WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:01.439 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:02.940 --> 00:00:04.099 Happy Father's Day. 00:00:05.620 --> 00:00:08.220 Would you turn with me to the book of Revelation, 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:11.900 chapter 22, verses 1 through 5. 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:15.540 If you'd like to follow along in the Pew Bible, 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:17.920 it's the very last page. 00:00:18.140 --> 00:00:19.059 It's very easy to find. 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.960 Revelation 22, we're looking at 1 through 5 today. 00:00:24.940 --> 00:00:27.179 So for the last few weeks in our series, 00:00:27.179 --> 00:00:30.500 we've been considering the ultimate future, 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:33.640 the ultimate hope of God's plan for creation. 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:37.380 Where is God taking his world, his people? 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:39.359 That's what we've been looking at. 00:00:40.219 --> 00:00:42.340 And today we come to the final part 00:00:42.340 --> 00:00:44.920 of that future vision in Revelation 22. 00:00:45.760 --> 00:00:49.219 So let me pray, and then I'll read for us. 00:00:52.340 --> 00:00:56.640 Father, as we return again to this powerful book 00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:59.160 of Revelation, we ask for your Spirit's help 00:00:59.160 --> 00:01:02.700 to illuminate your word. 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:06.519 Just as your Spirit inspired it long ago, 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:09.219 we pray that his work would continue now 00:01:09.219 --> 00:01:15.040 to unfold and cause to work in us 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:16.280 this word that you've given. 00:01:17.460 --> 00:01:19.740 We pray above all that we would see Christ 00:01:19.740 --> 00:01:22.060 so that we might, as we just sung, 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:26.480 cling to him and become the people, 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:29.740 the humans, the church you've created us to be. 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:31.579 We ask this in his name. 00:01:31.740 --> 00:01:31.920 Amen. 00:01:33.180 --> 00:01:34.219 All right, let me read. 00:01:34.219 --> 00:01:39.120 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:42.659 bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:44.939 and of the Lamb through the middle of the street 00:01:44.939 --> 00:01:45.439 of the city. 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:48.859 Also, on either side of the river, 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:51.599 the tree of life, with its 12 kinds of fruit, 00:01:52.259 --> 00:01:53.799 yielding its fruit each month. 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:58.219 The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:01.640 No longer will there be anything accursed, 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:05.319 but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, 00:02:06.179 --> 00:02:07.840 and his servants will worship him. 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:09.819 They will see his face, 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:12.360 and his name will be on their foreheads. 00:02:13.300 --> 00:02:14.500 And night will be no more. 00:02:15.259 --> 00:02:17.680 They will need no light of lamp or sun, 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:20.180 for the Lord God will be their light, 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:24.939 and they will reign forever and ever. 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:31.219 So, the moral philosopher Alistair MacIntyre once wrote, 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:34.280 I can only answer the question, 00:02:34.939 --> 00:02:36.520 what am I to do, 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:39.520 if I can answer the prior question, 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:45.659 of what story or stories do I find myself a part? 00:02:46.579 --> 00:02:47.699 I can only answer the question, 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:48.539 what am I to do, 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:50.319 if I can answer the prior question, 00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:52.300 of what story am I in, right? 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:54.340 In other words, he's saying, 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:55.520 you don't know who you are, 00:02:56.259 --> 00:02:57.740 you don't know how to really live, 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:00.480 until you know the story you're a part of. 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:04.840 You need to know what story you're in, 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:07.340 in order to really know who you are, 00:03:07.920 --> 00:03:08.819 and how to live. 00:03:11.219 --> 00:03:13.000 But that's sort of the big question, isn't it? 00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:16.960 What is the story we're a part of? 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:20.480 And the Bible comes to us, you see, 00:03:20.540 --> 00:03:21.939 just at this level. 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:27.280 Because the Bible's not primarily a set of rules 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:28.640 that we're supposed to follow, 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:30.420 although it has some of those. 00:03:30.980 --> 00:03:32.879 The Bible's primarily a narrative. 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:34.439 It's a story. 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:38.819 In fact, the Bible claims to be the true story 00:03:38.819 --> 00:03:41.240 of humanity and the world, 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:43.400 and most importantly, of God. 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:46.840 And it's in that story 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:50.340 that we find who we really are 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:52.620 and how to really live. 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:57.240 That story begins in a garden in Genesis 1 and 2. 00:03:58.260 --> 00:04:00.400 And in Revelation 21 and 22, 00:04:00.700 --> 00:04:03.060 we see how the story ends. 00:04:04.580 --> 00:04:06.879 And of course, you need to know how the story ends, right? 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:08.519 You need to know where the story's going 00:04:08.519 --> 00:04:10.479 to really make sense of the whole thing. 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:14.419 Now, I think that everyone has 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:16.740 kind of an ending in mind 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:19.159 when they think about the story that they're in, right? 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:21.699 Whether they've articulated that or not, 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:24.040 we all sort of have an ending in mind. 00:04:24.139 --> 00:04:26.139 That's just kind of how meaning works. 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:28.319 That's sort of how we work as human beings, right? 00:04:29.779 --> 00:04:32.980 Think of some of the broad cultural movements 00:04:32.980 --> 00:04:35.379 that vie for our attention 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:36.860 and our allegiance today. 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:40.740 You know, the so-called conservative movement 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:44.360 wants to return to a golden age of the past. 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:45.759 That's their future, right? 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:49.519 Or the so-called progressive movement 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:52.019 wants a sort of revolutionary advance 00:04:52.019 --> 00:04:54.000 to a utopia that can be created 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:55.899 through our kind of human revolution. 00:04:57.819 --> 00:05:00.120 What's interesting is that both of those movements, 00:05:00.759 --> 00:05:03.279 if you look at it through history, 00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:04.979 is that both of those movements 00:05:04.979 --> 00:05:06.419 are actually borrowing elements 00:05:06.419 --> 00:05:08.279 from the Christian faith that precede them. 00:05:09.779 --> 00:05:10.839 And they're both wrong. 00:05:13.319 --> 00:05:15.099 As we see here in Revelation 22, 00:05:15.779 --> 00:05:18.139 the story does end in a garden. 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:20.500 The language here is full of obvious allusions 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:21.779 to the Garden of Eden, isn't it? 00:05:22.219 --> 00:05:23.559 But it's not merely a garden. 00:05:24.179 --> 00:05:26.000 It's not just a return to the past. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.480 Because this garden is also a city. 00:05:29.420 --> 00:05:30.399 There's a street. 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:33.819 And there's gates and there's foundations. 00:05:34.019 --> 00:05:34.860 It's the New Jerusalem. 00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:41.579 So the Bible says the story ends in a garden city. 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:45.480 It's both a return and an advance. 00:05:46.540 --> 00:05:49.319 It's neither strictly conservative or progressive. 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:50.600 It's something else altogether. 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:55.500 But here's the biggest difference. 00:05:56.200 --> 00:05:57.860 All these other human movements say 00:05:57.860 --> 00:06:00.500 that it all comes down to what? 00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:02.860 To human effort to get there. 00:06:03.820 --> 00:06:04.879 Humans are at the center 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:07.340 of all of our human movements, aren't they? 00:06:07.860 --> 00:06:10.200 Whether it's conservative or progressive, 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:12.780 we have to get there through what we do. 00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:16.300 But what's at the center of this vision in Scripture? 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:16.980 God. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:19.000 God. 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:24.020 The future belongs to God. 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:27.259 The story ends in a garden city 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:30.319 that's also very much a temple. 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:33.800 That's where God's ultimate future 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:35.400 is headed for his people. 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:38.480 God dwells in the center of this garden city, 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:39.920 filling it with his presence. 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:40.879 In fact, John says, 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:44.120 not just God, but the throne of God 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:46.000 and of the Lamb will be there. 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:47.980 The throne. 00:06:48.840 --> 00:06:51.800 The sovereign rule of God. 00:06:53.520 --> 00:06:54.800 Now that's significant. 00:06:55.579 --> 00:06:59.040 This image of the throne being in the garden city. 00:06:59.840 --> 00:07:01.480 If you've been following Revelation, 00:07:02.020 --> 00:07:03.740 you'll remember all the way back 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:05.500 in chapter 4 and 5, 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:09.000 where is the throne in chapters 4 and 5? 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:12.660 It's in heaven, right? 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:14.920 And it's glorious and it's wonderful. 00:07:16.860 --> 00:07:19.579 But what's happened here in chapters 21 and 22? 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:22.759 The throne has come to earth 00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:24.900 and it's made all things new. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:27.300 It's a new heaven and a new earth. 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:29.879 The kingdom of God has arrived in fullness. 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:32.040 The reign of heaven has come to earth. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:34.319 That's what John sees here. 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:36.360 That's how the story ends. 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:42.560 So you see, the Bible story isn't a picture 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:45.480 of humans kind of climbing up to God, 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:48.579 scaling a stairway to heaven. 00:07:50.339 --> 00:07:50.759 No. 00:07:51.459 --> 00:07:53.500 The Bible story is about God's kingdom, 00:07:53.659 --> 00:07:54.500 his rule, his reign, 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:56.699 his throne coming down to us. 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:01.959 And what's at the heart of our passage this morning, 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:03.500 Revelation 22, 1 through 5, 00:08:03.660 --> 00:08:05.839 is that it shows us what happens 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:07.699 when the throne arrives, 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:11.040 when the kingdom is consummated. 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:15.540 So what will it be like when this story ends, 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:17.080 when the throne of God arrives? 00:08:17.200 --> 00:08:20.500 Well, according to what we see here, 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:25.460 the throne of God brings total healing. 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:30.359 When God's reign arrives in fullness, 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:31.299 it heals. 00:08:31.739 --> 00:08:32.740 It heals everything. 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:37.019 We see here the healing of creation, 00:08:37.819 --> 00:08:39.759 the healing of the nations, 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:43.759 and even the healing of our very selves. 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:47.100 What God has in store, 00:08:47.199 --> 00:08:49.519 the great conclusion of this story we're in, 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:52.139 is the throne of God bringing total healing 00:08:52.139 --> 00:08:55.199 materially, socially, and personally. 00:08:55.460 --> 00:08:59.920 So let's look at each of those three things in turn 00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:03.639 and then consider how we might live now 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:05.920 knowing that's how the story ends. 00:09:07.259 --> 00:09:09.280 So first, in this ultimate future 00:09:09.280 --> 00:09:10.300 that God has in store, 00:09:10.400 --> 00:09:13.780 the throne of God brings healing to creation, 00:09:13.900 --> 00:09:14.759 to the material world. 00:09:15.620 --> 00:09:17.360 Now, to appreciate the fullness 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:18.840 of how this passage starts, 00:09:18.900 --> 00:09:20.960 you have to go back to the beginning of chapter 21 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:23.040 where the whole section begins. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:26.099 And there we read that John sees what? 00:09:26.179 --> 00:09:28.259 He sees a new heaven and a new earth 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:30.099 because the first had passed away. 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:32.179 And then in verse 5, God says, 00:09:32.259 --> 00:09:35.019 Behold, I'm making all things new. 00:09:36.459 --> 00:09:38.459 Now, when we looked at these verses a couple weeks ago, 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:39.799 we pointed out a tension 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:41.219 because on the one hand, 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:42.299 the new heavens and the new earth 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:45.240 seem radically distinct from the first. 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:47.419 But on the other hand, 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.220 they seem intimately connected to the first, 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:51.700 don't they? 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:53.460 After all, God doesn't say, 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:54.460 He doesn't say, 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:56.840 I'm going to make all new things, right? 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.460 He says, no, I'm making all things new. 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:04.279 But one thing is for sure. 00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:07.700 The ultimate future that God has in store 00:10:07.700 --> 00:10:13.240 does not leave this material order behind. 00:10:14.560 --> 00:10:15.560 The new heavens and new earth 00:10:15.560 --> 00:10:17.960 will not be immaterial or ethereal. 00:10:18.400 --> 00:10:20.200 It will be the healing of creation. 00:10:21.500 --> 00:10:23.600 In chapter 22, verse 1, back in our passage, 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:26.500 John sees a river flowing from the throne 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:28.060 with life-giving water. 00:10:29.040 --> 00:10:30.720 Now, this is the fulfillment of a passage 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:31.800 in the prophet Ezekiel. 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:35.100 If you were to go back and read chapter 47 of Ezekiel, 00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:37.580 we're shown water flowing 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:39.940 from a totally renewed temple. 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:41.860 And as the water flows, 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:43.500 it gets deeper and deeper. 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:45.779 And as the water flows deeper and deeper, 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:47.560 it brings flourishing. 00:10:48.540 --> 00:10:49.759 The deserts are watered, 00:10:49.980 --> 00:10:51.159 the plants grow, 00:10:51.560 --> 00:10:52.639 the fish jump. 00:10:53.920 --> 00:10:55.700 And on both sides of the river, 00:10:56.500 --> 00:10:57.259 trees grow. 00:10:58.279 --> 00:10:58.860 Ezekiel says, 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:01.580 with all kinds of food that don't wither 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:03.200 and their fruit doesn't fail. 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:04.920 And he says, 00:11:05.040 --> 00:11:06.540 their fruit will be for food 00:11:06.540 --> 00:11:08.620 and their leaves for healing. 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:13.700 And all of what Ezekiel saw 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:14.759 so many years ago 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:15.860 will come to fulfillment, 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:18.180 Revelation 22 says, 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:20.259 in the new heavens and new earth. 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:23.000 When God's kingdom is consummated 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:24.420 and he makes all things new, 00:11:24.520 --> 00:11:26.280 that's what Ezekiel was looking forward to. 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:29.360 This healing of creation. 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:33.279 Now consider then, 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:35.340 consider how different 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:37.759 the throne of God is 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.800 compared to human thrones 00:11:39.800 --> 00:11:40.919 or human empires. 00:11:41.680 --> 00:11:41.919 Right? 00:11:42.800 --> 00:11:44.600 What do most human kingdoms 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:46.200 leave in their wake? 00:11:48.100 --> 00:11:49.539 Sadly, not the flourishing 00:11:49.539 --> 00:11:50.460 that we see here. 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:52.779 Instead of life-giving streams 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:54.060 healing the material world, 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:56.399 most human empires bring greed 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:57.980 and burning and destruction. 00:11:58.199 --> 00:11:58.399 Right? 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:02.139 And this is our first clue 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:03.659 that the kingdom of God 00:12:03.659 --> 00:12:06.340 is on a different level entirely 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:07.740 than human kingdoms. 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:10.559 Don't think that God's throne 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:12.559 is just some elevated version 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:13.539 of a human throne, 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:14.799 some sort of projection 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:15.759 of human authority 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:16.879 to the nth degree. 00:12:17.459 --> 00:12:17.699 No. 00:12:18.079 --> 00:12:18.899 God's authority, 00:12:19.319 --> 00:12:21.039 His rule when it comes in fullness 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:22.120 will be totally different. 00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:25.299 It won't mar the earth. 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:27.059 It'll mend it. 00:12:29.979 --> 00:12:31.419 When God created all things 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:32.659 and called them good, 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:34.859 He meant it. 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:37.699 And He will not abandon 00:12:37.699 --> 00:12:39.299 His material world in the end. 00:12:42.079 --> 00:12:43.500 Now I wonder if this changes 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:44.659 how you and I approach 00:12:44.659 --> 00:12:46.379 this material creation we inhabit. 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:49.559 You see, the created order 00:12:49.559 --> 00:12:51.459 isn't a mere resource 00:12:51.459 --> 00:12:53.219 to be consumed 00:12:53.220 --> 00:12:54.519 for our own designs. 00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:56.940 That's how human empires think. 00:12:58.480 --> 00:12:59.019 No, no. 00:12:59.100 --> 00:13:00.240 This created order 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:01.940 is a good gift from God. 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:03.740 And first and foremost, 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:04.860 it's a testament 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:06.980 to God's majesty. 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:11.120 Imagine walking into 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:12.460 an artist's studio. 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:13.720 Imagine walking into 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:14.440 an artist's studio. 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:16.620 Perhaps she's a sculptor, right? 00:13:17.100 --> 00:13:18.960 Seeing a newly finished sculpture 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:19.600 and saying, 00:13:20.139 --> 00:13:20.400 you know, 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:23.120 I could probably melt that down 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:24.280 and make something useful 00:13:24.280 --> 00:13:24.820 out of it. 00:13:25.560 --> 00:13:25.800 Right? 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:28.040 How absurd would that be? 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:31.300 Friends, it's the same 00:13:31.300 --> 00:13:32.620 with the world around us. 00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:34.940 The creation is something 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:36.759 to steward wisely. 00:13:39.060 --> 00:13:40.040 Remembering, first of all, 00:13:40.100 --> 00:13:41.780 that it doesn't belong to us. 00:13:42.900 --> 00:13:43.900 And it, too, 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:46.080 in the story that we're a part of, 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:46.940 has a role to play. 00:13:46.940 --> 00:13:49.320 It will be healed 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:50.340 and it will flourish 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:51.520 in the future 00:13:51.520 --> 00:13:52.700 that God has in store. 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:56.280 But it's not just creation 00:13:56.280 --> 00:13:56.780 that's healed. 00:13:56.880 --> 00:13:57.720 The second thing we see 00:13:57.720 --> 00:13:59.080 is at the end of verse 2, 00:14:00.420 --> 00:14:01.260 what John describes 00:14:01.260 --> 00:14:02.960 as the healing of the nations. 00:14:03.780 --> 00:14:04.940 As the river flows 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:05.760 from the throne of God, 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:06.220 John says, 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:07.500 the tree of life is there. 00:14:08.880 --> 00:14:09.780 Now, I admit, 00:14:09.920 --> 00:14:11.340 it's a bit confusing at first 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:12.540 how this tree of life 00:14:12.540 --> 00:14:13.960 is on either side 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:14.520 of the river. 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:18.299 Perhaps John is speaking 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:19.139 kind of collectively. 00:14:19.319 --> 00:14:19.819 In other words, 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:21.319 perhaps there's a whole grove 00:14:21.319 --> 00:14:22.000 of trees. 00:14:22.019 --> 00:14:22.620 That would align 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:23.579 with Ezekiel's vision 00:14:23.579 --> 00:14:24.659 that we mentioned earlier. 00:14:25.439 --> 00:14:26.199 Or perhaps, 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:27.259 perhaps the tree's branches 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:28.000 are so great 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:28.600 that they stretch 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:29.759 to either side of the river. 00:14:30.379 --> 00:14:31.079 I think if we try 00:14:31.079 --> 00:14:31.759 to overthink it, 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:32.779 we're sort of missing the point 00:14:32.779 --> 00:14:33.699 because either way, 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:35.100 the most important point here 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:36.620 is to pick up 00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:37.819 the obvious allusion 00:14:37.819 --> 00:14:39.000 to the opening chapters 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:39.539 of Genesis. 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:39.699 Genesis. 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:42.939 In the midst of the old Eden 00:14:42.939 --> 00:14:44.419 was the tree of life. 00:14:44.659 --> 00:14:45.159 And here, 00:14:45.319 --> 00:14:46.379 in this new Eden, 00:14:46.819 --> 00:14:48.500 we find the tree of life 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:49.059 once again. 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:51.879 And humans have access to it. 00:14:53.699 --> 00:14:54.699 But as we've said, 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:56.000 this isn't just some return 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:56.799 to the beginning. 00:14:57.379 --> 00:14:58.860 It actually surpasses. 00:14:58.959 --> 00:15:00.559 It exceeds the first. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:03.839 In this garden city 00:15:03.839 --> 00:15:04.759 where God's rule 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:05.860 is consummated, 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:08.360 the trees line the river. 00:15:08.360 --> 00:15:10.180 There's a whole grove. 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:12.060 The fruit grows every month. 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:15.500 And the leaves don't just 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:17.600 keep something alive. 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:19.060 They heal. 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:22.440 The leaves heal the nations. 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:25.840 Of course, 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:26.840 we don't need any convincing 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:27.820 that there needs to be 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:29.080 healing of the nations, 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:29.480 do we? 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:32.200 Human history has been 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:33.320 a long, tragic saga 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:35.320 of feuding and war 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:36.980 and ethnic strife. 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:40.460 But beneath the shade 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:41.820 of those trees, 00:15:42.300 --> 00:15:43.440 in the new heaven 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:44.240 and the new earth, 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:45.879 in the garden city 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:46.460 of the fullness 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:47.600 of God's reign, 00:15:48.419 --> 00:15:49.700 the enmities 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:50.740 and animosities, 00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:52.220 the wrongs 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:53.320 and retributions, 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:54.940 they'll be healed. 00:15:57.899 --> 00:15:58.539 Again, 00:15:58.659 --> 00:15:59.779 how vastly different 00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:00.860 is God's throne 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:02.120 from any human throne? 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:03.779 Read any account 00:16:03.779 --> 00:16:04.480 of human history. 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:05.399 What happens 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:06.480 when a new human empire 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:07.000 rises? 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:08.340 Or when a new king 00:16:08.340 --> 00:16:09.480 or queen takes a throne? 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:11.399 It's rarely ever peace. 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:14.100 Or what happens 00:16:14.100 --> 00:16:15.240 when a human revolution 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:15.879 succeeds? 00:16:16.300 --> 00:16:17.200 When the old system 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:18.300 is torn down 00:16:18.300 --> 00:16:18.899 and a new one 00:16:18.899 --> 00:16:19.779 takes its place? 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:20.940 Does the new order 00:16:20.940 --> 00:16:22.200 abolish conflict 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:22.920 and enmity? 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:24.180 Does it bring healing? 00:16:24.179 --> 00:16:27.599 So often it does not. 00:16:30.459 --> 00:16:31.979 But the reign of God 00:16:31.979 --> 00:16:33.139 is completely different. 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:35.859 When God's rule arrives, 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:38.039 it will heal the nations. 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:41.579 Now, 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:43.239 given that God 00:16:43.239 --> 00:16:44.439 will accomplish this work 00:16:44.439 --> 00:16:45.439 in the future 00:16:45.439 --> 00:16:46.339 through His own 00:16:46.339 --> 00:16:47.500 sovereign reign, 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:47.979 does that mean 00:16:47.979 --> 00:16:49.000 we should not pray 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:50.279 and work for peace 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:50.819 here and now? 00:16:50.819 --> 00:16:50.879 Well, 00:16:52.339 --> 00:16:52.959 I think it's just 00:16:52.959 --> 00:16:53.479 the opposite. 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:55.159 After all, 00:16:55.219 --> 00:16:56.099 God says He'll redeem 00:16:56.099 --> 00:16:56.579 a people 00:16:56.579 --> 00:16:57.719 from every tribe 00:16:57.719 --> 00:16:58.179 and tongue 00:16:58.179 --> 00:16:58.739 and nation. 00:16:58.899 --> 00:16:59.699 Every nation, 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:00.620 every ethnicity 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:01.659 is worthy of dignity 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:02.319 and honor 00:17:02.319 --> 00:17:02.979 and respect. 00:17:03.439 --> 00:17:05.079 People from every nation 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:05.779 will gather 00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:06.659 under the leaves 00:17:06.659 --> 00:17:07.519 of those trees 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:08.720 and be at peace. 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:12.220 If I knew 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:13.099 I was going to eat dinner 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:14.099 with you later today 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:15.919 or spend the afternoon, 00:17:16.099 --> 00:17:16.440 you know, 00:17:16.539 --> 00:17:17.759 we'd spend dinner 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:18.259 eating together, 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:19.559 would I spend 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:20.359 the afternoon 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:21.359 just sort of saying 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:22.419 terrible things about you 00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:23.000 and harboring 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:24.019 all sort of gossipy 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:24.560 half-truths 00:17:24.560 --> 00:17:25.279 about who you are? 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:26.759 Right? 00:17:28.060 --> 00:17:29.140 I hope not. 00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:30.779 That's going to prove 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:31.620 for an awkward dinner, 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:32.100 isn't it? 00:17:34.580 --> 00:17:35.240 Well, friends, 00:17:35.300 --> 00:17:35.460 you see, 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:36.680 the story that we're in 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:38.320 ends with the nations 00:17:38.320 --> 00:17:39.019 at peace. 00:17:39.340 --> 00:17:40.300 It ends with us 00:17:40.300 --> 00:17:41.860 gathering under those trees 00:17:41.860 --> 00:17:43.340 together. 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:47.960 The story we're in 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:49.000 ends with the nations 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:49.620 at peace. 00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:50.359 It ends with our 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:51.779 relationships at peace. 00:17:52.919 --> 00:17:54.819 And so we do our best 00:17:54.819 --> 00:17:56.159 to forgive 00:17:56.159 --> 00:17:57.859 and live at peace 00:17:57.859 --> 00:17:58.799 now. 00:18:00.139 --> 00:18:01.119 That's the story 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:01.639 we're in. 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:04.919 Of course, 00:18:04.979 --> 00:18:05.799 it won't be perfect 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:06.619 in this life. 00:18:08.399 --> 00:18:09.479 Some relationships, 00:18:09.739 --> 00:18:10.139 tragically, 00:18:10.219 --> 00:18:11.279 won't be reconciled 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:12.079 until the new heavens 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:12.699 and the new earth. 00:18:14.399 --> 00:18:15.319 Some boundaries, 00:18:15.619 --> 00:18:15.979 wisely, 00:18:16.099 --> 00:18:16.759 will have to stay 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:17.299 in place 00:18:17.299 --> 00:18:18.759 until we gather 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:19.299 on the banks 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:19.799 of the river 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:20.700 in the new Jerusalem. 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:23.079 But even so, 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:25.159 the words of Jesus 00:18:25.159 --> 00:18:26.319 are still true. 00:18:27.879 --> 00:18:29.259 Blessed are the peacemakers. 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:32.279 Not the warmongers, 00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:33.680 not the conquerors, 00:18:33.919 --> 00:18:35.019 not the powerful. 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:37.460 Blessed are the peacemakers. 00:18:38.819 --> 00:18:40.139 That's how the story ends. 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:44.460 But third, 00:18:44.540 --> 00:18:45.200 we see not just 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:46.340 the total healing 00:18:46.340 --> 00:18:47.660 of the material world 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:48.620 and the social world. 00:18:49.560 --> 00:18:50.840 In verses 4 and 5, 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:52.040 the throne of God 00:18:52.040 --> 00:18:53.720 brings the healing 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:55.240 of our very selves. 00:18:56.040 --> 00:18:56.840 It's personal. 00:18:57.700 --> 00:18:58.820 Our very identity 00:18:58.820 --> 00:18:59.440 is healed. 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:01.500 His servants 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:02.460 will worship Him, 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:04.100 the end of verse 3 says. 00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:05.980 They will see His face 00:19:05.980 --> 00:19:06.660 and His name 00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:07.820 will be on their foreheads 00:19:07.820 --> 00:19:09.100 and night will be no more. 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:10.019 They will need 00:19:10.019 --> 00:19:11.039 no light of lamp 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:11.639 or sun 00:19:11.639 --> 00:19:12.779 for the Lord God 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:13.679 will be their light 00:19:13.679 --> 00:19:15.119 and they will reign 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:16.099 forever and ever. 00:19:19.959 --> 00:19:21.240 Who are we 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:22.179 as humans? 00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:25.219 What were we created for? 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:26.879 What's our purpose? 00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:30.899 Look at how the story ends. 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:33.740 On the one hand, 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:34.480 we were created 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:36.299 to be worshipers of God. 00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:38.339 His servants 00:19:38.339 --> 00:19:40.019 will worship Him. 00:19:40.339 --> 00:19:40.779 Verse 3. 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:43.059 You see, friends, 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:43.980 we were created 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:46.259 to behold God 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:47.720 in all of His beauty 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:49.279 and let our hearts 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:51.059 feast in delight. 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:53.419 It's like a kite 00:19:53.419 --> 00:19:54.399 catching the wind 00:19:54.399 --> 00:19:55.720 and soaring 00:19:55.720 --> 00:19:57.460 and being awash 00:19:57.460 --> 00:19:58.720 in the rays of the sun. 00:19:58.960 --> 00:19:59.759 We were made 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:01.919 to soar higher and higher, 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:04.299 awash in the joy of God. 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:06.359 Father, Son, and Spirit. 00:20:08.779 --> 00:20:10.039 As the psalmist said 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:11.960 so many years ago, 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:12.960 in Your presence 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:14.639 there is fullness of joy. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:17.099 At Your right hand, God, 00:20:17.159 --> 00:20:18.839 are pleasures forevermore. 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:22.019 Joy, pleasure, 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:24.279 the worship of God. 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:28.119 You see, 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:28.940 one of the great lies 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:30.279 that we've come to believe 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:32.519 is that happiness 00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:34.220 can be found 00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:36.319 by looking within. 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:40.619 The lie that says 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:42.079 if we follow our heart, 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:43.639 if we're true 00:20:43.639 --> 00:20:44.960 to what we feel, 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:46.759 then we'll find 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:47.519 the authenticity 00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:48.339 and the happiness 00:20:48.339 --> 00:20:50.139 that we so desperately lack. 00:20:50.140 --> 00:20:52.800 And so, 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:53.759 hearing this message 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:54.440 over and over, 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:55.660 we've turned 00:20:55.660 --> 00:20:56.800 completely inward, 00:20:58.220 --> 00:20:59.140 looking for the answer 00:20:59.140 --> 00:20:59.680 to wholeness 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:00.360 to happiness 00:21:00.360 --> 00:21:01.120 inside. 00:21:02.600 --> 00:21:03.640 And then we're told 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:05.200 that in order 00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:06.880 to be our authentic selves, 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:07.680 we need to not just 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:08.300 find it, 00:21:08.360 --> 00:21:09.220 but create it. 00:21:10.580 --> 00:21:11.180 Right? 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:13.040 The voice of our time 00:21:13.040 --> 00:21:13.340 says, 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:14.920 go your own way. 00:21:15.380 --> 00:21:16.600 Chart your own course. 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:19.579 And at first, 00:21:19.679 --> 00:21:21.240 that feels pretty authentic, 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:21.599 doesn't it? 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:22.959 It feels very brave, 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:23.399 right? 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:26.059 But then you start 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:26.799 to realize something. 00:21:27.439 --> 00:21:27.879 You start to say, 00:21:27.939 --> 00:21:28.439 wait a second. 00:21:29.419 --> 00:21:30.279 If every movie, 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:31.619 if every advertisement, 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:32.839 if every song, 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:34.379 if every social media post 00:21:34.379 --> 00:21:35.480 blares at me 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:36.419 the same message, 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:37.459 go your own way, 00:21:38.679 --> 00:21:40.959 am I not just conforming 00:21:40.959 --> 00:21:42.139 to the crowd around me 00:21:42.139 --> 00:21:44.139 when I go my own way? 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:45.559 Aren't I just following 00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:46.859 what I'm being told to do? 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:48.319 I mean, 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:49.440 how authentic is it 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:50.659 to go your own way 00:21:50.659 --> 00:21:51.639 when that's what 00:21:51.639 --> 00:21:52.619 everyone around you 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:53.240 is telling you 00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:54.240 that's what you should be doing? 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:57.740 Being true to yourself 00:21:57.740 --> 00:21:59.000 and following your feelings 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:00.460 just might be the most 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:01.679 hackneyed approach 00:22:01.679 --> 00:22:02.720 to life that there is. 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:07.299 But you know, 00:22:07.339 --> 00:22:08.319 there are plenty of companies 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.139 and plenty of brands 00:22:10.139 --> 00:22:12.519 and plenty of advertising agencies 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:14.059 that would love for you 00:22:14.059 --> 00:22:15.339 and I to keep believing this. 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:17.200 Why? 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:19.639 Because our culture 00:22:19.639 --> 00:22:20.740 of identity construction 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:22.379 has been totally commodified. 00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:25.019 What do I mean by that? 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:25.599 In other words, 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:27.139 if you're going to create 00:22:27.139 --> 00:22:28.000 your true self, 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:29.579 you're going to need 00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:30.519 to buy some stuff. 00:22:32.019 --> 00:22:32.419 Right? 00:22:33.079 --> 00:22:33.759 You want to be 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:34.940 a rugged individualist? 00:22:35.419 --> 00:22:36.259 Here's a company 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:37.500 ready to sell you a truck, 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:39.279 some $400 pair of boots, 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:40.700 and just the right pair of jeans, 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:42.019 and you will be 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:43.860 the rugged individualist. 00:22:45.600 --> 00:22:47.100 So you create that identity 00:22:47.100 --> 00:22:48.500 and you project it to the world. 00:22:49.100 --> 00:22:50.200 And it doesn't really matter 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:51.600 which identity you choose. 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:53.840 You want to be a Baptist pastor? 00:22:54.340 --> 00:22:55.340 Shop at J.Crew 00:22:55.340 --> 00:22:56.900 and buy a couple shirts, right? 00:22:56.980 --> 00:22:57.819 There you are. 00:22:57.819 --> 00:23:02.000 It's all swept up 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:02.679 into the market. 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:04.619 And social media 00:23:04.619 --> 00:23:05.559 is ready to create 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:06.779 and sell them to you. 00:23:08.919 --> 00:23:09.500 Now look, 00:23:09.539 --> 00:23:10.379 I know that all sounds 00:23:10.379 --> 00:23:11.000 a bit cynical, 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:14.079 but it's not that far 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:14.720 from the truth. 00:23:16.639 --> 00:23:17.439 And the truth is, 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:18.339 we're all caught in it, 00:23:18.399 --> 00:23:19.399 whether we like it or not. 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:21.159 It's the air we breathe. 00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:24.000 But friends, 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:25.900 look at the throne of God. 00:23:28.460 --> 00:23:30.320 When we look not in, 00:23:30.580 --> 00:23:32.880 but out of ourselves to God, 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:35.200 when we lose ourselves 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:36.860 in the wonder of His glory, 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:39.160 when His name is on our foreheads, 00:23:40.100 --> 00:23:41.279 not the name of some brand 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:42.019 or some logo 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:42.920 or some niche, 00:23:43.300 --> 00:23:44.400 radicalized identity, 00:23:45.700 --> 00:23:47.240 then we'll find the wholeness 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:48.720 and joy that we've been looking for. 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.240 It's not by looking in the mirror 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:53.759 that we find our true selves. 00:23:54.579 --> 00:23:55.940 It's certainly not by looking 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:57.839 to the consumer culture around us. 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:00.880 It's by looking into His face, 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:03.079 into His face. 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:07.480 They will see His face, 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:08.940 John writes in verse 4. 00:24:09.460 --> 00:24:10.039 They will. 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:13.000 Of course, 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:14.299 in the arc of the Bible storyline, 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:15.720 that's an astounding statement, 00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:16.160 isn't it? 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:20.180 For to behold the face 00:24:20.180 --> 00:24:21.480 of the holy God 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:24.400 always meant certain death 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:26.079 for sinful human beings. 00:24:27.600 --> 00:24:28.740 But in the new heavens 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:29.380 and new earth, 00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:32.140 where our sin is removed 00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:33.279 never to return, 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:36.240 when the throne of God is there 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:37.759 and creation is exactly 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:38.900 how God wants it, 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:40.960 we will behold His face 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:42.600 and live. 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:47.640 Listen again to how 1 John describes it. 00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:48.500 We read it earlier. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:49.080 Behold, 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:50.980 we are God's children now. 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:54.240 But we know that when He appears, 00:24:54.780 --> 00:24:56.340 we shall be like Him 00:24:56.340 --> 00:24:58.600 because we shall see Him 00:24:58.600 --> 00:24:59.860 as He is. 00:25:02.780 --> 00:25:04.720 And where does this beholding 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.500 of God's face take us? 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:09.360 Well, in the rest of our passage, 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:11.000 we see that it leads to what? 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:13.120 To reigning with God. 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:16.059 You see, friends, 00:25:16.339 --> 00:25:17.659 humans weren't just created 00:25:17.659 --> 00:25:18.799 to worship God, 00:25:19.339 --> 00:25:20.739 but to reign with Him. 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.559 We see this again 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:25.099 in the opening chapters of Genesis. 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:26.339 God creates humanity 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:27.139 and tells them 00:25:27.139 --> 00:25:28.559 to have dominion, 00:25:28.599 --> 00:25:29.679 to rule over the earth. 00:25:30.719 --> 00:25:32.159 God puts humanity in the garden 00:25:32.159 --> 00:25:33.419 and tells them to work it 00:25:33.419 --> 00:25:34.319 and to keep it, 00:25:34.679 --> 00:25:36.299 to cultivate and create it 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:36.899 in such a way 00:25:36.899 --> 00:25:38.699 that all of the material world, 00:25:38.959 --> 00:25:40.039 in increasing measure, 00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:41.619 gives voice to the beauty 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:42.739 of God who made it. 00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:45.079 You see, the Garden of Eden 00:25:45.079 --> 00:25:46.099 wasn't just a garden. 00:25:46.399 --> 00:25:47.519 It was a project 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:51.059 for humans to work and keep 00:25:51.059 --> 00:25:52.599 and to expand its boundaries 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:53.459 ever more and more 00:25:53.459 --> 00:25:55.519 so that all of creation, 00:25:57.119 --> 00:25:58.679 through the work of the image bearers, 00:25:58.739 --> 00:26:00.079 would give praise to God. 00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:06.159 And John's telling us here 00:26:06.159 --> 00:26:09.039 that this original vocation 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.299 of what makes us who we are 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:14.000 has not been lost. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:18.279 Though we have fallen so deep 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:19.519 into self-centeredness 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:20.180 and despair, 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:22.779 though we have refused 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:23.680 to worship God 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:25.000 and instead worshipped 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:25.980 created things, 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:27.460 though our identities 00:26:27.460 --> 00:26:28.559 have become fractured 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:29.799 and wounded as a result, 00:26:29.879 --> 00:26:31.420 becoming like the very things 00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:32.119 that we worship, 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:33.399 though all of this 00:26:33.399 --> 00:26:34.460 has become true of us 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:36.019 in our fallen state, 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:40.000 that's not how the story ends. 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:43.099 Our original vocation 00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:44.420 will be restored. 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:47.200 Our identities will be healed. 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:49.900 We will be a kingdom 00:26:49.900 --> 00:26:51.660 of priests once again. 00:26:52.500 --> 00:26:53.480 Priests who worship 00:26:53.480 --> 00:26:55.279 and behold God face to face 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:58.059 and co-regents who rule 00:26:58.059 --> 00:27:00.460 and reign under our loving King. 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:04.779 Again, do you see 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:05.640 how utterly different 00:27:05.640 --> 00:27:06.920 God's throne is 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:07.920 from human thrones? 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:11.799 When we give ourselves 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:13.220 in worship to this King, 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:15.819 we become kings and queens. 00:27:17.059 --> 00:27:18.299 Our dignity is restored. 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:21.960 But the kingdoms of this world 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:23.740 tell us that we should spend 00:27:23.740 --> 00:27:25.480 our lives worshipping ourselves. 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:26.840 And what's the result? 00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:28.980 Not dignity, 00:27:29.659 --> 00:27:30.619 but despair. 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:35.000 Jesus said, 00:27:35.099 --> 00:27:36.039 if you save your life, 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:36.959 you'll lose it. 00:27:37.879 --> 00:27:39.159 But if you lose your life 00:27:39.159 --> 00:27:40.279 for me and my sake, 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:41.899 you'll find it. 00:27:43.139 --> 00:27:44.279 And the vision John receives 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:45.220 at the end of the story 00:27:45.220 --> 00:27:46.139 is of the ultimate 00:27:46.139 --> 00:27:47.879 finding of life. 00:27:48.899 --> 00:27:49.980 The people of God 00:27:49.980 --> 00:27:51.459 reigning with God 00:27:51.459 --> 00:27:52.599 forever and ever. 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:56.459 And when you think of it, 00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:58.779 this ending, 00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:00.019 it is an ending. 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:02.179 But it's not really an end, 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:02.679 is it? 00:28:03.879 --> 00:28:05.179 To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, 00:28:05.379 --> 00:28:06.559 that this life 00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:07.899 is just the opening pages 00:28:07.899 --> 00:28:08.819 of the real story 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:09.899 that will go on forever 00:28:09.899 --> 00:28:11.019 into eternity 00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:11.740 in the new heavens 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:12.339 and new earth 00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:14.399 with every chapter 00:28:14.399 --> 00:28:15.480 better than the one before. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:20.980 So what we see here 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:21.839 is total healing, 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:22.559 materially, 00:28:22.899 --> 00:28:23.279 socially, 00:28:23.659 --> 00:28:24.079 personally. 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:27.259 But how can this be? 00:28:28.899 --> 00:28:29.319 I mean, 00:28:29.339 --> 00:28:30.019 it sounds nice, 00:28:30.059 --> 00:28:30.339 right? 00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:32.319 But it's a bit too good 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:32.899 to be true, 00:28:33.059 --> 00:28:33.439 isn't it? 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:34.939 The new heavens 00:28:34.939 --> 00:28:35.579 and new earth, 00:28:35.699 --> 00:28:37.139 the consummated reign 00:28:37.139 --> 00:28:37.639 of God 00:28:37.639 --> 00:28:38.460 flowing forth 00:28:38.460 --> 00:28:39.339 and total healing. 00:28:40.419 --> 00:28:40.799 I mean, 00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:41.339 how could that ever 00:28:41.339 --> 00:28:41.839 come about? 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:45.419 Well, 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:45.960 John tells us 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:46.740 something very important 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:47.460 in verse 3. 00:28:48.399 --> 00:28:48.919 Look again 00:28:48.919 --> 00:28:49.359 at the beginning 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:50.000 of that verse. 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:52.180 And again, 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:53.180 in the sort of like 00:28:53.180 --> 00:28:54.960 short phrases 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:55.779 of this end 00:28:55.779 --> 00:28:56.480 of the story, 00:28:56.819 --> 00:28:57.380 John says, 00:28:58.119 --> 00:28:59.000 no longer 00:28:59.000 --> 00:28:59.599 will there be 00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:01.500 anything accursed. 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:04.220 No longer 00:29:04.220 --> 00:29:05.759 will there be 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:07.240 any curse. 00:29:09.940 --> 00:29:11.240 The way we know 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:12.319 this future plan 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:12.700 of God 00:29:12.700 --> 00:29:13.859 can and will 00:29:13.859 --> 00:29:14.920 come to be, 00:29:15.539 --> 00:29:16.640 the reason we know 00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:17.819 the story will end 00:29:17.819 --> 00:29:18.480 as God says 00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:19.079 it will end 00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:21.140 is because, 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:21.380 friends, 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:22.319 God's already dealt 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:23.559 with the main problem, 00:29:25.120 --> 00:29:26.200 the curse. 00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:28.559 Verse 3, 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:28.900 after all, 00:29:28.920 --> 00:29:29.819 is another allusion 00:29:29.819 --> 00:29:30.640 back to the very 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:31.640 beginning of the story. 00:29:32.660 --> 00:29:33.380 In Genesis 3, 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:34.220 after Adam and Eve 00:29:34.220 --> 00:29:35.220 rebel against God, 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:35.920 they come under 00:29:35.920 --> 00:29:36.980 a terrible curse 00:29:36.980 --> 00:29:38.420 and all humanity 00:29:38.420 --> 00:29:38.980 with them. 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:40.140 God renders 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:40.880 this verdict 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:41.620 over them 00:29:41.620 --> 00:29:42.400 in their sin, 00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:43.579 a curse of death 00:29:43.579 --> 00:29:44.339 spiritually, 00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:45.120 relationally, 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:46.799 personally, 00:29:47.299 --> 00:29:47.819 materially, 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:50.059 and in that moment 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:51.059 in Genesis 3, 00:29:51.220 --> 00:29:51.720 it seems like 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:52.360 the Bible story 00:29:52.360 --> 00:29:53.000 is going to end 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:53.799 just after it 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:54.400 got started. 00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:57.420 But it's not the end. 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:00.160 The rest of the story 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:00.660 of the Bible 00:30:00.660 --> 00:30:02.099 is how God deals 00:30:02.099 --> 00:30:03.620 with the curse of sin, 00:30:04.420 --> 00:30:05.339 that gnawing 00:30:05.339 --> 00:30:06.880 brokenness 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:08.200 in all of us. 00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:10.700 And over hundreds 00:30:10.700 --> 00:30:11.299 of years, 00:30:11.620 --> 00:30:12.680 God reveals himself 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:13.680 and he calls 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:14.299 out a people 00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:15.180 and through that 00:30:15.180 --> 00:30:16.180 long history, 00:30:16.180 --> 00:30:17.320 he shows 00:30:17.320 --> 00:30:18.140 through many ways 00:30:18.140 --> 00:30:18.900 and many signs 00:30:18.900 --> 00:30:20.180 and through sacrifices 00:30:20.180 --> 00:30:21.160 and all sorts of means, 00:30:21.240 --> 00:30:22.100 he shows us 00:30:22.100 --> 00:30:23.920 how costly sin is 00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:25.140 and how the wages 00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:26.000 of sin is death 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:27.140 and how the real need 00:30:27.140 --> 00:30:28.500 is for a substitute 00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:30.140 who can somehow 00:30:30.140 --> 00:30:32.500 undo Adam's sin 00:30:32.500 --> 00:30:35.620 and draw humanity 00:30:35.620 --> 00:30:36.920 out from under the curse. 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:41.660 But the history shows 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:44.180 that a second Adam 00:30:44.180 --> 00:30:45.580 is hard to come by. 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:48.259 God uses Noah 00:30:48.259 --> 00:30:49.279 to rescue humanity 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:50.040 through the flood, 00:30:51.040 --> 00:30:52.380 but Noah sins 00:30:52.380 --> 00:30:53.100 just like Adam. 00:30:54.100 --> 00:30:55.060 God uses Abraham 00:30:55.060 --> 00:30:56.460 to begin a new people, 00:30:57.120 --> 00:30:58.060 but Abraham too 00:30:58.060 --> 00:30:59.160 is flawed and sinful. 00:30:59.960 --> 00:31:00.840 God uses Moses 00:31:00.840 --> 00:31:01.600 to bring his people 00:31:01.600 --> 00:31:02.360 out of slavery, 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:03.180 but Moses too 00:31:03.180 --> 00:31:03.740 is imperfect 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:05.580 and is even barred 00:31:05.580 --> 00:31:05.920 from entering 00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:06.800 the promised land. 00:31:07.800 --> 00:31:08.820 God uses David 00:31:08.820 --> 00:31:09.400 to establish 00:31:09.400 --> 00:31:10.240 an earthly kingdom. 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:11.900 David slays Goliath. 00:31:11.960 --> 00:31:13.240 He defeats the Philistines, 00:31:13.440 --> 00:31:14.759 but not even David 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:16.059 can undo the curse of Adam, 00:31:16.859 --> 00:31:18.279 for he too is sinful. 00:31:19.740 --> 00:31:20.200 And by the end 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:20.859 of the Old Testament, 00:31:20.980 --> 00:31:21.559 though God has been 00:31:21.559 --> 00:31:22.559 faithful to his people, 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:23.900 though God has preserved them 00:31:23.900 --> 00:31:24.599 and kept them 00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:25.480 and given them 00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:26.640 many means and signs 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:27.680 of his mercy and grace, 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:29.380 still the curse remains. 00:31:31.980 --> 00:31:33.559 And none of Israel's leaders, 00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:35.539 none of the people's leaders 00:31:35.539 --> 00:31:36.579 have been able to undo 00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:38.319 what Adam had done. 00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:42.119 But then, 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:43.819 when the fullness 00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:44.799 of time had come, 00:31:45.819 --> 00:31:47.059 after years of waiting 00:31:47.059 --> 00:31:47.879 and longing 00:31:47.879 --> 00:31:48.579 and hoping, 00:31:50.039 --> 00:31:51.039 God sent his son, 00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:53.319 born of a virgin, 00:31:54.220 --> 00:31:55.419 born under the law 00:31:55.419 --> 00:31:56.319 and its curse 00:31:56.319 --> 00:31:58.059 to redeem those 00:31:58.059 --> 00:31:58.939 who were under the law. 00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:01.039 You see, 00:32:01.139 --> 00:32:02.819 Jesus Christ lived 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:03.700 the life 00:32:03.700 --> 00:32:04.939 the first Adam 00:32:04.939 --> 00:32:06.139 should have lived. 00:32:06.140 --> 00:32:07.280 He listened to 00:32:07.280 --> 00:32:07.820 and obeyed 00:32:07.820 --> 00:32:08.440 every word 00:32:08.440 --> 00:32:09.360 of his heavenly Father. 00:32:09.740 --> 00:32:10.320 When the serpent 00:32:10.320 --> 00:32:11.120 tempted him 00:32:11.120 --> 00:32:11.720 in the wilderness, 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:13.540 he passed the test 00:32:13.540 --> 00:32:14.880 where Adam had failed. 00:32:16.520 --> 00:32:18.140 And in his perfect obedience, 00:32:18.340 --> 00:32:19.080 he alone 00:32:19.080 --> 00:32:20.200 was able to deal 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:20.920 with the curse. 00:32:21.840 --> 00:32:24.259 Through his sacrificial death 00:32:24.259 --> 00:32:25.660 on a tree, 00:32:27.220 --> 00:32:28.400 Christ redeemed us 00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:29.460 from the curse 00:32:29.460 --> 00:32:30.120 of the law. 00:32:30.800 --> 00:32:31.300 How? 00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:34.740 By becoming a curse 00:32:34.740 --> 00:32:35.619 for us. 00:32:37.019 --> 00:32:38.039 The penalty 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:39.419 that Adam deserved, 00:32:40.059 --> 00:32:41.079 Christ paid. 00:32:42.259 --> 00:32:43.119 And three days later, 00:32:43.180 --> 00:32:44.139 he rose from the dead 00:32:44.139 --> 00:32:45.119 to prove that the curse 00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:46.279 had been broken 00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:47.519 and that the new creation 00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:48.879 was not just a wish 00:32:48.879 --> 00:32:49.819 or a hope, 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:50.980 but a reality. 00:32:52.099 --> 00:32:52.740 Began 00:32:52.740 --> 00:32:54.460 and ready to be unfolded 00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:55.180 and consummated 00:32:55.180 --> 00:32:56.220 in God's time. 00:32:56.220 --> 00:32:59.900 But you see, 00:32:59.980 --> 00:33:00.240 the death 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:00.680 and resurrection 00:33:00.680 --> 00:33:01.279 of Jesus, 00:33:01.460 --> 00:33:03.200 it doesn't just guarantee 00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:04.180 that God's plan 00:33:04.180 --> 00:33:05.400 will come to fulfillment. 00:33:06.140 --> 00:33:06.600 The death 00:33:06.600 --> 00:33:07.079 and resurrection 00:33:07.079 --> 00:33:07.620 of Jesus 00:33:07.620 --> 00:33:09.079 is the only way 00:33:09.079 --> 00:33:10.279 for you and I 00:33:10.279 --> 00:33:11.600 to share in it. 00:33:14.360 --> 00:33:15.039 You see, 00:33:15.100 --> 00:33:15.700 on the cross, 00:33:15.799 --> 00:33:16.700 the curse of sin 00:33:16.700 --> 00:33:17.460 was reckoned 00:33:17.460 --> 00:33:18.640 to Jesus 00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:20.140 so that the blessing 00:33:20.140 --> 00:33:22.440 of his obedience 00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:23.519 could be credited 00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:25.100 to all those 00:33:25.100 --> 00:33:25.960 who trust in him. 00:33:26.220 --> 00:33:29.400 in the new heavens 00:33:29.400 --> 00:33:30.039 and the new earth, 00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:31.579 there's nothing 00:33:31.579 --> 00:33:32.400 under the curse. 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:34.819 But the only way 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:35.460 for you and me 00:33:35.460 --> 00:33:36.779 to escape the curse 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:38.819 is to unite ourselves 00:33:38.819 --> 00:33:39.819 to the new 00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:40.900 and better Adam, 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:41.940 Jesus Christ. 00:33:43.180 --> 00:33:43.559 You see, 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:44.319 through birth, 00:33:44.380 --> 00:33:45.420 we are all in 00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:46.259 that first Adam. 00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:47.240 We're all in sin. 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:48.420 We're all under the curse. 00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:49.440 But through faith 00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:50.279 in Christ, 00:33:51.600 --> 00:33:52.279 we're credited 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:52.920 to the righteousness 00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:53.480 of Jesus, 00:33:53.620 --> 00:33:54.500 the new Adam. 00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:55.640 And the curse 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:56.800 no longer holds 00:33:56.800 --> 00:33:57.480 over us 00:33:57.480 --> 00:33:59.060 because he's exhausted 00:33:59.060 --> 00:33:59.580 the curse 00:33:59.580 --> 00:34:00.400 through his own death. 00:34:03.360 --> 00:34:04.540 And if we share 00:34:04.540 --> 00:34:05.900 in Christ's death 00:34:05.900 --> 00:34:06.480 through faith, 00:34:07.020 --> 00:34:08.579 we will also share 00:34:08.579 --> 00:34:09.920 in his resurrection life 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:11.260 in the new heavens 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:11.860 and new earth. 00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:16.680 The invitation of this passage 00:34:16.680 --> 00:34:17.519 then is this. 00:34:18.860 --> 00:34:19.920 You see here 00:34:19.920 --> 00:34:20.840 how the throne of God 00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:21.480 brings healing. 00:34:22.240 --> 00:34:23.079 And how could it not? 00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:24.400 For on the throne 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:25.440 is the Lamb, 00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:26.640 the Lord Jesus, 00:34:26.780 --> 00:34:27.700 the new and better Adam, 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:28.680 who lived, 00:34:28.960 --> 00:34:29.260 died, 00:34:29.320 --> 00:34:29.900 and rose again 00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:31.079 to abolish the curse 00:34:31.079 --> 00:34:31.519 of sin 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:32.360 and usher in 00:34:32.360 --> 00:34:33.000 the new creation. 00:34:34.039 --> 00:34:35.220 We've seen the healing 00:34:35.220 --> 00:34:36.240 this throne will bring 00:34:36.240 --> 00:34:37.539 when Christ returns 00:34:37.539 --> 00:34:38.800 and God is all in all, 00:34:38.860 --> 00:34:39.760 when the rule of heaven 00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:40.720 comes to earth 00:34:40.720 --> 00:34:41.740 and makes all things new. 00:34:42.660 --> 00:34:43.840 We'll see his face 00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:44.900 and reign with him forever. 00:34:45.200 --> 00:34:45.980 The throne of God 00:34:45.980 --> 00:34:46.320 and the Lamb 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:47.520 will heal all things. 00:34:47.600 --> 00:34:48.620 The question is, 00:34:49.420 --> 00:34:51.380 the question is, 00:34:52.040 --> 00:34:53.840 will you submit 00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:55.800 to his throne now? 00:34:55.800 --> 00:34:59.780 Will we entrust 00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:00.800 our lives 00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:03.360 to this healing king, 00:35:04.039 --> 00:35:06.320 the one who will mend creation, 00:35:07.200 --> 00:35:08.100 heal the nations, 00:35:08.680 --> 00:35:10.019 and restore our humanity? 00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:12.780 Will we bow our knees 00:35:12.780 --> 00:35:14.700 before his throne now 00:35:14.700 --> 00:35:16.380 and give our lives 00:35:16.380 --> 00:35:17.019 to this king? 00:35:20.140 --> 00:35:21.460 And if we have come 00:35:21.460 --> 00:35:22.780 to entrust our lives 00:35:22.780 --> 00:35:24.060 to him in saving faith, 00:35:24.059 --> 00:35:25.759 will we go on 00:35:25.759 --> 00:35:26.500 to obey 00:35:26.500 --> 00:35:27.679 what he commands? 00:35:28.779 --> 00:35:30.199 Will we live now 00:35:30.199 --> 00:35:31.279 under his rule, 00:35:31.799 --> 00:35:32.440 his healing 00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:33.340 and saving rule? 00:35:34.980 --> 00:35:36.239 Surely his commands 00:35:36.239 --> 00:35:37.179 are for our good. 00:35:38.079 --> 00:35:38.900 His throne 00:35:38.900 --> 00:35:40.219 will heal the cosmos. 00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:42.539 How could we not 00:35:42.539 --> 00:35:43.360 trust his commands 00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:44.719 now to be for our good? 00:35:46.159 --> 00:35:47.920 So we will obey them. 00:35:50.840 --> 00:35:52.079 Will we obey them? 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:54.199 Even if his commands 00:35:54.199 --> 00:35:55.259 seem countercultural, 00:35:55.799 --> 00:35:57.440 even if they seem costly, 00:35:57.599 --> 00:35:58.159 even if they might 00:35:58.159 --> 00:35:59.000 exclude us from 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:00.360 privilege and power, 00:36:01.579 --> 00:36:02.440 even if they might 00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:03.779 exclude you 00:36:03.779 --> 00:36:04.960 from the cool kids table, 00:36:05.179 --> 00:36:05.440 right? 00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:08.739 Will we take 00:36:08.739 --> 00:36:09.840 the radical move, 00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:11.619 the truly radical move, 00:36:11.719 --> 00:36:12.840 to live now 00:36:12.840 --> 00:36:13.920 in light of this 00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:15.119 great story that we're in, 00:36:16.219 --> 00:36:17.159 bow to his throne, 00:36:17.420 --> 00:36:18.539 and obey his word? 00:36:18.539 --> 00:36:21.480 And will we not 00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:22.119 just obey 00:36:22.119 --> 00:36:23.179 what he commands, 00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:25.320 but will we 00:36:25.320 --> 00:36:26.579 trust him 00:36:26.579 --> 00:36:27.960 in whatever 00:36:27.960 --> 00:36:28.699 he permits? 00:36:29.699 --> 00:36:30.559 Will we trust him 00:36:30.559 --> 00:36:31.500 in whatever he permits 00:36:31.500 --> 00:36:32.039 that it will be 00:36:32.039 --> 00:36:33.259 for our ultimate good? 00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:35.960 There's an old hymn 00:36:35.960 --> 00:36:36.559 that says, 00:36:36.559 --> 00:36:38.380 whatever my God 00:36:38.380 --> 00:36:40.279 ordains is right. 00:36:41.239 --> 00:36:42.340 His holy will 00:36:42.340 --> 00:36:43.019 abideth. 00:36:44.019 --> 00:36:45.340 I will be still 00:36:45.340 --> 00:36:46.599 whatever he does 00:36:46.599 --> 00:36:48.000 and follow 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:49.159 where he guideth. 00:36:50.219 --> 00:36:51.360 He is my God, 00:36:51.759 --> 00:36:52.960 though dark the road. 00:36:54.119 --> 00:36:55.199 He holds me 00:36:55.199 --> 00:36:56.360 that I shall not fall. 00:36:57.860 --> 00:36:58.320 Wherefore, 00:36:58.400 --> 00:36:58.840 to him 00:36:58.840 --> 00:37:00.299 I leave it all. 00:37:02.739 --> 00:37:03.940 The throne of God 00:37:03.940 --> 00:37:04.440 and the Lamb 00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:05.019 that will heal 00:37:05.019 --> 00:37:05.980 all things 00:37:05.980 --> 00:37:08.099 is the same throne 00:37:08.099 --> 00:37:09.220 ruling your life 00:37:09.220 --> 00:37:10.240 right now, 00:37:10.360 --> 00:37:10.679 Christian. 00:37:12.200 --> 00:37:13.139 Though the cup 00:37:13.139 --> 00:37:14.320 may be bitter at times, 00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:15.000 though the road 00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:15.940 may seem dark, 00:37:16.599 --> 00:37:17.599 he is working 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:18.159 all things 00:37:18.159 --> 00:37:18.840 for your good. 00:37:20.460 --> 00:37:22.000 You are not now 00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:23.139 at the story's end, 00:37:24.139 --> 00:37:25.400 but you know 00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:25.980 the ending, 00:37:26.240 --> 00:37:26.960 brothers and sisters. 00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:28.700 Your road 00:37:28.700 --> 00:37:29.280 is not one 00:37:29.280 --> 00:37:30.340 that leads in circles 00:37:30.340 --> 00:37:31.460 and ends in despair. 00:37:32.400 --> 00:37:32.920 Your road 00:37:32.920 --> 00:37:33.539 is the highway 00:37:33.539 --> 00:37:34.139 of the king 00:37:34.139 --> 00:37:35.039 and your journey 00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:36.400 ends in the new creation. 00:37:37.500 --> 00:37:38.420 Where the leaves 00:37:38.420 --> 00:37:39.319 of the tree of life 00:37:39.319 --> 00:37:39.980 bring healing 00:37:39.980 --> 00:37:40.719 to the nations. 00:37:40.980 --> 00:37:41.759 Where the water 00:37:41.759 --> 00:37:42.739 of the river of life 00:37:42.739 --> 00:37:44.079 brings flourishing 00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:44.699 and joy. 00:37:45.699 --> 00:37:46.940 So trust him now. 00:37:49.039 --> 00:37:50.579 And when the story ends 00:37:50.579 --> 00:37:52.179 and you stand 00:37:52.179 --> 00:37:53.019 before his throne, 00:37:53.960 --> 00:37:55.299 it will be worth it. 00:37:56.299 --> 00:37:57.239 Every sorrow, 00:37:57.460 --> 00:37:58.259 every step, 00:37:58.420 --> 00:37:59.179 every valley, 00:37:59.699 --> 00:38:01.019 every act of obedience, 00:38:01.539 --> 00:38:02.980 it will all be worth it. 00:38:02.980 --> 00:38:05.579 when we see his face 00:38:05.579 --> 00:38:07.480 and we reign 00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:08.199 with him forever. 00:38:09.440 --> 00:38:10.500 Let's pray together. 00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:18.039 Father, 00:38:18.139 --> 00:38:19.699 we pray the words 00:38:19.699 --> 00:38:21.440 that Jesus taught us. 00:38:22.800 --> 00:38:24.139 Thy kingdom come. 00:38:26.599 --> 00:38:27.579 May we look 00:38:27.579 --> 00:38:28.159 with longing 00:38:28.159 --> 00:38:28.619 and hope 00:38:28.619 --> 00:38:29.619 to that great day 00:38:29.619 --> 00:38:31.239 when you return 00:38:31.239 --> 00:38:33.299 and your story 00:38:33.299 --> 00:38:34.019 comes to its 00:38:34.019 --> 00:38:34.980 mighty conclusion. 00:38:36.699 --> 00:38:37.739 And would we live 00:38:37.739 --> 00:38:38.460 with perseverance 00:38:38.460 --> 00:38:39.639 and joy now, 00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:41.940 knowing that your kingdom 00:38:41.940 --> 00:38:42.940 is on the move 00:38:42.940 --> 00:38:44.920 and your promises 00:38:44.920 --> 00:38:45.480 are sure. 00:38:46.699 --> 00:38:47.619 We pray this 00:38:47.619 --> 00:38:48.380 in the mighty name 00:38:48.380 --> 00:38:49.019 of Christ, 00:38:49.659 --> 00:38:50.759 our new and better Adam, 00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:53.500 the Lamb on the throne. 00:38:54.219 --> 00:38:54.559 Amen. 00:38:54.559 --> 00:38:54.659 Amen. 00:38:54.659 --> 00:38:54.699 Amen. 00:38:54.699 --> 00:38:54.719 Amen. 00:38:54.719 --> 00:38:54.739 Amen. 00:38:54.739 --> 00:38:54.759 Amen. 00:38:54.759 --> 00:38:54.779 Amen. 00:38:54.779 --> 00:38:54.799 Amen. 00:38:54.799 --> 00:38:54.839 Amen. 00:38:54.839 --> 00:38:56.719 Amen. 00:38:56.719 --> 00:38:56.739 Amen. 00:38:56.739 --> 00:38:56.759 Amen. 00:38:56.759 --> 00:38:56.799 Amen. 00:38:56.799 --> 00:38:56.839 Amen.