Purpose: To describe what the inside of heaven will be like.
Aim: I want the listener to glory in heaven so that worldly things are no longer alluring.
INTRODUCTION: What will heaven be like? Does it matter to us today what heaven will be like? Today we will get a deeper understanding of what Paul meant when he cried out "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15). Explaining heaven to mere mortals like us must be like describing a beautiful sunset to person born blind or a Beethoven symphony to deaf person.
The Bible calls those who make it to heaven "over comers." "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; [the spirit of the antichrist in the world] because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
The over comers are those who put their faith in Christ. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? " (1 John 5:4--5).
But, the cost of being an over comer is high: "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions" (Luke 14:33). Notice what we get in return.
Over Comers will Inherit:
#1 The Earth
"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
#2 Eternal life
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life" (Matthew 19:29).
"He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5).
#3 The Kingdom of God
"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).
#4 God's blessings
"...for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9).
#5 All things
"He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son" (Revelation 21:7).
"So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. " (1 Corinthians 3:21--23).
John saw what is in store for over comers, so let's take a peek at what he saw.
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 "a new heaven and a new earth"
Vs.9-11 2. God unveils a new paradise: the New Jerusalem "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"
Vs. 22-27 4. God describes a new worship
Vs.22 a. The intimacy of worship "no Temple"
Vs.23 b. The openness of worship "its lamp is the Lamb"
Vs.24 c. The universal nature of worship "The nations...the kings"
Vs.25-26 d. The unending nature of worship "no night there"
Vs.27 e. The purity of worship "nothing unclean"
LESSON:
22:1-5 5. God describes eternal glory
Vs.1-2 a. We will be supplied by the Lamb forever "water or life...tree of life"
This river that flows throughout the New Jerusalem may be like the river that flowed around the Garden of Eden which was divided into four streams (Genesis 2:10). In the New Jerusalem it would presumably descend through all the levels of the city and then flow out to the east and to the west through the walls into the entire world. "And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter " (Zechariah 14:8).
In verse two we see that the water of life supplies the tree of life. Here God is unveiling the same tree of life that was in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden after they sinned so that they wouldn't eat of the Tree of Life and live in their sin cursed states forever. Here we see that the Lamb of God invites all to freely take of this tree.
In an extensive vision that was given to the prophet Ezekiel we can gain more details about this river. "Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side" (Ezekiel 47:1--2).
"Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh" (Ezekiel 47:7--8).
"By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing" (Ezekiel 47:12).
David says that this river delivers joy: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High" (Psalm 46:4). "They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights" (Psalm 36:8).
This brings a much deeper meaning to what Jesus told the woman at the well: "Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life " (John 4:13--14).
Listen again to what Jesus said publicly in Jerusalem: "Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water' " (John 7:37--38).
There are only six fruits mentioned in the Bible: grapes, figs, apples (which may be apricots), pomegranates, melons, and olives. Here we find double that amount.
All of this teaches us that the Lord's desire is to supply us with ultimate and everlasting joy. "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). "But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity" (Psalm 37:11). ALL OF THIS FLOWS FROM THE THRONE OF GOD! God is the source of all joy.
Vs.3 b. We will serve the Lamb unhindered forever
"bond-servants will serve Him"
The word translated SERVE refers to religious service, not just . The same word is used in "For God, whom I SERVE in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son..." (Romans 1:9).
Often we know what we should do, but we lack the motivation to do it. Or, to put it another way, we are lazy. Paul explains how we can have the motivation to work hard for Christ. "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve " (Colossians 3:23--24). We should be so excited and thrilled with what we are about to inherit that working hard for the One who wrote us into His will is a joy.
Imagine how much emotional energy you would have if you knew that someone just gave you 10 million dollars. The truth is that you already have much more than that reserved for you if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. "Then he said to them ... Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
We must be careful that we don't substitute eternal motivations for serving Christ with self-centered motivations. It is possible to serve the Lord so that others will think we are wonderful people, or to salve our conscience because of guilt of some kind.
Richard Foster writes:
Self-righteous service is impressed with the "big deal."
True service finds it almost impossible to distinguish the small from the large service.
Self-righteous service requires external rewards.
True service rests contented in hiddenness.
Self-righteous service is highly concerned about results.
True service is free of the need to calculate results.
Self-righteous service picks and chooses whom to serve.
True service is indiscriminate in its ministry.
Self-righteous service is affected by moods and whims.
True service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need.
Self-righteous service is temporary.
True service is a life-style....
Self-righteous service fractures community.
True service, on the other hand, builds community. [1]
We can tell the difference between the two ways of serving Christ because self-centered service for Christ tends to be a joyless drudgery. Christians with a martyr's complex are not focused on the joy that is set before them. "Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing" (Psalm 100:2).
Vs.4a c. We will see the face of the Lamb forever "they will see His face"
To some people heaven is a place of peace and rest, to others it is a place of beautiful streets and lovely music. For many of us it is the place where we will meet loved ones who have died before us. The most thrilling joy for any Christian pales in comparison to all of those happy thoughts. Every believer longs to see the face of Christ in all His glory.
Throughout eternity all of Christ's followers will continually "Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. " (Psalm 100:4).
Spurgeon notes that the words "They shall see his face" imply five things:
Certain salvation
Clear knowledge of Him
Conscious favor
Close fellowship
Complete transformation [2]
"The hymn writer Fanny Crosby gave us more than 6,000 gospel songs. Although blinded by an illness at the age of 6 weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you."
She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?"
"Why?" asked the surprised clergyman.
"Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"
"One of Miss Crosby's hymns was so personal that for years she kept it to herself. Kenneth Osbeck, author of several books on hymnology, says its revelation to the public came about this way:
"One day at the Bible conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, Miss Crosby was asked by D.L. Moody to give a personal testimony. At first she hesitated, then quietly rose and said, 'There is one hymn I have written which has never been published. I call it my soul's poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.' She then recited while many wept,
Someday the silver cord will break,
and I no more as now shall sing;
but oh, the joy when I shall wake
within the palace of the King!
And I shall see Him face to face,
and tell the story--saved by grace!'"
At the age of 95 Fanny Crosby passed into glory and saw the face of Jesus. [3]
John also longed to see Jesus. "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. " (1 John 3:2). " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). "As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake" (Psalm 17:15).
Vs.4b d. We will be sealed by the Lamb forever "His name will be on their foreheads"
We will joyfully wear the brand of our Savior. This was foreshadowed for us in "But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,' then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently" (Exodus 21:5--6).
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him'" (John 14:23).
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and 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 out of heaven from My God, and My new name" (Revelation 3:12).
Vs.5 e. We will rule in the light of the Lamb forever "they will reign forever"
We learned about this back in chapter three: "'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21). We aren't just going to serve God, we are going to rule with Him.
"If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us" (2 Timothy 2:12).
CONCLUSION: "The thoughts so well expressed in 'Face to Face' were written by a busy wife and mother who by her own admission could not carry a tune. She had only a sense of rhythm. She said, 'I penciled verses under all conditions; over a mending basket, with a baby on my arm, and sometimes even when sweeping or washing dishes, my mind moved in poetic meter.'
"Living with her husband and five daughters in Portland, Oregon, Carrie Breck was a deeply committed Christian and life-long member of the Presbyterian church.
"Mrs. Breck occasionally sent some of her poems to a composer of gospel hymns, Grant Colfax Tullar, with the hope that he would set them to suitable music. Amazingly, when the verses of 'Face to Face' arrived in the mail one day, Mr. Tullar had just completed the music for a song with words that did not fully please him. The lines of Mrs. Breck's text, however, were a perfect fit for the music he had composed.
Face to face with Christ, my Savior, face to face--what will it be?
When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me!
Only faintly now I see Him, with the darkling veil between;
but a blessed day is coming, when His glory shall be seen.
What rejoicing in His presence, when are banished grief and pain,
when the crooked ways are straightened and the dark things shall be plain.
Face to face--O blissful moment! Face to face--to see and know;
face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ who loves me so.
Chorus:
Face to face I shall behold Him,
far beyond the starry sky;
face to face, in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by! [4]
Is everyone alive today going to experience the joys of the New Jerusalem? The answer is, "No." Jesus made that clear when He said "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14).
So who is going to heaven since we have all earned the wage of eternal death (Romans 6:23)? First we must understand that only Jesus has the message of life: "Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life' " (John 6:68).
Then we must trust Christ to give us the spiritual life that we lack: "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst'" (John 6:35). Then, and only then can we know that our names are written in the Book of Life: "'He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5).
Are you sure you are trusting Christ to forgive your sin and wrap you securely in the righteousness of Christ? If you are, then you are willing to endure suffering for the sake of Christ. "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great... " (Matthew 5:11--12).
If you lay yourself at Christ's feet He will take you into His arms.
William Bridge [5]
[1]“Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster. Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.
[2]“The Heaven of Heavens,” Sermon 824, The C. H. Spurgeon Collection, Ages Digital Library Custer, S. (2004). From Patmos to paradise: A commentary on Revelation (258). Greenville, S.C.: BJU Press.
[3]Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.
[4]Osbeck, K. W. (1990). Amazing grace : 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions (226). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications.
[5]Thomas, I. (1996). The golden treasury of Puritan quotations (electronic ed.) (149). Simpsonville SC: Christian Classics Foundation.
