The River of Living Water

Good morning, everyone.

For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Andrew Rim, and I'm a pastoral intern

here at Trinity Cambridge Church, and a current seminary student who is finishing up his degree.

And with Sean gone for the next few weeks on vacation, it's my joy and pleasure to be

able to bring God's word to you guys this morning.

And so without further ado, if you could turn your Bibles, if you have one, to Revelation

Revelation 21:22

chapter 21, verse 22.

For those of you who don't have a Bible, please raise your hand and someone can give you a

copy from our table.

Revelation chapter 21, verse 22, to chapter 22, verse 5.

Revelation 21:22

Please join me in prayer for the reading and preaching of God's word this morning.

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that you are our God, seated on the throne, and that

you give us access to you to be able to worship you, to adore you, to pour out all honor and

glory.

Lord, we thank you that you are such a gracious and loving God.

And Lord, we thank you that you give us your word to equip us with every need, to satisfy

us, to nourish us, to grow us in the spirit, so that one day when you and the kingdom of

our Lord Jesus Christ returns, we may be perfected with you, Lord.

And so, Lord, as we come across this beautiful passage coming into the river of life, Lord,

stir our hearts that we yearn for the living waters, Lord.

Stir our hearts so that we yearn for the eternal light that is to come through new Jerusalem, the new creation, Lord.

Help us to be faithful stewards of the gospel here and now, Lord.

We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Please stand as you're willing and able for the reading of God's word.

Revelation chapter 21, verse 22 to chapter 22, verse 5.

Revelation 21:22

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 it 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.

They will bring into it the glory and the 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.

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.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

Back in 2016, the city of Flint, Michigan, faced a federal state of emergency

because traces of poisonous lead were found in their water systems.

This was due to the oversight and poor management of the city's water pipes

by the Flint city officials.

And after a number of court investigations and hundreds of millions of dollars

spent on legal settlements and repairing these corroded pipes,

Flint's water was declared clean and drinkable later in the year of 2016.

But the damage had been done.

Many residents of Flint, Michigan, to this day,

still don't drink the water straight from the tap

because they still do not trust the source of the water.

Here in the state of Massachusetts, according to the U.S. News,

we rank fifth in the entire United States for our drinking water quality.

We're in fifth place.

We have the best drinking water in all of New England, for that matter.

The next best New England state is Rhode Island,

and they come in 20th place.

Yikes.

And yet, even still, even though our drinking water quality is this good,

many of us here are still proactive and careful with our water sources.

We install water filters like Brita and Pure into our sinks,

our faucets, and our water dispensers.

Some of us opt to buy the Costco 40-pack water bottles,

and we just drink straight out of that.

And some of us even have our own personal rankings

of the best-tasting water bottle brands,

from Awkwafina to Smart Water to Evian to Poland Springs to Fiji

to the Whole Foods Asparagus water.

All this we do because we care about where our water is sourced from.

We want to be certain that we aren't harming ourselves

with unclean and contaminated water.

And so we're careful about the source of our water.

Brothers and sisters, as followers of God and the Lamb that is Jesus,

we must also be vigilant of the source of our spiritual water.

What is the source of our living waters?

What satisfies us and nourishes us in this life?

Last week in Revelation chapter 21,

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

Sean exhorted us to choose our treasures carefully.

For where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.

In the same way, we need to pay attention to the sources of our waters,

of what nourishes and satisfies us in our lives today.

Does living water from the throne of God and of the Lamb satisfy us?

Or does our water come from the darkness of this world,

which will only satisfy for a short while,

before leaving us emptier than ever before?

The answer to this question is of utmost importance.

Because the source of our water,

the source of our living water,

is a matter of spiritual and eternal life and death.

This morning, we're at the end points of Revelation.

We're finally at Revelation chapter 22,

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

the final chapter,

where John, he sees in his vision

that the kingdom of God has been fully inaugurated.

Evil has been utterly vanquished,

and the new Jerusalem has been established

as the new heavens and the new earth.

John then sees in Revelation 22,

the river of the water of life in New Jerusalem,

one that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb

through the center of New Jerusalem.

And this river, it yields abundant fruit

from the tree of life.

It heals nations,

and it makes the city pure from anything accursed.

This, this is the water that we should be longing for,

the river of living water.

We must draw near to this living water,

whose source is from the Lord God and the Lamb,

the light of the world, who is Jesus.

And so this is our main point for our passage this morning.

We should live our lives faithfully

to the light of the world, that is Jesus,

and the Lord God,

whose throne is the source of living water.

And so I'm going to touch on two major features

of our passage this morning.

First, the eternal light,

and second, the river of life.

Revelation chapter 21, verse 22,

Revelation 21:22

and I saw no temple in the city,

for its temple is the Lord God,

the Almighty, and the Lamb.

In the Old Testament,

the prophet Ezekiel envisioned,

in Ezekiel chapter 40 to 43,

Ezekiel 40 · chapter mention

the rebuilding of the temple of God,

after it had been destroyed

by the Babylonian Empire.

However, now,

in John's vision of New Jerusalem,

there is not a physical temple in sight

in the city.

John gives the reason why this is so,

for its temple is the Lord God,

the Almighty, and the Lamb.

In the Old Testament,

the temple was built as a dwelling place

for the Lord God,

and as the meeting place

for God's people to worship him,

whose presence was in the Ark of the Covenant

inside of the temple.

In Exodus,

Moses built the tabernacle

as a portable way for Israel

to carry the presence of God

until they reached the promised land.

And once Israel was established

as a nation and a kingdom,

King Solomon built the temple

to more permanently

host the presence of God

at which all of Israel would gather

to worship Yahweh.

But the Old Testament prophets later,

they envisioned an even greater temple

in the future.

Haggai chapter 2 prophesied

Haggai 2 · chapter mention

that the latter glory of this house,

which is the temple,

will be greater than the former.

Jeremiah chapter 3 prophesied

Jeremiah 3 · chapter mention

of a day when God's people

will no longer say

the Ark of the Covenant.

And neither the temple

nor the Ark of the Covenant

will come to mind

or be remembered

or be missed

by God's people.

These prophecies are fulfilled

here in New Jerusalem.

God's dwelling place

is no longer

the physical structure

of the temple.

Instead,

the Lord God

and the Lamb

are fully present

face to face

with the new creation

in the New Jerusalem.

The temple,

a gathering place

to worship God,

had been fulfilled

in the new city.

This also means

that the church today,

including our own

gathered body

of believers here,

will be perfected

and fulfilled

when the Lord

is fully present

in the new Jerusalem.

In the new city,

those who have been faithful

to the testimony of Jesus

will no longer

need to gather

in a building,

in a structure

to worship their God.

Because God now dwells

among his people there.

We'll have unfiltered,

unparalleled access

to worship our Lord God.

You guys,

how much greater

will our worship

be in New Jerusalem

when we're able

to clearly see

with our very own eyes

who it is

that we give

our honor

and glory to?

How amazing

it's going to be

that when we sing,

behold our God,

behold the Lamb,

here I am to worship

right in front

of the Lord God,

being able to see

him face to face.

That's such an amazing sight,

amazing hope for us

that we'll be

face to face

in direct relationship

and communion

with our Lord God,

the very one

that we worship.

John continues

in his vision

of New Jerusalem

and sees

that the city

of Jerusalem,

New Jerusalem,

has no need

of sun or moon

to shine on it.

For the glory of God

gives it light

and its lamp

is lamb.

We see the same idea

evoked later

at the end of our passage

in Revelation 22, 5.

And the night

will be no more.

The servants of God

will need no light

of lamp or sun

for the Lord God

will be their light

and they will reign

forever and ever.

These two verses

are a direct fulfillment

of the prophecy

in Isaiah chapter 60.

Isaiah 60 · chapter mention

The sun shall be

no more your light

by day,

nor for brightness

shall the moon

give you light,

but the Lord

will be your everlasting light

and your God

will be your glory.

Isaiah and John,

they're not trying

to say that the sun

and the moon

will be completely

non-existent

in the New Jerusalem.

Their point is that

the sun and the moon's

function as bearers

of light during the day

and the night

will not be necessary

anymore.

And that's because

God's glory

and the light

of his son Jesus,

the Lamb,

will illuminate

the new city

both day and night.

In James 1.17,

God is called

the Father of lights.

1 John 1.5

proclaims that

God is light

and in him

is no darkness at all.

In the Gospel of John,

Jesus calls himself

the light of the world

who stepped into

this dark world

to open our eyes

to God's salvific work

through him.

The Lamb of God

acted as the lamp

to God's glory.

Jesus was the word

in the beginning

who was with God

and was God

and in the word

was life

and the life

was the light

of men.

John 1.

The light of God's glory

and the Lamb

will shine on

the new Jerusalem

day and night.

This is John's way

of again emphasizing

that God's presence

will be directly

among his people

in the new city

and his presence

will never go away.

God will be with us

as our eternal light

day and night

forever.

This light

from the glory of God

and the Lamb

in New Jerusalem

will also accompany

the nations

and the kings

of the earth

will bring their glory

into the light.

This again

is a fulfillment

of Isaiah 60.

And nations

shall come to your light

and kings

to the brightness

of your rising.

The wealth

of the nations

shall come to you.

The wealth

of the nations

shall come to you.

Throughout Revelation

we see Jesus

and his angels

of the Lord

issue out warnings

to all of the nations

of the final day

of judgment.

And they call out

to repent

of idolatry

in order to be

preserved by God.

Revelation chapter 14

Revelation 14:7

verse 7

is one example

of this.

An angel cries out

to every nation

and tribe

and language

and people

and it cries out

fear God

and give him glory

because the hour

of his judgment

has come.

In John's vision

the nations

who heeded

these warnings

and repented

and turned their allegiance

to God

and to Jesus

are able to walk

in the light

of God's glory

and enter into

the city

of New Jerusalem.

While other passages

in Revelation

refer to

the kings of the earth

as the wicked

unrepentant rulers

who have received

judgment

from God

here John

is referring

to the kings

of the earth

who had received

the angels warnings

and obeyed

the call

to repentance

and submitted

themselves

to the lamb

and to the testimony

of Jesus.

These are the kings

and nations

who will be welcomed

into the city

and they will bring

their glory

into it.

The Isaiah 60 prophecy

speaks of the nations

bringing material wealth

into Israel.

The wealth of the nations

shall come to you.

They bring their material riches

and wealth

into Israel.

John then changes

the language in Revelation

from wealth

to glory.

The nations

and kings

will bring glory

into New Jerusalem

as it says

in verse 24.

And we see later

in verse 26

that they will bring glory

and honor.

What John is saying here

is that the kings

are bringing into New Jerusalem

not material riches

and wealth

but rather glory

and honor

coming from the nations.

The kings and nations

are brought into

the New Jerusalem

by the invitation

of the lamb

to worship

the Lord God

in glory

and honor

to worship him.

There's no longer

any personal riches

or accolades

or boastings

of self

that are to be brought

into the city

of New Jerusalem

but only the glory

and honor

that is due

to God

and to Jesus Christ

the lamb

in worship.

Brothers and sisters

we have no material wealth.

We have no personal riches

to offer to God

because God

already has

these things.

In fact

he has infinitely

better things

beyond our imagination.

God doesn't need

our money.

He doesn't need

our savings.

He doesn't need

our prizes

and our trophies.

He doesn't need

our social status

and influence.

When we as faithful

believers of Christ

are invited

into the New Jerusalem

we have nothing

to bring with us

except for our worship

to bestow

our Lord God

in honor

and glory.

Amen?

Continuing on

the nations

and the kings

they enter

into New Jerusalem

through New Jerusalem's

open gates.

These gates

will never be shut

by day

and also by night

because there will be

no night.

The gates

to New Jerusalem

will be open

night and day

for all eternity.

In last week's sermon

Sean had described

the unassailable

security

of the New Jerusalem.

The walls

of New Jerusalem

were 12,000

stadia tall.

1,400 miles tall.

And its walls

were as thick

as the length

of a professional

soccer field.

No enemy

would be able

to breach

these walls.

No enemy

would be able

to breach

the walls

of New Jerusalem

even in secret

even in the dark

of night.

So why would

such an

impenetrable city

choose to leave

its gates

wide open

never to be shut?

That's because

there are no longer

any enemies.

Because there is

no more night

in the world.

There will be

no night

in New Jerusalem.

John is using

the word night

figuratively

to refer

to the darkness

and evil

that dim God's

glory

in this world.

In the Gospels

of Matthew,

Mark,

and Luke

when Jesus

was crucified

it was said

that at noon

there was darkness

over all the land.

The darkness

took over

when the Son

of God

was crucified

and killed.

But three days

later,

the angels

of the Lord

appeared before

Jesus' followers

in dazzling

brightness

and light

to announce

that the Savior

had resurrected

and conquered

death.

For John

to say

that there is

no night

in New Jerusalem

isn't just

an odd

passing comment

but it's a

triumphant

declaration

that there

will be

no darkness

or evil

that can exist

in the new

creation.

The darkness

and evil

of the enemy

are no more.

There is no need

to worry

or be cautious

about ambushes

or invasions

from the enemy

into the city

because all enemies

of God

have been defeated

already.

We have kings,

we have nations,

we have tribes

and tongues

from all over

the earth

that will enter

into the gates

of New Jerusalem

and there is

absolute certainty

and security

that not one

of them,

not even one

of them

will bring

wickedness

and evil

into the light

of God's

new creation

because night

and darkness

are no more.

When I was

in elementary

school

and in middle

school

and also maybe

in high school

I was really

afraid of the dark.

In our house

we had a basement

where we would

often store things

and whenever I had

to go down

into the basement

I was so afraid

that something

would pop out

of the dark

and get me.

One year

it was ghosts.

Another year

it was Darth Vader.

To cope with this fear

to deal with this

being afraid

of the dark

as I went

as I went down

those stairs

I would often

sing

whatever worship

song that I knew

in my head.

I would literally

go down the stairs

and be like

I love the world

you step down

into darkness

and then

scurry down

those stairs

and run straight

back up

as quickly

as I could.

The most

comforting

and relieving

sight for me

as I ran back

up those stairs

though

was the faint

outline

of light

on my basement

door.

That faint

outline

that you see

through the cracks

and I knew

oh my gosh

once I go

through those doors

I'm going to be

back in the light

Darth Vader

won't be chasing

me anymore

to tell me

that he's my father.

No more of that.

And so I would

run up those stairs

and burst out

to the door

into the light

of my living room

and I would feel

safe

and secure.

Brothers and sisters

scripture

scripture

gives us

that faint

outline

of light

and it's

getting brighter

and brighter

through the coming

of God's

radiant kingdom

and the new

Jerusalem

and that should

fill us

with great hope

and comfort

and relief

in the dark

days that we

live in

today.

For those of you

who may feel

distressed

by all this

darkness in our

world

wars

disease

famine

the evil

schemes

of man

or for those

of you

who may be

feeling so

discouraged

by the darkness

of your own

struggles

and sin

there is hope

in the light

of the coming

kingdom of our

Lord God

and so believe

in God's

victory

over darkness

and hold on

to the testimony

of Jesus.

There will be

a day

when night

will be no more.

Darkness

and evil

will be

totally

vanquished

and there

will be

absolute

security

in the

brilliant

light

of our

savior

Jesus.

Because

Jesus

has

vanquished

all evil

any

unclean

thing

and anyone

who has

not repented

of their

detestable

and false

things

will not

be able

to enter

into the

new

Jerusalem

even

with

those

gates

wide

open

day

and

night.

This

means

that

anyone

who

has

defiled

themselves

in sin

that God

so abhors

and has

not repented

and allowed

for the

blood of

Jesus

to wash

over

their sins

will not

be able

to enter.

This

means

that

those

who have

given

themselves

away

to the

lies

of the

enemy

and have

acted

on those

lies

into

acts

of

deception

like

adultery

murder

bearing

false

testimony

and

stealing

they

will

not

be

able

to

enter

into

the

city

of

New

Jerusalem.

Church

we

too

have

committed

these

grave

sins

time

and

time

again.

We've

been

adulteries

we've

told

lies

we've

stolen

God's

glory

we've

become

idolaters

in the

things

of this

world

and

time

and

time

again

we've

fallen

short

of the

glory

of

God

but

the

difference

the

difference

as

believers

of

Jesus

Christ

is

that

by

the

grace

of

God

we

have

recognized

our

need

for

a

savior

we

recognize

this

need

this

need

for

someone

to

save

us

of

our

sins

and

by

faith

in

Jesus

we

have

repented

of

those

detestable

and

false

things

and

claimed

our

allegiance

to

Christ

evil

doers

and

the

wicked

will

not

have

their

names

written

in the

book

of

life

and

they

will

be

subject

to

eternal

torment

and

suffering

in the

lake

of

fire

only

those

who

have

been

counted

righteous

and

holy

by the

Lord

God

those

whose

names

have

been

written

in the

Lamb's

book

of

life

will

enter

and

so

let's

hope

and believe

in the

light of

God's

coming

kingdom

and hold

on to

the

testimony

of

Jesus

this

leads

to

our

second

feature

in

our

passage

the

river

of

life

revelation

Revelation 22:1–5

chapter

22

verse

1

to

5

now

the

angel

who's

guiding

John's

vision

turns

John's

attention

now

to

a

river

in

the

new

Jerusalem

this

river

is

bright

as

crystal

as

radiant

as

the

rest

of

the

city

which

is

adorned

in

precious

stones

and

clear

gold

as

it

said

in

revelation

21

John

calls

this

river

the

river

of

the

water

of

life

which

flows

from

the

throne

of

God

and

of

the

lamb

through

the

middle

of

the

street

this

river

should

be

reminiscent

of

the

river

at

the

garden

of

Eden

in

Genesis

2

the

river

which

flowed

out

of

Eden

to

water

the

garden

this

river

in

New

Jerusalem

flows

from

the throne

of

God

and

of

the

lamb

the

fulfilled

temple

in

New

Jerusalem

there

is

only

one

throne

in

which

both

God

and

the

lamb

Jesus

are

seated

in

vienen

and

the

God

the

son

have

a

shared

identity

in

the

Holy

Trinity

and

they

reign

over

the

new

creation

as

the

one

Lord

God

and

out

of

that

throne

flows

that

river

of

living

water

some

scholars

think

that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, is also represented here in this passage

by the river of living water. I think that this is an appropriate and a beautiful image of the

Holy Trinity in fellowship with one another and with us in the new creation, the new Jerusalem

that is to come. Jesus says in John chapter 7, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

John 7 · chapter mention

Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about

the Spirit. Jesus also offers the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 at the well, living water. Just as

John 4 · chapter mention

the river of living water flows out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, the Holy Spirit proceeds

from God the Father and Jesus the Son. In the same way the Holy Spirit is the living water of new

Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit should be the living water that satisfies us today.

In John chapter 14, Jesus promises his followers to send a helper, the Holy Spirit, to aid them in

John 14 · chapter mention

carrying out the gospel mission. The Holy Spirit is a helper to us to this day, today. The Spirit

indwells those who believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and seals them permanently as God's chosen

people. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. The Spirit illuminates scripture so that we may

understand God's word. He transforms and sanctifies us to be more like Jesus and helps us to bear good

fruit in our words and our deeds. And the Holy Spirit does all these things for the glory of God,

so that glorifying God may be the center of our lives. This is why the river of the water of life

flows through the center of New Jerusalem, to lead its inhabitants to worship at the central throne

of God and of the Lamb, the source of this living water. Brothers and sisters, are we fully relying

on the living water of the Holy Spirit to aid us in living a life that is faithful to Christ?

Are we submitting to the Spirit to convict us of our sins and to convict us to God's word? Are we trusting

in the Spirit to equip us and empower us to speak and act in a godly manner? Is the Spirit moving us to

fervent and earnest worship of our Lord God? If we're relying on the Holy Spirit fully, our entire lives will be

transformed so that glorifying God will be the central focus of our living. Church, our sinful world tempts us

to quench our thirst with unclean water. Unclean water that will never fully satisfy. And drinking from

this unclean water will ultimately lead us to eternal suffering, because it will cause us to turn away

from the Lord God Almighty into the lake of fire. No matter how much money, no matter how much fame or

influence we try to chase after in this lifetime, no matter how much riches we try to acquire and accrue

and save up in this life, these waters, none of these things will satisfy us. They'll leave us thirstier

and greedier than ever before. At the end of our lives and at the end of the age, all these man-made riches

and prestige will perish and crumble to dust. But what will remain is the eternal kingdom of God,

a new heaven and a new earth, the new Jerusalem, where the stream of living water will lead us to

eternal worship and fellowship with our triune God. And so let us look into the waters of our own lives

and examine whether our living water is indeed being sourced from God, the Lamb and the Holy Spirit.

In the second half of verse 2, John's vision continues to reference the Garden of Eden, this time with the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life in New Jerusalem is found on either side of the river.

This is weird because there's only one Tree of Life. How can it be on either side of the river?

We can see that singular tree as a collective singular noun. This is some Greek grammar, sorry.

But a collective singular as this one tree is representing multiple trees.

Since it's found to be on either side of the river.

This will be consistent to the prophecy in Ezekiel 47, where on both sides of the river,

there will grow all kinds of tree for food.

In the New Jerusalem then, the original Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden has become multiple

trees of life, all flanking the river through the center of New Jerusalem.

The river of living water, it nourishes these trees of life,

and causes them to bear 12 kinds of fruit,

yielding its fruit each month.

The trees will yield their 12 kinds of fruit every month.

In our fallen world, there are only certain seasons in which fruits are ripe.

Else they will taste bitter or sour, or are withered, or do not grow at all.

John's vision shows us that seasons will be no more.

There is no harvest season.

There is no planting season.

The trees will yield fruit each month,

and the fruit will be abundantly available

to be enjoyed by the inhabitants of New Jerusalem all year long.

In Revelation chapter 2, Jesus promises to the church in Ephesus

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

that the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the Tree of Life,

which is the paradise of God.

In the paradise of new creation in New Jerusalem,

there will be no times of hunger or lack of resources.

Just as God will be readily available,

His presence will be readily available at all times,

He'll always and eternally be present in New Jerusalem.

His providence and His sustenance

will be readily available all year long for all eternity.

And so those who are faithful to the testimony of Jesus

will be eternally satisfied by God and His providence,

and they will lack in nothing.

And not only the fruit will be the thing that will satisfy us,

we see that the leaves of the Tree of Life,

they provide the great effects of healing of the nations.

The Tree of Life will have leaves that provide healing.

A while ago, I was told that you can put the peels of bananas

onto your skin where there are bug bites

to help soothe any sort of itching or inflammation.

I'm not sure if this is a credible source,

but it worked for me.

Like, the itching disappeared,

and there was no more swelling for a bit, for a bit.

But after 30 minutes or so,

the bite would start to itch and burn again,

and I would have to slap on a new leaf,

another banana peel,

onto my skin to soothe it again.

Church, while leaves and medicinal herbs today

can only provide a temporary fix

to our pains in the natural world,

the leaves of the Tree of Life

are for eternal healing and health of the nations.

of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ

and are welcomed into the city.

Eternal healing and health.

This means that there will be no sickness

nor pain in the new Jerusalem.

There will be no flu,

no COVID-19,

no broken bones,

no cancer,

no chronic achings and conditions,

no death

that will be,

that will need to be healed

or reversed in the new creation.

The leaves of healing from the Tree of Life

represent the once for all,

the final,

the eternal relief

from all pains and sufferings of God's people.

And that has been accomplished

by Jesus upon His return

when He comes again.

There will be a day

when Jesus returns

and wipes away our tears of sorrow

once and for all,

as Revelation 7 and 21 proclaim.

And in the same way,

there will be a day

when Jesus returns

and heals and restores us

to perfect health

once and for all.

This is final

and for all eternity.

Pain, suffering, and death,

and all the cursed things

of the earth

will be no more.

Verse 3 says,

no longer will there be anything accursed.

In the Garden of Eden in Genesis,

all of humanity

and the earth was cursed

for our sin and disobedience to God.

And the curse of sin

was death.

We were destined to die

because of our rebellion

against the holy and good God.

And yet God,

in His infinite mercy and love,

sent His Son, Jesus,

to be the atonement,

the slain lamb

to cover our sins.

As Galatians chapter 3 says,

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

Christ redeemed us

from the curse of the law

by becoming a curse for us.

For it's written,

cursed is everyone

who is hanged on a tree.

By hanging on that cross,

Christ removed

the curse of sin and death

from all who believe in Him

as the ultimate act of grace.

We no longer have

the curse of sin and death

bearing on our shoulders

because Jesus took that burden

for Himself.

And once Jesus returns again,

comes again,

and the kingdom of God

is established here on earth,

there will be nothing

that is cursed

in the new heavens

and the new earth.

All evildoers,

all idolaters,

all satanic forces

that curse the earth

and rebel against God

will be thrown into

the lake of fire

to suffer their own

eternal curse.

But those who put their faith

in God

and the Lamb that is Jesus

will dwell with the Lord

free of all curse

and instead rich

with blessings

that have been granted

by the righteousness

of Christ.

Where this curse of sin and death

had once ruled over,

the throne of God

and of the Lamb

has conquered

and laid dominion

there.

And out of that throne

flows the river

of living water.

And all who have believed,

all who have believed

in the gospel,

all who have believed

in God and the Lamb,

His servants

will draw near

to the source

of living water

and they will worship

our God

seated on His throne.

And finally,

all who have been faithful

to the testimony

of Jesus

will see

God's face.

We will be able

to see God's face.

All throughout history,

humans could not

and cannot

see God's face.

Moses was unable

to see God

on Mount Sinai

in Exodus 33.

Israel could not

enter into the tabernacle

of God's presence

without immediately

dying from God's holiness.

John chapter 1,

John 1:18

verse 18 says,

no one has ever

seen God.

Not one has ever

seen God.

The only God

who is at the Father's side,

He has made Him known.

To be able to see

someone's face

means that you are

in right relationship

with them.

When something is wrong

in a relationship,

whether it's a fight

or an argument

or strife,

there are times

when people won't be

in each other's faces,

where people won't

see each other's faces,

or they won't be

present with one another

because something

is not right

in the relationship.

Similarly,

we are unable

to see God's face

right now,

in the here and now,

because our relationship

with God

is not perfected yet.

There is still sin

and evil in the world

that keeps God's presence

behind the misty veil.

But that's the greatest hope

of believers

and followers of Jesus.

To be in right,

perfect relationship

with God

and to be able

to see God's face

as a sure sign

of his perfect presence

directly with us.

1 John 3, verse 2 says,

1 John 3:2

Beloved,

we are God's children now.

We are God's children now,

and what we will be

has not yet appeared.

But we know

that when he appears

and we shall be like him,

because we shall see him

as he is.

When the Lord Jesus returns,

like a bride at the wedding,

the misty veil

over our eyes

will be lifted,

and we'll be able

to see Jesus

and the Lord God

face to face.

And this will be

the sure sign

that we are in perfected,

right relationship

with our God.

And we will be able

to dwell

in his full presence

forever

as his people,

as his children.

This is the amazing hope

that we look forward to

in our future.

If we faithfully

hold on to

the testimony of Jesus

in the here and now,

we will belong

to our Lord God.

Just as Jesus promised

in Revelation 2,

I will write on him

the name of my God

and the name

of the city of my God,

the new Jerusalem,

which comes down

from my God

out of heaven

and my own new name.

We're going to be marked

on our foreheads

with the new name

of God

and of Jesus.

That's a sure sign

that we belong

to no one else.

No one can claim

that we are theirs

except for Jesus

and the Lord God Almighty.

And we will reign

with him

in the new Jerusalem,

the new creation

forever and ever.

Brothers and sisters,

as we live

as God's people

and as followers

of Jesus Christ,

let's examine

exactly where

the source

of our life's water

is coming from.

Let's see to it

that we're not drinking

from the water

of this world,

which will only leave us

thirstier and thirstier

than ever before.

But rather,

we're reliant

on the river

of living water,

the Holy Spirit

that flows

from the Lord God Almighty

and the Lamb

that is Jesus Christ.

Those who faithfully

draw near

to that living water,

those who faithfully

hold on

to the testimony

of Jesus,

on that final day

when he returns,

will be able

to enter into

the city

of New Jerusalem.

And we'll be able

to enjoy

the living water

and the fruits

of the tree of life

and we'll be restored

in eternal fellowship

with the Lord God

face to face

in his presence.

Let's pray.

O Holy God,

we thank you

for the rivers

of living water.

We thank you

so much

for your spirit

which is the living water

that we have today

which aids us

and guides us

as the helper

to aid us

in our walk

and faith

with you,

Lord.

Lord,

we thank you

that you give us

this grand vision

of the new cities

that is to come,

the new creation,

the new heavens

and earth

where we'll be able

to dwell with you

for all eternity

in your light

day and night,

night and day.

Lord,

we thank you

that we have

this access,

this unfiltered access

to be able

to worship you

in spirit

and in truth.

Fill our hearts

with that wonder,

fill our hearts

with that hope

of the coming kingdom

of our Lord

and God

and help us

in the here and now

in our present moment

to look for

that source

of our living water

and see to it

that it comes

solely from you,

Lord.

We thank you, God.

we love you

and we pray all this

in Jesus' name.

Amen.