1-17-14.  Revelation 21:1-8. THE NEW JERUSALEM-my devotional

Revelation 21:1-8                                                                                         Fri, Jan 17, 2014

Key verse 21: 6,7                                                                                          Kevin E. Jesmer

“6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

    Dear Lord Heavenly Father, thank you filling our hearts with hope and vision that America can be a light to the world and a city on the hill. Thank you for opening our eyes to the fact that, though we may not be able to go out to other nations to be missionaries, you Lord, are bringing the nations right to our doorsteps. Thank you for the Network of Nations at NIU, that our church is hosting tonight. There will be so many people from other nations there. Help us to reveal the love of Jesus. Help us to enter into friendships. May these relationships point all of us to Christ. May the environment at the International café be friendly, open and non threatening to people of other faiths. Be with us as we serve and talk and eat a meal together and have fellowship. I pray in Jesus’ name. Please help me to accept your word in my heart. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: The New Jerusalem (1-7).

Verses 1-7, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (ESV)

As heaven and earth disappear, the old order of the cursed world filled with suffering, toil, and sorrow will pass away. The New Jerusalem coming down from heaven will be the home of righteousness. It is a pure place of beauty and happiness. In Paradise, we will drink freely from the streams of eternal life. God will dwell with us, and we will be his sons and daughters. God himself will wipe away all our tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or pain! Everything will be made new! Those who believe in Him will be new. God’s promises are true!

How can we be so confident in this hope of God? How can we be so sure? Look at verses 5-6b, “And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end….” We can be so sure because of the nature of our God, because of his character. Jesus is doing it. His word is trustworthy and true. It is as good as done! Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. We can never make this happen on our own.

People have tried to make utopia on earth and have failed. There was communism, socialism, and capitalism. America is forming into an agnostic, capitalist, materialist country. People think that this will bring about some kind of utopia. But despite our best efforts, mankind has failed to make a utopia on earth. Have we increased peoples’ happiness coefficient? Have we made people live significantly longer? Have we given people peace and security? Is the world any less polluted? Are there less wars? Is there less poverty? No. Despite our money and technology are we much better off than the people in the past? A few of us may be. But for the majority…no.

Does that mean that we give up on our idea of a utopia? No. There is heaven. There is God’s paradise. It is the New Jerusalem. Look at verses 1-4 again, ““Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Heaven is a very real place. It is the eternal dwelling place that our hearts long for. It is the place where God dwells and where he wants us to dwell him.

My longing for heaven grows and grows as I get older. I am 49. How many years do I have left? Only God knows? I could make a guess based on the longevity of my ancestors. But no matter how many more years I have left, I know that even if I was given a mansion or a palace to live in, it would be so fleeting the time I have left. I would rather have a tiny home and a nice garden to enjoy for my remaining years surrounded by family, friends and associates in work and ministry. Give me a dog and some walking trails and I will be very happy. But I know that I can not enjoy this world too much longer. My body won’t allow it. I know that my real dwelling place is heaven. I am going there sooner than I think. The older I get greater is my longing for it. God’s Spirit lets me know that there awaits a heavenly dwelling when my work on earth is done. I thank God for that.

With this hope in our hearts, we can overcome any hardship in this life. It is by having a living hope in God’s kingdom in our hearts! I wonder how anyone keeps on in a fallen world, where most things seem to be working against us. I think that many people are waiting for the end living with broken dreams. But those who have a living hope in the kingdom of God have a treasure. They can cope with so many hardships. They can overcome adverse situations. They can have power and strength to embrace all they need to embrace in this life.

Part 2: The Second Death (8).

Verse 8, “8 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 with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

On the other hand, those who are cowardly and unbelieving, who persist in their sinful desires and practices, will be cast into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The list of people is pretty inclusive of most people. We would all agree that murderers should go there, but do we agree with all the types of people that the Bible says will go? The first on the list to go to hell will be the cowardly. Though they knew the truth, they were afraid of living according to the truth. The shrink back when faced with suffering or sacrifice. There are the faithless. There are the liars. What about the sorcerers? Some may say. “Are they not just practitioners of another religion? What is wrong with that?” Concerning the sexually immoral, people today may not even know what that means, for we are living in a culture where anything goes and people are desensitized. The point I am making is that most people will not agree with God’s judgment. That means that they don’t agree with God.

I thank God for saving me from my sins. I fit so many of these categories. I definitely would never make it into the heaven that my heart longs for. But it was because Jesus forgave me completely. He saved me from my sins. His holy blood shed for me made it possible for me to know that I am a forgiven child of God and by God’s grace alone I could have a living hope in the Kingdom of God. Praise the Lord for this. Anyone can be set free from a condemned state to be in a forgiven state. Any person can go from a hopeless condition to be in a hopeful condition; from a lifeless condition to a have a heart full of life. It can happen through repenting of our sins and accepting the fact that Jesus died and rose again and through this Gospel you are saved.

Prayer, “Lord, thank you for giving me eternal life and a living hope in your kingdom!”

One Word: Hold onto the living hope of the kingdom of God