A Biblical Revelation of Heaven

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Call to Worship

Psalm 113 ESV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! 4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! 5 Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, 6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!

SING

Oh for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Praise Him Praise Him

Confession

Based on Nehemiah 9:5–38

Lord, you are our God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6 “You are the Lord, and you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abraham and made covenant with him. And you kept your promise, because you are righteous.

9 “And you saw the affliction of Israel in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all the people of Egypt, because they acted arrogantly. 11 And you divided the sea before Israel, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led Israel in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

16 “But they and their generations after them presumed upon your mercy and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. And this is how we also have lived, Lord; day by day presuming upon your grace, stubbornly disobeying your commandments, trusting our own wisdom and strength, leading ourselves back into slavery to sin.

But we praise you that you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and that you did not forsake them, and you have not nor will you ever forsake us. 18 Even when Israel had made for themselves a golden calf and committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. And likewise, though we have sinned daily against you, you have not forsaken us or removed your mercies from us. Your faithfulness to Israel and your faithfulness to us is our assurance that we are secure in your hands.

22 “And you brought Israel into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess, but again they were disobedient and rebelled against you 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 By this lesson, we ask Lord that you would teach us not to be so arrogant and to presume so upon your grace that we would take your forgiveness for granted and continue to sin, and that we would instead live in such a way that is worthy of your forgiveness, and that brings glory to your Holy name.

But again in your great mercies you did not make an end of your people or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. In the right time, you sent your Son to die, to pay a price that cannot be weighed or measured, to redeem your people who call upon your name.

32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, we call upon your name again this morning, and ask that you renew and strengthen our faith and our reliance upon you. Though we are weak, you are strong and faithful. We know that through Jesus Christ, we too will take possession of the inheritance of eternal life that you promised us, and we look forward to that day when we will see you coming in the clouds, bringing with you the new heavens and the new earth, and you will dwell again with your people, and we with you.

SING

Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me

THANK OFFERING

Old Testament Text

Isaiah 65:17–25 ESV

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. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

Sermon

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

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.” 6 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. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

OUTLINE

What is Heaven?

A real, tangible place - John 14:2-3,

God’s dwelling place - Ps 33:13, Is 66:1,.

What is Heaven Like?

The current heaven is temporary - Rev 21:1-2.

In future, Heaven and earth will be merged - Is 65:17, 2 Pet 3:13, Rev 21:1-3.

All creation will be restored - Rom 8:19-21, Rev 22:3.

We will have glorified physical bodies - Phil 1:23-24.

What does Heaven teach us?

INTRODUCTION

Genesis 1:31 “31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

The creation of God was made to reflect the beauty and the glory of God, and it did

In every way it was beautiful, perfect, everything working together in perfect balance and perfect harmony.

Man and woman were created in His image, and they also lived together in perfect harmony as husband and wife

Adam worked and cared for God’s creation, Eve was his companion and helper,

and together they would have multiplied and filled the earth with more image bearers of God than anyone can count

And they all would have together continued to live in the presence of God, enjoying Him and His creation paradise forever

As Moses puts it very simply in Genesis 1:31, everything was “very good”.

Until Satan deceived Eve, and she and Adam broke the only rule God gave them, which was for their protection and purity.

That act of rebellion is all it took for paradise to be changed in an instant from “very good” to tarnished with sin and cursed

Adam’s sin brought judgement and justice

First God said to the Serpent:

Genesis 3:14–15 “… “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.””

And to Adam God said: Genesis 3:19 “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.””

It was paradise lost. Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden, and from the presence of God.

And, they were cursed to die - from dust you were taken, and to dust you shall return.

Now you all know that it’s not the end of the story …

We just spent the Advent season journeying through time…

from the promise of God in Genesis 3:15 that I just mentioned (the crushing of the Serpent’s head in ultimate justice)…

… to the many shadows and pictures in the Old Testament slowly pulling back the curtain to reveal the identity of the Saviour

… to His birth, life, death and resurrection ultimately fulfilling God’s promise and bringing salvation to fallen and cursed man

But there remains a story to tell

Because we also looked forward to the 2nd Advent, the 2nd Coming of Christ…

… and last weekend, to what becomes of those who refuse God’s offer of salvation, and choose instead to continue to rebel against Him

And we know how terrifying and horrific that Valley of Slaughter will be, where they will continue to rebel in pain and torment forever and ever

But today we get to take a look through the window of Scripture into the forever home of those who do trust the Saviour, and receive His offer of Salvation

Today we are going to get a Biblical Revelation of Heaven

And our outline will be similar to last week, just a lot happier:

What is Heaven?

What is Heaven Like?

What does Heaven Teach Us?

1. WHAT IS HEAVEN?

REAL

Just to be sure we are all on the same page, I first want to point out that Heaven is not a “journey of enlightenment” or anything weird like that.

According to God’s Word, Heaven is a real, tangible place.

The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 11:10 that “(Abraham) was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”

John says in Revelation 21:2 that “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

And Jesus said in John 14:3 that He was going to “… prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

So Heaven, to the praise of God’s glory, is not just a “state of peace” or “enlightenment”.

Heaven is a real place, as real as the one you are living in right now.

GOD’S DWELLING PLACE

Heaven is also the dwelling place of God

Heaven is heaven because God is there, and it is where God’s glory is fully manifested

Psalm 33:13–14 “13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,”

Isaiah 66:1 “1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?”

People think of Heaven naturally as a paradise, where the streets are made of gold, and we will float on clouds and play harps…

… and people sometimes talk about Heaven as being paradise because it will just be this amazingly beautiful city of gold

… where nobody has to work and everyone will just enjoy the beautiful green grass and stunning lakes and harp music coming from the cloud

… now I want to be able to sit on clouds and be able to play the harp just as much as anybody…

… but Heaven is not glorious because of anything like that

Heaven is glorious because the glory of God is there in purity

And the glory of God is there in fullness because God is there.

Heaven is a glorious paradise because we will be once again in the presence of God

PARADISE RESTORED

Which brings me to the next important aspect of Heaven - it is paradise restored.

Think of Adam and Eve’s experience in the Garden of Eden

They lived in a literal paradise

No threats, no danger

Everything they wanted or needed was theirs

Adam could work and his work was enjoyable and productive - no weeds, no thorns, no emails, no meetings, no phone ringing, no spam calls

He had a beautiful wife, Eve, and together they lived in perfect marriage

They could enjoy the amazing wildlife and the wonders of God’s creation

Perfect.

Adam could even play with lions

I bet every day was even a beautiful day of perfect weather

But when Adam sinned, the resulting judgment of God didn’t only affect Adam.

All of creation was also cursed.

Death came into the world.

Suddenly Adam had to steer clear of the lions, and likewise too the livestock had to worry about being eaten by Adam

Not one creature was safe - suddenly wildlife became a food chain, and everything was in danger of being killed by something

Even among men - even among brothers, as Cain demonstrated on Abel

Trees and plants grew thorns

Adam’s work became hard, because he had to work under the hot sun, and weeds and insects choked or ate his crops

All of creation was affected by the curse

But Heaven is paradise restored

Writing to the Christians in Rome, Paul says that:

Romans 8:19–21 “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 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.”

Revelation 22:3 “3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”

And this has been accomplished through Jesus Christ.

Through one man's actions, Adam, all of humanity and all of creation were cursed

But also through one man, Jesus, that curse has been undone

Not because God changed His mind - the curse was right and deserved

But it has been undone because Christ took the curse upon Himself

Paul explains in Galatians 3:13 “13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—”

In Christ’s death on the cross, the curse was executed in full.

And since the curse has been executed, Christ has therefore redeemed believers from the curse - we have been set free from the curse

and creation itself is then the secondary beneficiary - in Heaven, creation will finally be free of the curse and fully restored

The Fall will be undone, the effects of the curse will be reversed, and paradise will be restored.

NEW

So is that all that Heaven is then?

Is Heaven just the original creation repaired?

Or is Heaven a whole other existing place where God and the angels now dwell and that we will go to and live in forever?

Its both of those, and neither of those.

Let me explain

Heaven will be creation restored

Meaning that creation will again be what God created it to be - a paradise filled with His glory and presence, with beauty and all creatures living in harmony

but it won’t be here on this earth

Heaven will be another place altogether, where God dwells and where His glory fills everything

but it won’t be the current Heaven, where God now sits on His throne and where angels and the redeemed saints who have died are waiting for the Day of Christ’s Return

The Scriptures actually say that both the current earth that we live on - and the Heaven where God and his angels and the redeemed saints are waiting - both are temporary

But when Christ returns and the Day of Judgment is done…

… there will be an entirely new earth and a new Heaven which will be eternal and the eternal home of God and the redeemed

This is what God declared through His prophet Isaiah, saying: Isaiah 65:17 “17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”

And that’s how Peter also understood it, because he said 2 Peter 3:13 “13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

And then John saw it in his vision as recorded in Revelation 21:1–3 “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.”

So according to these Scriptures, I believe that Heaven will be far greater than earth with all its problems fixed

The paradise that all believers look forward to is an entirely new creation

It will be a new heaven and a new earth, merged together into one glorious paradise…

… and it is paradise because it will be where God again dwells with man, and man with God

2. What is Heaven Like?

What will that be like?

I believe, like nothing we have imagined or can imagine

Like I said last week, there have been a number of books written by people who claimed to have died and been to heaven and then sent back to write a book to tell us what it is like

And like I said last week, they give very amazing descriptions of a paradise for sure, but they probably should have all gotten together beforehand to discuss what they would say, or at least read each other’s books, because they all contradict each other

One book says the author ate the best tasting fish ever for breakfast

Another says nobody eats fish or meat of any kind in heaven.

Which one is telling the truth?

But other than John, of course, there was one other person in Scripture who was given a glimpse into what Heaven is like

2 Corinthians 12:2–4 “2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.”

I believe Paul was referring to himself here.

And I believe he is so humbled by what he saw in just a glimpse of heaven, that he didn’t dare to even claim any glory for himself by saying it was him who was given the vision

He didn’t want people to marvel at him, or think he was in any way special for having been chosen for such an honour

very different again from those writing books these days

But I believe it was Paul who was given a glimpse into Heaven

and look at how he describes it:

… he doesn’t give any description

Because he says what he saw he cannot tell

Both, I think, because it was too amazing to describe, and because he says man may not describe what he saw

But we do have a clear enough description of what awaits us, thanks to John’s vision, which was given to Him by Christ for our encouragement

And that is recorded in Rev 21 and Rev 22 .

He starts, as we have already covered, by telling us that there will be a new heaven and earth.

He also says in Revelation 21:5 that God said He is “making all things new.”

so in what ways will the new heaven and earth be new?

NO SUFFERING

Revelation 21:4 “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.””

This is one of the most often quoted verses at funerals and memorial services for believers who have passed away

… because it gives great encouragement to friends and family left behind

One of the effects of the Fall that we still must live through, no matter if we are redeemed or not, until Christ returns, is that there is pain and suffering in this world

There are natural disasters, earthquakes, tornados

diseases, illnesses, viruses, cancers

These all exist because of the curse placed on creation because of man’s sin

But then there are also direct effects of sin from man to man

There are murders, rapes, kidnappings

car accidents, destruction of property, theft of property

I don’t need to mention them all

We all have had very personal experiences of pain and suffering - both physical and emotional

Often it is one or more of these things that result directly in the passing of a loved one

But we are encouraged to know that for believers who have tasted suffering and pain in this life…

… this is as bad as it gets for us.

… and once we have crossed that bridge, and tasted death, we pass into eternal glory...

Where we will be living in the presence of God, and in a new paradise, where no curses exist

and where there is no pain, no suffering, no tears

Because there will be no sin there, and no sinners there

There will only be the redeemed, the sanctified, the perfected saints saved by God, and of course, God Himself

Revelation 21:27 “27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

There will only be complete and perfect peace and joy in the presence of the Lord Almighty

NEW NATURE

There will also apparently be a new nature

According to John’s vision, Revelation 21:23 “23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

And since there will be no sun and no moon, there will be no seasons - no summer, winter, autumn and spring

And since there will be no sun and moon, there will be no such thing as “day and night”

Revelation 21:25 “25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”

And since there will be no sun, and no moon, and no day and night, and no seasons… there will be no time

That’s hard to think about.

We sing some fantastic songs like Amazing Grace, for example, with lyrics like “When we’ve been there ten thousand years...”

and its just meant to give us a sense of eternity - that we will be there a long, loooong time

but in reality, there won’t be any time in Heaven

We will just be there, at perfect rest and in perfect peace and experiencing perfect joy, forever and ever

GLORIFIED BODIES

And since there will be no time, what effect will that have on us?

What will our bodies be like?

If you think about it, if there is no time - no birthdays! We won’t age in Heaven

We will stay fit and young and strong in perpetuity

Because when Jesus redeemed us, He didn’t only redeem our souls, but all of us - including our bodies

When we find ourselves one day in God’s newly created Heaven, we will be in our redeemed bodies

Romans 8:23 “23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Our bodies will be redeemed from the effects of sin

Aubrey will be running sprints

Uncle Ed will be playing rugby again and be able to tackle Galv

… and neither will be hurt

Popeye will be doing cartwheels, Wendy Meier will be doing gymnastics, and Mike Kruger will be able to run the Comerades marathon there AND back without getting tired

Those confined to wheelchairs their whole lives will be able to run and jump

The blind will see, the deaf will hear

Our bodies will be free from all ailments, all illnesses, all injuries, all effects of aging, everything

We will be in our fully redeemed, fully glorified resurrection bodies

But will we recognise each other?

Will Ed know it’s Galv he’s tackling?

There will be a lot of continuity in our glorified bodies

Our bodies will be fully glorified, and yet we will still recognize each other.

There’s a hint of that in Philippians 3:21 “21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

We will still be ourselves, just glorified and perfected. So we will look somewhat different, more radiant, more powerful and impressive

It might take us a few moments to recognize each other, but we will

Its like when in Luke 9:28-36 we read of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, and it says in Luke 9:29 “29 And Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.”

And it says Moses and Elijah were there with him and they appeared in glory

And then also we see in Luke 24 on the Emmaus walk, Jesus appeared to two disciples after His resurrection

and they were walking and talking and at first, the disciples didn’t recognise Jesus

But after a while and after Jesus had explained all the scriptures to them that pertain to Him, it says that their eyes were open and they recognised Him

So I think when we see each other in heaven there might be that first awkward moment of looking at each other funny

Like, I think I know this person, but I’m not sure and I don’t want to make a fool of myself now

It looks like Betty, but this woman is radiant and like 20 years old and riding a huge horse

or there’s Siya, but is it really Siya? This man is huge, and glowing, and he’s carrying a lion under his arm

There are so many ways that we don’t get to enjoy God’s current creation the way we would like to

For starters, here we have to pay to go see things - if you want to go see Niagra Falls you have to pay for flights accommodation etc

You won’t be restricted by that in Heaven

But also, as we have aged, we just can’t do the things we once used to

We don’t have the energy to walk around all day

There are things I want to do but I know I can’t anymore because my shoulder is injured

There are things we all want to do but our age doesn’t allow it, we run out of breath, our knees are giving in, etc.

In Heaven, we will no longer be restricted by anything and we will be able to FULLY enjoy and experience God’s beautiful new creation

WE WILL RULE WITH CHRIST

So do we become angels when we go to heaven?

I don’t know where that idea comes from, but that’s what I thought when I was a kid, and it seems from listening to people sometimes that a lot of people actually think we become angels when we go to heaven

But the reality is far better than that

In heaven, we will actually rule with Christ, and we will govern the angels

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:3 “3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? ...”

The word for “judge” there is actually a Greek word that means “to rule” or “to govern”

So people think we get to become angels, but actually, the truth is even better - we will be men and woman, as we are now, but glorified.

And as glorified saints, who are made in the image of God - which angels are not - we will be as image bearers of God, ruling over the angels and ruling with Christ

Jesus said in Revelation 3:21 “21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

2 Timothy 2:12 “12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;”

What this means when you put it together is that the hierarchy in Heaven will be Jesus, us, angels

Again, it’s the Garden of Eden restored - Adam was created to rule over God’s creation as His representative

And it will be like that again in Heaven

We will dwell in God’s presence, and Jesus as King will rule over us all, and we will rule with Him over the new paradise He created

3. WHAT DOES HEAVEN TEACH US?

Of course I have only skimmed the surface today of everything the Bible tells us about Heaven

But there’s enough even in what we have covered today to help us understand that Heaven is going to be glorious

and we will spend all of eternity in awe and amazed, saying “I can’t believe this! I cannot believe this! How amazing is this!”

And we will be in awe and in amazement constantly, not merely at the stunning beauty of everything made new…

… but even more at the grace of God

I think we will just be stunned forever at the grace of God for giving us a place in this eternal paradise, to be able to live with Him and to rule with Him

It is such a lavish gift… and to think that this gift is given to undeserving sinners who rebelled against God…

… its too much to take in, too much to fully comprehend

So in eternity, we will spend all of that eternity just being amazed by God, amazed by His grace, amazed by His goodness, amazed by His generosity

So discovering the realities of Heaven in Scripture should teach us now to appreciate the grace and mercy of God now

What we deserve is what we covered last week

But what we will get is too good and too amazing for earthly languages to describe

That is amazing grace

This should also teach us to keep a Heavenly perspective of all things now

While we wait eagerly for it, we still are confined to living in these fallen bodies, in this fallen world

We still suffer, we still experience the effects of the curse, we still are perpetrators and victims of sin

But Paul comforts us with a Heavenly perspective, saying in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—”

When you are weighed down because of suffering, it helps to keep that in focus, to keep looking forward to what God has in store for us

Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 4:17 “17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

Our afflictions are

Momentary - they will not last for much longer

Light in comparison to what the wicked will suffer, and light in comparison to the glories that await us in Heaven

AND, they are also sanctifying us, purifying us, and even preparing for us eternal glories beyond any comparison

Keep that perspective with you at all times, and remind yourself of that every time you are feeling depressed, hurt, afraid, or troubled

And then lastly, what we should take away from this, is the urgency to tell everyone

COMMUNION

John-Ross (Bread)

Arnold (Cup)

Revelation 19:6–9 “6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.””

SING

Is He worthy

BENEDICTION

Revelation 1:4–7 “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”