NCC Question 26
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Question 26
Question 26
Last week we covered two very important and reassuring doctrines. Do we remember what they were?
Question 24: Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?
Answer 24: Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God.
He had to died so that we could be made right with God, by his death satisfying the power and penalty of sin.
Question 25: Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven?
Answer 25: Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God will remember our sins no more.
They have all been covered, past, present and future, and God remembers them no more.
What are some bad things that happen in this world?
Wars
Poverty
Broken marriages
Sickness
Death
There are things that are not quite as drastic or sad but still bad:
Fighting between families.
Arguing amongst friends
Strained relationships (siblings, children and parents, friends)
Do any of these things happen in heaven?
Question 26: What else does Christ’s death redeem?
Answer 26: Every part of fallen creation.
Think back a couple weeks ago when I asked you to describe your perfect home. What sort of things did it include?
What is one place in the world that you really want to visit?
What are some of the most amazing animals in the world?
All those things in many ways are beautiful. As a matter of fact all those things are signs and reflections of the beauty that this world was intended to be. And despite sin entering the world and corrupting everything, that beauty still shines through at times.
All of those things we mentioned were given to us by God to enjoy (or in some cases we would enjoy if we had them).
Think with me, and imagine what it would be like if this world was without sin. There was no sin at all, how much more amazing would all those things be.
We actually can not even imagine, literally its impossible for our minds to comprehend, what it would be like.
Creation was in some was undone, from its intended design, in Genesis 3.
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
The world had thorns and thistles, the sweat of the brow, hard laborful work resulted because of the fall.
Jesus died on the cross, his death was necessary, and his death brought restoration for humankind before a Holy God.
But, it also brought forth restoration for creation, the curse of creation was broken, reversed by the work of Christ.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
God has this plan, this mission, to reconcile, conform all things to Himself for His glory.
And so Jesus, the head of the body, the church, Jesus is the beginning, the firstborn from the death, the one that in everything Jesus would be preeminent.
What does Preeminent mean? Supreme, most important
For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
What does verse 20 tell us that Jesus wants to do and will do?
Reconcile all things to Himself. Bring peace—restoring the relationship between sinful men and Holy God through the blood of the cross.
Jesus was part of creation and is Lord over all creation. Now Jesus is recreating and making all things new both in creation and in humans.
Eden will be restored, far greater than Eden ever was.
One of the results of restoration right now here on earth is that because of our salvation, because of Christ’s work on the cross we can re-enter into the purposes of life in the garden. Meaning, there are ways that we can re-engage in some ways that were broken and shattered—live life in some ways that it was intended. Relationships, intimacy, satisfaction, meaningfulness). We get to enjoy those common grace results of the cross right now in our earthly life.
I need some volunteers. We are going to play a game and put these in the proper categories.
(Write creation, fall, redemption on the board)
Place each of these cards in the right category:
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Creation
21 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.
Redemption
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Fall
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Creation
24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Fall
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Redemption
We have something missing though.
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.
Turn with me to Revelation
1 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. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 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. 4 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.” 5 And he who 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.”
What are some things we see in this passage that are significant?
A new heaven & a new earth—the ones as we know it will be destroyed and made new—made to eternal ones
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 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,
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 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.”
2. The sea was no more. Our world is currently 75% water. And yet when the new heaven and earth are created, the world not water based and an entirely different climate.
3. The holy city—New Jerusalem. The story of the OT and ever since is this cycle of trying to rebuild Jerusalem but never getting it done. Constant conflicts and struggles. To this day there are conflicts that prevent Jerusalem to restore its glory. And yet there will be a new creation with a restored, a new, Jerusalem.
10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
4. This New Jerusalem will be as a bride adorned for her husband. There was a wedding yesterday and Marah was dressed up—why? Well its tradition but adorned for Seth, for her husband.
5. A voice is shouting from the throne
6. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
7. Death will be no more
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
8. No more mourning, crying, pain
9. Former things have passed away.
10. All things are made new.
We are going to place this card over here: restoration. That is the final part to our worldview. This takes all the other parts and brings it full circle. The world was created (perfect), sin entered the world at the fall and with it corruption, Jesus blood shed on the cross offered redemption, and finally Jesus will make all things new, restoration.
One more take away we have from this is it should change how we live.
“This is good advice. Paul told us to do this in Colossians 3:1–4.
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
In other words, if our resurrection with Christ is so sure as virtually to have already happened, then we are to live in the constant consciousness that we are citizens of another age. We are to set our minds much on that age. We are not to be conformed to this age, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And that renewing means conformed to the newness of the age to come, because God says in our text, "Behold I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5).”
I closed with this question: what are some broken things about the world that you long for their restoration?
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope