INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• This is our first Sunday of 2018! WOW!
• Last week Jerry began our All Things New series. During this time of the year I think it is good for us to see the new year as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean from the previous year and start anew!
• As we begin this new year with hope and anticipation, we are going to spend the next four weeks looking at some of the new things that come into our lives as a result of being the new creation in Christ that Jerry spoke of last week.
• Have you spent much time pondering eternity? Have you thought much about where you will be when this life is over?
• Some folks think when you die, it is over, some think that you will be reincarnated, some have no clue. Those who are in Christ know there is something special awaiting them!
• Today, we will embark on a journey to look at our new destiny!
• Today we are going to talk about a subject that we probably do not talk enough about, heaven!
• Sometimes I think we do not talk a lot about heaven because it seems so far away. I think we spend so much time worrying about this life, we tend to forget the new destiny we have as a result of our relationship with Jesus.
• Today, I am not going to delve into the figurative language that we find in Revelation to make the effort to describe heaven, the streets of gold and such, because it is my conviction that John was trying to describe that which is indescribable to us.
• What we are going to do is focus on three words that are important in our understanding of heaven.
• As we examine these three words it will help us to grasp the what a wonderful blessing Heaven will be for us as well as to motivate us to be ready to go!
• We will be in Revelation 21:1-4 today, we will begin with verses 1-2.
• SLIDE #2
• Revelation 21:1–2 (CSB) — 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
• SLIDE #3
• The first word for today is…
SERMON
I. Heaven: Preparation.
• The Apostle John tells us he saw a NEW heaven and A NEW earth, for the first passed away and the sea was no more.
• Throughout Revelation, John uses the word SEA as a symbol for evil and chaos.
• So, what we can surmise from verse one is simply that in the new heaven and earth, EVIL is DEFEATED forever!
• The forces of evil are defeated by the cross of Christ!
• In Revelation 4:6 and 15:2 we see the phrase SEA of GLASS.
• The sea is calm like glass because the decisive battle over evil has been won by Jesus at the cross!
• In this world, we still deal with evil, but in the new heaven and earth, evil is defeated!
• John further tells us that he saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven.
• The new age does not mark the end of God’s creation, but rather, it is a a transformation of creation so that it conforms to His will.
• God is redeeming creation, He is rescuing it from the curse of sin.
• Now here is what I want us to latch on from verse 2
• 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
• God PREPARED the new heaven new earth!
• So that means right now things are in a state of preparation.
• Jesus told us as such in John 14.
• SLIDE #4
• John 14:1–3 (CSB) — 1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.
• So, what we learn from the word PREPARATION is that while we are still here, as we await the second coming of Jesus, we have a job to do, to be preparing for our new destiny.
• Why are we here? What is the purpose of this life? It is a time of preparation for the next.
• Jesus is preparing a place for us, we need to be preparing to go to thy place.
• I do not know how you prepare for travel, but in my house, there are two different philosophies.
• Mine is to start getting ready a night or before. I count the days I will be gone and have enough socks and underwear to match the days.
• Some people are preparing for heaven is like manner, they are going to wait until the last possible moment to prepare, and when they do they will not think it out, they will HOPE they did not miss anything.
• Then there is Robyn. My wife is very organized and she starts way ahead of time.
• She checks the weather forecast for where we will be. She then ponders her closet and pulls outfits, then she takes pictures of her proposed outfits.
• Then she has a spreadsheet with everything she will need for the trip along with a checklist of things to do before we walk out the door.
• My wife is prepared for the trip. One trip I was ill-prepared and did not bring my medications.
• What are you doing with your life right now as God is preparing your eternal home?
• Will you do like many and when the time comes, HOPE you are prepared, or will you spend this life in preparation for the trip of a lifetime?
• John tells us that the new Jerusalem is prepared by God as a bride is adorned for her husband.
• That is special.
• So, one of the words is preparation. Anything worth looking forward to is worthy of preparation!
• Let’s look at our second word that we will find in verse 3.
• SLIDE #5
• Revelation 21:3 (CSB) Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
• SLIDE #6
II. Heaven: Presence.
• Ok, this is so cool to me.
• How many times in life have you said something to the effect that you wish you could ask God something, or that you wish He would give you a clear sign through an email or phone call, or such?
• What we are saying is we wish God was physically in front of us so we could communicate with Him face to face!
• HE WILL LIVE WITH THEM means He will remain with us for eternity.
• Here is what I find intriguing about this thought.
• In the Old Testament when Moses was before God, the people wanted NOTHING to do what that, they wanted Moses to be the one who dealt with God.
• The people were afraid of God.
• When Solomon built the Temple, God said He would take up residence there in 1 Kings 9:3.
• In 1 Kings 8:10-11, we are told that the glory of the Lord filled the temple to the point that the priests could not perform their service.
• Isaiah was in AWE of God in Isaiah 6. When he was in the presence of God, he was convicted of his own sinfulness and he was moved to serve the Lord!
• SLIDE #7
• Isaiah 6:5 (CSB) Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Armies.
• Then in verse 8 when God is looking for a volunteer, Isaiah steps up to the challenge!
• In Heaven, we will be in God’s presence, we shall see Him!
• We will not be afraid because we are His people and He is our God! The implication of verse three is that we will never be lost or out of His presence.
• Can you imagine what it will be like to be in the presence of God almighty, the creator of heaven and earth!
• Ok, now I want to move to the final word of the day, I think I have saved the best for last.
• SLIDE #8
• Revelation 21:4 (CSB) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
• SLIDE #9
III. Heaven: Precious.
• This word sums it up. Heaven is precious.
• Heaven is something that we should seek with the urgency one with which one would seek precious treasures.
• Let’s look at what John tells us about our wonderful destiny!
• He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
• The highly symbolical nature of this language is evident in the truth that if "literally" there is no more crying, then there would also be no tears.
• It is so easy to fall into literalism, like the little girl who heard this read and exclaimed, "God certainly must have a big handkerchief!" Of course, what is meant is that there will be no causes of tears. " Coffman Commentaries - Coffman Commentaries – Coffman Commentary: Revelation: Vol. XII.
• There will be no more tears!
• I get emotional just thinking about that. A place of joy, a place where the things that bring sorrow are gone!
• Death will be no more;
• WOW! All of us has faced the sting of death! Jesus defeated death and in heaven, death will be NO MORE!
• How would you like to have your loved one back who has died?
• For those in Christ, there will be a reunion, death is temporary!
• SLIDE #10
• 1 Corinthians 15:22 (CSB) For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
• But here is the bonus in heaven. Remember the sorrow and pain you felt when a loved one died? I do.
• In heaven that will NEVER happen again!
• grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
• How many people do you know who are suffering? People you love who are living in pain? Maybe you are living in pain or with some sort of disease.
• In heaven, there are no disease, there is not pain, no physical or emotional.
• You have a God in heaven who WANTS you to be there!
• SLIDE #11
• 1 Timothy 2:3–4 (CSB) This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• Why in the world would you not want to go to heaven!
• I think most do, but the only way to get there is through Jesus!
• In John 14:6 Jesus tells us that HE is the WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE, and that NO one come to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH HIM!
• Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have to stop living under the illusion that ALL paths lead to God, THEY do not, only one does, JESUS!
• We need to feel the urgency of sharing Christ with others both verbally and by how we live for Jesus.
• We want people seeing us in PREPARATION for our journey home!
CONCLUSION
• Our new destiny, Heaven!
• Heaven is a gift from God that is given to those who are baptized into and live for Jesus.
• Romans 6:1-5 tells us that if we are buried with Christ in baptism, we will rise with Him also!
• Heaven is a place that seems so far off, yet it is ever closer than you think.
• Yesterday, I was 20 and I married Robyn, now I am 53, it amazes me how fast time passes.
• So, what are you going to do with the time you have? I hope you will spend in preparing for your new destiny by loving Jesus, by growing in Jesus, and by sharing Jesus with others!
