

to grow.

The good news

of Jesus

spreads to

the ends

of the earth

and that

process of

filling the earth

with glory

that will be

completed

at the new

creation.

That's the home

that we were

made for

and Jesus

invites us

to come home

to God

to enjoy

that glory

and that love

to have that

home and that

homecoming

that will never

end

and as Christian

pilgrims

we're invited

every day

to remember

that's our

true home

so that we

would keep

the faith

that we would

go through

the struggles

knowing

that we

will make

it home

because

we are

connected

to Jesus.

So we

thought about

the wedding

we thought

about the

home

now we

need to

think

very briefly

about the

garden

and we

sort of

talked

about the

garden

but the

imagery

really picks

up in

Revelation

21

22

rather

but again

to go back

to creation

Genesis 1

and 2

we have this

paradise

garden

made by

God

and within

the garden

there are

those rivers

that flow

to give life

to irrigate

the land

and in

the centre

of the

garden

there was

this tree

known as

the tree

of life

reminding us

that God

is a generous

giver

what he wants

to give

is life

but there

was another

tree in

the centre

of the

garden

and it

was called

the tree

of the

knowledge

of good

and evil

Adam

and Eve

were told

you have

this whole

garden

and I'm

saying yes

to you

enjoying

this whole

garden

there's

one tree

that I

want you

to say

no to

it's the

tree

of the

knowledge

of good

and evil

it was

forbidden

that was

their test

of obedience

but they

failed that

test

and when

they failed

the test

again they

were expelled

from the

garden

and they

lost access

to that

tree

and the

entrance to

the garden

was now

guarded by

an angel

with a

fiery sword

but there's

still that

longing

for life

and for

satisfaction

the prophets

again would

pick up

these themes

Jeremiah

is one

very early

on in his

prophecy

he said

this to

them in

chapter 2

my people

this is God

speaking

have committed

two sins

they have

forsaken

me

and listen

to how he

pictures himself

the spring

of living

water

and have

dug their

own cisterns

broken

cisterns

what's his

point

God is saying

I'm offering

to give

myself

to my

people

and that's

everything

that's true

and lasting

satisfaction

but his

people in

the Old

Testament

were searching

for life

and satisfaction

meaning in

all the wrong

places

and they were

coming up

empty

another prophet

Ezekiel

in chapter 47

has this glorious

image

he sees a

renewed temple

and underneath

the temple

there's a stream

that starts to

flow

and as the stream

continues to flow

it gets wider

and it gets deeper

till it becomes

this roaring river

and whenever the river

goes

life

goes

and this is the

picture of

this is what God

does

this is what God

gives

he is the one

who gives life

true life

now pick up

your Bible

and look at

Revelation 22

Revelation 22:1

verse 1

the angel

showed me

the river

of the water

of life

as clear

as crystal

flowing from

the throne

of God

and of the

Lamb

it is the

symbol

of life

giving

refreshing

water

that comes

from God

God

is a fountain

God

is never

thirsty

he has

perfect

satisfaction

in himself

but he

overflows

his goodness

his beauty

his truth

his love

to us

in our thirst

look at verse 2

and 3

down the middle

of the great street

okay

on each side

of the river

stood the tree

of life

bearing 12

crops of fruit

yielding its fruit

every month

and the leaves

of the tree

are for the healing

of the nations

no longer

will there be

any curse

here's a return

of the tree

of life

here is a symbol

of God's generosity

and God's provision

I will give you

perfect life

and I will give it

to you in relationship

with me

and there is a

constant supply

of this perfect life

that is healing

and not just for some

but for all peoples

from all nations

because the invitation

runs wide

and the high point

of life in this garden

is that once again

God is here

the throne of God

and of the Lamb

will be in the city

so it's a garden city

and his servants

will serve him

they will see

his face

and his name

will be on their foreheads

this is the happily ever after

this is God

and his people

in the garden

become a city

together forever

seeing the face

of Jesus

basking in the glory

of God

belonging to him

forever

there's no more darkness

there's no more night

there's no more danger

there's no need

for the sun

because we get to live

and join the light

of God's glory

and we serve him

and we reign

with him forever

this is the life

that we were

made for

and the significance

of this

I think comes

when we acknowledge

that all of us

in different ways

we have a thirst

a thirst

sometimes for meaning

and purpose

a thirst

for work

or for life

that satisfies

a longing

to find

our ultimate

hopes

met

so our hearts

can be at peace

but often

don't we discover

that our hearts

come up empty

that we often

find that our hearts

remain restless

speaking to a friend

this week

who'd gone on

what sounded like

it should have been

the trip of a lifetime

to Japan

taking in

the wonders

of Disneyland

Tokyo

some people

that'd be the best

thing ever

and she came away

thinking is that it

long cues

and silly

Mickey Mouse ears

that's often

our experience

in this life

we imagine

this is the thing

this is the one

my heart's gonna

find my everything

here

and if that's not God

we're gonna come up

empty

God is a generous

giver

and the greatest

gift he gives

is himself

that's what the book

of Revelation

tells us

and that takes us

again to Jesus

the saviour

who will speak

in the gospels

to a woman

in John chapter 4

John 4 · chapter mention

beside a well

she is thirsty

she is longing

to find security

to find relationship

to find love

and Jesus says to her

I can give you

living water

that will spring up

to eternal life

Jesus makes

the bold

amazing statement

that he is God

and he gives the life

that satisfies

now how does he

do that

how does he give us

the access

to the tree of life

well the Bible

tells us of another tree

the cross of Calvary

and there as we

as we pan

to that mountain

to that tree

we see Jesus

as it were

going under

the fiery sword

of God's judgment

not for anything

that he had done wrong

but as he bears

the sin of his people

as he takes our day

as he is cut off

so that you and I

could be forgiven

and brought near

and enter life

with God

we hear Jesus

cry on the cross

I am thirsty

as he becomes

the sacrifice

so that you and I

can taste and see

that the Lord

is good

that we can enjoy

the goodness of God

in this life

with a certain hope

of eternal joy

in the life to come

so here is

the world we all want

truly the life

that we were made for

to be brought into

this wonderful story

of God's commitment

to be with his people

to let his glory

overflow to us

to invite us

into perfect life

with him

and this story

creates a thirst

in us

and I hope it says

to all of us

I want to go deeper

not to be too easily

satisfied

I want to find

true love

in knowing God

I want to find

my true home

in him

and to find

that joyful life

that will never end

and wonderfully

we're also reminded

who's the great hero

of this story

it's the Lord Jesus

for us to have

our happily ever after

Jesus has come

to defeat

our great enemies

he has come

to rescue

and win a bride

for himself

he is the one

who will return

one day

to take his people

to his glorious home

forever

this is the world

we all want

come to him

trust him

and live