Untitled Sermon (3)

This has been an awesome weekend! I love that you guys have gotten solid teaching and the most amazing story ever written. God’s story of rescuing his creation from sin and death. The first night we saw that God created everything good! He created us to be in relationship with him and relationship with each other. I hope that this weekend you have been able to forge relationships with each other! I also hope that your relationship with God has been strengthened this weekend or perhaps this weekend is the beginning of that relationship.

The second sessions Jospeh led us to the reality that our sin problem is an identity problem. Each and every one of you are searching for who you are. The word Identity is used a lot in our culture. We are fooled to find our identity in tons of places. I want to be crystal clear with you. Nothing in your life defines you other than who God says you are. Perhaps this weekend God has shown you that what you think your identity is does not match up with who he says you are. Guys and girls, nothing in this life defines you and your sin certainly doesn’t. Only God defines who you are. Do you believe you are who he says you are? Do you trust him with your identity issues? Are you willing to let go of the control of your life in order that God can make you look more like who he says you are? It’s a risky thing. It means you have to give us the thing most precious to you… your self declared identity. It means that you will have to stop being your own God. It means that you will have to redirect your worship away from yourself and towards God! In other words, ultimately sin is idolatry. What do I mean by that? Sin is believing you know whats best for yourself and therefore you serve yourself rather than the one who created you!

Finally, Gardner explained to us that Jesus by his death, burial and ressurection saved all of those who would believe in him from the penalty of sin. Whats the penalty of sin? Death and separation from God. Jesus was separated from God and died temporarily so that we could live eternally! But, how do we have access to this life? By faith. No amount of youth camps, church services or Bible verses will save you without faith. Do you believe today?! Do you believe that Christ love you so much that he gave his life for you in order that you may live? I pray that if you have not followed Christ in the obedience of faith that today is your day of salvation.

With all of that being said, turn with me to

In my opinion this is one of the most amazing parts of this entire chapter. Adam and Eve have sinned again God… they are aware of their sin because they know that they are naked. These folks were helpless… they have been living for soooo long with this relationship with each other and their relationship with God that their appearance was no thing for them. The had no idea what to do about this problem.

Because of this God has to make them clothes. God himself had to cover their nakedness because they were powerless to do it themselves. They were helpless!

Woah! Does this sound familiar? In the same way we are totally helpless to fix our condition. Like Adam and Eve God has made a robe of righteousness to cover your sin by the blood of his son on the cross.

But, these clothes were just a glimpse of what was to come. They were not the real thing.

We know this because after God clothed them he had to do something that Adam and Eve did not expect. Think about it, God had just clothed you and now God removes them from the garden because he is holy and those fig leaves were not enough to cover their sin. they needed more. They needed a rescuer.

I want to pause there because I think that is where many of you pause. Your life may be covered in fig leaves. You might think that because you never miss a Sunday you are good, you read you Bible but it’s really out of obligation and not adoration. You hang out with the “good” kids because you know that “those” kids will send a message that you aint speaking. The list could go on. The fact is without faith in Jesus all of those things are just fig leaves. Fig leaves that will eventually wilt on the day of judgement and you will be exposed in front of God for who you truly are.

The fact is i think many of people are content with their fig leaves. It serves well at hiding our sin.

However, does it serve well at hiding your sin from God? Obviously not because God kicked Adam and Eve out of the very garden he created for them because the fig leaves just weren’t enough. Some of you in this room are trusting in some fig leaves to give you the appearance of righteousness instead of put on Christ who gives you HIS righeousness and thereby being made right with God once and for all.

Adam and Eve were cast out of the world that God created with the intention of never ending goodness. The question is… will anything every be good again and if so how do we get to experience that goodness. Turn now with me to ...

John is on the Island of Patmos. He is here because the government literally could not shut him up talking about Jesus. And on this Island God is giving him visions about the end of the old earth and the coming of the new. I cant imagine what it must have been like to be John right now....

Read 21:1-4

So, John is writing to us about his experience about seeing this old earth pass away and the new earth come… I hate to give away the ending in the middle of my sermon by guys, all of this will in the blink of an eye be gone. A new an better earth is coming!

What will the new earth be like? Well, a lot like the first one was intended to be! Look at verse 3, “Behold 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.” Does this not sound familiar? Isn’t this how Adam and Eve lived with God in the garden?

Guys, God is going to do it again! If this does not give you hope in this life I don’t know what will! One day we will be with him and he will dwell which literally means “live” with us!

And what is God going to do when he dwells with us? Guys, sin has completely messed everything up. Sin causes pain in one way or another. Many of you in this room are hurt, depressed and you feel like no one care. The hurt you feel seems like it will never end but it will! Look at verse 4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Are you hurting? God is coming to take his father like hands and wipe the tear from your eyes, child.

are you hurting? He is coming to take that pain away.

Death will no longer be and crying will turn into worship.

Church, the former things are passing away and the new is coming and if the new is coming we can start rejoicing because if we know its coming then why wait until it gets here to start practicing. Guys, if this doesn’t excite you then you.aren’t.ready.

“behold, the one seated on the throne is making all things new.” He is the alpha who created all things the beginning of everything known and not known. He is the omega which means he alone has the power to tear all of this down and make for us something better.

But wait, who are these people that get to experience this new thing. is it everyone? Will everyone make it? No… they won’t.

To the thirsty (verse 6) God is going to give them eternal water from the spring of life. It’s only those who know that God is the source of everything they need in life that get to experience this new thing!

To the one who conquers. What does this mean? It’s the one who has placed their faith in Christ and has endured to the end. The one who didn’t waver, the one who didn’t walk away. It those who by the grace of God endure this life dressed in the righteous robe of Christ that get to experience this new thing!