Bethel 1.4.26

Why do we believe?

Revelation 21:1–7 NRSV

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. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then 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 water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

There’s this pattern, this rhythm.

We see it in the book of Revelation; the story of the Israelites and Moses; the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection; the story of you and the story of me.

This rhythm pulses throughout the pages of the Bible: this pattern of humans failing, needing redemption, and God stepping in and staying true to God’s promise.

If any of you follow any of the plans that walks you through the Bible in the year, you would have just finished up Revelation a few days ago. Dillon and I participated in one with a few of our friends, and as we walked through Revelation, something stood out to me: it was this rhythm of promise. And I felt it was fitting for today.

Revelation chapter 21, verses 1-7 comes from the portion of John’s writings that speak to the New Heaven, the New Earth, and the New Jerusalem. Throughout the entire book of Revelation, we see a continued pattern of judgment and resolution, and here, we shift the focus from heaven to earth, for it is to earth that the heavenly city descends. God’s presence, until now hidden behind the vault of heaven, now dwells with those who reside in this new Jerusalem.

This is a fulfillment of God’s promise, echoed back in Revelation 7:17. That the lamb will be at the center of the throne, who will be their shepherd. And he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Follow along in chapter 21, verse 7 again with me - Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Those who conquer - these are the ones who have overcome the beast and its image by means of the blood of the Lamb - and who is John talking about here? Why, God’s children. Those who believe - you and me.

John didn’t write the book of Revelation as a book of secret code that we believers need to decipher in order to determine the time table of Jesus’ return.

Rather, it’s a symbolic vision that brought hope and challenge to the 7 churches and every generations of Christians since. It reveals history’s pattern and God’s promise that every human kingdom eventually becomes Babylon and must be resisted in the power of the slain lamb.

But there’s a promise: that Jesus who loved and died for this world will not let Babylon go unchecked. Jesus will return one day and remove evil from his good world and make all things new.

My friends, this is why we believe. Why we CAN believe in Jesus. Why we should trust, put our faith in, to build our foundation on.

The world is broken, we are flawed human beings, we live in Babylon, we cannot and we should not put our faith in other humans, in the things of this world.

Why not? Because Jesus, who was born in a lowly manger to a virgin, raised by a carpenter in a land that was wrought with sin and death, was crucified and died for them, for you and for me, and resurrected so that we may believe. So that we may love our neighbors, carry out the work of Jesus, give thanks to God for our bountiful blessings, and find salvation, grace and mercy in our one true Savior: Jesus Christ.

I want us to carry that as we wrap up our time in this book by David Jeremiah. I will read this last chapter, and my hope is this: that we clutch to the reasons each of us believe in Jesus. Maybe your reasons look different than mine. Maybe they’re the same. Regardless, Jesus is with us in our Babylon. Jesus as the humble and glorious savior accompanies us in our joy and our strife. As believers, we must ask ourselves: what’s next for us? How do we carry on God’s work in our neighborhood? How do we share this message of this pattern of God’s redeeming love and promise to those who need it?

With that: join me in chapter 25.