Purpose: To describe some of the glories that awaits believers.
Aim: I want the listener to so focus on spiritual rewards that worldly pleasures will lose their appeal.
INTRODUCTION: Last time we learned that the eternal heaven will actually be here on earth when God takes the New Jerusalem and lowers it to the newly refurbished earth. There will be rivers, trees, cities, buildings, gates, streets, mountains, and houses (Revelation 21-22). Heaven is just as real as earth is today--only much, much better.
Now that we know a little bit of what heaven will look like, what will we do there? What is it going to be like to live in heaven? Are we going to be sitting on a cloud strumming a harp? [ Picture of harp and cloud]Is heaven going to be one very long church service? In our text today John is going to describe a little bit of what heaven will be like for us.
The main activity in heaven will be worship, but worshipping God is not new. Our goal for getting together this morning is to worship our God. How will the worship in heaven be different from what we are doing here this morning? The good news is that we CAN know some of what heaven will be like: "but just as it is written, [in Isaiah]"THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9--10).
Today we will learn that there are similarities between our worship here and our worship in the New Jerusalem, but there are also massive differences. Paul, who had his own glimpse of heaven said, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18).
REVIEW:
1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past "the things which you have seen"
2:1-5:14 II. Christ’s Vision of the Present "the things which are"
Ch.6-22 III. John’s Vision of the Future "things which will take places"
6-7; 12-14 A. Satan’s war against God’s creation- the first six seals
8-11; 13:11-18; 15-18 B. Savior’s war against Satan: The wrath of God- the seventh seal
Ch.19-20 C. The worship of God
Ch.21-22 D. The wonder of eternal bliss
Vs.1-8 1. God makes all things new
Vs.1 a. A new creation "a new heaven and a new earth"
Vs.2 b. A new city "new Jerusalem"
Vs.3 c. A new closeness with God "God Himself will be among them"
Vs.4 d. A new freedom from God "no longer be any death"
Vs.5-6 e. A new contentment from God "I will give to the one who thirsts"
Vs.7-8 f. A new contrast between the godly and ungodly "I will be his God"
Vs.9-11 2. God unveils a new paradise: the New Jerusalem
Vs.9-10 a. It is God made "from God"
Vs.11 b. It is glorious "glory of God...brilliance"
Vs.12-21 3. God describes this new paradise
Vs.12a a. It is a safe place: the walls "great high wall"
Vs.12b-13 b. It is a public place: the gates "twelve gates"
Vs.14 c. It is a place of truth: the foundations "twelve apostles"
Vs.15-17 d. It is a real place: the measurements "gold measuring rod"
Vs.18-21 e. It is a pure place: the stones "pure gold"
LESSON:
Vs. 22-27 4. God describes a new worship
Vs.22 a. The intimacy of worship "no Temple"
"As the angel measures the heavenly city, we realize we have met this shape before. It’s a cube! ...The tent of meeting (the tabernacle) in the wilderness was shaped like a cube, and so was the Most Holy Place in the temple. [It was 15 feet high, wide and deep--the New Jerusalem may be 1,500 miles high, wide, and deep] It is the perfect shape for the house of God. But now the presence of God embraces everything, and the place of his dwelling is vastly increased." [1]
The Temple was the place where God’s presence was revealed to man, but there were a lot of restrictions. The presence of God filled the Temple only at certain times, and only the High Priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelt.
Here God is worshipped as the "Lord God the Almighty." This is the same worship that was given back in "And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." " (Revelation 4:8).
The amazing thing is that a high and holy God would care to reveal Himself to sinful creatures like us. "For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. " (Isaiah 57:15).
Jesus promised that His eternal presence will bring great joy to us. "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy" (John 16:20). "Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you" (John 16:22).
Christ’s glory will fill the New Jerusalem, and THAT will make it heaven. "Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also " (John 14:3). " But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better" (Philippians 1:23).
Heaven will be a place of unending and unhindered access to Jesus Christ.
Vs.23 b. The openness of worship "its lamp is the Lamb"
"This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).
"Night is useful now only because people need to rest; in glory no one will ever get tired." [2]
"No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over. " (Isaiah 60:19--20).
Years ago Lutheran commentator J .A. Seiss wrote these beautiful words about the heavenly Jerusalem: "That shining is not from any material combustion,--not from any consumption of fuel that needs to be replaced as one supply burns out; for it is the uncreated light of Him who is light, dispensed by and through the Lamb as the everlasting lamp, to the home, and hearts, and understandings, of His glorified saints. When Paul and Silas lay wounded and bound in the inner dungeon of the prison of Philippi, they still had sacred light which enabled them to beguile the night-watches with happy songs. When Paul was on his way to Damascus, a light brighter than the sun at noon shone round about him, irradiating his whole being with new sights and understanding, and making his soul and body ever afterward light in the Lord. When Moses came down from the mount of his communion with God, his face was so luminous that his brethren could not endure to look upon it. He was in such close fellowship with light that he became informed with light, and came to the camp as a very lamp of God, glowing with the glory of God.
"On the Mount of Transfiguration, that same light streamed forth from all the body and raiment of the blessed Jesus. And with reference to the very time when this city comes into being and place, Isaiah says, ’The moon shall be ashamed and the sun confounded,--ashamed because of the out-beaming glory which then shall appear in the New Jerusalem, leaving no more need for them to shine in it, since the glory of God lights it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." [3]
As Peter put it: "But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
Vs.24 c. The universal nature of worship "The nations...the kings"
Here is an indication, I think, that we will not all look alike in heaven. Four times in the book of Revelation (5:9; 7:9; 13:7; 14:6) we are told that the gospel went out to every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. After the New Jerusalem is introduced we still see different nations coming to worship God. For the first time, all the kingdoms of the world will not only obey the King of Kings, but they will honor Him from their hearts. "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11).
The nations will acknowledge that God is worthy of worship. "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
"All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name" (Psalm 66:4).
If you don’t enjoy worshipping God with people who are different from you, then you would not like heaven.
Vs.25-26 d. The unending nature of worship "no night there"
The worship we do on earth now is very limited. Sometimes we don’t worship because we don’t feel like it. Sometimes we don’t worship because there is un-confessed sin in our lives.
Until Jesus comes and takes us to Himself, our worship is an unending battle.
Notice how Paul describes that battle: "Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:1--11).
There is coming a day, praise the Lord, when there will be NO hindrances to our worship.
Vs.27 e. The purity of worship "nothing unclean"
God saves the best for last. "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17).
Heaven will be a place where no one will struggle for fame, power, position, or greatness. The church is supposed to be a little taste of heaven. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3).
The curse of creation will be lifted: "There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him" (Revelation 22:3).
Notice the two kinds of people: those who are unclean and those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Apart from being forgiven we are all unclean.
Those outside of heaven are those who are in hell: "Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying" (Revelation 22:15).
We are either resting in our own goodness or we are humbly trusting in God’s goodness to cleanse us from sin. "Thus says the LORD, ’Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:23--24).
The tragedy of the Garden of Eden will never be repeated. The New Jerusalem will begin perfect and it will forever remain perfect.
CONCLUSION: The question is not "Are you good enough for heaven?" The question is, "Have you been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb?" "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son..." (Romans 8:29). We are either safe in Christ or we will be eternally excluded from Christ.
Faith is not a distant view but a warm embrace of Christ. - John Calvin [4]
[1]Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed.) (709). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
[2]Custer, S. (2004). From Patmos to paradise : A commentary on Revelation (250). Greenville, S.C.: BJU Press.
[3]The Apocalypse: Lectures on the Book of Revelation Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970 reprint, p. 499
[4]Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.
