Jesus: Perfection
Series: The Kingdom of God
Speaker: Brian Tung
Date: 24th March 2012
Passage: Revelation 21:1-22:21
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 The first reading is from Revelation chapter 21.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:13 For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:19 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
00:00:27 --> 00:00:33 Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:51 There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 He who was seated on the throne said,
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 I am making everything new.
00:00:58 --> 00:00:59 Then he said,
00:01:00 --> 00:01:04 Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:06 He said to me,
00:01:06 --> 00:01:07 It is done.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:19 To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:27 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:33 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral,
00:01:34 --> 00:01:39 those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 This is the second death.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:51 One of the seven angels, who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues,
00:01:52 --> 00:01:53 came and said to me,
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:03 And he carried me away in the spirit to a mountain great and high,
00:02:03 --> 00:02:09 and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:16 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel,
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 like a jasper, clear as crystal.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:25 It had a great high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:30 On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:37 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 The wall of the city had twelve foundations,
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 its gates and its walls.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:06 He measured the city with the rod, and found it to be twelve thousand stadia in length,
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 and as wide and high as it is long.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:18 He measured its wall, and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:26 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:32 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:39 The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third calcindony,
00:03:39 --> 00:03:44 the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian,
00:03:45 --> 00:03:49 the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:55 the tenth chrysiprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:02 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:08 The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:16 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:21 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:26 for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:33 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:40 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:51 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:56 but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 And continuing on.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:03 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:09 flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great street of the city.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:15 On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 yielding its fruit every month.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 No longer will there be any curse.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:31 The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:36 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:42 There will be no more night, they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun,
00:05:43 --> 00:05:48 for the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign for ever and ever.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 The angel said to me,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 These words are trustworthy and true.
00:05:52 --> 00:06:01 The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 Behold, I am coming soon.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:10 Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:22 And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 But he said to me,
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 Do not do it.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:34 I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with all who keep the words of this book.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:35 Worship God.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 And then he told me,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:43 Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 Let him who is vile continue to be vile.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 Let him who does right continue to do right.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:57 And let him who is holy continue to be holy.
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 Behold, I am coming soon.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 My reward is with me.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 And I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:12 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:18 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 and may go through the gates into the city.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:26 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:34 The sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:40 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:45 I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 And let him who hears say, Come.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 And whoever is thirsty, let him come.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:59 And whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:05 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:11 if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:15 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:20 God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 which are described in this book.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:28 He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:29 Amen.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 Come, Lord Jesus.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:35 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:35 Amen.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 Will you join with me in prayer?
00:08:41 --> 00:08:45 Gracious Lord and Heavenly Father, thank you for your word
00:08:45 --> 00:08:51 and that wonderful promise that brings the future into the present.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:59 We pray that by your spirit, you might enliven that word in our hearts once again.
00:08:59 --> 00:08:59 Amen.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:07 Give us hope that we might put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to obey him.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:14 We pray, Father, that your kingdom might come this morning as we respond to that word.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:20 And we pray these things, Father, so that you might be glorified in your son.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 And in his name we pray.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 Amen.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:24 Amen.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:24 Amen.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:34 We have been travelling through the whole of the Bible in the last few weeks
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 and we are close to the end of our journey.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:43 You will recall that we have been looking at the story of the Bible,
00:09:44 --> 00:09:50 which we have argued is the story of the kingdom of God.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:57 And if you have been with us, it has been a great story with great ideas.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:05 But if that is all it is, I want to suggest to us this morning
00:10:05 --> 00:10:09 that it is completely irrelevant to us and to the world.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:19 For if the Bible is simply a story, it would stand, as it were, against other stories.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 It is not real.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:29 But hopefully, as we read from the Bible, we have seen that it claims to be more than just a story.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 It claims to be real.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:39 It claims to be the history of God's dealing with the human race in time and space.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:46 So if you were living in Ur 5 years ago, you would have met Abraham.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:54 You would have heard of his encounter with God and the promises that were made to him.
00:10:55 --> 00:11:00 The Bible is more than just a series of ideas.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 It is not just a fairy tale.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 But I also want to say that the Bible is more than just history.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:14 For if the Bible is simply history, it is, again, just as irrelevant to us.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:22 It is irrelevant for most of us that Victoria was the Queen of England some time ago.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 It was relevant, perhaps, to her generation.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:30 But to us now, today, in Australia, in Sydney, hundreds of years later.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:36 The story of the Bible is history.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 In other words, it is real.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 It happened in time and space.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 But it is history that has a future.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 It extends into the future.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:51 And therefore, it is relevant to us and the world.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:57 Even those who might not be followers of Jesus.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:04 Unless it has a future, let me reiterate that point, it has no relevance.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:10 But because it has a future, it is deeply relevant to all of us.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:17 I suggested in the first week that as we approach the Bible, particularly the Old Testament,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 there are four questions that we can ask.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 What is the story so far?
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 So it is an unfolding story, and we need to see it in its context.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 We've read a part of the story, and we need to ask ourselves,
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 well, what is this particular part about?
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 But it's more than just description.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:42 It tells us something about God and us and the world and the future.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 And so we need to ask that question.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 What does this, in the context of the unfolding story,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 tell us about God and us and the universe?
00:12:51 --> 00:12:58 And lastly, the question is, well, what difference does Jesus make to what we've read?
00:12:59 --> 00:13:04 Well, the first question, I'll apply the same methodology to Revelation 21 and 22.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:08 Well, the story so far, what is the story so far?
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 What is the story of the kingdom?
00:13:10 --> 00:13:14 I like to characterize it as a story of tension.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 It is a story of conflict.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 For the world we live in is not right.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:30 We, deep inside of us, yearn to have a better world.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 We want the future to be better than today.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:39 We yearn for a world where there is no tears, no pain, no mourning, no death.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:47 The Bible explains that the reason why we live in this world of tension
00:13:47 --> 00:13:53 is because at the very beginning of the history of the human race,
00:13:53 --> 00:13:57 we decided that God is irrelevant,
00:13:58 --> 00:14:04 that we would do a better job running this world and our lives than him,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:09 that we would do a better job being the one who decides what is good and what is bad,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 what is right and what is wrong.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:18 And early on in the history of God's dealing with the human race,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:25 we read that God has promised that he would reverse that,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:32 that he would reverse the cursedness, the world of tension that we live in,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:36 and that he would do it through one man and his family.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:41 And as we trace through the story of the Bible and the working out of that promise,
00:14:41 --> 00:14:48 we see that the climax of this story is again in one man,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:53 a carpenter from Galilee.
00:14:55 --> 00:15:00 That the whole of human history and his resolution of the tensions that we feel
00:15:00 --> 00:15:04 focus on this one man and his execution as a criminal
00:15:04 --> 00:15:08 and ultimately his victory over death.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:13 And yet I think the question that is raised through the story,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:19 as we read the story, even now as we stand, is it true?
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 For we still live in a world of tension.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:28 If God has made a promise that he would fix the world,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:32 that he would reverse the effect of human rebellion and sin
00:15:32 --> 00:15:35 and curse and death,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:43 why do we still live in a world of pain, of tears, of death?
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 And if you experience it,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:52 you might hear that this is the question that the rest of the world asks.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:56 You claim that there is a God who has promised all these things,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 but where is he?
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 Does he really care?
00:16:00 --> 00:16:04 You know, that is one of the big questions against Christianity
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 and the claims of the Bible.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:09 If there were a God and he's powerful and he's loving,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 why does suffering exist in this world?
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 Does he really care?
00:16:14 --> 00:16:20 How is he going to act to fix the world?
00:16:20 --> 00:16:25 Even now, we experience that tension,
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 that world of evil and tragedy,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:32 in a world that seems God is uninvolved.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 And therefore, increasingly,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 us who are worshippers of this God in the name of Jesus
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 become irrelevant.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 That our voice disappears
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 because of the overwhelming,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 I guess, nature of those questions.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 The same question,
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 where is God in all this,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 in this world of tension,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 if he's promised to rectify it all?
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 I think this is the story of the Bible so far.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 And this is the point at which we have come to.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:10 And we come to this episode in Revelation 21 and 22.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 And unfortunately,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 we won't have time to look at every single detail.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:19 It is a fascinating picture and a very encouraging one.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 But I'll just draw out some salient points
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 from these two chapters.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 Well, what is this particular episode about?
00:17:25 --> 00:17:31 It is clearly a picture of the kingdom of God.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:37 For what we are shown in, in this episode,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 is the throne room of God.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 We're taken to the very seat of God.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 What do we see in this picture,
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 in the kingdom of God?
00:17:48 --> 00:17:52 We see God and his anointed on the throne.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:56 Okay, this is a world,
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 the world in the first century
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 is no different to our world today.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 It is a world of chaos,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 of sickness and evil.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 What was shown to John,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 who wrote this book,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:13 is that God was and is still king.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 Despite of everything that we experience
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 and that is apparent to us.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:23 Well, what is this king doing
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 in this world of chaos and suffering?
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 Chapter 21, verse 5.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 He's the pronouncement from the throne.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 And this is what he says,
00:18:34 --> 00:18:38 I am making everything new.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 In the sovereignty of this God,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:47 what he is doing is a recreation of the world.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 Everything is being made new,
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 completely new.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 And as part of that process,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 he will destroy all the corruption
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 and evil of the old world.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:05 And this is why in chapter 21, verse 8,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:08 the new world is one that is without evil
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 or anyone who does evil.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:13 There is no possibility in a new world
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 that it would be corrupt again.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 He's a difference to the garden.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 There is possibility in a garden
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 that there would be a fall.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 In this new world,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 in this picture of the new world,
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 there is no possibility.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 The new world is described,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 in verse 2,
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 as a city
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 and as a bride.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 His picture language, of course,
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 he's seeking to capture
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 something of the experience
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 of this new world.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 It is a beautiful bride,
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 a pure,
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 adorned for her wedding.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 It is a magnificent,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 glorious city.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:59 A city not just made of bricks and mortar,
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 but of gold and pearls.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 But of course,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:06 a city is more than just brick and mortar.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:10 What makes Chastwood a great city to live in,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 if you live in Chastwood or elsewhere,
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 is not because of the building,
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 hopefully,
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 but because of the people.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:24 A city is ultimately a network of relationship.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28 Here is God making a new city,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 in other words,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 a new human race,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 for his new world.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 A magnificent,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 glorious people.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 Pure.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 A don for her husband.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 But the most significant thing,
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 I think,
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 of this picture of the city,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 isn't what is there,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 we are told,
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 but what isn't there.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 I don't know if you notice
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 the curious thing.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 There is no evil.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 Yes,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 that is true.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 But in verse 22,
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 did you notice what else is in there?
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 Have a look.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:06 There is no temple.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 That's right.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 Now,
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 that might not surprise you,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 but I think for a first century Jew,
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 it would be very surprising indeed to hear
00:21:16 --> 00:21:19 that the new Jerusalem has no temple.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 It would be like me saying,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 I've seen a new Sydney,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 in the new heavens and the new earth,
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 and it is glorious.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 It is much better than the old Sydney,
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 except there is no harbour.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 And there is no opera house,
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 and there's no harbour bridge.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 And you think,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 what is Sydney without the harbour?
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 It would just be Melbourne.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 Melbourne.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:50 And what is so great about that?
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 See,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 each city in our world
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59 have their own distinctive identification.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 If I were to mention the Big Ben,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 you would know which city I'm talking about,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 or the Eiffel Tower.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:12 If I were to mention the temple of God,
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 you would think Jerusalem.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:21 The temple is what makes Jerusalem the city of God.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:25 For the temple symbolises the very presence of God.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 And yet, in this new Jerusalem,
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 there is no temple.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 And we are told why.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:36 Because there is no need for a temple in a new Jerusalem.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 In a new Jerusalem,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 the Lord God Almighty
00:22:39 --> 00:22:43 and the Lamb are his temple.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:48 For the Lord will be present with his people.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 Again, I want to take you through
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 the story of the Bible so far.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 Go back a little bit to Exodus 19,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 you remember,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 as part of our series.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 Exodus 19,
00:22:59 --> 00:23:03 Israel was being prepared to meet God face to face
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 on Mount Sinai.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:07 There was lightning and thunder.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 A terrifying picture.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 And what they were told
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 is that don't come near.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:16 If anyone were to even touch the mountain,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:20 he or she or it must be put to death.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:23 No one can come near into the presence of God.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 Even in Israel itself,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 there was the temple.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 But people were excluded.
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 There were only a select few
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 who could come inside the temple.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 And even when that were to happen,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 there has to be a massacre.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 A slaughter of animals
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 and blood were to be spilled.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:49 But here is different.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:52 In a city of God,
00:23:52 --> 00:23:55 where all of the people of God is present
00:23:55 --> 00:23:58 and God is in the midst of her,
00:23:59 --> 00:24:04 people are to be in fellowship with God face to face.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 It reminds us, of course,
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 of Eden and Genesis 1.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:12 Of Adam and Eve walking, as it were,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 side by side,
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 talking face to face with God.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:17 Here it is.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:20 Again, the future of the kingdom of God.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 Where all of us, not excluded,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 but in the presence of God,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:30 never with the possibility of being excluded again.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:34 Of course, what stands between Exodus 19
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 and the life Israel
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 and Revelation 21 and 22
00:24:38 --> 00:24:41 is Jesus.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 We know that.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:48 Jesus is the one who has made the difference.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 Do you remember,
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 as we go towards Easter,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 you probably hear this passage again,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:57 Mark 15,
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 at Jesus' death,
00:24:59 --> 00:25:02 when he finally breathed his last breath,
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 one of the things that happened was
00:25:04 --> 00:25:07 this enormous curtain in the temple
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 was torn in half.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:15 Not so much that people now have access to God,
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 but rather God come
00:25:17 --> 00:25:21 into the midst of sinful people.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 Hebrews 10,
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 Jesus is the high priest
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 who has offered up
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 the sacrifice
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 of his own life
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 once and for all time
00:25:32 --> 00:25:34 to give us access
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 to the throne room of God.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 There has been a massacre.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 There has been a slaughter
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 and a spilling of blood.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 And it is God himself
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 who has died
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 in order to bring us
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 into his presence forever.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 Never to be excluded.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 And as a result,
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 chapter 24,
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 verse,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 sorry,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 21,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 verse 4,
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01 there will be no more tears,
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 no more mourning,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 no crying,
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 no pain.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 There is rather,
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 in contrast,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 a life
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 in abundance.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 Life
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 in this
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 new world,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 in the kingdom of God,
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 is pictured
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 as a river.
00:26:18 --> 00:26:22 to those who are thirsty,
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 verse 6,
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 God has promised
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 the water of life
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 without cost.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 The image is expanded
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 in chapter 22.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 He's a river.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 Of course,
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 if you're living
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 in the Middle East,
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 in a desert,
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 you can really feel
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 the force of that image.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 Water represents life.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 No water,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 no life.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 Here it is,
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 life in abundance.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 The people of God
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 has access
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 to the
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 true of life,
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 which is set
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 on either side
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 of the river,
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 bearing
00:26:59 --> 00:27:01 12 crops.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 In other words,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 every month,
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 every year,
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 there is a crop
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 of fruit
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 from the tree
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 of life.
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 In other words,
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 there's life
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 forever.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 The river flows
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 through the city.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 In other words,
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 everyone in the city
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 has access
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 to the tree of life.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 There is no curse,
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 verse 3.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 The lamb
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 has overcome
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 the curse.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 Those whose name
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 are written
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 in his book
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 can come
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 and feast
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 on the tree
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 of life
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 forever.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 This is the picture
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 of the kingdom,
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 of God's rule,
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 of life
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 in abundance.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 His people
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 resting in safety.
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 What the whole
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 of history
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 and the story
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 of the Bible
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 has been looking
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 forward to
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 and now
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 come to
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 completion,
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 the reality.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 And what will
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 God's people
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 do
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 in this place,
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 in God's
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 kingdom,
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 in His presence?
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 Chapter 22,
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 verse 3.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 They do
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 what they
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 were created
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 to do.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 They
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 worship Him.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 They
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 serve Him.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 And in doing
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 so,
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 verse 5,
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 they reign
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 with Him.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 It is true
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 to say
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 that heaven,
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 the kingdom
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 of God,
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 is going to be
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 one long
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 church service.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:32 as it
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 should be.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 In our
00:28:35 --> 00:28:38 fallenness,
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 when we
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 think of
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 the kingdom,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 when we
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 think of
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 the future,
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 we tend
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 to think
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 of us
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 in it.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 That we
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 are the
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 center of
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 this kingdom.
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 That we
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 are the
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 center of
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 our future.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 I remember
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 having a
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 conversation
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 with my
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 kids in
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 the car,
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 and I
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 explained to
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 them what
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 heaven would
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 be like,
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 and they
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 were really
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 quite upset.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 One of
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 them,
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 in fact,
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 said,
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 I don't
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 want to
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 be there.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 Part of
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 the reason
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 is that
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 somebody has
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 told them
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 they thought
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 that the
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 kingdom of
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 God in
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 the future
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 would be
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 like
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 Lunar
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Park,
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 endless
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 rides.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 In our
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 sinfulness,
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 we have
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 sort of
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 deconstructed
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 and
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 reconstructed
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 kingdom
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 in our
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 image.
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 No wonder
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 the idea
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 of one
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 long
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 church
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 service
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 is so
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 unappealing.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 The
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 kingdom,
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 the future,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 rather,
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 is laid
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 out for
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 God,
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 and us
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 in the
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 proper
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 place,
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 worshipping
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 God,
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 enjoying
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 him
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 forever.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 He is
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 the center
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 of the
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 future.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 He is
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 Revelation
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 21 and
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 22.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 The story
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 so far,
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 what this
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 episode,
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 but what
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 does this
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 tell us
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 about God
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 and us
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 and the
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 universe
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 and the
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 times?
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 Well,
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 one of
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 the realities
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 which the
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 Bible keeps
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 coming back
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 to is the
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 fact that
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 there is
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 the kingdom
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 of God
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 and Jesus
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 is the
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 king,
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 that he
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 is Lord.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 That
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 Jesus is
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 Lord is
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 more than
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 just an
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 idea.
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 It is
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 real.
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 It has
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 happened in
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 time and
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 space.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 when Jesus
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 rose from
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 the dead,
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 he was
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 crowned the
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 king of
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 the world.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 And that
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 is what is
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 in store
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 for the
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 future.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 In other
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 words,
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 there is
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 a future.
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 There is
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 a future
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 in this
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 world.
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 There is
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 a future
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 for all
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 of us.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 The future
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 is not
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 hopeless.
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 I read
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 during the
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 week a
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 quote from
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 Augustine,
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 one of the
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 great theologians
00:30:50 --> 00:30:52 of our
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 church in
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 the past.
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 He says,
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 there,
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 there,
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 in the
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 future,
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 we shall
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 rest and
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 see,
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 see and
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 love,
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 love and
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 praise.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 This is
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 what shall
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 be in
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 the end
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 without
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 end.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 For what
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 other end
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 do we
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 propose to
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 ourselves
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 than to
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 attain to
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 the kingdom
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 of which
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 there is
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 no end?
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 A
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 kingdom
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 of rest,
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 of the
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 presence of
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 God,
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 of love,
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 of worship.
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 There is
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 a future.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 It is a
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 wonderful
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 future.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 Again,
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 I've been
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 reading a
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 little bit
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 about future
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 this week
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 and it
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 occurred to
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 me how
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 important it
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 is to
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 the present.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 Unless you
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 have a
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 future,
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 you don't
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 have any
00:31:48 --> 00:31:50 meaning in
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 the present.
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 Another word
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 for meaning
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 is a
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 point.
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 When you're
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 reading a
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 story,
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 when you're
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 watching a
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 movie,
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 there's an
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 allusion to
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 movie,
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 when you're
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 watching a
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 movie or
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 reading a
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 story,
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 it's all
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 very
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 interesting
00:32:05 --> 00:32:09 but it
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 means nothing
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 unless there
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 is a
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 point,
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 there is a
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 destination,
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 there is an
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 end.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 This is why
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 it's actually
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 quite difficult
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 if you're
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 in the
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 middle of
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 a story
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 to know
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 what the
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 story is
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 really about.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 It's just a
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 meandering,
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 a putting
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 together of
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 facts.
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 Unless there
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 is a
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 destination,
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 unless there
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 is a
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 point,
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 unless there
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 is an
00:32:32 --> 00:32:32 end point,
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 everything
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 that you
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 experience
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 in the
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 middle of
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 the story
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 doesn't
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 make sense.
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 This is
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 why it's
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 so important
00:32:41 --> 00:32:43 when God
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 deals with
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 the human
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 race,
00:32:45 --> 00:32:47 that he
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 shows us
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 a picture
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 of the
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 destination.
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 For the
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 destination
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 makes sense
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 of everything
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 that we
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 experience
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 now.
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 If you
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 know the
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 end,
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 you know
00:33:00 --> 00:33:02 what everything
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 that you
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 see and
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 experience and
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 understand and
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 heard is
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 going towards.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 The full
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 picture,
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 as Deb has
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 alluded to,
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 or mentioned,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 has been
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 shown to
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 us.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 It makes
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 sense of
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 everything.
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 But we
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 have to be
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 careful,
00:33:19 --> 00:33:22 for the
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 present is
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 not the
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 future.
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 We read
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 of this
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 kingdom of
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 God,
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 of this
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 river of
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 life,
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 of life in
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 abundance,
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 of an
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 experience that
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 is without
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 tears and
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 pain and
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 mourning and
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 death.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 And we
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 read that
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 Jesus is
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 Lord.
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 Is Jesus
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 Lord in the
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 present?
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 Yes,
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 he is
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 Lord.
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 And we
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 sort of
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 jump from
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 there into
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 the future
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 and we
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 confuse the
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 two.
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 And when
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 we do,
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 I think what
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 happens is we
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 become terribly
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 disappointed.
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 You know,
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 if we are in
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 the kingdom and
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 Jesus is
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 Lord,
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 surely our
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 experience as
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 the people of
00:34:03 --> 00:34:05 God should
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 be won without
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 pain or
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 tears or
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 mourning or
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 sickness or
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 retrenchment or
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 divorce.
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 There should be
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 no sin.
00:34:13 --> 00:34:15 we must
00:34:15 --> 00:34:15 not confuse
00:34:15 --> 00:34:17 the future
00:34:17 --> 00:34:17 with the
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 present for
00:34:18 --> 00:34:18 the future
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 is not
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 yet.
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 The future
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 is future,
00:34:22 --> 00:34:22 the present
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 is present.
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 The future
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 has broken
00:34:24 --> 00:34:26 in to
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 the present.
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 Yes,
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 we experience
00:34:29 --> 00:34:29 the future
00:34:29 --> 00:34:32 in a very
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 real way
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 by faith,
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 but it is
00:34:36 --> 00:34:36 veiled
00:34:36 --> 00:34:38 just like the
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 cross.
00:34:38 --> 00:34:40 when you
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 look at the
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 cross of
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 Christ,
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 you see the
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 glory of
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 God,
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 you see the
00:34:45 --> 00:34:45 Son of God
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 being crowned
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 as the King
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 of the world.
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 But what do
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 you see?
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 You see a
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 naked Jewish
00:34:50 --> 00:34:52 man being
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 hung on an
00:34:53 --> 00:34:53 instrument of
00:34:53 --> 00:34:55 torture by the
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 Romans being
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 executed.
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 But when you
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 have the eyes
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 of faith,
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 you will see
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 that it is
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 there that
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 the Lamb
00:35:03 --> 00:35:05 is redeeming
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 the world.
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 He is
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 washing us
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 clean by
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 that very
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 very act.
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 The present
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 is the
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 present.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 The future
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 is the
00:35:14 --> 00:35:14 future.
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 We do
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 experience
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 the future
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 but in a
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 real way
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 by faith.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 The fullness
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 of the future
00:35:21 --> 00:35:23 is still
00:35:23 --> 00:35:23 to come.
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 Now is
00:35:24 --> 00:35:24 the time
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 of now
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 and not
00:35:26 --> 00:35:26 yet.
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 We must
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 not confuse
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 the truth.
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 What does
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 it mean
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 for us?
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 Yes,
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 there is a
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 future.
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 It makes
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 sense of
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 the present.
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 The present
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 is now.
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 What is
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 happening
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 now?
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 Well,
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 the first
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 thing that
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 we see
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 is,
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 I suppose,
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 the sobering
00:35:44 --> 00:35:46 thought that
00:35:46 --> 00:35:48 some will
00:35:48 --> 00:35:48 not have
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 a future
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 with Jesus.
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 Chapter
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 20,
00:35:52 --> 00:35:54 21,
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 verse 8.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:56 There will
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 be some
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 who will
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 be shut
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 out,
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 excluded.
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 Their
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 destiny,
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 according to
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 this picture
00:36:03 --> 00:36:03 of the future,
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 is the
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 second
00:36:05 --> 00:36:05 death.
00:36:05 --> 00:36:08 having a
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 future that
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 is coming
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 and imminent
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 carries a
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 warning.
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 Chapter 22,
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 verses 7
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 to 10.
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16 Jesus says
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 he's coming.
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 It has
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 present
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 implication,
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 for the
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 present is
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 a moment
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 of opportunity
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 not to be
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 missed.
00:36:27 --> 00:36:30 I'm doing
00:36:30 --> 00:36:30 some study
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 at the
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 moment.
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 There is a
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 future.
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 It's the
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 first of
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 April.
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 One of my
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 papers is due.
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 The
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 opportunity to
00:36:42 --> 00:36:42 get the
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 paper done
00:36:43 --> 00:36:43 and not
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 fail the
00:36:44 --> 00:36:44 course,
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 I have to
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 say,
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 is dwindling
00:36:47 --> 00:36:47 and getting
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 smaller and
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 smaller by
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 the minute.
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 Every day
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 that passes,
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 that window
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 of opportunity
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 gets smaller.
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 It is with
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 Jesus.
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 Jesus is
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 Lord.
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 He will
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 come back
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 to establish
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 the kingdom
00:37:03 --> 00:37:04 of God.
00:37:05 --> 00:37:05 The
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 opportunity
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 to be
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 included
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 as that
00:37:09 --> 00:37:09 part of
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 their kingdom
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 is getting
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 smaller and
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 smaller as
00:37:13 --> 00:37:13 the day
00:37:13 --> 00:37:15 continues.
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 Once he
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 comes,
00:37:19 --> 00:37:19 that opportunity
00:37:19 --> 00:37:21 is gone.
00:37:21 --> 00:37:21 And so
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 there is
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 an invitation
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 in verse
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 17 of
00:37:25 --> 00:37:25 chapter 22.
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 Take the
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 opportunity
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29 while it
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 is still
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 available
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 to you.
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 If you
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 are one
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 who does
00:37:37 --> 00:37:37 not know
00:37:37 --> 00:37:39 of Jesus,
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 who has
00:37:41 --> 00:37:43 no hope
00:37:43 --> 00:37:43 of this
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 future,
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 what the
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 kingdom of
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 God is
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 taking you
00:37:49 --> 00:37:49 and I
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 to,
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 is the
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 conclusion
00:37:52 --> 00:37:52 that there
00:37:52 --> 00:37:52 is an
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 opportunity
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 now.
00:37:55 --> 00:37:55 And that
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 opportunity
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 has to be
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 taken while
00:37:58 --> 00:37:59 it is still
00:37:59 --> 00:37:59 there.
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 Take the
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 opportunity
00:38:01 --> 00:38:02 to receive
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 salvation.
00:38:05 --> 00:38:06 There might
00:38:06 --> 00:38:06 be people
00:38:06 --> 00:38:06 in your
00:38:06 --> 00:38:07 life that
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 you care
00:38:08 --> 00:38:08 about,
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 that you
00:38:10 --> 00:38:10 might want
00:38:10 --> 00:38:12 to avail
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 that opportunity
00:38:13 --> 00:38:14 to.
00:38:15 --> 00:38:16 Invite
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 them to
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 come into
00:38:17 --> 00:38:18 the kingdom,
00:38:18 --> 00:38:18 not to come
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 to church
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 per se,
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 but invite
00:38:21 --> 00:38:22 them into
00:38:22 --> 00:38:22 a relationship
00:38:22 --> 00:38:24 with Jesus.
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 Invite
00:38:27 --> 00:38:27 them to
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 be blessed
00:38:28 --> 00:38:30 by God.
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 You know,
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 one of the
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 things that
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 we've been
00:38:32 --> 00:38:33 saying in
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 the story
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 of the
00:38:35 --> 00:38:35 kingdom is
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 that God
00:38:36 --> 00:38:38 has promised
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 blessing to
00:38:39 --> 00:38:39 the world.
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 You recall
00:38:41 --> 00:38:41 that.
00:38:42 --> 00:38:42 Well,
00:38:42 --> 00:38:42 where's the
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 blessing in
00:38:43 --> 00:38:43 this?
00:38:45 --> 00:38:45 Revelation
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 chapter 1
00:38:46 --> 00:38:47 verse 3.
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 Revelation,
00:38:50 --> 00:38:51 the point
00:38:51 --> 00:38:51 of writing
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 Revelation
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 is so
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 that we
00:38:53 --> 00:38:53 might be
00:38:53 --> 00:38:54 blessed.
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56 We might
00:38:56 --> 00:38:56 be blessed
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 by reading
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 this word,
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 this picture
00:39:00 --> 00:39:00 of the
00:39:00 --> 00:39:00 future.
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 This is the
00:39:02 --> 00:39:02 time of
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03 blessing.
00:39:03 --> 00:39:03 What does
00:39:03 --> 00:39:04 it mean to
00:39:04 --> 00:39:04 be blessed
00:39:04 --> 00:39:04 by God?
00:39:05 --> 00:39:05 What does
00:39:05 --> 00:39:05 it mean
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 when you
00:39:06 --> 00:39:07 read this
00:39:07 --> 00:39:07 picture of
00:39:07 --> 00:39:08 the kingdom?
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 It's akin
00:39:09 --> 00:39:12 to me
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 making a
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 very important
00:39:14 --> 00:39:14 piece of
00:39:14 --> 00:39:15 warning.
00:39:15 --> 00:39:15 If I
00:39:15 --> 00:39:16 were to
00:39:16 --> 00:39:16 say to
00:39:16 --> 00:39:16 you,
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 news has
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 come to
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 me that
00:39:20 --> 00:39:22 there is a
00:39:22 --> 00:39:22 bomb in
00:39:22 --> 00:39:22 the building.
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 It's an
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 important piece
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 of news.
00:39:28 --> 00:39:28 And there
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 are two
00:39:29 --> 00:39:29 choices that
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 you have.
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 You can
00:39:31 --> 00:39:31 either heed
00:39:31 --> 00:39:32 that news
00:39:32 --> 00:39:33 and start
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 running,
00:39:34 --> 00:39:34 or you can
00:39:34 --> 00:39:35 ignore that
00:39:35 --> 00:39:35 news.
00:39:36 --> 00:39:36 Here's an
00:39:36 --> 00:39:37 impending
00:39:37 --> 00:39:37 danger.
00:39:38 --> 00:39:38 If you
00:39:38 --> 00:39:39 listen to
00:39:39 --> 00:39:40 the warning,
00:39:40 --> 00:39:41 you will
00:39:41 --> 00:39:42 be blessed
00:39:42 --> 00:39:43 because you
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 will escape
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 the explosion
00:39:45 --> 00:39:46 and live.
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 Here's a
00:39:48 --> 00:39:50 picture of
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 the future
00:39:51 --> 00:39:52 kingdom that
00:39:52 --> 00:39:52 is coming.
00:39:53 --> 00:39:53 And there
00:39:53 --> 00:39:54 are two
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 responses to
00:39:54 --> 00:39:55 it.
00:39:55 --> 00:39:55 You can
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 either believe
00:39:56 --> 00:39:57 that word of
00:39:57 --> 00:39:58 the warning
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 and flee the
00:39:59 --> 00:40:00 coming wrath
00:40:00 --> 00:40:02 and hold on
00:40:02 --> 00:40:02 to Jesus
00:40:02 --> 00:40:03 for salvation,
00:40:04 --> 00:40:04 or you can
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 ignore it.
00:40:05 --> 00:40:06 And if you
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 heed that
00:40:06 --> 00:40:07 word, you
00:40:07 --> 00:40:08 will be
00:40:08 --> 00:40:08 blessed.
00:40:09 --> 00:40:10 Now is
00:40:10 --> 00:40:10 the time
00:40:10 --> 00:40:11 for blessing.
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 blessing means
00:40:12 --> 00:40:13 heeding that
00:40:13 --> 00:40:14 word, believing
00:40:14 --> 00:40:16 what the
00:40:16 --> 00:40:17 gospel says.
00:40:19 --> 00:40:19 The second
00:40:19 --> 00:40:20 thing now I
00:40:20 --> 00:40:20 want to
00:40:20 --> 00:40:21 mention is
00:40:21 --> 00:40:22 that Jesus
00:40:22 --> 00:40:23 is Lord.
00:40:24 --> 00:40:25 This book,
00:40:26 --> 00:40:28 along with
00:40:28 --> 00:40:29 the rest of
00:40:29 --> 00:40:29 the Bible,
00:40:30 --> 00:40:30 have been
00:40:30 --> 00:40:31 written to
00:40:31 --> 00:40:31 the people
00:40:31 --> 00:40:32 of God.
00:40:33 --> 00:40:33 And one
00:40:33 --> 00:40:33 of the
00:40:33 --> 00:40:34 things that
00:40:34 --> 00:40:34 you will
00:40:34 --> 00:40:35 see in
00:40:35 --> 00:40:35 the history
00:40:35 --> 00:40:35 of the
00:40:35 --> 00:40:36 people of
00:40:36 --> 00:40:37 God is
00:40:37 --> 00:40:37 that
00:40:37 --> 00:40:38 consistently
00:40:38 --> 00:40:39 they are
00:40:39 --> 00:40:40 losers.
00:40:41 --> 00:40:42 If you're
00:40:42 --> 00:40:42 not a
00:40:42 --> 00:40:43 Christian,
00:40:44 --> 00:40:45 truth in
00:40:45 --> 00:40:46 advertising,
00:40:46 --> 00:40:47 you become
00:40:47 --> 00:40:48 a Christian,
00:40:48 --> 00:40:48 you'll be
00:40:48 --> 00:40:48 a loser.
00:40:50 --> 00:40:51 Consistently,
00:40:51 --> 00:40:52 they look
00:40:52 --> 00:40:52 like they're
00:40:52 --> 00:40:53 defeated.
00:40:54 --> 00:40:54 The world
00:40:54 --> 00:40:55 is just
00:40:55 --> 00:40:55 too strong.
00:40:56 --> 00:40:56 The enemies
00:40:56 --> 00:40:57 of God
00:40:57 --> 00:40:57 are just
00:40:57 --> 00:40:58 too clever
00:40:58 --> 00:40:59 for us.
00:40:59 --> 00:41:00 And we
00:41:00 --> 00:41:01 get smashed
00:41:01 --> 00:41:02 every time.
00:41:04 --> 00:41:04 And if
00:41:04 --> 00:41:04 you're a
00:41:04 --> 00:41:05 Christian,
00:41:05 --> 00:41:05 I wonder
00:41:05 --> 00:41:06 whether you
00:41:06 --> 00:41:06 feel that
00:41:06 --> 00:41:07 all the
00:41:07 --> 00:41:07 time.
00:41:08 --> 00:41:08 You sort
00:41:08 --> 00:41:08 of win a
00:41:08 --> 00:41:09 battle,
00:41:09 --> 00:41:10 but you
00:41:10 --> 00:41:10 feel like
00:41:10 --> 00:41:11 you're
00:41:11 --> 00:41:11 losing
00:41:11 --> 00:41:12 the
00:41:12 --> 00:41:12 war all
00:41:12 --> 00:41:12 the
00:41:12 --> 00:41:13 time.
00:41:13 --> 00:41:13 What this
00:41:13 --> 00:41:14 picture of
00:41:14 --> 00:41:15 the future
00:41:15 --> 00:41:15 kingdom shows
00:41:15 --> 00:41:16 us is that
00:41:16 --> 00:41:17 although we
00:41:17 --> 00:41:18 live like
00:41:18 --> 00:41:19 people who
00:41:19 --> 00:41:20 seem defeated,
00:41:21 --> 00:41:22 if Jesus
00:41:22 --> 00:41:23 is Lord,
00:41:24 --> 00:41:24 as he's
00:41:24 --> 00:41:25 demonstrated at
00:41:25 --> 00:41:26 the resurrection,
00:41:27 --> 00:41:27 then the
00:41:27 --> 00:41:28 future belongs
00:41:28 --> 00:41:29 to him,
00:41:31 --> 00:41:32 despite of
00:41:32 --> 00:41:33 all that is
00:41:33 --> 00:41:33 apparent to
00:41:33 --> 00:41:34 us.
00:41:34 --> 00:41:35 And if the
00:41:35 --> 00:41:36 future belongs
00:41:36 --> 00:41:36 to him,
00:41:37 --> 00:41:38 it belongs to
00:41:38 --> 00:41:38 those of
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 us who
00:41:39 --> 00:41:40 belong to
00:41:40 --> 00:41:40 him.
00:41:41 --> 00:41:41 You
00:41:41 --> 00:41:42 remember what
00:41:42 --> 00:41:42 Jesus says
00:41:42 --> 00:41:43 in Matthew
00:41:43 --> 00:41:44 on the
00:41:44 --> 00:41:45 Sermon on
00:41:45 --> 00:41:45 Mount,
00:41:45 --> 00:41:45 blessed are
00:41:45 --> 00:41:46 the poor.
00:41:47 --> 00:41:47 The world
00:41:47 --> 00:41:48 does not
00:41:48 --> 00:41:48 look like
00:41:48 --> 00:41:49 they belong
00:41:49 --> 00:41:49 to the
00:41:49 --> 00:41:49 poor.
00:41:50 --> 00:41:50 The world
00:41:50 --> 00:41:51 belongs to
00:41:51 --> 00:41:52 the rich,
00:41:52 --> 00:41:52 the powerful,
00:41:53 --> 00:41:53 the clever,
00:41:53 --> 00:41:54 the articulate.
00:41:56 --> 00:41:56 But the
00:41:56 --> 00:41:57 Bible shows
00:41:57 --> 00:41:59 us clearly
00:41:59 --> 00:41:59 that if
00:41:59 --> 00:42:00 Jesus is
00:42:00 --> 00:42:01 Lord,
00:42:01 --> 00:42:02 it belongs
00:42:02 --> 00:42:02 to those
00:42:02 --> 00:42:03 who belong
00:42:03 --> 00:42:04 to him.
00:42:04 --> 00:42:05 Even
00:42:05 --> 00:42:05 though at
00:42:05 --> 00:42:06 this time
00:42:06 --> 00:42:06 we look
00:42:06 --> 00:42:07 like the
00:42:07 --> 00:42:07 poor,
00:42:07 --> 00:42:07 people,
00:42:07 --> 00:42:08 we look
00:42:08 --> 00:42:08 like people
00:42:08 --> 00:42:09 who are
00:42:09 --> 00:42:09 grieving.
00:42:10 --> 00:42:11 For in
00:42:11 --> 00:42:12 reality we
00:42:12 --> 00:42:13 are kings
00:42:13 --> 00:42:14 and priests.
00:42:16 --> 00:42:17 The third
00:42:17 --> 00:42:18 point I will
00:42:18 --> 00:42:19 make in
00:42:19 --> 00:42:19 terms of the
00:42:19 --> 00:42:20 implication for
00:42:20 --> 00:42:21 us is now
00:42:21 --> 00:42:22 and not yet.
00:42:22 --> 00:42:23 We still
00:42:23 --> 00:42:24 experience a
00:42:24 --> 00:42:25 world of
00:42:25 --> 00:42:25 pain and
00:42:25 --> 00:42:26 suffering.
00:42:26 --> 00:42:27 We still
00:42:27 --> 00:42:28 experience
00:42:28 --> 00:42:29 sin.
00:42:30 --> 00:42:30 In
00:42:30 --> 00:42:31 Revelation
00:42:31 --> 00:42:32 21,
00:42:32 --> 00:42:32 22,
00:42:33 --> 00:42:33 it says
00:42:33 --> 00:42:33 that the
00:42:33 --> 00:42:34 future
00:42:34 --> 00:42:34 kingdom of
00:42:34 --> 00:42:34 God
00:42:34 --> 00:42:35 belongs to
00:42:35 --> 00:42:36 those who
00:42:36 --> 00:42:36 are pure.
00:42:37 --> 00:42:38 And for
00:42:38 --> 00:42:39 those of
00:42:39 --> 00:42:39 us on
00:42:39 --> 00:42:41 this side
00:42:41 --> 00:42:41 of heaven,
00:42:42 --> 00:42:42 we yearn
00:42:42 --> 00:42:42 to be
00:42:42 --> 00:42:43 pure.
00:42:43 --> 00:42:44 None of
00:42:44 --> 00:42:44 us are
00:42:44 --> 00:42:45 pure.
00:42:45 --> 00:42:46 When I
00:42:46 --> 00:42:46 look at
00:42:46 --> 00:42:46 myself,
00:42:46 --> 00:42:47 when I
00:42:47 --> 00:42:47 look at
00:42:47 --> 00:42:47 you,
00:42:48 --> 00:42:48 I don't
00:42:48 --> 00:42:49 see people
00:42:49 --> 00:42:49 who are
00:42:49 --> 00:42:50 pure.
00:42:51 --> 00:42:51 I
00:42:51 --> 00:42:52 experience
00:42:52 --> 00:42:52 my own
00:42:52 --> 00:42:53 sin.
00:42:54 --> 00:42:55 But the
00:42:55 --> 00:42:56 reality of
00:42:56 --> 00:42:56 who we
00:42:56 --> 00:42:57 are will
00:42:57 --> 00:42:58 become
00:42:58 --> 00:42:58 apparent
00:42:58 --> 00:42:59 at that
00:42:59 --> 00:43:00 time.
00:43:01 --> 00:43:02 Now is
00:43:02 --> 00:43:02 the time
00:43:02 --> 00:43:03 of
00:43:03 --> 00:43:05 now and
00:43:05 --> 00:43:05 not yet.
00:43:06 --> 00:43:06 When
00:43:06 --> 00:43:07 Jesus
00:43:07 --> 00:43:07 return,
00:43:08 --> 00:43:08 you and
00:43:08 --> 00:43:09 I will
00:43:09 --> 00:43:09 be
00:43:09 --> 00:43:09 transformed
00:43:09 --> 00:43:10 into
00:43:10 --> 00:43:11 his
00:43:11 --> 00:43:11 likeness.
00:43:12 --> 00:43:13 And at
00:43:13 --> 00:43:13 that time,
00:43:14 --> 00:43:14 we will
00:43:14 --> 00:43:14 be
00:43:14 --> 00:43:14 welcomed
00:43:14 --> 00:43:15 into the
00:43:15 --> 00:43:16 city because
00:43:16 --> 00:43:16 we have
00:43:16 --> 00:43:16 been
00:43:16 --> 00:43:18 purified by
00:43:18 --> 00:43:19 the blood
00:43:19 --> 00:43:19 of Jesus.
00:43:21 --> 00:43:21 In the
00:43:21 --> 00:43:22 meantime,
00:43:22 --> 00:43:23 we've grown
00:43:23 --> 00:43:23 along with
00:43:23 --> 00:43:24 the rest
00:43:24 --> 00:43:24 of creation
00:43:24 --> 00:43:25 for the
00:43:25 --> 00:43:25 coming
00:43:25 --> 00:43:26 kingdom.
00:43:28 --> 00:43:28 Lastly,
00:43:29 --> 00:43:30 where is
00:43:30 --> 00:43:31 the kingdom
00:43:31 --> 00:43:31 to be
00:43:31 --> 00:43:31 seen
00:43:31 --> 00:43:32 now?
00:43:32 --> 00:43:33 Where is
00:43:33 --> 00:43:33 the kingdom
00:43:33 --> 00:43:34 visible?
00:43:35 --> 00:43:35 If it is
00:43:35 --> 00:43:36 veiled,
00:43:36 --> 00:43:37 where can
00:43:37 --> 00:43:38 we see
00:43:38 --> 00:43:38 the kingdom?
00:43:38 --> 00:43:39 I want
00:43:39 --> 00:43:39 to suggest
00:43:39 --> 00:43:41 that in
00:43:41 --> 00:43:42 the kingdom,
00:43:42 --> 00:43:43 what will
00:43:43 --> 00:43:43 be the
00:43:43 --> 00:43:44 people doing?
00:43:45 --> 00:43:45 So what
00:43:45 --> 00:43:46 will we
00:43:46 --> 00:43:46 be doing?
00:43:47 --> 00:43:47 We'll be
00:43:47 --> 00:43:48 worshipping
00:43:48 --> 00:43:48 God.
00:43:49 --> 00:43:49 We'll be
00:43:49 --> 00:43:49 serving
00:43:49 --> 00:43:50 him.
00:43:51 --> 00:43:51 We'll be
00:43:51 --> 00:43:52 ruling
00:43:52 --> 00:43:53 with God.
00:43:54 --> 00:43:54 And that
00:43:54 --> 00:43:55 is exactly
00:43:55 --> 00:43:55 where we
00:43:55 --> 00:43:56 see the
00:43:56 --> 00:43:56 kingdom of
00:43:56 --> 00:43:57 God at
00:43:57 --> 00:43:58 work at
00:43:58 --> 00:43:58 this point
00:43:58 --> 00:43:59 in time.
00:43:59 --> 00:44:00 We see
00:44:00 --> 00:44:01 the kingdom
00:44:01 --> 00:44:01 most
00:44:01 --> 00:44:02 visible when
00:44:02 --> 00:44:03 the people
00:44:03 --> 00:44:03 of God
00:44:03 --> 00:44:04 are worshipping
00:44:04 --> 00:44:05 God,
00:44:05 --> 00:44:06 serving him.
00:44:06 --> 00:44:06 And that
00:44:06 --> 00:44:07 is what we
00:44:07 --> 00:44:07 have come
00:44:07 --> 00:44:08 together to
00:44:08 --> 00:44:08 do,
00:44:09 --> 00:44:09 is it not?
00:44:10 --> 00:44:11 We have
00:44:11 --> 00:44:11 come together
00:44:11 --> 00:44:12 in the name
00:44:12 --> 00:44:13 of Christ
00:44:13 --> 00:44:14 to sing
00:44:14 --> 00:44:15 praises to
00:44:15 --> 00:44:16 God and
00:44:16 --> 00:44:16 to love
00:44:16 --> 00:44:17 one another.
00:44:18 --> 00:44:20 This is
00:44:20 --> 00:44:20 the reality
00:44:20 --> 00:44:21 of the
00:44:21 --> 00:44:21 kingdom
00:44:21 --> 00:44:22 now.
00:44:25 --> 00:44:26 Ruling
00:44:26 --> 00:44:27 the world,
00:44:27 --> 00:44:28 the kingdom
00:44:28 --> 00:44:28 of God,
00:44:29 --> 00:44:30 isn't talking
00:44:30 --> 00:44:31 about being
00:44:31 --> 00:44:31 in charge.
00:44:32 --> 00:44:32 We might
00:44:32 --> 00:44:32 not have
00:44:32 --> 00:44:33 any political
00:44:33 --> 00:44:34 power,
00:44:34 --> 00:44:34 but that's
00:44:34 --> 00:44:35 irrelevant.
00:44:36 --> 00:44:36 We
00:44:36 --> 00:44:37 participate
00:44:37 --> 00:44:38 in the
00:44:38 --> 00:44:39 rule of
00:44:39 --> 00:44:40 King Jesus
00:44:40 --> 00:44:41 by worshipping
00:44:41 --> 00:44:41 him,
00:44:42 --> 00:44:44 by proclaiming
00:44:44 --> 00:44:45 his kingship,
00:44:46 --> 00:44:47 by deferring
00:44:47 --> 00:44:48 our needs
00:44:48 --> 00:44:49 for the sake
00:44:49 --> 00:44:49 of others
00:44:49 --> 00:44:50 so that they
00:44:50 --> 00:44:51 might know
00:44:51 --> 00:44:51 Christ.
00:44:52 --> 00:44:52 When we
00:44:52 --> 00:44:53 do that,
00:44:53 --> 00:44:54 we experience
00:44:54 --> 00:44:55 the kingdom.
00:44:55 --> 00:44:55 When we
00:44:55 --> 00:44:56 do that,
00:44:56 --> 00:44:57 the kingdom
00:44:57 --> 00:44:58 becomes
00:44:58 --> 00:44:59 visible.
00:45:02 --> 00:45:03 The story
00:45:03 --> 00:45:04 of the
00:45:04 --> 00:45:04 Bible
00:45:04 --> 00:45:05 is the
00:45:05 --> 00:45:05 story of
00:45:05 --> 00:45:06 the kingdom.
00:45:07 --> 00:45:07 It is
00:45:07 --> 00:45:08 more than
00:45:08 --> 00:45:08 just a
00:45:08 --> 00:45:08 bunch of
00:45:08 --> 00:45:09 good ideas.
00:45:10 --> 00:45:10 It is
00:45:10 --> 00:45:11 more than
00:45:11 --> 00:45:12 just history,
00:45:12 --> 00:45:13 although it
00:45:13 --> 00:45:13 did happen.
00:45:15 --> 00:45:15 It is
00:45:15 --> 00:45:16 history
00:45:16 --> 00:45:17 with a
00:45:17 --> 00:45:17 trajectory,
00:45:18 --> 00:45:18 with a
00:45:18 --> 00:45:19 pathway
00:45:19 --> 00:45:20 towards the
00:45:20 --> 00:45:20 future.
00:45:21 --> 00:45:21 It is a
00:45:21 --> 00:45:22 certain
00:45:22 --> 00:45:22 thing.
00:45:23 --> 00:45:23 Jesus
00:45:23 --> 00:45:24 is the
00:45:24 --> 00:45:25 Lord.
00:45:26 --> 00:45:26 He is
00:45:26 --> 00:45:27 Lord now.
00:45:28 --> 00:45:29 He will
00:45:29 --> 00:45:29 come again
00:45:29 --> 00:45:30 and the
00:45:30 --> 00:45:31 kingdom will
00:45:31 --> 00:45:31 be visible
00:45:31 --> 00:45:32 at that
00:45:32 --> 00:45:33 time.
00:45:34 --> 00:45:35 In the
00:45:35 --> 00:45:35 meantime,
00:45:35 --> 00:45:36 he is
00:45:36 --> 00:45:36 still
00:45:36 --> 00:45:37 Lord.
00:45:37 --> 00:45:38 We are
00:45:38 --> 00:45:38 to proclaim
00:45:38 --> 00:45:39 him as
00:45:39 --> 00:45:39 Lord.
00:45:40 --> 00:45:40 We are
00:45:40 --> 00:45:41 to live
00:45:41 --> 00:45:42 as people
00:45:42 --> 00:45:42 of the
00:45:42 --> 00:45:42 kingdom
00:45:42 --> 00:45:43 with him
00:45:43 --> 00:45:45 as the
00:45:45 --> 00:45:45 Lord.
00:45:47 --> 00:45:48 Let me
00:45:48 --> 00:45:48 encourage you
00:45:48 --> 00:45:49 with those
00:45:49 --> 00:45:49 words.
00:45:50 --> 00:45:50 Will you
00:45:50 --> 00:45:50 join me
00:45:50 --> 00:45:50 in prayer?
00:45:52 --> 00:45:52 Gracious
00:45:52 --> 00:45:52 Lord,
00:45:52 --> 00:45:53 Heavenly
00:45:53 --> 00:45:53 Father,
00:45:53 --> 00:45:53 thank you
00:45:53 --> 00:45:54 that Jesus
00:45:54 --> 00:45:55 is the
00:45:55 --> 00:45:55 Lord of
00:45:55 --> 00:45:56 the
00:45:56 --> 00:45:56 world.
00:45:57 --> 00:45:57 Thank you
00:45:57 --> 00:45:57 that you
00:45:57 --> 00:45:58 have given
00:45:58 --> 00:45:59 us a
00:45:59 --> 00:46:00 hope,
00:46:00 --> 00:46:01 a word
00:46:01 --> 00:46:01 of what
00:46:01 --> 00:46:02 the future
00:46:02 --> 00:46:03 holds and
00:46:03 --> 00:46:03 what reality
00:46:03 --> 00:46:05 is now.
00:46:05 --> 00:46:06 We pray,
00:46:06 --> 00:46:06 Father,
00:46:06 --> 00:46:07 that we
00:46:07 --> 00:46:07 might live
00:46:07 --> 00:46:08 in light
00:46:08 --> 00:46:09 of that
00:46:09 --> 00:46:09 hope,
00:46:11 --> 00:46:12 seeing all
00:46:12 --> 00:46:13 of our
00:46:13 --> 00:46:14 life in
00:46:14 --> 00:46:15 the context
00:46:15 --> 00:46:15 of that
00:46:15 --> 00:46:16 coming
00:46:16 --> 00:46:16 kingdom,
00:46:17 --> 00:46:17 the
00:46:17 --> 00:46:18 priorities,
00:46:19 --> 00:46:19 the meaning,
00:46:20 --> 00:46:20 the
00:46:20 --> 00:46:20 relationships.
00:46:21 --> 00:46:21 We pray,
00:46:22 --> 00:46:22 Father,
00:46:22 --> 00:46:22 that in our
00:46:22 --> 00:46:23 priorities,
00:46:23 --> 00:46:23 in our
00:46:23 --> 00:46:24 lives,
00:46:24 --> 00:46:24 in our
00:46:24 --> 00:46:25 proclamation,
00:46:26 --> 00:46:26 in our
00:46:26 --> 00:46:26 worship,
00:46:27 --> 00:46:28 that the
00:46:28 --> 00:46:28 world and
00:46:28 --> 00:46:29 us might
00:46:29 --> 00:46:30 see clearly
00:46:30 --> 00:46:30 that Jesus
00:46:30 --> 00:46:31 is Lord
00:46:31 --> 00:46:32 and in
00:46:32 --> 00:46:33 doing so,
00:46:33 --> 00:46:34 all glory
00:46:34 --> 00:46:35 might go to
00:46:35 --> 00:46:35 him.
00:46:36 --> 00:46:36 And we
00:46:36 --> 00:46:37 pray this
00:46:37 --> 00:46:37 for his
00:46:37 --> 00:46:38 sake.
00:46:38 --> 00:46:38 And we
00:46:38 --> 00:46:38 pray along
00:46:38 --> 00:46:39 with John,
00:46:40 --> 00:46:40 come Lord
00:46:40 --> 00:46:41 Jesus,
00:46:41 --> 00:46:41 come.
00:46:41 --> 00:46:42 Amen.