Revelation 20:11-21:8

MPS

Prayer: God, this is your word. let us not take the power and beauty of these words for granted.

Problems then:

persecution from kings

judged by their neighbors for loving the one true God

Life requires a compelling vision of the future.

Solutions: Jesus Judges the living and the dead. If we live by our own merit, we will die by our own merit. If we die to our merit, we will live by his. If we live by him, we will live with him forever in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

intro:

Hello. Pastor Taylor

New faces coming back! Great to have you,

I would love to meet you. Join me for a coffee at the back after service

Revelation: Between Two Worlds

God’s victory- bound, judged and destroyed Satan and his work

today, he look to us. Or rather, we look to him.

judgment and salvation

death and life side by side

judgment- cringy.

Early Christians: suffering martyrdom, persecution, yet they were a people of forgiveness.

when you have truly suffered at the hands of another person, it is impossible to not take up arms, or words or against that person unless you believe that there is justice at the end of all this. [insert quote]

unless you believe that there is a just God who does not allow evil to go unpunished. Unless you believe there is a righteous God who calls evil evil and good good. Unless you believe in an eternal and wise God who sees all things, knows all things and will repay all things accordingly

It is impossible for us to forgive without believing that all things will be made right

Because God is judge, we can let him sort it out, and we can forgive. Because we have been forgiven, and one way or another, justice will be given.

Either it was already judged on the cross of Jesus, in which case- who are you to take vengeance?

Or it will be judged by the Second Death and Him who is seated on the Great White Throne… again, who are you to take vengeance?

It is impossible for us to endure all things, hope in all things if there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

There is light at the end of the tunnel

MPS

P1: Live by his life or die by yours

[20:11-15]

11 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.

From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.”

God appears on a throne

king and judge

The lamb, who laid his life down for sinners, now sits as judge

Earth and Sky Flee

heavens and Earth are gone

but will reappear in 21:1

[Ven Diagram of Heaven coming to Earth]

Heaven and Earth flee and all that is left is us standing before God

no place to hide from God’s judgment

no crook, no crevice, no depth of the ocean, no outer solar system that can escape the judgment of God

he sees all

he knows all

his judgment will be complete

we all have secrets, but you don’t have them with him

There is no place to hide. Our sin will be exposed and judged.

We may go to the grave with our sin, but we will still stand before God in judgment for it

And not only God, but one another.

sin will be brought to light

all of it

God will judge all people

great and small

sea gives up dead/Death/Hades give up their dead

God’s judgment is complete- of all people and all sin

Death comes for us all, and after death, judgment

1 God, 1 judge, many books

many books, but just two categories:

Our books- ledgers

his book- life

12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne,

and books were opened.

Then another book was opened,

which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books,

according to what they had done.

Merit: There are only two types of people we can be in the world:

those who live according to their merit, their deeds

those who live according to grace- undeserved merit

what do I mean?

when we live according to our own deeds and merit it sounds like this:

“I just try and be a good person”

“I go to church, I even tithe, and yet, i don’t understand why God would…”

“

Death to death

Second death

14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

P2: New heavens and New Earth

The New Heaven and the New Earth 21 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.

New Home

With God

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.

heaven coming to Earth

renewed

marriage between heaven and Earth

Without sin

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. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”