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May 18, 2003 |
"Heavenly Joy" Series |
Pastor Brian Shimer
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"Our Heavenly Joys"
Revelation 21-22
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"Heaven is a wonderful place.
Filled with glory and grace.
I wanna see my Savior's face.
Heaven is a wonderful place,
I wanna go there."
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| I. |
I wanna go there. What a statement. Many want to go to heaven, just because
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the alternative is not just hot but dreadful. To be excluded from God's presence is to be excluded from all that is life. To dwell in isolation is hideous. And the second death is something to avoid. But when they talk about heaven they are not really excited for it. They imagine that it will be boring: singing all the time, some kind of country western ballad, and falling before the throne.
After two weeks if you have had that opinion perhaps it has been adjusted. But perhaps not. I can assure you: Heaven will not be boring.
One man whose contagious enthusiasm for heaven was a delight was Jimmie Gibson, whom God used to call me into the ordained ministry. When Jimmie spoke about heaven it was on tiptoe. His face glowed. He eyes were lit with delight. He was so thrilled at the prospect to go to that great place.
Everything that delights blesses deepens you is there. Everything that earth just cannot quite satisfy will be there fully satisfied. CS Lewis wrote of such a wonder in his great book Mere Christianity, saying:
"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.
"If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same." (p 119, '56 Fontana Press, ubp)
Today as we close off this short 3 week study of heaven, I hope that your interest is aroused in this place. Perhaps you will want to spend more time reading the hundreds of Bible passages that speak about it. I hope that you will find in yourself a desire for something more. That you with CS Lewis will be: "Pressing on to that other country and helping others do the same."
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Heaven is certainly another country.
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A. In the first five verses of chapter 21 John gives us a summary of everything he will expand upon in the last chapters.
First, that he saw the New heaven and the New earth, which God created to replace the old. He only notes one specific in this general statement: 'THERE IS NO MORE SEA.'
Second, John notes that he saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."
This is that city we looked briefly at last week, and we will fill in the details today.
Then, John hears "a voice from the throne" listing all that is ended in this new order.
B. Before we look at all the details given, as best we can in the brief time we have, let us look at v 5. What does verse 5 say?
First, God says: 'I am making everything new.' That's good.
Then, "write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Let's say that together: "These words are trustworthy and true."
Too many times people are ready to dismiss as untrue things which are beyond their comprehension. They imagine that nothing could be as large say as this city described here, and reject everything here as allegorical, mythical, and therefore unreal. However, What does God say? I think we can trust God in this, friends. I believe we are given "human measurements" because God is communicating something exact to us. So, remember as we discuss heaven today: "These words are trustworthy and true" and enjoy this journey into this land!
C. Now what did John see? John saw the new heavens and the new earth...
Did you know the old heaven and earth will be rolled up like a used garment and tossed into the corner? God plans to make everything new.
D. What do we notice in John's description?
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That this new place is somehow like the old place:
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it has the same name. Often Scripture talks about the things in heaven being on earth as the "type" or "echo" of the real thing.
So John's one omission may imply that everything beautiful that we encounter around us will be there just bigger and better.
We see this in the mountain John is taking to, as a viewpoint to watch the HOLY CITY, 1500 miles high!, come from God, and a mountain of amazing dimension. Think of the vistas from those mountains? Think of the hikes, picnics, and times together!
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John say's there will be no more sea, so of all that will be in heaven,
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| only the sea will not be.
This does not mean all that we love about the sea will not exist in heaven.
I dearly love the ocean:
The vastness of the ocean inspires me.
The sound of the ocean ministers to my spirit.
The freshness of the air at the ocean delights me.
I believe that what ministers to my spirit with the sound and beauty of the sea will be in heaven-- I don't know about you, but I can stand and just look out at the vastness of the ocean. I believe what is awakened in my heart in such a look will be satisfied in heaven by the vastness of God and the worship around the throne of God.
On earth the sea is a division between us and other peoples. By this observation, John is saying there will be no racial divisions in heaven between people.
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There will be Rivers and Springs in heaven!
| | "I will give him drink from the spring of the water of life," God says in v 6. And in chapter 22 we read of the river of life flowing from the throne. In chapter 7 there a spring of water was mentioned. No seas but lots of flowing water. With rivers and springs there is vegetation -- the tree of life grows on each side of the river in the middle of the city. This tree in Eden grew also in the middle of many other trees, perhaps there are trees in heaven. What a tree: 12 crops of fruit one for every season, with leaves that will be for the healing of the nations. IS there food in heaven? With 12 crops of fruit from this one tree-- Grace you will be extremely happy -- what of other foods? These are not fake foods either, but real, true foods. No contamination! We are to be eating at a wedding feast with Jesus, what shall we eat? What fellowship will there be around that heaven. Family ministries will be busy there planning potlucks.
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So, there are 12 months in heaven, with 12 crops of fruit? Is there weather?
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Or just months? And if months what about time?
Does this mean heaven is time-full not timeless? Is there time only of a different kind? John wrote in Rev 8 that there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Even the presence of music in heaven implies some sort of time duration, since meter, tempo and rests, which are intrinsic to music, are all time related.
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Travel will happen in heaven -- notice John travels by being carried away in the Spirit
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| in this book more than once. People will travel from all the nations on the earth to Jerusalem. It says in Rev 21:24 that the "nations will walk in the light of the Lord shining from Jerusalem and kings will come to the holy city to bring their splendor into it."
How will people travel? We won't have wings, not even all angels have wings, but who needs wings to fly? Perhaps we will "travel" with a means we cannot explain. We might well travel by the speed of thought!
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There'll be Light! No more night. Even sleep will not be necessary in heaven. |
| And the light will not be bothersome, old, or dull. But penetrating, beautiful, wonderful. God is the light, Jesus the lamp. Light will be a part of our lives -- there will be no shadow. No temple for God is the temple of this city!
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III. |
Then John also sees the Holy City coming down from heaven dressed as
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a bride for her husband. And beginning in verse 9 the city is described.
A. Grasp the dimensions of this city. It is a cube. The only other construction made as a perfect cube was the holy of holies in the tabernacle. And there the presence of God dwelled. So, this city is the dwelling place of God base alone is 2,000,000 square miles!
Its base on the current earth would stretch from the West Coast to the Mississippi and from Canada to Mexico! And then 1500 miles into the air! By our current measurement 780,000 stories high! The Twin Towers were only 110 stories.
B. Its wall is 216 feet thick! The wall was made of jasper -- a precious stone with a beautiful green hue. This is the emerald city!
The city itself is made of pure gold, pure as glass. What brilliance!
C. It has 12 gates-- each of a single pearl which are never shut
and 12 foundations decorated with precious stones giving off these colors: Green, blue, greenish hues, fiery red and white, golden yellow, aqua green, greenish yellow, golden green, violet and purple!
"This is the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God"
D. This city is the wife of the lamb -- this is a picture of us the bride. We will somehow be that city, whatever that means. We will be placed as "living stones" into this great place. No down payment, closing costs, mortgage payments, property tax, utility bills. "And if you think you'd never like the city, it's because you're thinking of earthly cities, with litter and dirt and crime. The heavenly city will have all the freshness and vitality and openness of the country with all the vibrancy and interdependence and relationships of a city. And there will be." (Quote from Randy Alcorn, author of Deadline from online article)
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With the old earth gone so is the "old order of things" so John heard a voice from the
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throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men and he will live with them."
God dwelling eternally with us! In our midst. If we are this great city, somehow, He is the light of our lives.
This description continues: They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. What a personal description! In Genesis God breathed into the man the breath of life, here, after earthly life has ceased he personally wipes our tears. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…"
Heaven will bring great relief to the suffering, the hungry, the hurting. No crying, no pain, no sorrow, no more death. No hospitals, cemeteries. No sin.
Like I mentioned last week, In heaven there will be No evil. No fear. No abuse, rape, murder, drugs, drunkenness, no bombs or guns. Walk streets anytime. No night. No miscommunication or fear of misunderstanding. And total intimacy with Christ. We are told that he will give each of us a new name. A personal name that will mean much to us and to him.
What a place of renewal! And with all the things of the old order wiped away, look at what that leaves: love and joy. "In His presence is fullness of joy" the Psalmist wrote. There in heaven we will have joy as we worship: enjoying God's presence.
We will have joy as we serve God -- creatively using all the resources given us. What a privilege and joy it will be to meet and talk with all those fellow servants ahead of us: Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Jesus, and others.
And we will have joy as we reign with God, again and again God tells us his intent! Reign with him, Shout hallelujah! and Watch day by day the unfolding of God's great redemption plan upon the earth. Enjoying God .
God says: It is done. So, let's get excited already at all that awaits us and live each moment here to the full, that we may be all that God desires of us!
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