New Heaven and New Earth, Part 1

We're going to talk about the eternal st. We 're going to talk to you tonight about heaven. We have spent a number of weeks talking about hell as we completed Revelation chapter 20. But as we dive into Revelation 21 and 22, we're going to talk about heaven. We're going to set our affections on things above, not on things bel. And to be honest with you, it's going to be very difficult for me to give you an adequate explanation. Of your eternal home, although the Bible speaks of heaven over 500 times, and specifically in the book of Revelation, it's mentioned over 50 times.

It's still hard to explain. Something that is impossible to comprehend this side of eternity. But John saw something in Revelation chapter 21. He put it in writing so we could read about it. And somehow begin to get a glimpse of our eternal state. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 12, verse number 4, that the things that he saw. Were unable to be explained in normal terms. Well, he was caught up to the third heaven.

The place where God ab. He was unable to put into normal everyday words that. Which he saw. But let me read to you just a few short verses here in Revelation 21, just in case we don't get into the text this evening.

We can at least say we read the text this evening. Revelation 21, verse number 1: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he shall dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God him shall be among them. And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall no longer be any death. There shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away.

And he who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And he said, Write. For these words, Are faithful and true. What we're going to talk about this evening is true. What we're going to talk about this evening is what we as believers anticipate, what we are looking forward to. Think of it this way. Imagine in your mind that your pastor was a billionaire. I had all the money at my disposal. And I decided one day to build every one of you a wonderful home. A beautiful home. And when it was all completed, I came to you and said, This home that I have built for you is something that I can't really explain to you in normal everyday language.

It's beyond anything you can comprehend. Think of the biggest and the brightest and the best thing you've ever seen, and it's far beyond that. I want you to come and I want to show you your home. Would you come? Sure, you would. It's free. I'm giving it to you. Isn't it ironic that when you tell people you're going to talk about heaven that they all don't want to show? As if something else is more important to them than their eternal home. Maybe it's their earthly home. So they stayed home tonight to clean it.

Maybe they've stored up treasures on earth so much that what they want to do is keep building up treasures on earth instead of looking toward building treasures in heaven where their eternal home is. God says, I want to show you.

I want to give you a glimpse of the home that I am preparing for you. Come. and see. I want to cover several things with you, but first of all, tonight I want to cover the pers on heaven.

The perspective on heaven. Number one, it's anticipated by the saints of old. As you read through the Bible, the saints of old. Longed for and look forward to the opportunity to go to heaven. They were people who were loosely tied to this earth. Listen to Hebrews chapter 11, verse number 13. All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance. and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a c for them. There was something that those in the hall of faith looked forward to. It was their eternal home, something that God had promised. A lot of churches today deal with topical issues, relationships, forgiveness, money, marriage.

Friendship, d, a lot of topical things. Very few of them cover anything at all about heaven. And yet, Paul would say these words in Colossians chapter 3: If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is. Seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ and God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in gl.

Until we learn. To live our spiritual life in the heavenlies, we will never really truly impact this earth with the truth of God. The spiritual life is a heavenly life, a life that's focused above. Think back with me to September 11th when the tragedy took place in New York and Washington, D. C. How did that affect your life? Whether your affections were set above or set below would determine how that ev affects your life. The writers of the New Testament want us focused above, look heavenward. Looking to God, looking to that place we will one day occupy.

Those who live with this heavenly perspective really truly discover the abundant life that God intended to give them while they were on earth. Ironically, you'll find that those who set their affections bel live a very uncomfortable, uneasy, anxious life. Those who set their affections above live the opposite way. Amid the tragedy that's happened in our country. It's hard to give comfort to those who do not know the God of comfort. In fact, I guess I really could say that if you don't know the God of comfort, You'll never find comfort in the midst of the tragedy in New York and Washington.

If you know the God of comfort, then you'll receive comfort. You know, nobody, I guess nobody really wants to die. That's not the question. The question is, are you ready to die? Isn't that the question? I mean, we're not looking to go out and get shot by somebody or somebody to blow our house up or get in a car accident and die. I mean, no one's anticipating that or looking forward to that. Oh, good good, I'm going get shot today and go home to be with the Lord. No one's really saying that. The question is: are you ready to go home?

If a tragedy happens in your life and God takes your life, are you ready to meet Him in gl? I trust that you are. If not, hopefully tonight's message will encourage you to say, yes, that's where I want to be. So, as a way of perspective on heaven, it was something that was anticipated by the saints of old. I wonder what you're anticipating. What are you looking forward to the most? What excites you the most? Is it heaven? Is it the return of Christ? Is it the glory of Almighty God? What is it? The second thing I want you to see is that heaven is articulated in the scriptures in such a way it gives us a unique picture of where we're going.

Let me say it to you this way. Heaven is a particular place. Heaven is a partic place. Over in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Paul says this in verse number one: Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago, whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows, such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

Where is the third heaven? The third heaven is the abode of God. The first heaven is. The atmosphere. The first heaven is where we live.

It consists of the air that we breathe. It consists of the clouds, the rain, the snow, those things. That's the first heaven.

The second heaven is the planetary heaven. The star, the sun, the moon, the celestial bodies. We can't live there because we can't breathe there. But that is the second heaven.

It's filled with stars. It's the galaxy that goes on for millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of miles. Long way. That's the second heaven.

And the Bible says that the first and the second heaven are going to be destroyed. And God's going to create a new heaven and a new earth. But there's a third heaven.

The third heaven is beyond the universe. As we know it, the third heaven is the abode of God. We know that no place can contain God. In fact, Solomon would say in 1 Kings:, the heavens can't contain thee, much less this house that I have built. Solomon knew that God could not be contained in the heavens. He could not be contained in the universe. Isaiah 57, verse number 15, says it this way. For thus says the high and exalted one, who lives forever, whose name is holy, I dwell on a high and holy place.

Isaiah 63, verse number 15, says it this way: Look down from heaven and see from thy holy and glorious Habitation. So, some place in the third heaven, wherever that is, beyond the present galaxies, beyond the present universe, is the abode of God.

To say that God dwells there does not mean that God is cont there. The Bible is clear. When God examines his creatures, Psalm 53, verse number 2, it says he looks down. When man sees God, Psalm 121, he looks up. In Revelation 4. John was invited to come up. In Revelation 2, 10, the New Jerusalem, the eternal home of the saints, came down out of heaven. God is called the God of heaven. Revelation 11:1, Revelation:, He's called the God of heaven. There is a place Where God dwells. But that does not mean because he dwells there, he's not everywhere else because God is omnipresent.

God is everywhere. All the time. There's never a place he is not. But the Bible helps understand that there is a partic place where God Himself Dwells. But the second thing I want you to see is not only is it a particular place, but it is a promised place.

It's a promised place. Remember when Christ is on the cross, he said to the thief, Today you shall be with me where? In paradise. He made a promise to the thief on the cross over in Ephesians chapter 1. It says this, Ephesians 1, verse number 13. These words: In him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having also believed you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who was given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of His gl.

When you were saved, God gave you His Spirit. It was almost like as if He gave you a down payment. You're going to receive an inheritance. That her is in the heavenlies. But to make sure you get it, God gives you his spirit. And that spirit is the down payment that guarantees. Future home. Peter would say over in 1 Peter 1, verse number 4, that there is a place reserved in heaven for you. Isn't that good? Your reservation in heaven can never be canceled. It can never be postponed. There's a reservation made in heaven for you because God has called you to be one.

Of his own. So it's a particular place. It is a promised place. It is a prepared place. It's a prepared place. Remember John 14? The disciples were all discouraged. This is so good. Why? You ever been discouraged? You ever been fearful? Imagine being one of the disciples the night before Christ was crucified. What must have been going through their minds? I mean, this can't be happening to us. This can't be happening to Christ. He's God. He's the Messiah. And yet, Christ knew that their hearts were troubled.

And Christ said, What? Let not your heart be troubled. Oh, but Lord, it is. But don't let it be troubled. But Lord, it is troubled. But don't let it be troubled. You believe in God? Believe also in me. Okay, we believe in you, but my heart's still troubled. Ah! But in my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. And I go and prepare a place for you. Oh, that's so good. What is Christ telling us? The answer to your troubles is in heaven. The answer to your fears is in glory.

Because that's where Christ is. And that's where you're going. So, what are you worried about? How come you're all anxious about your next paycheck? How come you're all troubled about what's going to happen tomorrow? You have no guarantee you can live tomorrow. Isn't it amazing how much we worry about tomorrow? We worry about next week, we worry about next year's vacation, we worry about next month's rent, we worry about all these different things, and we have no guarantee of the next minute. But we want to worry about where we're going to go to eat after the service this evening.

And whether or not my wife will like that place I take her after the service this evening. And I'm all worried about that. You have no guarantee you're going to make it to that place. Why do we worry so much? Like a bunch of worry warts, man, just you know, always worrying about the next day and stuff. And Christ gave us the perfect antidote. I'm going to prepare a place for you. It's a prepared place. It's a special place. It's a particular place, a promised place, a prepared place. You know what?

It's a peaceful place. It's a peaceful place. The God of peace, who gave us the Prince of Peace. Gives us the place of peace. Heaven, it is a place. A very particular place. It's a promised place, a prepared place, a peaceful place. It is the per place. The perfect place. Over in 2 Peter chapter 3, Peter is talking about the day of the Lord when this Heavens shall pass away with a roar, or the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. He says, Because that's going to happen, what kind of people ought you to be in holy conduct and goddess And then in verse 12, he says, This.

look for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to his promise, we are looking for new heavens. And a new earth in which righteousness dwells. It's the perfect place. There is no sin, there is no corruption, it's all righteousness. Because the God who is righteous is enthroned there. Sixth, it's a permanent place. It's forever. Over in Revelation 2, it says this. We'll pick it up in verse number three.

And there shall no longer be any curse in the throne of God, and the Lamb shall be in it, and his bonds shall serve him, and they shall see his face. And his name shall be on their foreheads, and there shall no longer be any night, and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them, and they shall reign for how long? Forever and ever. It is a permanent place. Hebrews 13, verse number 14 says it this way. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

Here, the city is temporary. That should be very evident in our minds as a result of what happened to the Twin Towers. Number seven, it is a praising place. It's a praising place. What are we going to do in heaven? We're going to praise the Lord. Revelation 4 through 5 is nothing but praise to God. Number 8, it is a precious. Place. It is a precious place. In reality, everything that is precious to us is in heaven. Our Father's there, Matthew 6:9. We pray this way: Our Father, who art in heaven, our Father, who is the source of everything, is in heaven.

It's precious because our Savior is there. Hebrews 9:2. Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God. For us. Also, it's precious because our brothers and sisters are there in Christ. Hebrews 12:2, to the gener assembly and to the church of the first who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all.

And the spirits of righteous men made perfect. Why is it precious to us? Because our names are written there. Luke 10:2, Christ tells his disciples who are casting out demons, Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. Isn 't that great? He says, Listen, I don't care what kind of ministry you have, and I don't care how great people think your ministry is. That is nothing to rejoice over. If you want to rejoice over something, don't rejoice over the fact that demons have been cast out, but rejoice over this: that your name is written in heaven.

That tells you how far it is between what happens on earth and what is in heaven. A lot of us go through life thinking, you know, our ministry is pretty good. God's answering prayer, great things are happening, and we're rejoicing. And God says, don't rejoice over that.

Rejoice over this: that your name's in heaven. That's the great thing, because that's where I am. That's where you're going to be. That's the eternal state. Again, he says, keep focusing your attention above. He says, listen, when there is adversity, John 14, in my father's house are many mansions. And I go and prepare a place for you. Therefore, be comforted. When there's prosperity, he says, Don't rejoice in that either. Rejoice in the fact that your names are written above. What's God telling you?

Nothing down here makes any difference. It's all up there. Keep looking above. Keep focusing on God. Set your affections on things above, not on things. Below. Is heaven precious to you? Listen, if you're laying your treasures up on earth, If you're always watching the stock market, every day the paper comes out, how far down is it going now? You're not laying up your treasures in heaven. And you're going to be worried about what's going to happen next. Where's all my money going to go? You don't, listen, if money was meant to be held on to, God would have put handles on it.

Think about it that way. All right? And lastly but not least, heaven is a privileged place. Not everybody goes to heaven. How do I know that? Well, listen to this. In Revelation chapter 3. Verse number 12: He overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will not go out from it anymore. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, and my God, and my new name. Wow. I trust that you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

So if you were to die tonight, You would awake fully satisfied in the arms of Jesus. Let's pray.