The Truth About Eternity (Revelation 21:1-4; pt 3)

 Revelation 21:1-4

The Truth About Eternity

(pt. 3)

INTRO: “How might I ascertain the church’s official view of heaven & hell?" To which one notable clergyman in the Church of England offered this pithy one word reply- "Die."  

Praise be to God that we do not have to wait until we "cross over the other side" to find out about heaven and hell.  Everything we need to know about the future has been preserved in the Word of God.  We do not need to read Charismatic books about alleged "out of body experiences" in order to shore up our understanding of the future.  In his grace, God has revealed everything we need to know about life and life after death  in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17).  Any books, testimonies, or articles about heaven and hell need to be evaluated against the perfect backdrop of Scripture.

(Christian) how much do you know about your eternal home?  Is what you believe about heaven and hell truly biblical?  

Why does the apostle John include so many details about the eternal state when writing to the persecuted church in the first century (see Revelation 21:7)?  "Those who overcome (true believers) shall inherit all this!"  The sights and sounds of heaven should compel us to "keep on keeping on" in the strength of the Lord!

(Three) Heavenly Incentives for Christian Perseverance:

On 10/28, we saw:

1) In heaven, _______________________________________________________________.

(Revelation 21:1; 4)

Last Sunday, we saw and heard this:

    2) In heaven, _______________________________________________________________.

(Revelation 21:2-3; Psalm 16:8-11)

Richard Baxter- “Doubtless as God advances our senses and enlargens our capacity, so will He advance the happiness of those senses and fill up with Himself all that capacity…

We shall then have light without a candle, and perpetual day without the sun…”

Revelation 5:8-12, 22:14-17

How do the “sights and sounds of heaven” help us to lift our eyes off of our earthly struggles?

Next Sunday we will “see and hear” this:

3) In heaven, _______________________________________________________________.

(Revelation 21:4-5)

Holy Spirit help me to be a heavenly-minded Christian and help us to be a heavenly-minded congregation! Use these glorious truths about eternity to bolster our faith and to get each one of us across the “finish line! For the glory of Christ we ask these things. Amen!” 

Appreciation of Truth is not Application of Truth

"Think about it. Endless translations and editions of the Bible, conferences, blogs, mp3 downloads, live streams, video sermons, books, Christian music, CDs, podcasts, radio shows, social media, and the weekly classes and sermons we take in.

Never has there been a generation with more access to biblical truth.

But is the church any better for it? Are believer’s more holy, more content, more committed to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) because of this access?

Here is the challenge that my own heart faces daily. With so much truth available, it is easier to appreciate the truth than apply the truth. It’s too easy to think that if we have appreciated, or just plain liked, a quote, a book, a sermon, a blog post, etc., that we have accomplished the intended effect of that truth. Appreciation and application are two very different things.

Don’t misunderstand. We should have a deep and abiding appreciation and attraction to biblical truth. Saying something like, “I loved that book,” or “I really enjoyed that sermon,” those are good things. Would we really want to say the opposite?

However, what a difference there is in being able to point to measurable and evident changes made in our thinking or behavior because of something we have learned. Appreciation of the truth should lead to application of the truth. Otherwise it is like putting a great Christian classic on the bookshelf for eye candy rather than actually reading it. I once heard a sad anecdote that the definition of a Christian classic is a book that everyone has, but no one has read. This illustrates the point.

So what steps can we take to move from appreciators to appliers? Here are 5 suggestions.

1.  Write it down. Get a notebook or journal and put into writing your responses to the biblical truth you are accumulating. Write out prayers pleading for the Spirit to apply the truth to your life. When taking notes from a sermon, don’t just write the outline, but note the things that you discern the Holy Spirit doing in your heart in response to the sermon.

2.  Talk about it. This is another way of saying we need to become accountable. Foster relationships in which you can discuss not only the truth you are learning, but also the appropriate responses you should have to those truths.

3.  Review. Because truth is flying at us at light speed, take the time to read through that notebook or journal often to refresh your applications.

4.  Pray. Yeah, you knew that was coming. But I would encourage you to speak to God about the things you are learning. Go over your notes with Him in your prayer time and request specific grace for specific application of His truth.

5.  Slow down. I have found that I get more out of a book read slowly or a blog read repeatedly than trying to keep up with everything that comes out at an almost hourly rate.

Don’t let your mind become a museum for truth."

Article was written by Dr. Rick Holland.  Rick Holland is one of ten TES campus professors, having served as Senior Pastor of Mission Road Bible Church in Kansas City, KS since 2011.

The First Two Minutes Matter Most

The First Two Minutes Matter Most- Tim Challies writes, "It’s obvious, I know. It’s been said a million times by a million different people. But, in my defense, it’s been forgotten by a million more. I’ve said it and neglected it too many times to count: The first two minutes matter most.

Today Christians are gathering all across the world for our worship services. We will read the Bible, sing the Bible, pray the Bible, preach the Bible, and learn better how to live out the Bible. Then the service will end and the first two minutes will matter most.

In the first two minutes, visitors will feel either awkward or welcome. In the first two minutes, unbelievers will feel either isolated/alone or accepted. In the first two minutes, the lonely will feel either neglected or comforted. In the first two minutes, so many people will make the decision to stay or to go.

Here’s the challenge: Determine right now that when the service ends, you will do your utmost to give the first two minutes to someone you don’t know or to someone you don’t know well. The temptation will be to turn straight to your friends, to immediately catch up with the people you know the best and love the most. There will be time for that. But first you can make a difference in someone’s day and maybe even in someone’s life if only you’ll make the most of the moments following that final “amen.” It’s the first two minutes that matter most."

Hail the Conquering Hero! Revelation 19:11-16

 Revelation 19:11-16

Hail the Conquering Hero!

 (pt. 1)

INTRO- Popular portraits of Christ: (click here to listen to to Sunday's exposition)

A) The tame and mild babe of Bethlehem.   A very safe Jesus. 

B) The humanitarian "peace to all" Christ.  An all-inclusive Jesus.

Overarching questions to ponder: Is the Person I worship, live for, and tell people about the COMPLETE JESUS?  

“Are we presenting a user-friendly Christ and a truncated gospel-in hopes of saving face with a lost and hostile world?”  If we're being honest, many portraits of Jesus do not mesh with the (biblical) Christ of Revelation 5 or Revelation 19:11-21.  

The entire Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-4:5) are given to us for a reason (including passages like Rev. 19-20).  The Holy Spirit wastes no ink in the Holy Scriptures.  Do we really believe what we say we believe about the Bible?  Does our preaching, worship, and evangelism give evidence of this?

The future earthly reign of the Messiah was prophesied in the O.T.; anticipated in the Gospels and Acts, and finally comes to fruition in John’s inspired Revelation of greater things yet to come!

This new inspired vision of future things presents three interconnected scenes:

The Marriage of the Lamb

Revelation 19:1-10 

The Marriage of the Lamb! 

(pt. 4)

INTRO-   “Marriage, that blessed arrangement, that dream within a dream...”

“From heaven He (Christ) came and sought her (the Church)/ to be His Holy Bride and with his own blood He bought her/and for her life He died!” Eph. 5:25-33

In order to better understand and celebrate “the Marriage of the Lamb” we will use 4 Marriage Headings (click to listen to sermon):

1) The timing of this marriage celebration; (think "save the date").

2) The location of this marriage celebration; (think "venue").

3)  The  bridal party of this marriage celebration.

4)  The blessings and benefits of this marriage celebration.

For Further Reflection/Application:

In your own words, what features contribute to the “perfect marriage?

Why do you think the Godhead chose the metaphor of marriage to describe the spiritual relationship between Christ and the Church? (see Eph. 5:22-33; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:2; John 3:29)

In layman’s terms, briefly explain what “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb” is?

Why is this such a big deal (see Rev. 19:6-10)?

Where are we at in big picture of redemptive/history? (see chart)

What are some of the reasons why Christ delays His return to earth (see 2 Peter 3)?

The Importance of Re-Learning the Same Truths Over and Over Again

The longer you are in Christ and the more you take advantage of the means of grace the more you will grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This also means that if you attend a church where the Word of God is preached without compromise and if your pastors are teaching "the whole counsel of God" that you will likely hear many messages where you already know the major points of the passage/sermon/study.  From God's amazing grace, to man's radical depravity, to the perfect atonement of the Savior's cross.

The following quote reminds us that this is part of the biblically ordained process.  "We need to learn and re-learn the same truths again and again, taking them in through a variety of means until they become the very fabric of our thinking and the lens through which we view the world."  This is what it means to have "the mind of Christ" and to develop a robustly biblical Christian worldview.

In 2 Peter 1:13 the apostle Peter writes, I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body... Or as one translation puts it, I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.

Pride says, "I already know this.  I don't need to go to adult bible study or come to Church this morning to listen to the following exposition of Scripture."  Humility says, "We need to learn and re-learn the same truths again and again, taking them in through the variety of means until they become the very fabric of our thinking and the lens through which we view the world."  May God grant us grace to apply this wisdom principle to our lives.