Sermon Tone Analysis

CPT: God is preparing a new creation for his people.

Purpose: To encourage the church on their future home with God.

CPS: Heaven will be the perfect place for God’s people.

Introduction

Attention

What will heaven be like?

This is the last question in our God Questions series.

The world will try and give you answers to these questions that most times look nothing like what the Bible says.

I was watching a comedy show this past week, and there was a skit about heaven.

In the skit, the picture of heaven that was presented was full of sinful actions.

I don’t think they were describing the right place.

With the advancements in medical technology and the ability to connect with people like never before, there has been a huge amount of reports of near-death experiences.

One doctor wrote:

NDEs have been reported by children, adults, scientists, physicians, priests, ministers, among the religious and atheists, and from countries throughout the world.

In fact, at the time of the medical report on NDEs that came out in 2014, there were over 3,700 reports of NDEs from around the country.

Many reported very similar experiences, including being out of their bodies and going to another place.

While these are not always reliable, there are a lot of similarities in their stories that are undeniable.

The Bible says that there is life after death, a life that is more real then we know.

The Bible says that those who are in Christ will be with him in heaven.

But what will heaven be like?

Will we sit on clouds playing harps?

What will we it be like in heaven?

We will look at this through Revelation 21.

Scripture Reading

Pray

Filler.

Transition

God’s people will live with him in a new creation.

State the point; Anchor the point; Validate the point; Explain the point

Text: Rev. 21:1

Filler.

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A new heaven and a new earth

The events of Revelation 21 refer to a final new creation that comes after a period of a 1,000 year millennial kingdom on earth.

At the end of the tribulation period, Christ will return, and begin his millennial reign here on earth.

After this period of time, people in Christ enter into this final eternal home with God.

Notice first the language of this text.

We are in a new place.

This a new creation.

Look at what it says in verse 1.

In the future, there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

The current creation is coming to an end

The Bible tells us clearly that this present earth that we live on will pass away and be replaced.

Jesus says this in Matthew 24:35:

Peter describes the destruction of our current earth in 2 Peter 3:10:

The day of the Lord describes a day of future judgment on the earth.

Peter says the heavens and earth will be dissolved, as we wait for a new heaven and a new earth.

It is interesting that all of the things that we hold on to as precious will one day be dissolved.

Peter discusses that, since we know that all that we see will not be here one day, it tells us how we should live, as people focused on the Lord.

The new creation will have elements of this creation

As the current creation is dissolved, the Bible says that God is bringing forth a new creation for his people.

A new earth

Part of this new creation is a new earth.

When people attempt to describe heaven, they attempt to describe it as something foreign, with lots of clouds.

Actually, what the Bible describes is something familiar, but perfect.

It is best to describe the most beautiful parts of the earth as we now know it to be a small representation of what is to come in the new earth.

It is interesting that when you go see artwork in the museum, you can tell who painted something because there is a similarity in style.

So looking at creation today tells us a glimpse of this new creation in the future, coming from the same Creator.

A new light source

The new creation will have a new light source.

Today we get our light from the sun (“s-u-n”), but in the new creation the light will be the Son “s-o-n.”

Look at Rev. 22:5:

Our light will be the Lord God.

We will live and bask in his glory.

River of life

The new creation will have water that flows from the throne of God.

Look at Rev. 22:1:

We constantly see pictures of water as life-giving.

We see this picture from the Lord when he is speaking with the Samaritan woman in John 4. Jesus tells her in verse 10, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”

We also see this in a few picture of the Lamb on his throne in Rev. 7:17:

There is this water of life, a spring or a river that flows from the throne of God in the new heaven and new earth.

There is a verse in Rev. 21:1 that says “the sea was no more.”

Some scholars believe this may be referring to salt water seas.

The Wikipedia on “Seas” says:

Seas are generally larger than lakes and contain salt water, but the Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake.

Drinking large amounts of salt water is deadly to humans.

The river of life is a life-giving water, so is probably a clear, pure, and fresh water.

Tree of life

In many ways, the new heaven and new earth is a return to the perfection of the Garden of Eden in the beginning.

The Bible begins with a garden and returns us to a garden.

A key part of this new heaven and new earth is the Tree of Life.

This tree stands on both sides of the River of Life.

Chapter 22 tells us it bears fruit every month, and has leaves that are healing.

A new body

We will eat in this new creation.

We will have physical bodies that eat physical food.

Paul talks about our new bodies in 1 Cor.

15:41-44:

Our resurrection bodies will have similarities with the Lord’s resurrection body.

There will be similarities to your current body, but necessarily identical.

When Jesus resurrected from the dead, we see some things about his body.

Jesus ate like a normal human and his body had a physicality to it.

The disciples of Jesus were able to grasp his feet, and reach out and touch his hands and side.

Yet his body was able to walk through walls, and appear in places.

Our future resurrected bodies will be perfect, raised in incorruption and power.

Mountains & animals

The new heaven and earth will have mountains, water, and animals.

There are heights and depths in this creation.

The angel carries off the writer to “a great, high mountain,” and the river of life is flowing down the city’s main street, meaning the throne of God is higher above the city.

There will be creatures and animals in heaven.

The same Creator who created your dog will have creatures in heaven.

It says in Isaiah 11:6-8: