Heaven, The Place Of No Tears

Good morning, dear friends. I'm so delighted to see each one of you here today. There's a sense of shared joy, shared faith, and shared hope that fills this room and each home online as we gather, and it's a beautiful thing. We are here, not because we are perfect, but because we are perfectly loved by Jesus. We are here, not because we have all the answers, but because we trust in the One who does.

[Title: Heaven, the place of no tears]

Last Sunday I spoke of the reality of hell, a place that all of us who believe on Jesus will never reside in.

Today, we are going to turn our attention to a passage of Scripture that speaks to the very core of our faith, that gives us a glimpse of our eternal home, and that offers us a hope that transcends our temporal existence. We are going to look at Revelation 21:1-4.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

These verses paint a vivid picture of a future that is not just wishful thinking, but a promise from the One who is faithful and true. It's a promise of a new heaven and a new earth, a promise of God's dwelling place being among us, a promise of an end to tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain.

The great theologian J. I. Packer once said, "The Christian's hope is not just to live a long life on earth, but to live forever with God in heaven." This is the hope we will be talking about today. A hope that is not grounded in our circumstances, but in our God. A hope that is not limited to this world, but that reaches into eternity.

Heaven's Promise and Its Implications

The promise of a new heaven and a new earth is a profound one. It's a promise that speaks to the heart of our faith and our hope in God. It's not just about a physical place, but about a spiritual reality…an eternal home. It's about God's dwelling place being among us, about an end to tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain. It's about a future that is not just wishful thinking, but a promise from the One who is faithful and true.

This promise has several implications. First, it means that our hope is not limited to this world. Our hope extends beyond our temporal existence, beyond our physical bodies, beyond our current circumstances. A hope reaches into eternity. It's a hope that is grounded in God, in His love, in His faithfulness, in His promise. It's a hope that is not dependent on our ability, our strength, our wisdom, but on God's ability, God's strength, God's wisdom, and on us simply accepting Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.

The second implication is that our hope is not just about a future reality, but about a present reality. The promise of a new heaven and a new earth is not just about what will happen in the future, but about what is happening now. God's dwelling place is among us now. He is with us now. He is our God now. He is wiping our tears now. He is comforting us in our mourning now. He is soothing our pain now. Our hope is not just about a future promise, but about a present reality.

The third implication is that our hope is not just about our individual lives, but about our collective life. The promise of a new heaven and a new earth is not just about our personal future, but about our collective future. It's about the future of the church, the future of the world, the future of humanity, the future of our friends and family. It's about a new community, a new society, a new world order. It's about a world where God's dwelling place is among us, where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.