Why Do We Need a New Heaven?
A Series about Heaven • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Today, I want to conclude our series about Heaven. We will answer various questions about heaven, including,
We answered, What is Heaven?
We discovered Where is Heaven?
Last week we discussed Who Goes to Heaven?
Today, I will answer the question, [Why Do We Need a New Heaven?]
As a child, my mom watched a lot of home remodel shows. I always enjoyed watching them with her. It amazed me how a dilapidated house could get a total makeover.
They would move walls, rearrange floor plans, install new flooring, fixtures, and furniture. And incredibly, they usually stayed under budget!
The shows made it look incredibly easy. So easy, I decided to help my parents with a bathroom remodel. Mom wanted the wall paper, flooring, and panelling removed.
One Sunday afternoon, I got the idea, I am going to help mom get all of this done. Those shows redo an entire house in an hour, this should not take any time at all.
I worked for hours and hours and hours, deciding those shows were nothing but lies. I took a break and that break lasted a few years.
Finally mom and dad hired someone who came and finished the job I helped get started. When it was all said and done, the bathroom looked NEW.
People like new. We get new cars. New job. New ides. New friends. New food. New recipes. New clothes.
We don’t even get used items. Used cars are now pre-owned. When we get people’s old junk we will say, it is NEW to us. There is something about NEWNESS.
God has a similar concept. The word new is found 175 times in Scripture. Prophets, Apostles, and even Jesus spoke about:
A New Covenant
A New Name
A New Song
A New Wineskin
A New Heart
And the list continues.
When we think of ourselves as followers of Christ, we must remember that we have been made new.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
When we came to Christ, repenting of our sins and committing to Him, something happened within us. We have the same features and the same appearance, but God made us new.
He took out the heart, contaminated by sin, and gave us a new heart, and now we are a new creation.
There is a reason Christians should live different than this world— we are NEW. The old life is gone and a new life has come.
We see that NEW is a part of God’s design. Most of this is easy to comprehend, until we get to our text. God promised that we would have a NEW heaven and a NEW earth.
When I look at this world, I agree, we need it made new. Sin runs rampant and grows worse. But we will see there is a connection in the verses— God promises a new heaven AND a new earth.
Why do we need a new heaven?
I want to answer this question with three points about heaven, [It Was Ruined], [It is Redeemed], and [It Will Be Renewed].
1. It Was Ruined
1. It Was Ruined
Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
God create everything. Period. No one coerced Him or made Him create the heavens and the earth. It was His decision. After each day of creation, He uttered the same phrase, it is good.
It is hard to fully imagine what the world was like when God created. Only Adam and Eve were fortunate enough to enjoy perfection.
Though creation was perfect, Adam and Eve were not. God did not make them without fault, instead He made them innocent. They did not know sin.
Evidently Satan understood this. He slithered in the Garden and tempted them. They willingly gave into sin. Because of their willful disobedience, life as they knew it was over.
They had to endure the eventual sting of death, but there was another consequence of the Fall.
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
Not only did Adam and Eve bring a curse upon themselves and their descendants. They brought a curse upon creation.
The ground was cursed
Thorns and thistles came into the picture
Do we notice that plants die if we do not water them. Trees die if they are not tended. Grass dies every winter. Flowers die at the end of summer.
That was never a part of God’s plan. Satan sought to ruin what God created. Creation came under the curse. Their sin gave Satan access to God’s creation.
And what did God create? Heaven AND earth.
We know that Satan seeks to destroy and ruin the earth, but what about heaven? Does he have access to heaven?
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
Notice where Satan and God had this conversation, the members of heaven’s court came to present themselves to God.
Where is God?
Heaven. Do we see what is happening. Satan accused Job before God. It is not like Satan was in hell yelling at God from below. He spoke to Him.
Satan has never lost his desire to ruin what belongs to God.
God created heaven AND earth, Satan sought to ruin heaven AND earth. But God had a plan and now we see...
2. It is Redeemed
2. It is Redeemed
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Remember, the moment Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan. Jesus was to come fully God and fully Man. He came to REDEEM humanity.
He gives us insight into what He saw concerning Satan. Jesus sent our seventy disciples to heal the sick and declare the Kingdom of God.
When they returned, they could not believe that they case our demons. Jesus gives a peculiar answer.
He does not congratulate them or celebrate with them. Instead, He explains, I saw Satan fall like lightning, from where? From heaven.
It is as though He wants them to realize, demons and Satan are not as powerful as Me and I have delegated my authority to you. So do not get excited about casting our demons, Satan does not have power or authority when I am present.
Instead, your real source of joy is that your names are written in heaven!
Jesus, being the Good Teacher, worked with His people while He was on earth. He did not make them wait until after His ascension and the Day of Pentecost for them to heal the sick or preach the Kingdom.
He gave them trial runs. They got to try it out while He was still with them. He wanted them to get a glimpse of the REDEEMED life.
When He died and rose again, He did something supernatural, He bought back what Satan thought belonged to Him.
Therefore, the redeemed life is the NEW life. When we come to Jesus, we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and now we are made NEW.
But that is us, what about heaven and earth?
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
Paul writes that creation was subjected to God’s curse.
What is God’s creation? He created heaven AND earth.
When sin entered, it changed everything. Now, even creation groans and eagerly awaits when the bondage of death and decay will disappear.
He compared creation groaning like a woman in childbirth.
As I studied this, it began to make sense:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Why can’t the heaven’s groan and desire for God to make ALL THINGS NEW!
God will do that. So we join with creation, groaning for the release from this life of sin and suffering.
Who is the culprit of sin and suffering?
Satan, he had attempted to ruin creation, and thank God Jesus has begun the redemption process. The process is not complete. Very soon, and I believe it is soon, we will see Jesus return for His church.
The dead in Christ will rise, the rest of us will rise to meet Him in the air. THEN, Satan is going to unleash his wickedness upon the earth in a way that has never been seen.
But God will not let it last.
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
During the Tribulation, as sin and evil run rampant under the control of the antichrist, God will have enough. The angel Michael will go to war with Satan.
Angels and demons will fight in the heavenly realm and Micheal will throw him down to earth, why? Because there is NO PLACE FOUND FOR THEM IN HEAVEN!
God will continue the redemption process. The tribulation will end with the second coming of Christ, when He and all the hosts of heaven come riding to the earth on white horses.
After 1000 years, Satan and the wicked will be cast to the lake of fire for an eternity. Then we will see God complete the process. Heaven, it was ruined, it is redeemed, and...
3. It Will Be Renewed
3. It Will Be Renewed
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Peter explained the importance of holding onto the hope of Christ’s return. Many will doubt He will come and even come because they have heard the message over and over.
But Jesus will come. His coming will catch the world by surprise.
We have heard this many times and we often think of His coming in response to what it will do for US. WE will be with the Lord. WE will come to earth during the Millennium. WE will enjoy eternity with Christ.
But what will His coming do for creation? How will His coming affect the heavens and the earth?
The heavens will pass away.
The earth will burn up with fire.
Let’s look at the earth for a moment. When this takes place, God will renew the earth. We will still be on THIS earth, but God will make it renew it, renovate, to a place of perfection.
To be burned with fire means to be laid bare or exposed. All the corruption that accompanied sin will be purged and God will gloriously rejuvenate the earth, no weeds, no thorns, not thistles.
But what about heaven? Why will God need heaven to pass away?
God heard Satan accuse Job IN heaven.
Jesus saw Satan fall like lightening FROM heaven
Michael will cast Satan and his demons FROM heaven.
If God will purge earth from the effects of Satan
Why wouldn’t He renew the heavens to a place VOID of any connection to Satan’s work or influence.
No wonder Peter cried out, we look forward to new heavens and a new earth— a world filled with righteousness.
Peter was not alone in this desire, the prophet Isaiah promised:
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
The prophet foretold of a day when the devastating consequences of sin will be eternally reversed. The ruining effect of sin will not remain for eternity.
When will this great day happen?
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
After God deals with sin and Satan, the time will arrive for Him to complete the process or restoring what Satan sought to destroy.
Let’s imagine this as a circle MAKE CIRCLE
Ruined by sin
Redeemed by Jesus
Renewed by God
We will spend eternity on this earth, fully renewed and released from sin and the curse.
Jesus’s throne will set in the New Jerusalem.
And the heavens will be new.
Life as we know it will change. There will be similarities, we will still have our bodies, our personalities, and our relationships. But the nagging effects of sins will not exist.
Life will be perfect!
I love this part of redemptive history. One of the questions I asked was why do we need a NEW heaven and earth. Then as I studied, I found the word new means to change in form.
Creation will change from its current form and be restored to God’s original form— life as it was in the Garden.
But another reason I discovered about God’s plan had to do with his dealings with Satan. Wouldn’t the enemy love it to know that sin forever ruined God’s creation, causing God to have to start ALL over.
God won’t give Satan the satisfaction. Sin had damaging consequences, but God will purge the earth by fire, and all will be good again.
God will STILL have the final say.
Close:
No wonder Peter, who walked with Jesus, cried out for a new heaven and a new earth.
I feel that I set myself a rather difficult task in announcing this message four weeks in advance. The idea came to me, but I had not fully studied to answer the question.
I even spoke to one of the professors at the seminary, will you give me a quick answer, why do we need a new heaven and earth?
What I love about the Word though, if we will ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate our understanding, He will help us answer the tough questions.
I pray this settles in our heart:
We need a new heaven and earth because
It was ruined by sin
It is redeemed by Jesus
It will be renewed by God
What hope, what help, what a promise.
We’ve looked at heaven for the past three weeks. Initially, I wondered why God directed me to preach on this subject. I am glad I listened.
Knowing about heaven shapes our walk with God on earth. Remember:
What is heaven? It is God’s dwelling place. But through the sacrifice of Jesus, He is preparing us a place in heaven. It is a place for God and a place for us.
Where is heaven? We often place heaven FAR AWAY. True, the physical location of heaven is no where near us. But spiritually, heaven is near.
God is always ready to open up the windows of heaven and pour out His Spirit, gifts, presence, and revelation from heaven.
Who Goes to heaven? The people who are on the right path, producing the right fruit, making the right preparation.
Heaven is real and I can’t wait to get there. But what is the final plan of God.
He has a place prepared that will be TOTALLY VOID OF SIN AND SATAN.
It is difficult to fully comprehend the damaging effects of the Fall of humanity. But God sees a better day. He has envisioned a place that is NEW.
All of creation will walk in the newness of God.
But here is the catch, only the NEW born can experience the NEW heaven and earth.
Jesus wants to make each person new— forgiving them of their sins.
If anyone is not right with Jesus, He will make them brand new.
Until then, I believe God has new experiences for us.
He wants to give:
a new touch
a new outpouring
a new revival
a new experience
a new healing
a new encounter with Him
If God will go through the process of giving us a new heaven and a new earth, I believe He can come and give us a brand new touch of His Spirit until we go to the New place.
Who wants a new experience with God?
Until we get to the new heaven and new earth, let’s believe God to continue to show us something new, reveal to us something new, and pour out a new revival upon us.