WEBVTT

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 It's difficult to understand, interpret at times, but it is a book, a revelation that was given to John in order to help people in a crisis where they were being persecuted for their faith and suffering for being part of Christ's kingdom in the world.

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 And I guess the book is written on the basis that to encourage people in a time of crisis is to give them the hope that there is something better.

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 And we'll read through the book of Revelation and we see that quite clearly, that the people of God are encouraged by focusing on the things that are ahead of them and the things that belong to their glory.

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 And when we read even these chapters themselves, we get the sense of an overarching theme in the Bible.

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 And we see at the beginning of this chapter, he saw a new heaven and a new earth that connects us with Genesis chapter 1, so that there is that overriding sense of the mission of God and of the purpose of God in the whole of the Bible.

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 Tonight I want us to think for a short time on the focus of faith in a fallen world.

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 I want us to think first of all of the focus on paradise lost.

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 There was, there is a heavens and an earth created by God.

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 In that new, that creation of God, there is a garden.

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 And in that garden, we see that there is a tree of knowledge of good and evil.

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 We see that there is the tree of life.

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 And we see that there are boundaries in the garden of Eden.

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 What we want to notice especially is that this garden of Eden was a garden temple.

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 And we read in Genesis chapter 2 that God put man into the garden to work and to keep it.

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 And when we follow the use of both these words down through the experience of the church, especially in the first few books of the Bible,

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 we do understand that the work is the work of the servants who serve God at his temple.

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 We understand that those who are the keepers are those who guard, who watch over the temple of God.

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 So we understand from that, that when Adam and Eve are in the garden of Eden,

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 they are there as the first priests guarding the temple of God as God has prepared it.

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 And we see from chapter number 3 that in that garden temple, not only are they there, but there is communion with God which they enjoy.

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 They hear the sound of the Lord walking in the garden.

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 God is with them in the garden temple.

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 They are present in the garden temple.

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 They are there, created by God as God's revelation of his purpose for humankind.

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 And in that garden, they have a particular mission.

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 And the mission is to spread the conditions of the garden temple to cover the rest of creation.

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 Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

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 So beyond the boundaries of the garden, there is God's creation which they are tasked to fill with people who carry, who bear the image of God.

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 There is, in that first creation, in the paradise of God, there is God present with his people in God's temple in that garden,

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 where Adam is there to serve, to watch over and to guard,

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 and where he is there in order to spread the image of God to cover the whole of creation.

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 And we know that in that paradise that God created, that the paradise of God's creation became for Adam a paradise that was lost.

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 We know the story.

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 He ate of the tree that God said you shall not eat of it, because the day that you do eat of it, you shall surely die.

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 And what is the result of that?

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 Adam can no longer be in God's temple.

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 He can no longer have the commune of God.

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 He can no longer live with God in this garden.

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 And so that he won't reach out his hand and take of the tree of life,

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 God sends him out of the garden,

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 and he places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

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 Adam was there to guard the temple and to keep it,

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 but because of Adam's sin,

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 there's a guard so that he can no longer go in to God's garden temple.

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 Paradise lost.

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 And when I follow the story of the Old Testament,

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 what I do realise is that that picture of exclusion and of desolation follows me right through.

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 And we think of the glorious temple of Solomon.

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 Magnificent in every way.

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 That's something I always sang in Psalm number 48.

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 It's a glorious temple.

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 It's the temple over which Solomon prayed.

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 The temple that he designed so that the presence of God would come

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 and fill this temple with his glory.

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 And God did that.

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 We read in 1 Kings chapter 8 that that's what happened.

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 The cloud filled the house of the Lord.

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 The glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

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 It was a temple, a glorious temple.

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 It was a temple where God's presence was found.

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 But what happens next?

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 We see that the glorious temple of Solomon becomes a heap and a rubble

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 because of the disobedience of the people of God.

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 And we see that the agents of Nebuchadnezzar came into Jerusalem.

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 They burned the house of the Lord and the house of the king.

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 They took all the furniture out of the temple.

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 They carried it away to Babylon.

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 The temple that was the picture, the powerful expression of glory

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 became a symbol of the absence of God and of paradise lost.

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 And that's what we expect to see.

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 That there is a great beginning as there was in the Garden of Eden.

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 And that there is a sad end because the glory of God has departed.

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 There is the focus on paradise lost.

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 Let's not forget that.

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 The behavior of God's people down through the Old Testament

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 drives that message home to us.

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 Secondly, there is the focus and paradise recovered.

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 God's presence is in the tabernacle.

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 God's presence was in Solomon's temple.

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 And I will read in the New Testament in John chapter 1

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 that the word, Jesus, the son of God,

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 he became flesh and tabernacled among us.

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 The presence of God comes to us.

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 And Jesus is challenged in John chapter 2

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 with regard to what he is saying.

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 And they ask him, what sign do you show us

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 for doing these things?

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 His response is key and is interesting.

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 Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.

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 The focus on the tabernacle in the days of the Exodus,

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 the focus on the temple in the days of Solomon

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 is replaced by the focus on the passion of the son of God.

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 And we see that focus coming to light, first of all,

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 when he experiences what we can say in inverted commas,

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 when he experiences destruction.

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 The temple of Solomon is in rebel because of the enemies.

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 We go to Calvary's cross and there Jesus is the curse bearer.

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 There he is the one whose body is broken.

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 There he is the one whose heart is melting like wax.

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 He is suffering for our sin.

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 He is the curse bearer and he redeems us from the curse of the law

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 by being made a curse for us.

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 The rubble in Solomon's temple

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 becomes the broken body of the son of God

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 on Calvary's cross.

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 Paradise recovered.

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 The brokenness has to be repeated.

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 The brokenness has to be revealed

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 as to what the brokenness means.

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 And I see that at Calvary's cross.

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 That's what it means.

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 That's why Adam is not in the Garden of Eden.

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 That's why the children of Israel

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 don't experience the presence of God

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 because Jesus in being made a curse cries out,

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 my God, my God,

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 why have you forsaken me?

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 Paradise recovered.

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 And we follow the story through in the New Testament

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 and the Jesus who is the temple of God

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 and his resurrection,

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 filled with the spirit of God,

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 breathes upon his disciples,

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 receive the Holy Spirit.

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 what happens next?

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 In Paul's words,

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 in 2 Corinthians,

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 in 1 Corinthians chapter 3,

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 you are God's temple.

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 You as a congregation in Corinth,

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 you are the temple of God.

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 Because of your union with Christ,

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 who is the temple of God,

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 who is the cornerstone,

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 the foundation stone,

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 and the capstone,

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 you also are now living stones

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 in the temple of God.

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 As Peter says,

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 a holy priesthood

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 to offer spiritual sacrifice to God.

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 And tonight,

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 God wants to tell us

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 that we are God's temple.

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 That in chapter 6 of Corinthians,

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 Paul tells them that as individuals,

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 they are the temple of God

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 and dwelt by the spirit of God.

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 But in chapter 3,

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 it's the collective.

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 It's the church in Corinth.

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 Tonight,

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 that's what we are.

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 We are the temple of God.

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 The spirit of God

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 dwells us individually.

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 And as the church,

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 the body of Christ,

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 the spirit of God

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 dwells in us collectively.

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 And for the purpose

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 of carrying on

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 the mission of God.

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 Why are we here?

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 It is because the God

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 who told Adam,

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 go and fill the earth.

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 It's the God who,

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 through Jesus,

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 is telling the disciples,

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 go and make disciples

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 of all nations.

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 The mission continues.

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 We are the temple of God

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 for the mission of God

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 so that we spread the image

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 of God

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 and the good news

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 of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

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 the temple of God,

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 that we make that known

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 in the world around us.

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 Paradise recovered.

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 It becomes about

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 persons and people.

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 It becomes about

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 the son of God

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 who died for us

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 and who rose again.

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 It's about those

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 who come to faith

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 and have the spirit of God

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 dwelling in their hearts.

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 And finally,

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 there is a focus

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 and paradise regained.

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 This is what we want to hear.

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 We want to learn

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 what happened in the past,

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 but we want to hear

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 where we are going.

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 And John in this chapter,

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 he saw a new heaven

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 and a new earth

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 for the first heaven

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 and the first earth

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 had passed away.

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 thanks be to God.

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 All that

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 belonged to

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 the first creation

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 is gone forever.

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 And instead of that,

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 in this new heaven

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 and new earth,

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 we see the church

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 as John saw it.

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 I saw the holy city,

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 New Jerusalem,

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 coming down out of heaven

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 from God,

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 prepared as a bride,

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 adorned for her husband.

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 Thank you.

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 Thank you.

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 Thank you.

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 We never feel like

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 a bride,

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 do we?

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 In the sense of being

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 the bride of Christ.

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 How could Christ

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 possibly love somebody

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 like you and like me?

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 But here we are,

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 the greatest

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 marriage event

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 ever,

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 that we are gathered

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 around the throne of God

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 to the marriage supper

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 of the Lamb

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 as a bride,

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 adorned with white clothing,

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 pure and white,

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 because we have been

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 cleansed and washed

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 and made new.

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 And here we are now

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 in the presence of God.

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 And the God who

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 was present

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 in the Garden of Eden

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 with Adam,

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 is now the God

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 who is saying,

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 he will dwell with them

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 and they will be his people

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 and God himself

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 will be with them

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 as their God.

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 The bride is the Lamb.

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 God is with them.

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 The covenant God,

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 the covenant purpose of God

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 is now fulfilled.

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 We will leave behind

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 the pain,

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 the sorrow,

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 the mourning,

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 the crying

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 and the tears.

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 There's that exodus

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 from all of that

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 and there's an entrance

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 into the heavenly kingdom

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 of Christ

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 where we appear

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 as the bride.

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 That should encourage us.

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 Whatever the crisis is,

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 whatever the challenge is,

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 I keep my eye

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 on where we're going.

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 The paradise

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 regained,

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 secured by the death

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 of Christ.

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 And

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 the remarkable thing

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 or one of the remarkable

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 things

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 about this

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 new heavens

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 and new earth

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 is

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 that there is

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 no building.

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 There is no temple.

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 And that's what

00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:10.440
 we read in version number 22.

00:15:10.900 --> 00:15:12.500
 I saw no temple

00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:13.160
 in the city.

00:15:13.940 --> 00:15:14.780
 There is nothing

00:15:14.780 --> 00:15:15.380
 in the city

00:15:15.380 --> 00:15:16.240
 that speaks of

00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:17.400
 limitations

00:15:17.400 --> 00:15:18.360
 and of boundaries

00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:19.420
 that there is

00:15:19.420 --> 00:15:20.420
 no need for that.

00:15:21.560 --> 00:15:22.900
 Instead of the limitations

00:15:22.900 --> 00:15:23.500
 and the boundaries

00:15:23.500 --> 00:15:24.440
 that belong

00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:25.580
 to Solomon's temple,

00:15:26.060 --> 00:15:26.560
 that belong

00:15:26.560 --> 00:15:27.560
 to the tabernacle,

00:15:27.940 --> 00:15:28.360
 that belong

00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:29.340
 to the Garden of Eden,

00:15:29.660 --> 00:15:30.840
 instead of these walls

00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:31.660
 and these boundaries

00:15:31.660 --> 00:15:32.520
 which speak

00:15:32.520 --> 00:15:33.260
 of separation,

00:15:34.060 --> 00:15:34.580
 they are gone.

00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:37.240
 I look for

00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:37.920
 somewhere to,

00:15:38.260 --> 00:15:38.960
 some place

00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:39.860
 to find God

00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:41.460
 and there is no such place

00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:43.220
 because God is everywhere

00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:44.240
 with his people

00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:45.100
 and the Lamb

00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:45.580
 is everywhere

00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:46.280
 with his people.

00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:47.880
 That's what

00:15:47.880 --> 00:15:48.660
 John says.

00:15:49.920 --> 00:15:50.760
 Its temple

00:15:50.760 --> 00:15:52.180
 is the Lord God,

00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:54.140
 the Almighty

00:15:54.140 --> 00:15:54.660
 and

00:15:54.660 --> 00:15:56.840
 the Lamb.

00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:59.879
 we come to church

00:15:59.879 --> 00:16:00.800
 on the Lord's Day

00:16:00.800 --> 00:16:03.820
 seeking to worship God.

00:16:04.160 --> 00:16:05.700
 We set ourselves apart,

00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:07.960
 placing a boundary

00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:09.300
 between ourselves

00:16:09.300 --> 00:16:10.460
 and our weekly lives

00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:11.220
 and ourselves

00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:11.940
 and the world

00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:12.500
 in which we live.

00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:14.440
 We set up that boundary.

00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:18.560
 we are doing it tonight.

00:16:19.520 --> 00:16:21.160
 We are separating ourselves

00:16:21.160 --> 00:16:22.520
 to worship God,

00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:23.280
 to gather together,

00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:24.860
 consider the things of God

00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:26.600
 because that's the world

00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:27.520
 in which we live.

00:16:28.040 --> 00:16:30.060
 We are still in recovery mode

00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:32.439
 but once the recovery mode

00:16:32.439 --> 00:16:33.039
 is over

00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:34.000
 and once

00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:35.139
 paradise is regained,

00:16:36.579 --> 00:16:37.579
 wherever I go

00:16:37.579 --> 00:16:39.139
 it's filled with God.

00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:40.679
 Wherever I go

00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:41.659
 the Lamb leads me

00:16:41.659 --> 00:16:42.339
 to fountains

00:16:42.339 --> 00:16:43.159
 of living water.

00:16:44.239 --> 00:16:45.259
 I don't need to find

00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:45.759
 a corner

00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:47.079
 where I might find

00:16:47.079 --> 00:16:48.179
 my Saviour

00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:49.139
 to follow him

00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:50.359
 and to drink from him.

00:16:51.359 --> 00:16:52.219
 He is with me.

00:16:52.699 --> 00:16:53.559
 He is everywhere.

00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:57.339
 The past is forgotten

00:16:57.339 --> 00:17:01.459
 and the future unfolds

00:17:01.459 --> 00:17:02.879
 if we can think of future

00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:05.919
 in God's new heavens

00:17:05.919 --> 00:17:06.779
 and the new earth.

00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:09.099
 In the past

00:17:09.099 --> 00:17:10.419
 which was so often described

00:17:10.419 --> 00:17:12.319
 as death and decay

00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:14.539
 in all around I see.

00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:18.139
 The present is

00:17:18.139 --> 00:17:20.639
 God and the Lamb

00:17:20.639 --> 00:17:23.019
 in all around I see.

00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:25.079
 Is that not

00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:26.619
 exciting

00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:28.079
 and uplifting

00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:30.419
 that where we are going

00:17:30.419 --> 00:17:32.919
 all we see is God

00:17:32.919 --> 00:17:34.659
 and all we see is Jesus

00:17:34.659 --> 00:17:36.079
 and tonight

00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:38.019
 that's our expectation

00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:38.940
 and our hope

00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:40.299
 and in the midst of

00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:41.839
 the challenges of life

00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:43.500
 God wants us tonight

00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:45.139
 to lift up our heads

00:17:45.139 --> 00:17:47.000
 to look beyond

00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:47.919
 the scene of time

00:17:47.919 --> 00:17:49.259
 and to look

00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:51.000
 at that great place

00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:52.599
 that great marriage

00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:54.039
 and the presence

00:17:54.039 --> 00:17:54.539
 of God

00:17:54.539 --> 00:17:55.879
 which will never again

00:17:55.879 --> 00:17:57.219
 be broken.

00:17:58.179 --> 00:17:58.879
 May God bless

00:17:58.879 --> 00:17:59.939
 these thoughts to us.

00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:03.639
 So we're now going to

00:18:03.639 --> 00:18:04.319
 sing to God

00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:06.399
 away from may may may may

00:18:06.399 --> 00:18:10.539
 may may may may may may may

00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:10.539