What God calls us to expect (Revelations 21:1-8):
- RESTORATION of all things. (Rev 21:1,5)
- NEARNESS to God. (Rev 21:2-3)
- FREEDOM from suffering and death. (Rev 21:4)
- Eternal SATISFACTION for believers and eternal PUNISHMENT for non-believers. (Rev 21:6-8)
Guest Speaker - Taylor Brown
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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00:00-00:10
Before I start, I just really wanted to thank everyone for letting me preach again because I'm surprised every time they ask me to come back and speak, I'm always like, "Oh, okay." But I was thinking about this a lot last night.
00:11-00:11
Thank you.
00:12-00:28
Just being at seminary and just like studying all the time and being in class, I just get so up in my head sometimes with the Bible and preaching and it really does help me just to be able to come back and just be reminded that the reason I'm being trained is to minister to the church and to preach the Word of God.
00:29-00:32
So I really do appreciate Jeff and the leadership team for asking me to come back.
00:32-00:33
It really means a lot to me.
00:35-00:37
So last summer, I had a really hard time finding a job.
00:37-00:39
I was applying to all these different places.
00:40-00:41
And I was getting really frustrated.
00:41-00:42
I mean, I didn't want to go back to Walmart.
00:43-00:43
That was my one goal.
00:43-00:45
I was like, I don't have to go back to Walmart, then I'll be fine.
00:46-00:50
And so one day I get this magical letter in the mail and I see it's from this company called Vector.
00:51-00:52
I'm like, oh, Vector Security.
00:52-00:53
I mean, I wonder what this is about.
00:54-00:57
So I open it up and it's pretty much like this job offer pretty much.
00:57-01:00
They want me to come in and interview and they have a number right there.
01:00-01:02
And the pay looked really good and it seemed like too good to be true.
01:03-01:04
I don't want to give away the end of the story.
01:06-01:09
So I called the number and the lady's like, "Oh yeah, well, we're actually having an interview in a couple of hours.
01:09-01:14
Why don't you just come in and we'll see how it goes?" I'm like, "Okay." So I update my resume.
01:14-01:17
I put on my nicest suit jacket, nicest tie.
01:17-01:22
So I drive to the building where the interview is supposed to be.
01:22-01:24
And I get there and I walk up to the front door.
01:24-01:34
And the first sign this probably isn't gonna be the way I thought it was gonna be was that there's like a Wrinkled piece of paper taped to the front door and it said vector sales. I was like, oh no What's this gonna be about?
01:35-01:54
So I walk upstairs and I go into this room and it's filled with like 15 guys who look and are dressed exactly like me And I was like, yeah, I'm not gonna get this job And so I also look around and I realized that this is really a cutco Sales team. I see that the Cutco knife is on the desk. I see like a TV that says Cutco on it.
01:55-01:58
It looks like one of those offices that can be packed up in three minutes just in case anything happens.
01:59-02:02
And like there was like a sword in the corner. I was like, I don't know why that's there, but okay.
02:02-02:08
And all those like, you know, motivational posters, like encouragement. It has a picture of like, you know, like two deer like running around or something.
02:10-02:14
And I got so upset. I got so angry. I'm like, this is not what they said it was gonna be.
02:14-02:16
And so I actually just like walked right out of the room.
02:16-02:21
I think I actually took off my tie and threw it in the car and I ripped my resume in half because I was so upset.
02:22-02:30
But I think, on a more serious note, I think all of us can relate to that, that we've all looked forward to something and eagerly expected something only to be let down, right?
02:30-02:32
Am I the only person who's ever had that happen to?
02:33-02:40
You daydream about this certain day or event and then when it comes, it leaves you unsatisfied with what it's really like.
02:41-02:49
Maybe for you, it was Christmas this year, like, you know, for months and months, you You were just eagerly expecting Christmas to be the best you've ever had, but then it came and it disappointed you.
02:50-02:57
Maybe for you it was like for me, like you wanted, you go to this interview for this dream job you've always wanted and you don't get it.
02:58-03:01
And you're setting all your hopes and all your expectations on it and you don't know what you're going to do next.
03:02-03:10
See, I think whether we realize it or not, we are people of intense anticipation and expectation who are looking for something to satisfy us and bring us fulfillment.
03:11-03:14
I think if we just look over the course of our lives, we can see this is true.
03:15-03:18
Life just seems to be a series of anticipation and letdown.
03:19-03:28
Like, you know, you're in elementary school when you just look at all the middle school kids, like, "Oh, they're so cool. I can't wait to get there." And you get there, and you're going through puberty and everything, and you're like, "Oh, this is terrible. I just can't wait to get to high school.
03:28-03:36
They're so awesome there." And you get to high school, and that gets really boring, and you just want to graduate, get away from your parents, and move on to college or whatever else you're going to do.
03:36-03:38
Then you get to college, "I just can't wait to graduate.
03:38-03:42
to find that person I'm going to marry, you know, ring by spring, that kind of stuff.
03:42-03:45
And you find that person you're going to marry and then you move on to the next stage, kids.
03:46-03:49
And then parents, what happens when the stress of parenthood hits?
03:49-03:50
I can't wait till my kids move out of the house.
03:51-03:52
I can't wait till I can finally be alone with my spouse again.
03:53-03:56
The kids finally move out, your dreams come true, and there's still something missing.
03:57-03:59
And then you realize, you know, work's always been stressful.
03:59-04:00
I can't wait to finally retire.
04:01-04:07
And then retirement comes and you still have this nagging feeling of anticipation and longing for something else.
04:08-04:11
And you don't know what else to even look at, you don't even know what else to go after.
04:12-04:21
See, I think life just seems like an endless cycle, an endless treadmill of looking after, going after that next stage which will magically bring us fulfillment, all that we've been longing for.
04:23-04:25
But we're always constantly let down, right?
04:27-04:32
See, I think the sense of longing anticipation has been hardwired within each and every one of us by God himself.
04:33-04:38
And its fulfillment can only be found in Jesus Christ and the future hope he's going to bring.
04:39-04:46
So we're so used to being disappointed and let down, and we always constantly look to the next thing as if it's going to be different and will provide us with something more.
04:48-04:56
But hear me, there's only one thing that won't disappoint you or let you down, and that is the future that Christ will bring upon his second coming.
04:57-05:00
So today we're entering into a new year in a couple days.
05:01-05:12
And I want this to be a year for you that is marked by anticipation and longing for the next fad or the next stage of life, but for the future, new heaven and new earth which God will bring.
05:13-05:19
So today we're going to dive into Revelation 21, 1-8 to discover the amazing future we have to look forward to.
05:20-05:26
And I pray that it will move us closer to Jesus Christ and towards obedience to the mission of spreading the gospel He's entrusted to us.
05:27-05:31
So we're just going to read the text. If you could just stand in reverence for God's word as we read the text.
05:32-05:33
It's Revelation 21, 1 through 8.
05:40-05:54
The Apostle John writes, "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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
05:56-06:00
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.
06:00-06:06
"He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, "and God himself will be with them as their God.
06:07-06:11
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, "and death shall be no more.
06:12-06:22
"There shall be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, "for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new.
06:23-06:28
"Also," he said, "write this down, "for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done.
06:28-06:31
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
06:32-06:35
"To the thirsty, I will give from the spring of water "of life without payment.
06:36-06:41
"The one who conquers will have this heritage, "and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
06:41-06:56
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, "as for murderers, the sexually immoral, "sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, "Their portion will be in the lake of fire, "which burns with fire and sulfur, "which is the second death." Will you pray with me?
06:57-07:02
God, we thank you so much for this, we thank you so much for your word, we thank you so much for this passage and all that it means to us.
07:02-07:05
We thank you for the future hope that we have to look forward to.
07:05-07:12
God, I pray you just hide me behind your cross, and I pray this wouldn't be about me, but it'd be about demonstrating your glory, Lord, and impacting people with your word.
07:13-07:15
I thank you so much for all that you're about to do.
07:16-07:18
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
07:19-07:19
You can be seated.
07:21-07:25
See, I think if we're honest with ourselves, we really don't anticipate heaven.
07:25-07:28
We really don't anticipate the future that God has in store for us.
07:29-07:31
I think the reason is, it sounds boring, right?
07:31-07:34
A lot of times the way the church presents, it just sounds really boring.
07:34-07:36
Like we're gonna sit on clouds and pluck harps.
07:36-07:38
Like I was looking at this cartoon the other day.
07:39-07:40
Isn't that what we kind of think?
07:41-07:44
Like it just seems like, okay, that's it?
07:45-07:49
Or a lot of people are just like, well, we're just gonna sing and sing and sing for millions of years.
07:49-07:55
Hey, I think new heaven, new earth is gonna be a lot of worshiping God, a lot of singing, but is that really all we're gonna do?
07:55-07:56
Is that really it?
07:57-08:01
And you all think to yourselves, I think if we are really honest, it sounds boring.
08:03-08:09
And you hear some guys say, you know what, I'd just rather go to hell and be with my buddies, we'll just play cards and drink beer and that kind of stuff.
08:10-08:11
It's so much better than what heaven's gonna be like.
08:11-08:12
And that's so not true, right?
08:13-08:16
That's so not what God's word shows us.
08:16-08:20
God's future for us in the new heavens and new earth is beyond our wildest expectations.
08:20-08:22
It's even beyond words.
08:24-08:26
And it's not going to disappoint us or bore us at all.
08:27-08:32
See, I think Satan will do anything to make this future eternity with God seem boring and not something to look forward to.
08:33-08:37
Because he knows if you look forward to it, anticipate it, that will change how you live right now.
08:38-08:42
Satan also wants us to get caught up in the controversial details of the second coming.
08:42-08:44
All the charts and all the timing, all the end time prophecies.
08:44-08:46
And that's not what I'm going to be doing here today.
08:47-08:51
And I know whenever we get into end time stuff, I'm going to say things you're probably not going to agree with.
08:52-08:53
I'm probably not going to agree with certain things you believe.
08:53-08:54
And that's okay, right?
08:55-08:59
As long as we believe that Jesus is coming back, and we have this awesome future hope to look forward to.
08:59-09:01
We can disagree about some of the details, right?
09:02-09:02
Amen?
09:04-09:09
So I just want to silence the lies the enemy whispers into our ears about heaven.
09:09-09:14
I want the word of God to speak for itself about what it says about the new heaven and new earth.
09:16-09:21
I truly believe that the picture that Revelation 21 provides us with can transform how we live right now.
09:24-09:25
So let's start with the passage.
09:27-09:34
So John is given a vision by the Lord as he sees the future, and he starts out with saying then.
09:34-09:37
So we have to stop right there and say, okay, well, what happened before the then?
09:38-09:49
Well, chapter 21 is preceded by Christ's triumphal return to earth, where he returns as a victorious king who defeats all of his enemies and those who are in rebellion against him.
09:49-09:57
And every single person in human history is taken before the judgment seat to receive his or her ultimate and final sentence, guilty or innocent.
09:58-10:04
And those who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will experience the glorious future we're about to study out in Revelation 21.
10:06-10:20
And for those who rejected the gospel and continually rebelled against Jesus Christ, they will be sadly cast into hell forever to receive punishment for their sins, which is eternal separation from God Himself, the source of joy and the source of all life.
10:21-10:21
So please hear me today.
10:21-10:24
There is a judgment day coming for each and every one of us.
10:25-10:28
I've heard some people say, "Well, yeah, I'll just figure that out when I get there.
10:28-11:06
You know, I'll just take God aside when I get to the judgment and just be like, 'Hey, I'll just tell Him what's going on and He'll understand my point of view.'" a very bad plan. There has to be a punishment for your sins. There just has to be. We have offended a holy and perfect God and He cannot deal with our sin. Either the judgment has to be poured out upon us in hell forever or upon Jesus Christ on the cross. There are no other options. So today, if you're still on the fence about Jesus Christ, I pray that you would repent of your sins, turn your back on your sins and turn to Jesus Christ and and believe in him so you can be saved and experience this hope we're going to talk about.
11:10-11:15
So I think this passage, so there's four different aspects of the new heaven and new earth to expect.
11:15-11:17
So first of all, what are we to expect?
11:18-11:20
Number one, restoration of all things.
11:22-11:36
John writes of this vision, "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." See, as I was studying out this passage, I came to my own conclusions.
11:36-11:44
You may disagree about the conclusion I come to, but I think it's, in my opinion, it's the most faithful to Scripture.
11:45-11:53
So I think whenever John says that the old earth, the old heaven will pass away, he does not mean that it will be destroyed and utterly annihilated.
11:53-12:00
He's saying there's going to be such a radical change that the current broken condition of this world will pass away.
12:01-12:05
The word new in this passage is the Greek word kynos, which doesn't mean brand new.
12:05-12:10
It means something so utterly transformed to its core that it appears to be brand new.
12:12-12:14
And I was reading through several commentaries getting ready for this sermon.
12:15-12:22
I read one pastor describing it as a caterpillar who cocoons itself, and then one day it transforms into a beautiful butterfly.
12:22-12:26
It goes from its old state into a new state.
12:26-12:30
There's a sense which the caterpillar passes away, but it's going into a new state.
12:31-12:36
It's not brand new, but it's so radical in its change, it's utterly transformed that it appears to be brand new.
12:37-12:47
In the same way, this current world, the order, will pass away, and a new godly world will be ushered in that is devoid of sin and the destruction that comes with it.
12:49-12:53
And you see this line right here, it says the sea was no more, and you're like, that's kind of random, why would they even write that?
12:53-12:58
And you're like, I really love going to the ocean, I love fishing, that kind of stinks.
12:59-13:09
But, as I was reading different commentaries, most theologians, most scholars believe that this is not a literal, there's no more bodies of water in heaven, just complete, just complete ain't land.
13:10-13:10
That's not what they believe.
13:11-13:16
This is a symbolic metaphor for destruction and chaos that sin brings.
13:17-13:24
So what John is saying that in this new future, sin is completely done away with as long as it's devastating and destructive effects.
13:27-13:29
as God completely remakes his creation.
13:31-13:42
I think this is similar to a beautiful house being built by a master builder, and everything about this house is completely perfect, down from the foundation of the house to the shingles on the roof.
13:43-13:51
And he decides to rent out this beautiful, gorgeous house to these tenants, who end up completely just neglecting the house and even ruining it.
13:51-13:57
And after years and years of the tenants living there, They finally move out and the builder returns to the house.
13:58-14:01
He barely even recognizes his greatest creation.
14:02-14:15
His family and friends tell him to gut the house and completely start over, but he decides to instead renovate the house and completely restore it to its former beauty and even make some extra additions to make it better.
14:16-14:28
I think in the same way, God will completely restore the brokenness and dilapidation of of this world and bring beauty out of this ugliness instead of gutting it and just completely starting over.
14:29-14:30
Now you may be thinking, why does it really matter?
14:31-14:35
I mean, how's it being brand new compared to being transformed really make a difference in the end?
14:37-14:44
Well, I think it's important because I think you treat and steward something differently when you know it's gonna be restored and not destroyed.
14:45-14:46
Let me say that again.
14:46-14:52
You will treat and steward something differently when you know it's gonna be restored instead of destroyed.
14:53-15:04
Guys in the room, if your dad had this beautiful classic car and he said, "Hey son, I want you to take care of this "for the next couple of weeks, 'cause in a couple of weeks, "I'm gonna take this thing to the junkyard "and smash it into a tiny cube." Would you really wanna take care of that car?
15:04-15:07
You know, you'd be doing donuts in the Wendy's parking lot, you'd be smashing it into walls and walls.
15:07-15:08
You don't really care how you treated it, right?
15:08-15:16
And if your dad says, "Son, I want you to take care "of this car because in a couple of weeks, "I'm gonna completely restore it "and make it like it's brand new." That would motivate you.
15:17-15:20
That would drive you to be faithful with what he's entrusted to you.
15:21-15:24
In the same way, God has entrusted to us the care of his creation.
15:25-15:31
And we should take this responsibility seriously because one day he will return to restore everything that's been damaged by sin.
15:32-15:42
See, God also promises elsewhere in scripture that our bodies will be resurrected and made new in the same way the earth will be made new.
15:42-15:44
They will be completely restored and renewed.
15:45-15:54
So please hear me, don't buy into the lie that our eternity as Christians is about being snatched away into some spiritual realm while God has completely obliterates all that is physical.
15:56-16:04
I want to read 1 Corinthians 15, 51 to 55 to talk about the resurrection of our bodies and I think it will really illustrate this point.
16:05-16:07
Paul writes, "Behold, I tell you a mystery.
16:07-16:11
We shall not all sleep, but we all shall be changed.
16:12-16:53
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound dead will raise imperishable and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' See, if God just opted out to go straight spiritual instead of physical because of the fall, then if you think about it, in a sense, Satan kind of won, and Christ's defeat of sin and Satan upon the cross wasn't really full.
16:54-17:01
If God had to scrap his plans of a physical earth with physical people because of Satan, then that makes God look lame and powerless, right?
17:02-17:04
It wasn't like God's like, "Oh man, Satan really got the best of me here.
17:05-17:07
Well, what am I gonna do now?
17:07-17:19
Well, I guess I'll just go straight spirit, no more earth, that's done, just destroy it." No, our hope is that Jesus Christ fully defeated death and Satan upon the cross.
17:19-17:26
And one day God will fulfill his original plan of having a physical people ruling over a physical earth in his presence.
17:26-17:27
That's what we have to look forward to.
17:29-17:35
And our anticipation of this day should cause us to steward our bodies well and to not mistreat them.
17:37-17:43
See, one day death will no longer be victorious as it is swallowed up in life that Christ will bring.
17:44-17:47
See now, upon our deaths, our souls will go to be with the Lord in heaven.
17:48-17:52
This is called, what theologians call, the intermediate state, the in-between state, or the middle state.
17:53-17:56
But this isn't the final goal, this isn't the final state.
17:56-18:05
Upon Christ's return, our souls will be united with our glorified and resurrected bodies as heaven and earth become one and we will dwell with God forever.
18:06-18:11
So many Christians mix up the intermediate state and the final state.
18:11-18:13
And it's such an important distinction.
18:14-18:20
And our anticipation for restored earth and restored bodies should drive us to be faithful now.
18:21-18:23
How we steward them and take care of them.
18:24-18:33
Polluting and exploiting our planet and mistreating our bodies, not taking care of them is an offense to God and disrespectful to the stewardship he has entrusted to us.
18:35-18:36
So what are we to expect?
18:37-18:39
First, restoration of all things.
18:40-18:41
Second, nearness to God.
18:44-18:53
John writes in the second verse, I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepares a bride adorned for her husband.
18:53-18:57
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.
18:58-19:04
He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
19:05-19:09
See, later on in the chapter, John gives the exact dimensions of this new city.
19:10-19:14
And many scholars debate if this is the exact dimensions of the city, if it's metaphorical.
19:14-19:18
Maybe the city's the bride of Christ, people who have died are coming down to heaven.
19:19-19:20
I don't want to talk about that.
19:20-19:25
But what I do want to talk about is the most important part of this passage is the symbolism behind it.
19:27-19:30
See, if you take the exact measurements of New Jerusalem, it's a perfect cube.
19:31-19:41
And you're like, "Okay, that's...why is that a big deal?" Well, the Holy of Holies and the tabernacle and the temple after it was in the shape of a perfect cube.
19:42-19:46
And that was where God would specially manifest himself and dwell amongst his people.
19:47-19:52
That's where the chief priest, the high priest would go in every year on the Day of Atonement to make a special sacrifice for sin.
19:53-20:17
So what John is trying to show us here is that one day, all of the new creation will be God's Holy of Holies, God's temple, God's dwelling place where he will live in and amongst his people perfectly. This is what all of the Bible, this is what all of redemptive history has been moving towards. This is why Jesus came, so we could have a renewed earth filled with restored people and a perfect fellowship with their God.
20:19-20:32
See, the separation between God and man was bridged by the cross of Christ and his resurrection, but finally and fully on this day, we will have unhindered relationship with God as heaven and earth join together and become one.
20:34-20:38
I don't know about you, but I have moments where I feel disconnected from God and He seems distant.
20:39-20:42
Days where I pray and it seems like my prayers don't even leave the room.
20:43-20:44
But we're not always going to feel that way.
20:44-20:52
One day, we'll have a perfect face-to-face relationship with our God that is devoid of sin and the shame that comes with it.
20:52-21:00
I really can't wait until the day where I no longer have sin in my life and it gets in the way of my communion and my fellowship with God on a daily basis.
21:02-21:04
See, isn't this what the whole Bible is about?
21:05-21:10
Not us ascending to God, not about us going up to heaven, but in this passage, new Jerusalem comes down to us.
21:11-21:16
That God humbly and mercifully and graciously comes down to save lost and broken people.
21:16-21:19
Isn't this an awesome picture of what salvation really is?
21:19-21:22
God coming down to his people, coming down to his creation to save it.
21:24-21:36
The greatest blessing and joy of our future won't be our glorified bodies, which will be amazing and fantastic, nor our renewed earth, which will be flawless, but that we will dwell with our God in perfect union and community.
21:37-21:50
See for the first two weeks of this series, Jeff was talking about Jesus' first coming, how Matthew, whose name was Emmanuel, which means God with us, and finally that idea will be completely fulfilled, that God will be with us.
21:54-22:02
writes in one of my favorite verses in all the Bible, later in chapter 22, verse four, that they, believers, will see his face.
22:03-22:05
We'll see Jesus' face.
22:05-22:12
Just imagine after years and years of praying to him and reading your Bibles about him, coming face to face with your Lord and Savior.
22:13-22:19
Let us live for that day when our faith will finally become sight, our hopes and dreams will finally become reality.
22:19-22:29
As we look into the face of our Savior and our God, He looks back at us, we will see all that we were searching so frantically for in this life, which was a relationship with God Himself.
22:32-22:39
At the moment, at that moment we will realize that all that we sacrificed for Him was not even a sacrifice at all.
22:39-22:43
It was just trading in worthless garbage for the ultimate treasure of knowing Jesus Christ.
22:46-22:52
I think this is so key because nothing is more important in life-giving in a relationship than personal face-to-face time.
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So over the past four months, while I was in Louisville, I say Louisville, people make fun of me for that.
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But once I go down there and say Louisville, they make fun of me, so I lose-lose either way.
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I go down there and say Louisville, they're like, "Oh, Louisville." Then I come up here and Louisville, but whatever, I'm just gonna say Louisville, 'cause I'm not ashamed.
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See, nothing is more important in life-giving and a relationship than having face-to-face time.
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I'm sorry, kiddo, I'm about to embarrass you.
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She doesn't like my user and illustrations.
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So over the past four months while I was in Louisville for seminary, Kate was still here finishing up college and we had to communicate a lot over FaceTime and Skype, not Skype, I don't know why I said Skype, FaceTime, texting, phone calls.
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And see, while I liked talking to her over those times, I got really sick and tired of talking to her over a screen.
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I wanted to see her face to face.
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Even though I saw her several times throughout the semester, I couldn't wait until the day when I was finally able to come back home for a month and a half and just see her and to talk to her and be with her face to face.
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In the same way, I love speaking to the Lord in prayer and encountering him in his word, but there's coming a day when my faith will become sight and I will see him face to face and we will be together physically in that way.
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Isn't that what we're all hoping for?
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Isn't that what we're all longing for?
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Can you even imagine that day?
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See, I know prayer in this life can be frustrating at times and it seems pointless, but I urge all of us to let 2014 be a year of fervent prayer and utter dependence upon the Lord.
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'Cause this future reality of a physical face-to-face relationship with our God and Father should motivate us to communicate with God on a daily basis now so we can deepen our relationship with Him.
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It wasn't like I was down at seminary and thinking, you know what, I'll see Kate in four months from now.
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I'm just not gonna talk to her at all over FaceTime and phone calls.
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We're just gonna completely ignore each other for four months.
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No, we used phone calls, we used FaceTime, we used all those things that were available to us to deepen our relationship now, so our face-to-face time would be better later.
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In the same way, God has given us prayer to deepen our relationship with Him now, and to communicate with Him, and one day prayer will transform into a face-to-face relationship.
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So please do not neglect growing closer to the Lord in prayer this year.
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It is so vital, it is so key.
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Pray in light of that day.
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So what to expect? First, restoration of all things. Second, nearness to God. Third, freedom from suffering and death. John writes in verse 4, God is saying this from the throne, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall "be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, "for the former things have passed away." Imagine a world where every injustice is righted, every sad thing becomes untrue, and pain no longer exists.
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The new creation will be free from any and all forms of bodily, physical, mental, and spiritual pain and suffering.
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John even writes in Revelation 20, 14, that death itself will be thrown into hell, never to be seen again, because death is the enemy but it'll be thrown into the lake of fire one day.
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So we will no longer be attending any more funerals in the new heavens and new earth.
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Can I get an amen for that? No more funerals. No more death. None of that.
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Just imagine it. No more aches. No more pains. No more cancer and disease, which ravages so many of our loved ones.
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No more abortions of millions of millions of children. No more genocide. No more hatred. No more murder. No more lying.
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All of that will be gone forever.
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It's even hard to imagine, isn't it? It's hard to imagine a world like that with. We're just constantly bombarded with hatred and death and suffering.
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But one day all this will come to an end.
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See on another note, we all struggle through relational stresses in our family and friends, right?
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Some of you experienced this harsh reality at Christmas this year as arguments filled your home.
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Tension and anger filled your home.
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As old arguments resurfaced, old wounds were reopened, for some of us, for some of you, it feels like your family will always be broken and wholeness will never occur.
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But there's coming a day as this passage shows that there will be no more family strife, there'll be no more arguments that we will have a perfect relationship as the family of God without angerness, without bitterness, without hatred and miscommunication.
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So maybe for you this year, first Christmas, without that loved one who passed away this year, their family member, that friend, and you've had a hard time making it through the holidays.
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As we talked about, a day is coming when death will no longer exist, and it'll no longer be something we have to worry about, or think about, or deal with.
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See, I know in a room this size, there are many going through the darkest valleys imaginable.
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And at times, it seems as if you won't make it, or you can't go on.
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I hope that you'll find comfort in this passage, that one day all your pains will pass away, and God himself will wipe away the tears from your eyes.
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This season of suffering and trial will not last and will one day give way to eternal and everlasting joy.
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Paul writes in Romans 8, 18, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time "are not worth comparing with the glory "that is to be revealed in us." This was a man who was beaten, mocked, shipwrecked, and imprisoned, and he says, All these things that are happening to me are so momentary, not even worth comparing with all the things that God has prepared for me.
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So please don't lose hope in your situation.
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Instead, anticipate this day.
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Have this outlook, that the hardships of this life are nothing compared to what Jesus Christ has in store for us.
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Only this perspective will allow you to have joy and life in the present, in the midst of trial.
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Nothing else will help.
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No self-help, no medications, nothing.
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Only this will give you the hope to make it through your storms of life.
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So what to expect?
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First, restoration of all things. Second, nearness to God. Third, freedom from suffering and death. And fourth, eternal satisfaction for believers and eternal punishment for non-believers.
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Verse five says, And he was seated on the throne and said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down.
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"These words are trustworthy and true." So as followers of Christ, there should be no controversy surrounding the reality of the future coming of Christ.
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We may disagree about the details and the timing, but we can all rally around the word of God that Jesus Christ is returning.
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We can all rally around the truth that he will bring restoration and hope for all who are in him.
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Everything else is just not that important in light of that.
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So John writes that first and foremost, these words are trustworthy.
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They can bear the weights of all of our hopes and expectations.
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Everything else in this life crumbles under the enormity of our anticipation and longings for fulfillment, and we're always let down when we look to other things for what Jesus Christ can provide.
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Sex, money, people, spouses, success, they all crumble under our expectations.
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We always end up disappointed, don't we?
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Also these words are true.
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They cannot be doubted in their honesty and their truthfulness.
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Yes, the world around us and even ourselves at times might think that they're not true and that there's religious nonsense, but there will come a day, as this word says, where no one will doubt their truthfulness, right?
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Everyone will see face to face that this word and its promises are true.
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On that day, no one will be able to mock us, make fun of us, put us down anymore, or persecute us.
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Everyone will bow their knee to Jesus Christ and know that what He said was true.
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So if you feel like everything else is falling apart around you and you can trust no one and look to nothing, trust in God and His word.
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I know sometimes God seems anything but trustworthy, but He is always working for your good.
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His word and His promises are true and you can trust in them.
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It can hold all the weight of your expectations in this life.
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God continues to say, "It is done.
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It is accomplished.
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I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
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To the thirsty I will give from the spring of water of life without payment." So God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." This is the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet.
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It's like God saying, "I am A to Z.
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I am the one who created this universe out of nothing.
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I spoke it into existence.
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I'm the one who's currently sustaining it, and I will bring the end to pass.
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I am the beginning and the end.
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God is in a way laying out his credentials in a way to prove that he is able to keep his promises and that these words are trustworthy and true.
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If I told you this year that all your hopes and dreams would come to pass, all your resolutions would be accomplished because I would make them happen, you'd be like, how can you do that?
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Taylor, tell me how you can do that.
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I would say, "Oh, please don't worry.
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"I'm Taylor, a seminary student." Okay, you wouldn't trust that I'd be able to make that promise happen.
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I wouldn't keep my promise.
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But we can trust God and His word, that He will do what He says He's going to do, because He is the creator and sustainer of all things.
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He can make the impossible possible, right?
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And we can always trust Him.
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He can do anything.
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There is nothing He cannot do.
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He says to the thirsty, those who long for something, those who desire fulfillment, I will give from the spring of water of life without payment.
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This water is a symbol for satisfaction of desire and longing that we all have.
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Only God can provide the true fulfillment that we all need.
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He also promises that we will receive this satisfaction without payment because Jesus Christ paid for it on the cross.
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We cannot earn this or work our way towards it.
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But we can only freely receive it as a gift in Jesus Christ.
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John goes on to say, "The one who conquers will have this heritage.
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God says, 'I will be his God, and he will be my son.' But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns the fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
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So John writes that those who conquer or have a life that is marked by obedience will experience this new heaven and new earth and they will dwell with God forever.
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See, he's not saying that our actions or our deeds save us, but he's saying that our actions and our deeds reveal our heart.
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As Jesus once said, "Out of the overflow of our heart, out of the abundance of our heart, the mouth speaks." A good tree produces good fruit.
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A bad tree produces bad fruit.
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So in the same way, our actions reveal the true state of our heart.
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But as verse eight shows, a life that is marked by unrepentant sin and rebellion and resistance to God reveals that that person doesn't truly have a relationship with Christ and will spend forever away from him in hell.
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Now I really wanna be careful with this because we aren't called to be the salvation police, the salvation judges who walk around and say, "Well, that person's not saved. That person's saved." "That person, I mean, they cheated on their wife, they don't go to church, they're definitely not saved." "That guy, he reads his Bible every week, he goes to a small group, he goes to church every week, he must be saved." See, that's not our job. We cannot read people's hearts, we cannot judge people's hearts.
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Only God can do that.
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And that brings so much destruction in the church when we try to judge people and say, "Oh, you're saved, you're not saved." That's only up to God.
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What I'm trying to show us here, that this passage is here to spur us on to obedience and faithfulness in this life.
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Because even the most mature Christian can find themselves in a season of rebellion and sin, right?
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Am I the only one?
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God is trying to spur us on to be faithful to Him and to persevere through hardship by reminding us that those who persevere, those who don't quit, are those who will experience this future hope. I believe this anticipation in the future leads to present obedience now. See, I've heard many people say that focusing upon the second return of Christ will only make Christians lazy in this life and will distract them from the mission of spreading the gospel. See, I agree to some point that if we get bogged down in the details and the charts and all those prophecies, then we will miss out on what we're supposed to to be focusing upon.
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But I believe that living in light of the return of Christ is the only fuel of the fire of our obedience that will actually last, that will actually endure.
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See, right now I'm eagerly anticipating the day of July 26th more than any other day in the past, and the day that's come before it, or any other day in the foreseeable future.
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Sorry, kid, I'm gonna embarrass you again.
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Why?
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Because that's the day I get to marry my fiance, to marry my wife.
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And I can't wait for that day when Kate will walk down the aisle to me so we can start our new lives together.
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And it's 209 days away, no one's counting.
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But July 26th occupies a lot of my thoughts and I daydream about that day a lot and the life that will follow it.
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But in no way does that anticipation and that longing make me lazy in the here and now.
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I'm like, oh, I can't wait to get married to Kate.
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I'm just gonna lay down in this lounger and just sit down until this wedding's just gonna magically appear.
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No, anticipation for this day has caused Kate and I to pick a venue, a date, hire a caterer, all these different things.
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And it's also caused us to work even harder to develop our relationship and save money for our future.
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See, thinking about that day drives us harder to work, not to be lazy.
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See, living in light of my wedding day causes me to work hard in the present And in the same way, living in light of the future return of Christ should cause us to share the gospel and not be complacent in witnessing.
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Because we want as many people to experience this hope as possible, right?
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I mean, this is true.
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That some people, most people, according to the Bible, because the Bible says that this way is narrow and most people don't find it.
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Most people are on the path of destruction.
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If we believe that most people are on a path that leads to an eternal and everlasting hell that is filled with conscious torment, forever away from God, then we should do whatever we can to witness and disciple people for Jesus Christ.
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Nothing else is more important.
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Living in light of this future will transform how we witness, how we disciple in the present.
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Fear of rejection and being uncomfortable should be drowned out in our lives by a concern for those who are lost and without Christ.
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Because the stakes are just too high.
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Life is short, eternity is long, Christ is returning.
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Time is short and hell is for real.
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So in conclusion, I can't promise that 2014 will be a year of happiness, health, fulfilled dreams, and accomplished resolutions.
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But I can promise you with absolute certainty that 2014 can be a year that is marked by radical obedience to Jesus Christ and deep joy live in light of this future that God has prepared for you.
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This year you can get off the endless treadmill of looking for satisfaction and fulfillment in the things this world has to offer.
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'Cause if you don't, you will continually hit dead ends and be frustrated.
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Instead, anticipate, long for, pray for, hope for, and live in light of the new creation which God will bring.
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If the worship team can just come up.
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God's end game and future for our lives is so much better than we have ever expected.
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It's beyond our wildest dreams, it's beyond words.
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It will by no means disappoint us or let us down.
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And I really couldn't resist the temptation to read a quote from one of my favorite books, and one of my favorite quotes of all time.
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It's the last book of the Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle.
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And if you're familiar with the book series or the movies, it's about these kids who go into this magical land named Narnia and they experience a Jesus figure named Aslan who takes them on these adventures.
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And in the last book, The Last Battle, Aslan recreates Narnia, he remakes it, and everything is completely restored.
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And he says to the children who've gone on all these adventures at the end, he says these words to them.
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"The term is over, the holidays have begun, "the dream has ended, this is the morning." And as he spoke, he no longer looked to them like a lion, but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.
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And for us, this is the end of all the stories.
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And we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.
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But for them, it was only the beginning of the real story.
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All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page.
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Now at last, they're beginning chapter one of the great story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever and ever, which every chapter is better than the one before.
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This is what we have to look forward to, brothers and sisters.
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A time when every day we're better than the one before.
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This isn't the end of our life, it's simply the beginning of the greatest story ever imaginable.
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Until that day when our faith becomes sight and our hope and dreams become reality, let us push forward with boldness and obedience to obey the mission that God has given to us.
Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Revelation 21:1-8
What are some common misconceptions that many Christians have about eternity with God? How can these false ideas negatively impact our lives? Why is an accurate understanding of Heaven so important in a believer’s daily life?
In the sermon it was said that anticipation for the future God has in store for Christians should transform how we live in the present. How would this look in your own life? What are some practical ways that your daily life would look different this week if you lived in light of the promise of the new heaven and earth?
God promises in this passage that one day all suffering and pain will end when Christ returns. What is a current trial or hardship you are currently walking through right now that you are having a hard time trusting God with? How could trusting in the promise of Revelation 21:4 change how you view and respond to your current struggle?
Breakout Questions:
Revelation 21:18 is packed with amazing promises of what the new heaven and earth will be like. What are you personally most excited for and why?