Revelation 21:22-27 Heaven

Revelation 21:22-27              Heaven                                                            WC McCarter

 

Introduction

 

Heaven is a subject that everyone likes to talk about, but what and where it is no one really has a clue. If we broaden the subject to the after-life, it gets even more confusing. Let me give you some examples:

 

            Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) teach that people exist in heaven as spirit children of God and are sent to earth in human form. According to Mormons, most people will end up in one of three heavens with only the best joining God in the highest heaven. They go even farther to teach that a Mormon man who is lives well enough in this life actually becomes a god in the next life and rules over his own world.

 

            Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that only 144,000 “anointed” believers will go to heaven as spirit beings of the same nature as angels. Most of the rest of humanity will live on earth during a millennium and if they prove themselves worthy, they will be made perfect to live on an earth of paradise forever.

 

            Buddhism teaches that there are several heavens and, depending on how much good karma you have gained, you will be reborn into another one. The only way to escape the cycle of reincarnation is to reach Nirvana, which is not heaven, but is the ultimate state of enlightenment.

 

            Islam teaches that heaven is attained by religious performance; your good must outweigh your bad. It is a place where every wish is fulfilled and, for the best men, there are several virgins awaiting them.

 

            There are also the science religions. The founder of Christian Science described heaven this way: “Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul. Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind in which all the manifestations of Mind are harmonious and immortal.”

 

            A new thing that has emerged in recent years is the trend of people recounting their so-called visits to heaven. You have probably heard, even children are encouraged to describe visions of heaven so that the things can be written down and published in a book.

 

Is your mind spinning yet? Everyone has their own idea of heaven. Every religious cult has their own doctrine of the after life. Even evangelical, Bible-believing Christians have decided for themselves what heaven is or is not. Theologians write chapter upon chapter about hell, but only a few paragraphs on heaven! Let me tell you, the Lord Jesus talked about both places. The Bible has things to teach us about both. We need to consider what God wants us to know about heaven. We could spend several weeks on the subject, but I simply want to encourage you from a few verses in Revelation 21 this morning.

 

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Chapter 21 of Revelation is a marvelous chapter. It begins with John saying that he saw a new heaven and a new earth. He saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven. What a magnificent thing to see. How difficult would it be to describe this vision to someone?!

 

God and the Lamb are Temple and Light (22-23)

 

John did not see a Temple (sanctuary). Heaven does not need a Temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. And, may I add, all the residents of that city are priests in that holy sanctuary. Since heaven is referred to as a temple we can assume that it is a place filled with worship of the One who has welcomed us into His marvelous light. Notice a few more things in these verses. First, titles are heaped up for God here as He is called Lord God Almighty. These have been used individually for Him, but now they all come together to make a majestic name. Second, God the Father and God the Son are both spoken of separately in the passage and yet they are made to be equal: “Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” They are two distinct persons, but they are so unified in essence that they are referred to as the single temple. Third, the Lord Jesus is consistently referred to as the Lamb in the book of Revelation. I counted somewhere around thirty times He is called the Lamb. Why is He most often called the Lamb in the vision of heaven? His sacrificial work on the cross to redeem people from all over the planet throughout history will mark our existence in the age to come. Therefore, He is often referred to as the Lamb who was slain.

 

John did not see the sun and moon shining. Heaven does not need a sun because the glory of God illuminates it, and the Lamb is its light. Isn’t it amazing to imagine that there is no night in heaven? Darkness and night have constantly referred to sinful ways in the Bible. Thievery most often happens at night. The passages about sexual immorality are usually at night. Judas Iscariot left the Upper Room to betray our Lord when it was night. Verse 25 tells us explicitly, “There shall be no night there.” Yet, the most amazing thing to consider is that the very glory of God is what illuminates that city for eternity. There is no end to the light of the Lamb. The glory of God has always been shown to be His presence. Consider the Exodus accounts when God would come down in the glory cloud. It was His presence among the people. Let’s do some logical reasoning: if God’s glory refers to His presence and His glory illuminates the whole city, then that must mean that His presence reaches to every corner of the New Jerusalem. He will constantly be present among His people forever. Notice how the Lamb is again put on the same level with God. God illuminates the city/the Lamb is its lamp.

 

The Nations and the Kings of the Earth (24-26)

 

The nations and the kings of the earth refer to the universal nature of Christ’s redeeming work and heaven. People from all over this planet are being saved by grace through faith in Christ. The Great Commission that the Lord gave His disciples just before He ascended back to heaven was to go and make disciples of all the nations. If we are obedient to His command, we will reach all people groups with the Gospel and those who are saved from the nations will be in heaven. Kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into that city and lay it at the feet of the One who is worthy to receive glory and honor and power and riches and wisdom and strength and blessing, who is King of kings and Lord of lords! Everyone will pay homage to the King.

 

Earthly cities would shut their gates at night to protect themselves. The heavenly city does not shut its doors because there is no night!

 

Lamb’s Book of Life (27)

 

Nothing impure will be in that place.

 

Notice that the Book of Life is the Lamb’s Book of Life. Everyone who goes into that city is welcomed in because of what Christ has done. For your name to be written in that book means that you belong to the Lamb. The only way to participate in the wonderful things of that city is to accept in this age that Jesus is Lord and Savior.

 

Conclusion and Christian Application

 

In this passage we have gotten a glimpse into the heavenly city. It is one that comes down out of heaven and is filled with the glory of God. There are many things in this age that will not be in the next such as a temple, darkness, and impurities. The gates will not be closed, but that city will be wide open and bright for eternity.

 

Jesus told Nicodemus how to enter that city in John 3. You must be born again by the water and the Spirit. You must be born from above. Peter told the crowd on Pentecost in Acts 2 that they must repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

The only question is, do you want to enter that city? You must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, receive the blessings of His atoning work, and endure until the end. He will say to you, “Come in my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

2 Chronicles 7:12-16 Pray and Seek My Face

2 Chronicles 7:12-16              Pray and Seek My Face                                 WC McCarter

 

Introduction

 

Chapter 13 of The Story is all about David’s successor, his son Solomon who was born of Bathsheba. The son of the greatest king of Israel’s history started out with a bang, but he did not finish well. As we saw in our class this morning, He did not endure until the end. He did not continue in the faith as his father had. David’s life could be said to be a rags-to-riches story. On the other hand, Solomon’s could be said to be a riches-to-rags story. Solomon was the king who had it all, and it wasn’t enough to satisfy him.

 

The Lord notably appeared to Solomon on two occasions. You remember the first time the Lord met him (2 Chron 1:3-12). It was in Gibeon toward the beginning of his time as king. The Lord came to Solomon at night and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” Solomon, of course, asked for wisdom and knowledge in order to lead the people of Israel. The Lord was pleased and gave him that request. He also made him the world’s most wealthy and reputable man.

 

The second time the Lord appeared to Solomon was also at night after the temple had been built and dedicated (2 Chron 7:12-22). That appearance is our main text this morning. In this appearance, the Lord confirms His favor of the temple, responds to a previous prayer of Solomon in behalf of the people, and warns Solomon of the consequences of forsaking Him.

 

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Chosen This Place (12-13)

 

The Lord had publicly confirmed that He had chosen the temple as His holy place when, at the dedication ceremony, He sent down fire from heaven to consume the burnt offering and the sacrifices that had been placed on the altar. He also made His glory to fill the temple. What a marvelous sight it would have been. The people were forced, by the sheer wonder of it all, to bow their faces to the pavement, worship and praise the Lord, and say, “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever.”

 

Now the Lord privately confirms His favor of the temple structure to Solomon, the king. He had met Solomon on another night many years before, and now He comes to David’s heir again.

 

The reference to “the heavens being shut up” echoes back to what Solomon had said in his prayer of dedication (2 Chron 6:26-27). Solomon asked that the Lord be merciful and forgiving of the people when they sinned against God. He asked God to teach them the right way to live. Here, the Lord promises to do exactly what Solomon requested. God is merciful!

 

Repentance and Forgiveness (14-15)

 

Here are the stipulations for a nation to receive God’s blessing. We know the Scripture says in Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” but what happens to the nation who forsakes the Lord? A nation who has forsaken the Lord must repent. That’s plain and simple in theory, but not in reality. People’s hearts are bent on evil, all the time. People love the darkness more than the light, and the Lord turns them over to their vile passions.

 

There is no help when there is no repentance. The Lord promises to look mercifully upon those who humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways; then and only then will the Lord respond. A broken and contrite heart will not be despised by God. Yet, a proud, arrogant, puffed up, and self-reliant heart will never receive mercy from God. And, trust me, He knows what’s in our hearts. He can see to the depths of us. Those things that we have hidden far away from the eyes and ears of others, God searches and finds those things. Our hearts condemn us, and only God is greater than our hearts. Only He can overcome our stubbornness and sinfulness. America will never be what it once was as long as it continues down the self-righteous path that it is on. The same is true for individuals who are lost and hopeless.

 

Forever and Always (16)

 

“God’s great name” refers to His presence in that place in the glory-cloud. Do you remember the Lord descending and appearing before the people to meet with Moses? He came in a cloud. He had made His presence in the glory-cloud to come and fill the newly constructed temple. His “name” means His “person.” He personally visited and promised to be ever-present in that temple constructed by human hands. Wow! Yet, that temple was only a shadow of things to come. The people, including King Solomon, would soon turn from God to wicked ways; the monarchy would soon be split in two; the northern tribes would soon be wiped away; and the south would soon be taken into exile while the temple would be left in a state of rubble.

 

Yet, the Lord said that His name would be there forever, right? He said, “My eyes and my heart will always be there.” What of that promise? The promise came with stipulations. The Lord would prefer for the temple to lie in ruins than for the people to drag His name through the mud. That temple was only a shadow of things to come. God now dwells among His people as we form a spiritual temple. One day He will dwell with us directly and permanently, face-to-face.

 

Conclusion and Christian Application

 

(1) The Lord has now chosen us as His spiritual temple. He dwells among us and will do so forever. His eyes and ears are constantly attentive to what we do among ourselves, our times of worship and our prayer.

 

(2) Along with that idea, the Lord no longer requires that we worship and pray in a certain place. He is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Lord is now bound to a temple or a land or a certain people group.

 

(3) This was followed by a promise that God would uproot Israel from the land and allow the temple to be torn down to rubble if they forsook His word and went after other gods to worship them. The Lord is a loving and compassionate God, but He is also a righteous God who will not and cannot permit our sinful lifestyles forever.

 

(4) Prayer helps us to maintain our relationship with God. It helps us to stay connected and renewed as we continue our pilgrimage through life.

 

(5) If a nation who has lost the favor of God is going to be restored, its people must humble themselves, pray, seek God, and turn from their wicked ways. If you want America restored, then it starts with you.

Psalm 51:1-12 Overcoming Sin and Sorrow

Psalm 51:1-12             Overcoming Sin and Sorrow                         WC McCarter

 

Introduction

 

Chapter 12 of The Story puts sin and sorrow on full display for all to see. Much of this David brought upon himself, but there were also sorrows that came from outside threats that were not directly connected to the king’s sin. The chapter opened with the account of David’s sin with Bathsheba.

 

This was a righteous and godly man, David, who had it all. He was now the most famous man in all of Israel, the most powerful, and the wealthiest. Yet, on one particular day, all that God had given David was not enough. You see, when you start to become unsatisfied in what God has given you, you are greatly vulnerable to temptation. You know the story, but let me jog your memory. During the spring of the year, when kings go off to battle, Israel’s king was at home in his royal palace. With that nugget of information we can already see that something is suspect. David woke up from a nap one day and went out on the roof of his palace to overlook all that he had built and accomplished. He could see a woman bathing, and he did not turn his eyes away from her. Instead, in his lust, he calls for her to be brought to him, even after he had been told that she was married. He coveted his neighbor’s wife. It appears that he slept with her that very day and she conceived. That sin (and let me say that the people of God are to be sexually pure; apparently Christians have forgotten that) of adultery led to the sin of David causing another person to become drunk, and it also led to the sin of murder as David called for Uriah to be killed in battle. Can we also add that David sinned by lying for his cover-up story? Lust, covetousness, adultery, drunkenness, dishonesty, and murder are all wrapped up in this one event found in chapter 12 of The Story. David was the instigator of all this sin, and there were consequences. The child conceived in adultery died seven days later. David’s family began to fall apart: his son, Absalom, started a rebellion against David and his daughter, Tamar, was raped by her half-brother. David was not allowed to build the Temple either, which was one of his life’s dreams. David brought it all upon himself. We bring challenging times upon ourselves so often as well. Have you sinned in such a distinct and destructive way? Maybe you have, but maybe not. Have you sinned and brought trying times upon yourself and your family? I am sure that you have. I know that I have. How do you overcome your own sin?

 

Part of the crumble of David’s family was seen in the rebellion of his son, Absalom. Surely Absalom and others sensed weakness in David as he mourned over his own sin and the death of the baby conceived with Bathsheba, but there is no direct link between David’s sin and Absalom’s rebellion. So, let us consider the sorrow caused by the rebellion to be outside of David’s control. In other words, David did not directly bring that sorrow upon himself. Absalom began to politically sway the people of Israel away from his father, David, and to himself. He persuaded the people for about four years. He set himself up as king in the city of Hebron and continued to gain an increasing number of followers. David got word of this threat and fled. Absalom even slept with David’s concubines as an act of betrayal. Finally, David’s men crushed the rebellion and Absalom was killed in battle. When David got the news, this is what we are told: “The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: ‘O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!’” At times sorrow comes upon us by no consequence of our own.

 

The question that I would like for us to begin to answer from Psalm 51 today is, how do you overcome sin and sorrow? To be more elaborate, how do you overcome your own sin, and also, how do you overcome the sorrow that comes upon you simply by virtue of living in this fallen, rebellious world? There are things we bring upon ourselves and there are things that come upon us by no seeming fault of our own. Let’s look at Psalm 51:1-12 found on pages 163-164 for some answers.

 

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Psalm 51 was written by David when the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. David’s world had started to come crashing in on him. How would he respond when confronted by his own sin? Would he answer like the first king, Saul, with excuses and lies? Or would he seek restoration with the Lord? In his act of confession and repentance, the Holy Spirit uniquely used him to pen for us the means of overcoming sin and sorrow. I will give you three components that will enable you to overcome: utter dependence, total surrender, and complete confidence.

 

Utter Dependence (1-2)

 

We can say first that whether you overcome or not depends upon your relationship with God. Do you belong to Him? Do you trust Him to take care of you? David begins his prayer with an appeal to the mercy of God. He showed utter dependence upon the God of his salvation. He did not deserve God’s forgiveness. Only God can blot out transgressions, wash away all iniquity, and cleanse a person from their sin. Only God. David tried to fix his problems on his own, didn’t he? How did that work out? The situation got worse and worse. David utterly depends on God to restore their relationship, to repair his reputation, and to remove the sin now on his account.

 

Total Surrender (3-6)

 

In the next paragraph, David totally surrenders to God. He owns-up to his own sins. It takes a real man to do such a thing. It is the natural thing (in our fallen state) to do what David had done before: try and fix the problem on his own because he was not willing to admit his wrongdoing. Yet, to overcome sin and sorrow, a man or woman must confess their own sin. Not only must we confess our specific sins, but we must also admit our own weaknesses and overall shortcomings. Had David’s sin only affected himself? Of course not, he also sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, the baby conceived, his family, and his nation, but ultimately his sin was against God. God is holy, righteous, just, and perfect in all His ways. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. David had sinned against Him.

 

Complete Confidence (7-12)

 

Of course this last point leans heavily upon the first point, but David now looks more to the cleansing he needs on the inside. You must have complete confidence in the cleansing work of God (let me say specifically, in the cleansing work of God in Christ). David is completely confident that he can overcome his own sin and sorrows because God never does a job half-way. God can restore someone’s relationship with Him, their reputation in a society, and remove sin from their account. And He can do far more than that! He can create a new heart within a person. He can plunge to the depths of us and renew a steadfast spirit.

 

Conclusion and Christian Application

 

This psalm is a song and prayer for repentance. The main points of this sermon from Psalm 51 are a detailed description of repentance. This is how you overcome sin and sorrow. You must utterly depend on God because whether you overcome or not depends upon your relationship with Him. You must totally surrender, confessing sinfulness and rebellion. Lastly, you must live with complete confidence in the cleansing work of God.

 

These are great examples of how to overcome those things that you bring upon yourself and those things that come at you by no fault of your own. Does this mean that it will be easy to overcome your sins and sorrows? It certainly does not mean that. It will be difficult no matter what you do, but this will determine whether you will overcome or not. If you do not utterly depend on God, totally surrender to Him, and put complete confidence in His cleansing work, then you will be destroyed by sin and this present wicked age. When you receive forgiveness from God will you still have to deal with the results of sin? Yes, sometimes you will. David was forced to mourn the death of his baby. He also had to accept the fact that God would not allow him to build the Temple. Maybe you have found forgiveness for some sin in your life and you cannot figure out why you are still paying for it. It is because we live in a fallen world.

 

Let me assure you of this, though, there will be no eternal consequences for your sin if you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you submit to His saving work and His lordship, you will one day be completely and forever cleansed from the sins and sorrow that haunt you. You can overcome now for brief periods of time, but with one challenge after another. This life will always be a struggle because after you overcome one thing it will be followed by another. Yet, there is coming a day when the world will be purged from all of this sin and sorrow, the old sin-nature will no longer be able to haunt us, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. The world will be renewed and we will live in Christ’s glorious presence forever. Until that day, keep fighting to overcome your sin and sorrow with the design of Scripture such as Psalm 51.