Behold, I Am Making All Things New (Part 1) | Revelation 21:1-8 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (10/4/26)

Good morning, church. Good to be in the house of the Lord again. Let us begin by reading from the epistle to the Hebrews chapter nine beginning in verse 11. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands that is not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy places. Not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood thus securing an eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance since death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Let's go down to verse 22. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus, it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rights, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands which are the copies of the true things but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as the high priest entered the holy places every year with the blood not of his own for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once and after death comes judgment, so Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time not to deal with sin but to to save those who have eagerly, who are eagerly waiting for him. Are you eagerly waiting for him?

If so, let us stand up to worship him.

Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you that you've given us a place and you've given us the time to behold your greatness again. We are aware, Lord, that our vision of thee can become so dull so quickly. But we've come humbly into your presence with your people to ask that you would chase away all fogginess in our faith. And any clutter, Lord, in our affections.

Lord, bring us to where we're supposed to be in you. Lord, we ask that you would use the means of this meeting together to win our hearts afresh. We trust that you will do so, Lord. We know who you are and we long to know more of who you are this day. In Jesus' name we pray, amen and amen.

But before you see it, turn to somebody please and welcome them to this Lord's Day service. Welcome, Maranatha Bible Church. Welcome to the Lord's Day service here at MBC. If this is your first time, a very special welcome to you. We're so glad that you could join us to worship the living God, and we trust that you'll be blessed as we seek to do that together.

And speaking of worship, it's our custom that at this time of the service where we give as an act of devotion to the Lord. And so the ushers will help us do that here on all sides of the sanctuary, and you can also find different ways to give to what God is doing here at MBC. The advancement of the gospel, the teaching that we provide, the fellowship that we seek to facilitate, the partnerships that we have with other ministries that are bringing the truth to other nations in different ways, everything that we contribute here goes to gospel work, and we're so glad and so thankful for your contributions in this way. Ultimately, it's to the Lord. He sees our giving, and he rewards us on top of it, though everything we have belongs to him anyway.

What an amazing God we serve. Well, as that is taking place, allow me to make a few announcements. We have a busy fall ahead of us. I think every season is busy for us as a church, and I think that's great because it speaks to life that's, here. Well, we have coming up on October 10 a few things that is next Saturday.

First, we have our women's gathering, our women's breakfast at 10AM on October 10, and that will be a time of food and fellowship. And what's gonna make this time a little bit more unique is that we're beginning a series here through different, studies into women of the Bible. And so if you are a lady here of any age and you desire to know the sisters of this house in a more intimate and informal way, please join us. Join us for that women's bible study or women's breakfast more specifically, and, we'll be glad to have you there and welcome you there. And there's a QR code that you can scan if you would like to bring a dish.

And so if you have a special treat or if you are an expert in some specific breakfast meal, please, we'd love for you to sign up and, that way we can know how much food is coming and how to organize ourselves. There's also a sign up sheet out there in the lobby in case you forget to to scan this where you can put your name and, some of your information there for us to know. So that is gonna be more of a potluck time, and we're excited for that to be shared among the sisters. Also, on October 10, we have our youth meeting kickoff, and this is for those ages between 13 and 17, and that will be taking place in the evening on October 10 at 06:30PM. And there's also food.

There will be, obviously, fellowship and there'll be time in the word as well. And so if you have somebody, in that age range that you desire to hopefully get connected with other young people, that's an opportunity as well. That's the first time we'll be doing this officially in our new building here, and so we're excited for that to take place. On October 18, we have our Fall Fest. That is for the young ones.

So we're just covering all demographics in this month. On October 18, we'll be having our false fest. This is run by our Sunday school wonderful teachers and leaders. There'll be crafts and activities immediately after the Lord's Day service downstairs. If weather permits, it'll be outside there by the amphitheater, and we'll be having just a chance for young families to connect and little ones to enjoy themselves as we, fellowship with one another.

And so that's on October 18. Please mark that. Lastly, on October 24, we have something for the the men. And this is just, one of the things that we do to try to glue our fellowship, and it's a a sporting outing. So if you like to play basketball, if you don't even play, but you just wanna get connected with other brothers, this is one way to do it.

And, from what I heard, the location will be in Schaumburg. We don't have a gym here, so we rent out different facilities. So there's a small fee if you wanna participate, but it really helps us a lot. You can sign your name and your information on another sheet there in the lobby by the TVs on desk, and we'd love to get you connected with the brothers here. So please don't hesitate.

Come out. It's it's it's not a formal league. It's nothing intense. It's very casual, laid back. I'm sure there'll be a little bit of competition, but it's ultimately for for men to be able to get to know one another and, we've seen it work.

God has used it for brothers to to to know each other, to go out to eat afterwards, to at least get to know each other's names, faces that you may see in the sanctuary but you're not familiar with on a deeper level. That's one way for us to be able to connect. Well, that's a lot happening. We have more announcements ahead. I'm not going to share everything now so we don't overwhelm ourselves here.

But my heart my heart was stirred the last couple days to share with you and to remind you before we continue to sing of the generosity of God. God is a generous God. I don't think we think about that often. We think of him as a powerful God. We think of him as a loving God, absolutely.

But the scriptures over and over in different ways display our God as one who is greatly generous. In fact, Acts tells us that he gives us life and breath and everything. What does God give us? Everything. But James tells us something that he is willing and freely wanting to give us.

Listen to this very carefully. I really pray. It's been my prayer that this short portion of of the scriptures will help us. In In James one verse five, we read, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given him. Why is James bringing up wisdom here near the beginning of his epistle?

Well, before he speaks about trials and counting it all joy when you're met by various kinds of trials. And there are trials that sometimes are so intense, so mysterious, so surprising that it demands wisdom to know how to navigate through them. And so, he brings up wisdom. And what he's saying here is that in your trials, God has not left you on your own, but he does wait for you to approach him. And what he's saying here is that God is willing to dispense wisdom to know how to deal with, endure, and more importantly, see righteousness come forth out of your trials.

Now, notice here what he says. If any of you, he doesn't discriminate, young, old, man, woman, new believer, seasoned believer, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God. Do you need wisdom today? You first need to show humility and ask God, not demand God, not raise your fist to God, but ask God. Let him ask God, now notice this, who gives generously.

He doesn't drip wisdom in our lives. He gives generously to all without reproach. What is James speaking about there? He will never despise one who approaches him and ask for wisdom. There is not a frequency that is limited to God.

He does not reject any time you and I come to him with this request. He will never ever ever reject us. Sometimes, we hesitate to ask God because we've asked him 10 times already in the same day and we think, maybe the Lord's annoyed with me. And James says, no. He gives without reproach.

He gives without reproach and it will be given him. But notice, verse six, but let him ask in faith. Let him ask in faith. Don't do it ritualistically. Don't do it traditionally.

Don't do it just as a third attempt out of different things that you've tried and it hasn't worked. No. Let them ask in faith. Let it be somebody that actually comes from a a place of trust with no doubting for the one who doubts is like the wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind for that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, not just wisdom, anything. He is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Your faith may not be strong, but as you approach God, there has to be a measure of you trusting that this God in heaven is willing to somehow infuse wisdom into your life when you ask him. Faith means so much to God. So, he doesn't just want words. He he doesn't just want, again, a religious reflex. He wants a heart that really believes.

If I come to him in my trial, I don't know how to approach this Lord. I don't know what to say. Should I not say anything? Do I give? Do I not give?

Do I react? Do I not react? Do I meet this person? Do I not meet this person? Do I go make that visitation?

Do I not... Whatever the case may be, come to him and ask for wisdom and he will give it. If you need it today, I wanna pray with you for it. That you would leave here more than just with truth regarding the book of Revelation, but also with a fresh dose of wisdom from heaven. Do we believe it?

Let's believe it. Lord, thank you for your promises. And in this place, thank you for those who have come to this house even in the midst of their trials. And Lord, we are reminded today that in our trials, we can ask you for wisdom. Oh, how often we don't know what to say.

We don't know what to do. But Lord, you have given us a promise that is available to each of us. So Lord, we pray that you would grant us wisdom in our suffering, in the suffering of others that we are intimately connected with. Give us the discretion, the prudence, the leading of the Holy Spirit in this season that would make it successful and that would bring glory to your name and greater good to us and to others. We believe, Lord, that you are ready even now to give that wisdom and that we will walk out of this place with greater clarity and confidence in our trials.

And if we don't get it right away, help us be patient and trust that it is on its way and it will come at the right time. We trust you, Lord, and we worship you because you are a generous God. Teach us to be a generous people so that we can reflect your nature and your character. Receive our praise again now. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Amen. Let's stand church. He's a generous God. We're singing to a God who loves to give. Let us give him our voices this morning.

Yes, lord. Again, we praise you for your generosity toward your people, for your goodness and your mercy, lord. We thank you that we can come freely before your throne, unencumbered by our sin, unhindered by our guilt, Lord.

God, we are so grateful.

Lord, we thank you this morning that we can not only commune with one another as brothers and sisters adopted into your family, but we can commune you with you today, Lord. God, we pray that you would speak clearly to your people, that each one of us would receive a direct word from you by your spirit, Lord. Lord, if your spirit is not with us, we might as well go home now. So come and be with us in a special way. Lord, we need you.

We love you. Be with us now in Jesus' name. Amen.

Very fitting songs for what we are about to discover together in the book of Revelation. And And through them, we have gained a deeper understanding of what the Lord Jesus calls the resurrection of life, which is the destiny of those who have placed their trust in Christ. We've also received a glimpse of the resurrection of judgment which is a separate resurrection and speaks of the raising of the unbelieving dead who were not found in the book of life and will be condemned because of it. And these two events are summarized by the prophet Daniel in the following way in Daniel chapter 12 verse two. And many who are asleep in the dust shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

But I wanna propose to you this morning that the book of Revelation speaks of a different kind of transformation that we have not yet considered. It is neither the resurrection and glorification of the saints nor is it the summoning of the wicked throughout all history to stand before the great white throne judgment? No. Revelation chapter 21 actually points us to something that we rarely think about when we consider our glorious future. And it is the miraculous renewal and restoration of creation itself.

Now, when most people think of the Book of Revelation, what comes to mind frequently is the devastation that awaits this planet. And no doubt, there is great fascinating details concerning the fate of this physical world in this book. However, before this book closes, what we realize is that God has a redemptive purpose for the cosmos, not just for Christians. And what's even more fascinating is that the perfection of creation is somehow connected to our bodily resurrection. This is something that the apostle Paul taught about in Romans chapter eight.

So I know we're going to go to Revelation shortly, but let's begin in revel... In Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight. And look here with me in verse 19 of Romans chapter eight. In Romans eight nineteen, Paul says, for the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Here's what Paul is essentially saying. Just as the fallen Adam of Eve brought about consequences for all creation, so will the resurrection of the sons of God bring an impact to our natural world. This is a profound thought. Here's another way of thinking about it.

When the Lord restores you and I to our complete and permanent state of glory, It will be followed by the restoration of creation to its intended perfection as well. And that is why Paul says that creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. Meaning what? That there is something that will take place when our adoption is fully realized and we are united with our creator, with our new glorified bodies. And one of those wonderful ramifications is that creation itself will be clothed anew, will be healed in every way possible, will be restored to God's original purpose.

So you see scripture does not present salvation on merely as an individual experience. It's far larger in scale. When God saves as he is saving us today and as he continues to unfold his plan of redemption, we will realize something far more profound. You see, there's this misconception that the final stage of our salvation means that God is going to rescue us from this sin stained world and usher us into some ethereal realm while he discards his creation. But the opposite is true.

Scripture actually speaks about a redemption both for his people and the world that they inhabit. What revelation is going to remind us is that our salvation in the end is not us escaping creation but heaven and earth coming together as one. And we see here that what Paul is speaking about finds its fulfillment in Revelation chapter 21. And not just here in Romans eight. Think of verses like Colossians one twenty where it says, and through him to reconcile all things to himself whether on earth or heaven.

God is going to redeem everything at the end of the day. And John calls us the new heaven and the new earth. Let's begin by reading about it together in Revelation 21 verses one through verse eight. Revelation 21 beginning in verse one, 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. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

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. 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. And he 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. 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. The one who conquers will have this heritage and I will be his God and he will be my son.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexual moral or moral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the second death. Lord, we ask with these verses and with the time that is allotted to us that you would grant us more than just clarity about doctrine, but you would move our hearts to worship as we recognize what you have purchased for us in Christ. May this stir us to adore you and to realize the great inheritance, the heritage that is ours who have conquered through their faith in Christ and overcome this world because of it. Grant us, Lord, a power attached to these truths. May it not just tickle our minds, but may it be deposited in the depths of who we are.

Change us as a result, Lord, we ask. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I think it's helpful to remind ourselves where we are now as we come to the near completion of this book in God's prophetic timetable for the future. We spent many many months looking at what the Bible calls the tribulation period.

A time of unprecedented calamity and destruction and persecution, which precedes the return of Jesus Christ. This is a period of time that Christ himself spoke of in places like Matthew chapter 24. And following that, we looked at the climactic event of the return of Christ, the second coming where our Lord will bodily return to this earth and vanquish all his enemies and bring about a victory that this world didn't expect, but the church has been waiting for. And immediately following that, we recognize that the Lord Jesus will establish a physical literal kingdom for a thousand years. And we looked at some of the things that will take place at the beginning of that reign and during that reign, at the end of that reign.

And one of the main events that awaits is what we saw last week, the great white throne judgment. When the Lord will call from Hades and the sea in every corner of our planet, the dead who died in their sin and will now stand before God's judgment awaiting their eternal condemnation. And now we come to Revelation 21. And what we have here moving forward is the final stage. There is nothing that comes after this.

We are looking at the eternal age. John, by the spirit, is giving us a window into the world in which you and I will inhabit forever and ever and ever. And what I would like for us to do this morning is speak to you about five amazing facts about that world to come. And I thought that we would cover all of those facts, all those wonderful truths in one session. And then when I spent time just reflecting on the opening point, I realized that is not going to happen.

We won't be able to do it. And so, we'll see where we land this morning, but what I want us to do is begin with this first thought. What are we to expect? What features does the Bible give us about our everlasting abode? Where are we headed?

What did Christ prepare for us? What did he again purchase for us? Well, the first thing that you and I can expect about the eternal age is found in verse one and it is this, it will be a brand new universe. When John writes about a new heaven and a new earth, he is referring to a renewed cosmic order. Something that when John mentions a new heaven that he is speaking about God's dwelling place, but the word heaven can have multiple meanings depending on the context.

In some cases, heaven can speak about the sky above. The one that you look at every single day. In other places, it can be speaking about the spatial realm above the sky. And more familiarly, heaven can also speak about God's glorious domain apart from our natural realm. And I believe the most convincing evidence here is that John is using this phrase to speak about the totality of our material world.

Everything above and everything below and everything in between is going to be made new. All of the destructive elements that our human experience has known will be done away with. All of the patterns of deadly plagues, all of the fierce weather patterns, all of the different forms of decay will suddenly cease and no longer be a part of our experience. There's a fascinating statement made in Revelation 22 verse three. Look at it quickly with me where it says, no longer will there be anything, anything, underline that anything accursed.

So much of our world has come under the curse because of the fallen of Adam, but there's a time coming where not one thing will be fractured, Not one thing will be broken. Not one thing will be out of order. Not one thing will harm us. Nothing will be accursed in the new heaven and the new earth. Now there is debate over whether this new heaven and new earth mean that the universe as we've always known it will be completely abolished, completely discarded and God will create something unrelated to the world as we have known it.

Or if God will bring about a glorious restoration to our current planet. And we don't have time to get into that discussion, but one thing is absolutely certain. There will be both continuity and discontinuity in the new heaven and the new earth. In other words, in this new realm, there will be some characteristics that will remain similar though perfected. At the same time, there will be some things that will be radically altered.

And one of the things that John tells us about this new earth and this new heaven and this new universe is found there in verse one, the last part. And the sea was no more. I found myself amazed sitting last night at how such few words like and the sea was no more could demand so much meditation and careful reflection. And the sea was no more? Is John being literal here?

Is he actually speaking about the absence of large bodies of salt water in the new earth? Some would say no. They would instead remind us and point to us about how the sea throughout scriptures is often referred to as a symbol of chaos, hostility,

mystery,

danger, unpredictability which is absolutely true. The sea does speak of these negative things throughout the Bible. Even in Revelation itself, when we saw the beast arriving on the scene in Revelation thirteen one, where did he come from? The sea. So there is an element of the sea being no more that refers to the cessation of of evil.

Of again disorder, of chaos. But at the same time, we should not rule out the possibility that this is also describing an actual geographical modification. Now that might have disappointed some of you. But if it is the case, we must ask why. Why not include the sea in the new earth?

Why this particular change being emphasized as we're peering into the eternal age? Why? Well, besides the negative connotations that would come to the ancient imagination regarding the sea, you know, most of us think of the sea as something beautiful, something that we go and have vacations around. But to the the person of biblical times, the sea had a different thing about it. There was a different feeling towards it.

It was ominous. It was terrifying. It was strange and again mysterious. But we also have to remember the role that water plays in our current world. 71% of our planet is covered by water.

It is absolutely foundational to all things that are living. Think about what it contributes. Think about all that it supports. Think about all that it regulates. Think about all that it sustains, our biological functions, global climates, ecosystems.

They are all dependent upon this one resource, water. And if we don't have the right amount of it, virtually everything living will cease to exist at some point. And yet, John says something so strange about the new world that there will be no more sea. And that does not necessarily mean that there will be no bodies of water in the new heaven and new earth. However, it does suggest that our lives will no longer depend on such sources for our survival.

There's a different message being conveyed here. We will be entering into a new climate and environment. We will be living in a realm that operates on completely different terms. And that hard to imagine truth is further developed in Revelation 22 verse five. Look at it with me in Revelation 22 verse five.

There will be other things that will be no more and night will be no more. They will need no light or lamp or sun for the Lord God will be their light and they will reign forever and ever. No more sea, no more light, no more need for the sun, no more need for the light of the moon. Things are going to change drastically. Now again, when we hear that, it may disturb us a little bit because these very things that will no longer be have often been means of our own delight and enjoyment in this world.

But you have to remember that anything that will be no more in the eternal age is not going to be less than what we have now. God is not bringing us into a subtraction. God is not taking things away. God is bringing us into something far more glorious that we can't even conceive or imagine. And so, yes, even good things in this life, things that we look forward to, things again that we take pleasure in will be no more and not just things like the sea and and the sun, but think about marriage.

Will there be marriage in the world to come? Jesus says no. We will be like the angels. It demands faith to recognize that heaven is not so much about the removal of things, but the replacement of things with far greater bliss and glory that will cause us to worship for eternity. Now before we move on, it's worth mentioning that this concept of the new heaven and new earth is not introduced to us in New Testament.

It doesn't just suddenly appear in the gospels and the epistles and books like Revelation. It was promised long ago. Ever since sin entered into our universe and brought corruption and pollution, God repeatedly reveals to his people that a permanent change is on its way. Even this phrase here in Revelation twenty one one, I saw a new heaven and a new earth, alludes to prophetic passages like Isaiah 65 verse 17 and Isaiah 66 verse 22, where Isaiah himself speaks about a new heaven and a new earth. There's a clear connection here.

But John, by the spirit, is doing far more than just complimenting Isaiah's predictions. There are other places in the Old Testament that speak about this wonderful age to come. And one of those places I would like for us to turn to, Psalm one zero two. Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm one zero two, and notice what is said here beginning in verse 25. We're gonna realize just how significant this prophetic passage is to our faith today.

But notice what it said here in Psalm 102 beginning in verse 25. Of old, you laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain. They will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe and they will pass away.

But you are the same and your years have no end. The children of your servant shall dwell secure, their offspring shall be established before you. What an amazing picture of how the Lord will bring about the new heaven and the new earth. This world is like into a garment that has been stained, torn and dulled of its color because of sin. And yet in the same text we read that the Lord one day will change it all like one changes a shirt.

And this is a message of hope surely, but it's also a billboard of the majesty and the might of God. This is how easy it's going to be for him To cleanse the galaxies, to restore the stars, to balance the landscapes, to adjust the mountain peaks, and to calm anything that has been disturbed by sin and iniquity. It will be as simple to God as one changes their robe. And what makes this Psalm even more powerful, a Psalm that describes God's eternality and his unparalleled authority and his matchless ability is who it is attributed to in the New Testament. You need to know the scripture if you wanna proclaim that Jesus Christ is in fact God in the flesh.

Go with me to Hebrews chapter one, please. This part is familiar to most of us, but what follows is rarely referenced in defense of the deity of Christ and who he is. In Hebrews chapter one beginning in verse eight, This is the author of Hebrews telling us what the father says to the son. But of the son, he says, your throne, oh God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore, God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. But of the sun, he says. And then he quotes Psalm 45 verses six and seven. And this is actually fulfilled in Christ, but what the father says next is still about the son.

And this is where people stop for some reason when they want to show how God himself calls the sun God. There's a very important word in verse 10. It's the first one. Look at it with me in Hebrews one verse 10. And.

So there's a continuation here. Is there not? The declaration goes on and we're still speaking about what God says to and about the sun. And what does he say? Tell me if this sounds familiar.

You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain. They will all wear out like a garment, like a robe, you will roll them up. Like a garment, they will be changed, but you are the same and your years will have no end. He quotes Psalm one zero two.

About who? The sun. Do you grasp the magnitude of this? The Lord who laid the foundation of the earth from the beginning. The one who remains unchanging through generations.

He who will one day roll up the universe like a robe and replace it with the ease of changing a garment is none other than Jesus Christ. The one we sing to, the one we pray to, the one we adore, the one we walk with on a daily basis, the one who loves us and has never failed us and supplies all our needs and comforts us in our affliction and is tender towards us when we fall. This one is the one spoken of here. And all I wanna do here is flash before your mind just how awesome Jesus Christ is. It will be Jesus Christ who will usher in the new heaven and the new earth.

This is how powerful our Lord is. This is how glorious our savior is. Why do you doubt him? Why do I question him? Who has this ability?

The one you and I call the shepherd of our souls. The one who again watches over us while we sleep and goes before us whether we're aware of his presence or not. This one that we tenderly call friend has the kind of authority that will strip away everything in the perceivable world and unperceivable and replace it with matchless beauty. That just moved me. That moved me to to realize again who my God is and who Jesus Christ is.

And as I mentioned earlier, there's so much to be said about our eternal habitation especially when we consider that there will be no more sea. Maybe we can spend the rest of our time here discussing what that implies. And one thing that came to mind is what this must have meant to John in the immediate sense. We're here at the end of the book of Revelation. Do we remember how it began?

Where was John writing from when he is putting these visions and prophecies together to share with the church? Revelation one nine tells us that he was on the island called Patmos which was on the Aegean Sea. It still is in the Aegean Sea. Think about that. Here's John being given this revelation and faithfully recording everything that was revealed to him And it was designed to be distributed to the churches of his day that were separated from him through a vast expanse of water.

He's in isolation physically speaking, is he not? And as he's collecting these thoughts and as he's writing everything down, he comes now to the point where when he is given insight into the new heaven and new earth, there will be no more sea. You know what that meant for John, I'm sure? There will be no more separation between me and my brethren. No more exile.

No more broken fellowship. We know from our own experience that land itself can be unforgiving and can create some difficulty for us to get to somebody else, but water is a far more challenging barrier than land is, even today with all our technology. And we can almost see here that the sea speaks of separation and how in the new heaven and the new earth, it will be eliminated. I know it's difficult sometimes to fellowship with Christians, but here's some good news about the new heaven and new earth that we're gonna see next week. Every Christian you know including yourself will be made perfect.

Amen. Amen. Including you, including me. Imagine with all the different personalities and our unique traits, we will be perfected. If we can enjoy each other so much now with our imperfections and the need to forgive, what will our communion with one another look like in that age to come?

Do you know the joy you feel when you walk into this place? Tired, weary, maybe even freshly coming out of an argument with your wife and your kids. There's there's relief, there's healing. When you come into the prayer meeting and you see other people there who love God and are ready to speak to him, there's something fulfilling in that. David said, the saints of the land in whom is all my delight.

There's genuine delight being with one another. It's something supernatural really. It's a work of the spirit of God. And I thought to myself, if if if there is that kind of excitement and blessing now, what is it gonna look like in this world? I'm sure it's gonna be glorious.

And one of the things that's going to make it glorious is that there will be no sea to divide us anymore. It will be uninterrupted fellowship with perfect people who worship a perfect God. This may be hard for us to rejoice in now because we have so much access and we have so much freedom. But to to Christians like John, no more sea. To be with the church forever.

To be with the family of Christ for eternity. Nothing will ever sever my fellowship. Nothing will ever hinder receiving from my fellow brethren and me giving to them. So this no more see here is again, much more complex in a good way. And it's a shame that some debate and their only conversation around it is, is it literal or is it figurative?

Is it gonna be be a beach or no beach? You can have that conversation, but look deeper. Look deeper. What does this mean to John? What does this mean to his immediate audience?

What does it mean in light of symbolism across the Bible regarding the sea? And we still have four more facets of the new heaven and the new earth to unfold together, but for now, I want us to pause on that thought. As we prepare to be reminded on this side of eternity that we are one body. That God has meshed us together by his spirit and his truth And that He has given us His body so that we can become part of His. Let's pray and thank Him for that.

Lord, we thank you as you've given us a very brief sample of the new heaven and the new earth And you have brought to our remembrance that it will be a brand new universe. One that will be far greater than what we have known in this world. And Lord, we thank you that the great power that will be required to bring about this transformation comes from the one that we worship today, comes from you who is able to deliver and intervene and supply and protect and convict and comfort. Lord, thank you for reminding us of just how awesome you are and just how great your son Jesus Christ is. And Lord, we realize that his greatness extends to these elements as they speak to us about His humility and His great love for us.

Help us partake of it in a noble manner in a way that blesses you and blesses us in return. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Can we stand and worship the Lord and allow these words to align our thoughts as we prepare to partake of the table together?

Amazing my You may be seated. As we prepare our hearts to break a bread, I'd like to read it from a couple of places beginning in the gospel of John chapter 13 verse one. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own, who were in the world he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.

He ate aside his outer garments and taken a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him. Let's look now at the gospel of Matthew chapter 26 beginning in verse 26. Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, take, eat. This is my body.

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying, drink it. Drink of it, all of it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink it again of this... I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it anew with you in my father's kingdom.

Have you ever paused to think about the context in which Jesus spoke these words? The context in which Jesus stood up and washed his disciples' feet. Yes. It was Passover. It was the last Passover.

It was the last supper. Jesus knew exactly in details what was going to take place in just few hours. And what was Jesus occupied with? Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot will betray him, a man who spent over three years with him. He has heard his teaching.

He has witnessed his life. He has seen his miracles. Yet, he will betray him for 30 pieces of silver. He knew that Peter will deny him. A man not many weeks ago was with him there on the Mount Of Transfiguration.

He saw what only three people were permitted to see. We'll deny him not once, three times. He will deny even knowing him. He knew all of that. And what was Jesus occupied with in these hours while he's celebrating the Passover with them?

He knew what was going to take place in just a few hours. There in the Garden Of Gethsemane, he knew that the crowds, the soldiers will come upon him, will arrest him as a criminal, will drag him as a lamb to slaughter. In you, they're going to blaspheme him. They're going to ridicule him. They're going to mock him.

You could strip him naked. You could scorch him, to beat him, to nail him on the cross, and the mockery and the ridicule is not going to stop even there. And what was Jesus occupied in these few hours during the Last Supper? What he was occupied with? He knew he was going to be nailed on the cross.

That's not whole. Yes. His disciples were going to abandon him. Oh, but that's just a fraction what Jesus was going to go through. He was going to be abandoned by God.

The sinless man going to be made sin for us. The wrath of God is going to be poured on him for me and for you. And what was Jesus occupied with during the last supper? Himself? No.

He stood up and he washed the disciples' feet. The gospel of John. John devotes five chapters, speaking of what Jesus did in the last couple of hours there before... During the Passover. Five chapters.

Washing the disciples' feet, encouraging his disciples, comforting them, promising the heaven, oh, let not your hearts be troubled. I will go and prepare a place for you, encouraging them, praying for them, promising them the Holy Spirit. Lord, Lord, the cross is before you. The suffering is before you. And what are you occupied with?

He takes the bread. He blesses it. He take the cup. He give thanks, and he sang a hymn. He was appraising.

He was giving thanks. He was having compassion on his people. He did not let the shadow of the cross prevent him from giving thanks. He did not let the shadow of the cross prevent him from singing a hymn. As we come this morning to the Lord's table, I want to ask, what are you occupied with?

If Christ was not occupied with anything but giving thanks and blessing and singing a hymn before the cross, the hour of the cross, what are you occupied with this morning as you come to the Lord's table? You might be suffering. I know. You might be going through hard times. But this morning, as you come to the Lord's table, let nothing occupy you but Christ.

Give thanks. Praise him. Bless his holy name, the one who died for you, the one who rose for you, the one who has forgiven you your sins. You are being justified. It is time to give thanks.

Did nothing in this world occupy your mind right now but Jesus Christ and his cross? It's a table of thanks even. He has talked to his disciples saying, do this in remembrance of me. This for Christ's own disciples. So if you are a disciple, if you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and you know that you have been washed in his blood and you have been baptized in water identifying yourself with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection, I believe this is for you.

Remember one thing. You must first identify yourself with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Faith in him, in baptism, before you can identify yourself with the church in the communion. They come together. So I want to ask you this morning to come to the table if you know that you are a child of God.

Come with thanksgiving and gratitude. Come occupied with Christ and his work on the cross. Should we come forward, please? Betrayed. He took bread, and he gave thanks.

Yes. Give him thanks. Our lord and savior, we thank you. We thank you for the cross. We thank you for your sacrifice.

We thank you for your suffering on our behalf. The cross, the horror of the cross did not prevent you from doing what you did. Oh, lord. Nothing would prevent us from giving thanks because we know you know everything, and we know that you are in charge of our lives. You died for us, and you rose for us.

And, yes, we are victorious because you are victorious. And now, Lord, as we come to break this bread, we praise you, and we say hallelujah. Praise the Lord. For the lamb who was slain but now is risen and seated at the right hand of God. We praise you for your body, it was given for us.

After giving thanks, the Lord broke the bread, and he gave it to his disciples saying, do this in remembrance of me. Let it together in remembrance of our savior. Then Jesus took the cup, and likewise, he gave thanks. Let us give thanks for the cup. Lord Jesus, you shed every precious drop of blood for our sake.

You have washed us with your blood. You made an atonement for our sins. And, Lord, for this, we thank you that we are... We stand right now complete. We stand right now justified, not because of something we have done, but because of what you have done once for all.

Sacrifice one sacrifice for the forgiveness of all those who believe in you from eternity past till the rest of the world to come, Lord. Again, we thank you for this cup, and we praise your holy name. Let's ring it together in remembrance of him.

Redemption and his salvation. John tells us, so we have come to know in first John four sixteen and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. Now listen to these words, by this is love perfected with us so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment. One way you know that God's love has worked in your heart is that you don't fear the judgment to come.

And if you do fear, it means his love has not yet been perfected in us, but notice what he says. He gives us another insight to know how we can have this absolute assurance. By this is love perfected with us so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment Because... Why can you have confidence dear brother and sister? Because as he is, so also are we in this world.

That deserves a resounding amen. I'll tell you why. Because as Jesus is now, so God sees us today. His perfection, his moral majesty, his undiluted obedience Because of your faith in mine, that wonder, that cleanliness, that purity, that brilliance is not transferred to us. And so we can believe this now as you walk out of this place, you can trust that God the father sees me as he sees his son.

Where's the fear in that? Where's the worry in that? Where's the shrinking back from death when you realize that as he is, so also are you in this world today? Oh, the wonder of justification, oh, the glory and the power of the cross, oh, that blood, that precious blood that makes all thing white as snow. That's your inheritance my dear brother and sister.

Walk out of here with that joy and that confidence as he is, so also are you in this world. Amen. Amen indeed. Yes. We thank you for so great of a salvation, oh God.

May we be unashamed to declare it. May you give us divine appointments to make it known to those who need it as we once did. Thank you, oh god, for the hope of heaven. May you continue to stir our hearts in the coming days to understand where we understand where we are headed because of your wonder and your grace. We thank you for our time in this place.

Thank you for replenishing us and strengthening us. Now may we go and continue in that grace by your mercy as you go before us this day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in each of us and should he tarry, we will see you again next week.

God bless you. Please join us for fellowship downstairs. Take care now.