New Heaven and New Earth, Part 3

It was Augustine who said, Thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until we learn to rest in thee. That's a summation of Ecclesiastes 3:11. God made you for him. And unless you know him, there is no peace. There is no rest. There is a continual dissatisfaction with life. Oh, there will be a temporary satisfaction because You'll have this little thing that feel a void here, and this little thing that feels a void here, but it never lasts because it's only temporary. Only God last.

Unless you know God, you're empty. Absolutely empty. In Revelation 21, we've looked at the perspective of the new heaven and the new earth. We've looked at the preparation of the new heaven and the new earth. By having the old rem and the new revealed. Tonight, we're going to look. At the third point, they're outlining the purpose of the new heaven and the new earth.

Why is God going to give us a brand new heaven and a brand new earth? Why is God going to do this? Why does he go to all this trouble to do this? Why is it that God just can't take the old earth and kind of give it a new makeover? Why is it He's got to give us a brand new heaven and earth? Tonight, hopefully, I can answer that question for you. Number one, because there needs to be a manifestation of God's presence.

A manifestation of God's presence. The Bible says in verse number 3, 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. The greatest thing about heaven is God. It 's not where it is, it's who's there. It's God Himself. And in the new heaven and in the new earth, there is a complete manifestation of God Himself. And God is going to dwell among his people. He's going to tabernacle among his people. The Bible says over in verse number 22, and I saw no temple in.

The New Jerusalem, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. There's no place you go to look at a symbol that's going to help you understand more about God.

No, the Lamb and God Himself. On that simple. Why? Because he now tabernacles among his people. God Himself. This is the fulfillment of John 17, verse number 24. When Christ prayed these words, Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me. Be with me where I am, in order that they may behold my glory, which Thou hast given me, for Thou didst love me before the foundation of the world. Isn't that great? God desires us to be with Him. Had a chance to do a young lady's funeral in our church on Monday.

And one of the points that I gave is about death and how God perceives the death of his saints. One is, he delights in the death of his saints. Number two, he desires the death of his saints.

People think, what does that mean? You know, God desires you to be home with Him. Isn't that a great thing? God wants you with Him. So when you die and go home to be with the Lord, God says, You're dying because I want you now with me.

I want you with me. And Christ's prayer was that very thing. Lord, I desire that they be with me where I am. Can you imagine the God of the universe, the perfect spotless Lamb of God, des you to be with him? Listen, I don't even want to invite some of you over to my house. You know, they won't be in eternity with you forever, but God wants you with him forever. That's an amazing thing. I have a hard time getting over that one. Why would God want to spend time talking to me? I got nothing to say, but that's how my God is.

He desires me. To be with him. He wants me to be able to see him as he's never been seen before. That's a great thing, a fabulous thing. And not only that, not only will you witness him clearly. Not only will you worship him completely, but you will work for him constantly. You'll work for him constantly. Over in Revelation chapter 7, it says this. In verse number 15, for this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in His temple day and night. There's a service that takes place day and night.

There's a constant service. You say, What is that service going to be? I don't know. I can't tell you because the Bible doesn't tell us. We do know that there's going to be some kind of service in heaven. But what that entails, I don't have the foggi idea. I 'll just wait to find out when I get there. But I know what the Bible says.

That somehow I will be serving my God. Listen, what's the purpose of the new heaven and new earth? The complete manifestation of his presence. That you see him for who he is, as he is, because he is going to have a relationship with you that far surpasses anything you could ever imagine. Number two, the reason there's a new heaven and a new earth is because there's going to be an elimination of all your past.

A complete elimination of all your past. How do we know that? Revelation 21, it tells us: 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. There is going to be an elimination of your past. It's all going to be passed away. No more crying. No more mourning, no more death, no more tears. The only way John can describe it is in the negative. He can't really describe to you the positive of what heaven is like because you wouldn't be able to grasp it. But he can tell you what's not there. Because what you're doing now is not going to be there. There's going to be a complete elimination of your past, there's going be a removal of all trials.

There's going to be drying of all t. It's interesting. God's going to wipe away every single tear. Every tear of misfortune, every tear of poverty, loneliness, lost love, sympathy, mercy, penitence, remorse, disappointment. Neglect, tears of yearning for what cannot be, tears of unfulfilled dreams, whatever tears you can imagine, guess what? There are no more tears. This does not mean that when you get to heaven, you're going to get there crying, and then God has to wipe them off of you. That's not what it means.

Okay? Because there are no tears in heaven. You're not going to say, oh, what am I doing here? Oh, come over here, Lord. He's going to wipe away your tears. That's not going to happen. No. Some people say, well, you know, you're going to be up there, and, you know, there's going to be the. The wood, hay, and stubble of your works that are going to be burned up, and that's going to cause you to cry, and God's going to wipe away those tears. No, that's not the way it going to be either. Why? Because the Bible says in the book of 1 Corinthians that God is going to praise you when you get there.

Isn't that great? God is going to praise you. What this means is that there is not going to be anything s in heaven. There 's not going be any tears in heaven. The Bible says there's no more tears and there's no more crying.

That's interesting. Why? Because the Greek makes a distinction. The tears come because of the silent sorrow, the crying comes because of the loud outburst, the vocal sorrow. There'll be neither of that. There'll be no mourning. You're not going to have a bad attitude in heaven. You're not going be gloomy in heaven. You're not going be down in the mouth in heaven. You're not going be depressed in heaven. I know for some of you, I mean, you live to be depressed, and so it's going be a really rude awakening for you when you get there.

But the bottom line is, when you get there, man, it's going to be one incredible place. And John says, no mourning, no crying, no tears, no death. This is an exciting place. This is where you want to be. This is where you want to go. I mean, my goal is that when you leave here, you literally, I can't wait to go to heaven. I can't wait to get there. That's the way we all need to be. Sin-free bodies no longer subject to turmoil, pain, discomfort of any kind. Absolute physical perfection. What a place to be.

An el of your entire past. Why? Because it's a manifestation of His presence. And in the presence of God, there is no sadness. In the presence of God, there is no sorrow. In the presence of God, there is nothing but utter blissfulness. At thy right hand are pleasures forever. There is fullness of joy. Third, there is the completion of all things.

The completion of all things. It says in verse number five, and he who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. They said, Write, for these things are faithful and true. And he said to me, It is done. I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He says, Listen, I'm going to make all things new. Listen, John, write this down. These are faithful and true words. These words will last because these words are my words. And people need to know that everything is going to be done.

He said something similar to that on the cross when he said it is finished. The work of redemption was finished when Jesus Christ Himself died at Calvary and rose again the third day.

He came to do something very specific. To die for the sins of the world. And when he humbled that cross and knew that it was time for him to give up the spirit, he said, It's finished. My father's work has been accomplished. It's over. But now in Revelation 2, he says, now it's done. What is done? The completion of everything. Exactly as I've always purposed it to be. The perfect place for perfect people because they serve a perfect and wonderful God. And then I want you to notice something.

The invitation from the Alpha and Omega. What's the purpose of the new heaven and the new earth? This is so good. So, God would give you one more invitation to join him. Listen to what he says. He says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirst from the spring of water of life without cost. So good. Why? Because the God of the world, the God of the universe, doesn't want anybody to miss this. He wants you to be a part of what he is about. He wants you to be with him.

So he gives an invitation and he says these words: I will give to the one who thirsts for the spring of the water of life without cost. If you are thirsty, you come to me. Now, let me take you back to the book of Ecclesiastes, where we began.

God has set eternity in the hearts of man, and man is born thirsty. Man is born with a hunger. Why? Because God has put it there. And man goes every way he possibly can to somehow feel that hunger, to satisfy that thirst, to fill that void in his life. But he can't do it without God. So God comes back and says, Are you thirsty? I want to satisfy your life. I want to do that. And you do it without cost. There's no price tag on this. I want you to come and receive from me. It says over in Isaiah 55, verse number 1, a similar kind of invitation: Ho, everyone who thirst, come to the waters.

And you who have no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without costs. Why do you spend money for what is not bread? And your wages for what does not, there's the word again, satisfy. Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Isaiah said the same thing. Why is it you keep going after the things that don't satisfy? Why they keep buying more clothes and buying bigger houses and getting new marriages and having more children to somehow satisfy a longing that you can't satisfy outside of God Himself?

Go to him if you're thirsty. He will satisfy your longings. Because that's the way our God is. Over in Revelation 22, verse number 17, and the spirit and the bride say, Come, and let the one who hears say, Come, and let the one who's thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without. Cost. It's the water of life. It's the water that's life-giving. It's eternal life. It's God's life. Point number four, the last two verses seven and eight, the possession. Who actually can possess the new heaven and the new earth?

The Bible is very clear. And I want to let you look at the inheritance of those who are included, and then I want you to be able to look with me at what I've called.

The identification of those who are excluded from heaven. Do you know you can tell who's going to go to heaven or who's not going to go to heaven? Because the Bible tells you. So let's look at the inheritance of those who are included.

Verse number 7: He who overcomes shall inherit these things. What things? Well, everything he just said. The manifestation of God's presence, the elimination of all things that are in your past, and the completion of all things for the future. All those things are going to be yours. The heavenly city that comes out of the new heaven and the new earth, that's going to be yours. God Himself is going to be yours. All these things are yours. If you are an overcomer, he who overcomes Shall inherit these things.

Who is the overcomer? Key word. 1 John 5 tells us: He that overcomet the world is he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. You see, somebody who's an overcomer just doesn't overcome a bad habit. Okay? Just doesn't overcome a few little sins in his life. He who was an overcomer overcomes the world, overcomes sin, overcomes death, overcomes Satan. He's an overcomer. He's the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. The inheritance of those who are included. Is anything on everything you can ever imagine, plus more.

And then he gives the identification of those who are excluded. Listen to what he says. But for the cowardly and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars. Their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Wow. That first word is interesting. Heaven is not for cowards. Isn't that great? You know, he's just gone through the whole book of Revelation here, and he's gone through the tribulation. And one thing about the believers in the tribulation: they are not what? Cowards. They lose their heads for Christ, man. They stand strong for God. They're willing to die for God. They're not cowards. That's very important. Why? Because cowards are people who lack endurance. People who fall away from the faith when challenged or opposed.

True believers don't do that, do they? True believers always stand firm, always stand strong. Why? Because they're called overcomers. They're the victorious ones. They're the strong ones. They're the ones who stand above all other people. And if there's ever a time to back away from the world, if there's ever a time to run scared, it's during the tribulation. I mean, there's no persecution today. I mean, it's not a big deal standing for God today. I mean, anybody can stand for God today. I mean, for crying out loud, I mean, there's no persecution out there.

The way to the tribulation. To stand yes, I'm not going to take the mark of the beast because I love Jesus. There goes your head. You're a dead man. But those people will die praising Jesus. Heaven's not for cowards, God says.

And when God indwells a man, when God indwells a woman, He gives them His power, therefore they can't be cowards. God says, no cowards in my place.

Remember Christ said in Matthew? If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my Father. But if you do not confess me before men, I will not confess you before my Father. See, the mark of a believer is that he doesn't shy away from making a true confession about who Christ is and that he's a believer in Christ. The right of Hebrews to find in this way: those who shrink back to destruction. It was Paul who said this in Colossians, I think, is so unique. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death.

In order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach, this is what God has done in your life. You were once a stranger from him, you were once alienated from him, you were once an enemy. From him, but what did he do? He reconciled you to himself, he brought you to himself so that one day he will present you holy and blameless before him. Listen to what it says. If indeed you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel.

That you have heard. If indeed you stand strong If indeed you don't back away, if indeed you continue in the faith. Listen, the mark of the believer in the Bible, the number one mark.

Is that the true believer will always persevere. Always. It is etched through every book of the New Testament. That belie will never reneg unto faith. That believer will never walk away from his God. Will he sin? Yes. Will there be times he should have said something he didn't? Yes. But when push comes a shove, the book of Revelation is the benchmark of people who say, I will stand for my God. You can kill me. You can slaughter me, you can torture me, but my God reigns supreme, and I stand with him.

And God says, In heaven, those are my people. They're called the over. But those who don't make it, they're the cowards. He defines them as people who are unbelieving, abominable, a word that means vile or detestable. Murderers, immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, liars. These people who lie constantly. Why? Because they align themselves with the father of lies, who is what? Satan him. Revel 22:1. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

But outside, outside that city, are the dogs. and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying a similar kind of list These are the people who habitually live in this kind of lifestyle. They're the ones outside the kingdom. All these people who practice these things give evidence of the fact that they don't know God at all. And that's why Paul would say in Colossians. That or First Corinthians that some of you were this.

You happen to be immoral people, homosexual, effeminate, idolaters, but what? You were washed. But you were justified. But you were sanctified. You used to be that way. Not anymore. Why? Because of what Jesus did in your life. The p of salvation really is a miracle. It 's the greatest miracle known in this world. Is the salvation of someone enslaved to Satan, reconciled to God. Through his son's work on the cross. That's a great, great miracle. Let me ask you a question: Are you included or are you excluded?

Are you going to receive the inheritance because you are an overcomer? You're the one who really believes that Jesus is the Son of God? And a way to give your life for Him, to live for Him. You are not a coward. You're going to stand strong for your God. You are not an unbeliever. You are not an immoral person. You are not an idolater. You are not a liar. You are a lover of God and want to serve Him with all your heart. I trust that you're one who is included in the kingdom of God. If you're not, you can be.

You can't be tonight. That I would encourage you not to leave without ever making that decision that says, Yes, Lord, I want to be counted among those few who are faithful. I want to be an overcomer. I want to be able to eat of the hidden manna, eat of the tree of life, have a white stone that has my name on it. I want to be a part of your kingdom. I want to sit on your throne with you. That's where I want to be. You can, if you give life to Christ. Let's pray. Father, thank you for tonight. What a joy it is to know that your word explicitly speaks to us about our eternal destiny.

And, Father, as we talk about the new heaven and the new earth and the manifestation of the great presence of Almighty God, I pray that our hearts would be stirred and challenged. That Lord, we will look forward to that day with great enthusiasm, belie that what you said is so true and that we will see you face to face. And behold your glory. Wow. What a great, great day that will be. May we look forward with great anticipation, Lord. Never shrinking back, but pressing on. Continuing on in the faith, Lord, because why?

We're overcomers. That's why. We overcome all those things that try to take us down. Not because we're great. But because of you, because of Jesus Christ our Lord, who ind our lives and empowers us to live for the glory and honor of God. We pray these things in Jesus' wonderful name. Amen.