All These Things Are Gone Forever

Introduction (5m)

Background to Passage

Words might sound strange. Result of vision/dream received by John, one of Jesus’ disciples on island of Patmos around 90-95 AD.

Even most die-hard Christians avoid much of book. Rollercoaster of strange sights, sounds, colours and images. Trumpets, thrones, thunder and lightning, lampstands, mythical creatures, millions of angels, a mighty choir, fiery horses, plagues, and so on. Things we find difficult to adequately explain today.

But it gives us a glimpse of God’s plan for the future for us and for Sue

“Glimpse” - clear that the sheer joy of living in God’s presence for eternity is so indescribable that John is left only to tell us what will not be there. But that can bring us joy today, even on a day like this.

Explanation (5m)

The sea was also gone

A little detail right at the beginning of the passage. Often overlooked:

Revelation 21:1 NLT

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.

If like me, love the sea, this might not bring you much joy at face value.

Love the sea. Love walking by it, watching it, photographing it, swimming in it. Nothing more joyous than watching Harley bounding in and out of it. Even enjoy watching it when stormy, from a safe distance, of course!

That’s kind of the point. First century people often feared the sea. Travelling by sea not always safe - for either goods or people. Bible has a number of stories of people caught in wild storms and shipwrecked. The sea can be dangerous.

So for some religious people, the sea came to signify evil. Dark, unknown and foreboding. Danger to life. Revelation speaks of a beast rising from it.

John is intimating that when we finally enter into God’s presence, as Sue has done, evil is defeated. The sea - the dark, foreboding, dangerous sea - is gone.

What this means

Revelation 21:4 NLT

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

This is God’s promise which Sue is enjoying today. All her tears are gone. All her pain that she endured so well in her earthly life is gone.

For many of us, we cannot picture Sue in our mind’s eye without her walking stick or her walker. Now, God’s promise is that she no longer needs these. She’s thrown her walking stick away, pushed her walker aside and is walking naturally with her Lord.

For Sue, there is no more death and no more sorrow.

All that remains is God’s perfect love for her

Revelation 21:3 NLT

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.

God has made his home with Sue. He will live with her forever, and she will live with him. She is his child. She will know God’s perfect, loving presence for eternity.

Clear that Rachel, Rebecca, Deborah and all of Sue’s family deeply loved her. As her friends and comrades, we also loved Sue, and enjoyed having her as part of our family. But however much we loved her, it is but a shadow of God’s love for Sue.

God’s love for her and for us is best pictured in Jesus’ dying for us on the cross whilst we were still his enemies, as St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans. God’s Holy Spirit comes into our hearts - indeed he is with us today as we gather to remember Sue and celebrate her life and the love we have for her - and he declares, See, I love Sue! I love Sue! I love Sue! See, I love you! I love you! I love you!

Application (5m)

Trust in God and one day all these things will be gone forever

Today, we are touched by death. Whilst we have many happy memories of Sue, we are also experiencing pain and sorrow because she is gone from our sight. We long to speak with her again. We long to hear her laugh. To be able to hug and keep her close. It hurts.

But the Bible tells us that if we seek the God of love that Sue knew as her heavenly Father, if we follow her life example, and come to know God for ourselves and allow him to be our leader and guide in life, then one day, it will happen.

One day there will be no more death, no more goodbyes, no more grief, no more sorrow, no more pain.

One day, we will be reunited. A family reunion. One day we will be reunited with Sue and all our loved ones who have gone before us. And more importantly, we will be with God and he will make his home with us.

Sue trusted this promise. She put her faith and confidence in God. Today, we celebrate the fulfilment of that promise. We celebrate that Sue has been Promoted to Glory. We celebrate that she is a child of God and is now enjoying eternal heaven with him, free from death, sorrow, crying and pain.

God bless us all as we follow in her footsteps.

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