Good morning, everyone.
For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Andrew Rim, and I'm a pastoral intern
here at Trinity Cambridge Church, and a current seminary student who is finishing up his degree.
And with Sean gone for the next few weeks on vacation, it's my joy and pleasure to be
able to bring God's word to you guys this morning.
And so without further ado, if you could turn your Bibles, if you have one, to Revelation
chapter 21, verse 22.
For those of you who don't have a Bible, please raise your hand and someone can give you a
copy from our table.
Revelation chapter 21, verse 22, to chapter 22, verse 5.
Please join me in prayer for the reading and preaching of God's word this morning.
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that you are our God, seated on the throne, and that
you give us access to you to be able to worship you, to adore you, to pour out all honor and
glory.
Lord, we thank you that you are such a gracious and loving God.
And Lord, we thank you that you give us your word to equip us with every need, to satisfy
us, to nourish us, to grow us in the spirit, so that one day when you and the kingdom of
our Lord Jesus Christ returns, we may be perfected with you, Lord.
And so, Lord, as we come across this beautiful passage coming into the river of life, Lord,
stir our hearts that we yearn for the living waters, Lord.
Stir our hearts so that we yearn for the eternal light that is to come through new Jerusalem, the new creation, Lord.
Help us to be faithful stewards of the gospel here and now, Lord.
We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Please stand as you're willing and able for the reading of God's word.
Revelation chapter 21, verse 22 to chapter 22, verse 5.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb.
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
and its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there.
They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations, but nothing unclean will ever enter it,
nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.
Also on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit,
yielding its fruit each month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,
and his servants will worship him.
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads,
and night will be no more.
They will need no light of lamp or sun,
for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
Back in 2016, the city of Flint, Michigan, faced a federal state of emergency
because traces of poisonous lead were found in their water systems.
This was due to the oversight and poor management of the city's water pipes
by the Flint city officials.
And after a number of court investigations and hundreds of millions of dollars
spent on legal settlements and repairing these corroded pipes,
Flint's water was declared clean and drinkable later in the year of 2016.
But the damage had been done.
Many residents of Flint, Michigan, to this day,
still don't drink the water straight from the tap
because they still do not trust the source of the water.
Here in the state of Massachusetts, according to the U.S. News,
we rank fifth in the entire United States for our drinking water quality.
We're in fifth place.
We have the best drinking water in all of New England, for that matter.
The next best New England state is Rhode Island,
and they come in 20th place.
Yikes.
And yet, even still, even though our drinking water quality is this good,
many of us here are still proactive and careful with our water sources.
We install water filters like Brita and Pure into our sinks,
our faucets, and our water dispensers.
Some of us opt to buy the Costco 40-pack water bottles,
and we just drink straight out of that.
And some of us even have our own personal rankings
of the best-tasting water bottle brands,
from Awkwafina to Smart Water to Evian to Poland Springs to Fiji
to the Whole Foods Asparagus water.
All this we do because we care about where our water is sourced from.
We want to be certain that we aren't harming ourselves
with unclean and contaminated water.
And so we're careful about the source of our water.
Brothers and sisters, as followers of God and the Lamb that is Jesus,
we must also be vigilant of the source of our spiritual water.
What is the source of our living waters?
What satisfies us and nourishes us in this life?
Last week in Revelation chapter 21,
Sean exhorted us to choose our treasures carefully.
For where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.
In the same way, we need to pay attention to the sources of our waters,
of what nourishes and satisfies us in our lives today.
Does living water from the throne of God and of the Lamb satisfy us?
Or does our water come from the darkness of this world,
which will only satisfy for a short while,
before leaving us emptier than ever before?
The answer to this question is of utmost importance.
Because the source of our water,
the source of our living water,
is a matter of spiritual and eternal life and death.
This morning, we're at the end points of Revelation.
We're finally at Revelation chapter 22,
the final chapter,
where John, he sees in his vision
that the kingdom of God has been fully inaugurated.
Evil has been utterly vanquished,
and the new Jerusalem has been established
as the new heavens and the new earth.
John then sees in Revelation 22,
the river of the water of life in New Jerusalem,
one that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb
through the center of New Jerusalem.
And this river, it yields abundant fruit
from the tree of life.
It heals nations,
and it makes the city pure from anything accursed.
This, this is the water that we should be longing for,
the river of living water.
We must draw near to this living water,
whose source is from the Lord God and the Lamb,
the light of the world, who is Jesus.
And so this is our main point for our passage this morning.
We should live our lives faithfully
to the light of the world, that is Jesus,
and the Lord God,
whose throne is the source of living water.
And so I'm going to touch on two major features
of our passage this morning.
First, the eternal light,
and second, the river of life.
Revelation chapter 21, verse 22,
and I saw no temple in the city,
for its temple is the Lord God,
the Almighty, and the Lamb.
In the Old Testament,
the prophet Ezekiel envisioned,
in Ezekiel chapter 40 to 43,
the rebuilding of the temple of God,
after it had been destroyed
by the Babylonian Empire.
However, now,
in John's vision of New Jerusalem,
there is not a physical temple in sight
in the city.
John gives the reason why this is so,
for its temple is the Lord God,
the Almighty, and the Lamb.
In the Old Testament,
the temple was built as a dwelling place
for the Lord God,
and as the meeting place
for God's people to worship him,
whose presence was in the Ark of the Covenant
inside of the temple.
In Exodus,
Moses built the tabernacle
as a portable way for Israel
to carry the presence of God
until they reached the promised land.
And once Israel was established
as a nation and a kingdom,
King Solomon built the temple
to more permanently
host the presence of God
at which all of Israel would gather
to worship Yahweh.
But the Old Testament prophets later,
they envisioned an even greater temple
in the future.
Haggai chapter 2 prophesied
that the latter glory of this house,
which is the temple,
will be greater than the former.
Jeremiah chapter 3 prophesied
of a day when God's people
will no longer say
the Ark of the Covenant.
And neither the temple
nor the Ark of the Covenant
will come to mind
or be remembered
or be missed
by God's people.
These prophecies are fulfilled
here in New Jerusalem.
God's dwelling place
is no longer
the physical structure
of the temple.
Instead,
the Lord God
and the Lamb
are fully present
face to face
with the new creation
in the New Jerusalem.
The temple,
a gathering place
to worship God,
had been fulfilled
in the new city.
This also means
that the church today,
including our own
gathered body
of believers here,
will be perfected
and fulfilled
when the Lord
is fully present
in the new Jerusalem.
In the new city,
those who have been faithful
to the testimony of Jesus
will no longer
need to gather
in a building,
in a structure
to worship their God.
Because God now dwells
among his people there.
We'll have unfiltered,
unparalleled access
to worship our Lord God.
You guys,
how much greater
will our worship
be in New Jerusalem
when we're able
to clearly see
with our very own eyes
who it is
that we give
our honor
and glory to?
How amazing
it's going to be
that when we sing,
behold our God,
behold the Lamb,
here I am to worship
right in front
of the Lord God,
being able to see
him face to face.
That's such an amazing sight,
amazing hope for us
that we'll be
face to face
in direct relationship
and communion
with our Lord God,
the very one
that we worship.
John continues
in his vision
of New Jerusalem
and sees
that the city
of Jerusalem,
New Jerusalem,
has no need
of sun or moon
to shine on it.
For the glory of God
gives it light
and its lamp
is lamb.
We see the same idea
evoked later
at the end of our passage
in Revelation 22, 5.
And the night
will be no more.
The servants of God
will need no light
of lamp or sun
for the Lord God
will be their light
and they will reign
forever and ever.
These two verses
are a direct fulfillment
of the prophecy
in Isaiah chapter 60.
The sun shall be
no more your light
by day,
nor for brightness
shall the moon
give you light,
but the Lord
will be your everlasting light
and your God
will be your glory.
Isaiah and John,
they're not trying
to say that the sun
and the moon
will be completely
non-existent
in the New Jerusalem.
Their point is that
the sun and the moon's
function as bearers
of light during the day
and the night
will not be necessary
anymore.
And that's because
God's glory
and the light
of his son Jesus,
the Lamb,
will illuminate
the new city
both day and night.
In James 1.17,
God is called
the Father of lights.
1 John 1.5
proclaims that
God is light
and in him
is no darkness at all.
In the Gospel of John,
Jesus calls himself
the light of the world
who stepped into
this dark world
to open our eyes
to God's salvific work
through him.
The Lamb of God
acted as the lamp
to God's glory.
Jesus was the word
in the beginning
who was with God
and was God
and in the word
was life
and the life
was the light
of men.
John 1.
The light of God's glory
and the Lamb
will shine on
the new Jerusalem
day and night.
This is John's way
of again emphasizing
that God's presence
will be directly
among his people
in the new city
and his presence
will never go away.
God will be with us
as our eternal light
day and night
forever.
This light
from the glory of God
and the Lamb
in New Jerusalem
will also accompany
the nations
and the kings
of the earth
will bring their glory
into the light.
This again
is a fulfillment
of Isaiah 60.
And nations
shall come to your light
and kings
to the brightness
of your rising.
The wealth
of the nations
shall come to you.
The wealth
of the nations
shall come to you.
Throughout Revelation
we see Jesus
and his angels
of the Lord
issue out warnings
to all of the nations
of the final day
of judgment.
And they call out
to repent
of idolatry
in order to be
preserved by God.
Revelation chapter 14
verse 7
is one example
of this.
An angel cries out
to every nation
and tribe
and language
and people
and it cries out
fear God
and give him glory
because the hour
of his judgment
has come.
In John's vision
the nations
who heeded
these warnings
and repented
and turned their allegiance
to God
and to Jesus
are able to walk
in the light
of God's glory
and enter into
the city
of New Jerusalem.
While other passages
in Revelation
refer to
the kings of the earth
as the wicked
unrepentant rulers
who have received
judgment
from God
here John
is referring
to the kings
of the earth
who had received
the angels warnings
and obeyed
the call
to repentance
and submitted
themselves
to the lamb
and to the testimony
of Jesus.
These are the kings
and nations
who will be welcomed
into the city
and they will bring
their glory
into it.
The Isaiah 60 prophecy
speaks of the nations
bringing material wealth
into Israel.
The wealth of the nations
shall come to you.
They bring their material riches
and wealth
into Israel.
John then changes
the language in Revelation
from wealth
to glory.
The nations
and kings
will bring glory
into New Jerusalem
as it says
in verse 24.
And we see later
in verse 26
that they will bring glory
and honor.
What John is saying here
is that the kings
are bringing into New Jerusalem
not material riches
and wealth
but rather glory
and honor
coming from the nations.
The kings and nations
are brought into
the New Jerusalem
by the invitation
of the lamb
to worship
the Lord God
in glory
and honor
to worship him.
There's no longer
any personal riches
or accolades
or boastings
of self
that are to be brought
into the city
of New Jerusalem
but only the glory
and honor
that is due
to God
and to Jesus Christ
the lamb
in worship.
Brothers and sisters
we have no material wealth.
We have no personal riches
to offer to God
because God
already has
these things.
In fact
he has infinitely
better things
beyond our imagination.
God doesn't need
our money.
He doesn't need
our savings.
He doesn't need
our prizes
and our trophies.
He doesn't need
our social status
and influence.
When we as faithful
believers of Christ
are invited
into the New Jerusalem
we have nothing
to bring with us
except for our worship
to bestow
our Lord God
in honor
and glory.
Amen?
Continuing on
the nations
and the kings
they enter
into New Jerusalem
through New Jerusalem's
open gates.
These gates
will never be shut
by day
and also by night
because there will be
no night.
The gates
to New Jerusalem
will be open
night and day
for all eternity.
In last week's sermon
Sean had described
the unassailable
security
of the New Jerusalem.
The walls
of New Jerusalem
were 12,000
stadia tall.
1,400 miles tall.
And its walls
were as thick
as the length
of a professional
soccer field.
No enemy
would be able
to breach
these walls.
No enemy
would be able
to breach
the walls
of New Jerusalem
even in secret
even in the dark
of night.
So why would
such an
impenetrable city
choose to leave
its gates
wide open
never to be shut?
That's because
there are no longer
any enemies.
Because there is
no more night
in the world.
There will be
no night
in New Jerusalem.
John is using
the word night
figuratively
to refer
to the darkness
and evil
that dim God's
glory
in this world.
In the Gospels
of Matthew,
Mark,
and Luke
when Jesus
was crucified
it was said
that at noon
there was darkness
over all the land.
The darkness
took over
when the Son
of God
was crucified
and killed.
But three days
later,
the angels
of the Lord
appeared before
Jesus' followers
in dazzling
brightness
and light
to announce
that the Savior
had resurrected
and conquered
death.
For John
to say
that there is
no night
in New Jerusalem
isn't just
an odd
passing comment
but it's a
triumphant
declaration
that there
will be
no darkness
or evil
that can exist
in the new
creation.
The darkness
and evil
of the enemy
are no more.
There is no need
to worry
or be cautious
about ambushes
or invasions
from the enemy
into the city
because all enemies
of God
have been defeated
already.
We have kings,
we have nations,
we have tribes
and tongues
from all over
the earth
that will enter
into the gates
of New Jerusalem
and there is
absolute certainty
and security
that not one
of them,
not even one
of them
will bring
wickedness
and evil
into the light
of God's
new creation
because night
and darkness
are no more.
When I was
in elementary
school
and in middle
school
and also maybe
in high school
I was really
afraid of the dark.
In our house
we had a basement
where we would
often store things
and whenever I had
to go down
into the basement
I was so afraid
that something
would pop out
of the dark
and get me.
One year
it was ghosts.
Another year
it was Darth Vader.
To cope with this fear
to deal with this
being afraid
of the dark
as I went
as I went down
those stairs
I would often
sing
whatever worship
song that I knew
in my head.
I would literally
go down the stairs
and be like
I love the world
you step down
into darkness
and then
scurry down
those stairs
and run straight
back up
as quickly
as I could.
The most
comforting
and relieving
sight for me
as I ran back
up those stairs
though
was the faint
outline
of light
on my basement
door.
That faint
outline
that you see
through the cracks
and I knew
oh my gosh
once I go
through those doors
I'm going to be
back in the light
Darth Vader
won't be chasing
me anymore
to tell me
that he's my father.
No more of that.
And so I would
run up those stairs
and burst out
to the door
into the light
of my living room
and I would feel
safe
and secure.
Brothers and sisters
scripture
gives us
that faint
outline
of light
and it's
getting brighter
and brighter
through the coming
of God's
radiant kingdom
and the new
Jerusalem
and that should
fill us
with great hope
and comfort
and relief
in the dark
days that we
live in
today.
For those of you
who may feel
distressed
by all this
darkness in our
world
wars
disease
famine
the evil
schemes
of man
or for those
of you
who may be
feeling so
discouraged
by the darkness
of your own
struggles
and sin
there is hope
in the light
of the coming
kingdom of our
Lord God
and so believe
in God's
victory
over darkness
and hold on
to the testimony
of Jesus.
There will be
a day
when night
will be no more.
Darkness
and evil
will be
totally
vanquished
and there
will be
absolute
security
in the
brilliant
light
of our
savior
Jesus.
Because
Jesus
has
vanquished
all evil
any
unclean
thing
and anyone
who has
not repented
of their
detestable
and false
things
will not
be able
to enter
into the
new
Jerusalem
even
with
those
gates
wide
open
day
and
night.
This
means
that
anyone
who
has
defiled
themselves
in sin
that God
so abhors
and has
not repented
and allowed
for the
blood of
Jesus
to wash
over
their sins
will not
be able
to enter.
This
means
that
those
who have
given
themselves
away
to the
lies
of the
enemy
and have
acted
on those
lies
into
acts
of
deception
like
adultery
murder
bearing
false
testimony
and
stealing
they
will
not
be
able
to
enter
into
the
city
of
New
Jerusalem.
Church
we
too
have
committed
these
grave
sins
time
and
time
again.
We've
been
adulteries
we've
told
lies
we've
stolen
God's
glory
we've
become
idolaters
in the
things
of this
world
and
time
and
time
again
we've
fallen
short
of the
glory
of
God
but
the
difference
the
difference
as
believers
of
Jesus
Christ
is
that
by
the
grace
of
God
we
have
recognized
our
need
for
a
savior
we
recognize
this
need
this
need
for
someone
to
save
us
of
our
sins
and
by
faith
in
Jesus
we
have
repented
of
those
detestable
and
false
things
and
claimed
our
allegiance
to
Christ
evil
doers
and
the
wicked
will
not
have
their
names
written
in the
book
of
life
and
they
will
be
subject
to
eternal
torment
and
suffering
in the
lake
of
fire
only
those
who
have
been
counted
righteous
and
holy
by the
Lord
God
those
whose
names
have
been
written
in the
Lamb's
book
of
life
will
enter
and
so
let's
hope
and believe
in the
light of
God's
coming
kingdom
and hold
on to
the
testimony
of
Jesus
this
leads
to
our
second
feature
in
our
passage
the
river
of
life
revelation
chapter
22
verse
1
to
5
now
the
angel
who's
guiding
John's
vision
turns
John's
attention
now
to
a
river
in
the
new
Jerusalem
this
river
is
bright
as
crystal
as
radiant
as
the
rest
of
the
city
which
is
adorned
in
precious
stones
and
clear
gold
as
it
said
in
revelation
21
John
calls
this
river
the
river
of
the
water
of
life
which
flows
from
the
throne
of
God
and
of
the
lamb
through
the
middle
of
the
street
this
river
should
be
reminiscent
of
the
river
at
the
garden
of
Eden
in
Genesis
2
the
river
which
flowed
out
of
Eden
to
water
the
garden
this
river
in
New
Jerusalem
flows
from
the throne
of
God
and
of
the
lamb
the
fulfilled
temple
in
New
Jerusalem
there
is
only
one
throne
in
which
both
God
and
the
lamb
Jesus
are
seated
in
vienen
and
the
God
the
son
have
a
shared
identity
in
the
Holy
Trinity
and
they
reign
over
the
new
creation
as
the
one
Lord
God
and
out
of
that
throne
flows
that
river
of
living
water
some
scholars
think
that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, is also represented here in this passage
by the river of living water. I think that this is an appropriate and a beautiful image of the
Holy Trinity in fellowship with one another and with us in the new creation, the new Jerusalem
that is to come. Jesus says in John chapter 7, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about
the Spirit. Jesus also offers the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 at the well, living water. Just as
the river of living water flows out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, the Holy Spirit proceeds
from God the Father and Jesus the Son. In the same way the Holy Spirit is the living water of new
Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit should be the living water that satisfies us today.
In John chapter 14, Jesus promises his followers to send a helper, the Holy Spirit, to aid them in
carrying out the gospel mission. The Holy Spirit is a helper to us to this day, today. The Spirit
indwells those who believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and seals them permanently as God's chosen
people. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. The Spirit illuminates scripture so that we may
understand God's word. He transforms and sanctifies us to be more like Jesus and helps us to bear good
fruit in our words and our deeds. And the Holy Spirit does all these things for the glory of God,
so that glorifying God may be the center of our lives. This is why the river of the water of life
flows through the center of New Jerusalem, to lead its inhabitants to worship at the central throne
of God and of the Lamb, the source of this living water. Brothers and sisters, are we fully relying
on the living water of the Holy Spirit to aid us in living a life that is faithful to Christ?
Are we submitting to the Spirit to convict us of our sins and to convict us to God's word? Are we trusting
in the Spirit to equip us and empower us to speak and act in a godly manner? Is the Spirit moving us to
fervent and earnest worship of our Lord God? If we're relying on the Holy Spirit fully, our entire lives will be
transformed so that glorifying God will be the central focus of our living. Church, our sinful world tempts us
to quench our thirst with unclean water. Unclean water that will never fully satisfy. And drinking from
this unclean water will ultimately lead us to eternal suffering, because it will cause us to turn away
from the Lord God Almighty into the lake of fire. No matter how much money, no matter how much fame or
influence we try to chase after in this lifetime, no matter how much riches we try to acquire and accrue
and save up in this life, these waters, none of these things will satisfy us. They'll leave us thirstier
and greedier than ever before. At the end of our lives and at the end of the age, all these man-made riches
and prestige will perish and crumble to dust. But what will remain is the eternal kingdom of God,
a new heaven and a new earth, the new Jerusalem, where the stream of living water will lead us to
eternal worship and fellowship with our triune God. And so let us look into the waters of our own lives
and examine whether our living water is indeed being sourced from God, the Lamb and the Holy Spirit.
In the second half of verse 2, John's vision continues to reference the Garden of Eden, this time with the Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life in New Jerusalem is found on either side of the river.
This is weird because there's only one Tree of Life. How can it be on either side of the river?
We can see that singular tree as a collective singular noun. This is some Greek grammar, sorry.
But a collective singular as this one tree is representing multiple trees.
Since it's found to be on either side of the river.
This will be consistent to the prophecy in Ezekiel 47, where on both sides of the river,
there will grow all kinds of tree for food.
In the New Jerusalem then, the original Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden has become multiple
trees of life, all flanking the river through the center of New Jerusalem.
The river of living water, it nourishes these trees of life,
and causes them to bear 12 kinds of fruit,
yielding its fruit each month.
The trees will yield their 12 kinds of fruit every month.
In our fallen world, there are only certain seasons in which fruits are ripe.
Else they will taste bitter or sour, or are withered, or do not grow at all.
John's vision shows us that seasons will be no more.
There is no harvest season.
There is no planting season.
The trees will yield fruit each month,
and the fruit will be abundantly available
to be enjoyed by the inhabitants of New Jerusalem all year long.
In Revelation chapter 2, Jesus promises to the church in Ephesus
that the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the Tree of Life,
which is the paradise of God.
In the paradise of new creation in New Jerusalem,
there will be no times of hunger or lack of resources.
Just as God will be readily available,
His presence will be readily available at all times,
He'll always and eternally be present in New Jerusalem.
His providence and His sustenance
will be readily available all year long for all eternity.
And so those who are faithful to the testimony of Jesus
will be eternally satisfied by God and His providence,
and they will lack in nothing.
And not only the fruit will be the thing that will satisfy us,
we see that the leaves of the Tree of Life,
they provide the great effects of healing of the nations.
The Tree of Life will have leaves that provide healing.
A while ago, I was told that you can put the peels of bananas
onto your skin where there are bug bites
to help soothe any sort of itching or inflammation.
I'm not sure if this is a credible source,
but it worked for me.
Like, the itching disappeared,
and there was no more swelling for a bit, for a bit.
But after 30 minutes or so,
the bite would start to itch and burn again,
and I would have to slap on a new leaf,
another banana peel,
onto my skin to soothe it again.
Church, while leaves and medicinal herbs today
can only provide a temporary fix
to our pains in the natural world,
the leaves of the Tree of Life
are for eternal healing and health of the nations.
of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ
and are welcomed into the city.
Eternal healing and health.
This means that there will be no sickness
nor pain in the new Jerusalem.
There will be no flu,
no COVID-19,
no broken bones,
no cancer,
no chronic achings and conditions,
no death
that will be,
that will need to be healed
or reversed in the new creation.
The leaves of healing from the Tree of Life
represent the once for all,
the final,
the eternal relief
from all pains and sufferings of God's people.
And that has been accomplished
by Jesus upon His return
when He comes again.
There will be a day
when Jesus returns
and wipes away our tears of sorrow
once and for all,
as Revelation 7 and 21 proclaim.
And in the same way,
there will be a day
when Jesus returns
and heals and restores us
to perfect health
once and for all.
This is final
and for all eternity.
Pain, suffering, and death,
and all the cursed things
of the earth
will be no more.
Verse 3 says,
no longer will there be anything accursed.
In the Garden of Eden in Genesis,
all of humanity
and the earth was cursed
for our sin and disobedience to God.
And the curse of sin
was death.
We were destined to die
because of our rebellion
against the holy and good God.
And yet God,
in His infinite mercy and love,
sent His Son, Jesus,
to be the atonement,
the slain lamb
to cover our sins.
As Galatians chapter 3 says,
Christ redeemed us
from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse for us.
For it's written,
cursed is everyone
who is hanged on a tree.
By hanging on that cross,
Christ removed
the curse of sin and death
from all who believe in Him
as the ultimate act of grace.
We no longer have
the curse of sin and death
bearing on our shoulders
because Jesus took that burden
for Himself.
And once Jesus returns again,
comes again,
and the kingdom of God
is established here on earth,
there will be nothing
that is cursed
in the new heavens
and the new earth.
All evildoers,
all idolaters,
all satanic forces
that curse the earth
and rebel against God
will be thrown into
the lake of fire
to suffer their own
eternal curse.
But those who put their faith
in God
and the Lamb that is Jesus
will dwell with the Lord
free of all curse
and instead rich
with blessings
that have been granted
by the righteousness
of Christ.
Where this curse of sin and death
had once ruled over,
the throne of God
and of the Lamb
has conquered
and laid dominion
there.
And out of that throne
flows the river
of living water.
And all who have believed,
all who have believed
in the gospel,
all who have believed
in God and the Lamb,
His servants
will draw near
to the source
of living water
and they will worship
our God
seated on His throne.
And finally,
all who have been faithful
to the testimony
of Jesus
will see
God's face.
We will be able
to see God's face.
All throughout history,
humans could not
and cannot
see God's face.
Moses was unable
to see God
on Mount Sinai
in Exodus 33.
Israel could not
enter into the tabernacle
of God's presence
without immediately
dying from God's holiness.
John chapter 1,
verse 18 says,
no one has ever
seen God.
Not one has ever
seen God.
The only God
who is at the Father's side,
He has made Him known.
To be able to see
someone's face
means that you are
in right relationship
with them.
When something is wrong
in a relationship,
whether it's a fight
or an argument
or strife,
there are times
when people won't be
in each other's faces,
where people won't
see each other's faces,
or they won't be
present with one another
because something
is not right
in the relationship.
Similarly,
we are unable
to see God's face
right now,
in the here and now,
because our relationship
with God
is not perfected yet.
There is still sin
and evil in the world
that keeps God's presence
behind the misty veil.
But that's the greatest hope
of believers
and followers of Jesus.
To be in right,
perfect relationship
with God
and to be able
to see God's face
as a sure sign
of his perfect presence
directly with us.
1 John 3, verse 2 says,
Beloved,
we are God's children now.
We are God's children now,
and what we will be
has not yet appeared.
But we know
that when he appears
and we shall be like him,
because we shall see him
as he is.
When the Lord Jesus returns,
like a bride at the wedding,
the misty veil
over our eyes
will be lifted,
and we'll be able
to see Jesus
and the Lord God
face to face.
And this will be
the sure sign
that we are in perfected,
right relationship
with our God.
And we will be able
to dwell
in his full presence
forever
as his people,
as his children.
This is the amazing hope
that we look forward to
in our future.
If we faithfully
hold on to
the testimony of Jesus
in the here and now,
we will belong
to our Lord God.
Just as Jesus promised
in Revelation 2,
I will write on him
the name of my God
and the name
of the city of my God,
the new Jerusalem,
which comes down
from my God
out of heaven
and my own new name.
We're going to be marked
on our foreheads
with the new name
of God
and of Jesus.
That's a sure sign
that we belong
to no one else.
No one can claim
that we are theirs
except for Jesus
and the Lord God Almighty.
And we will reign
with him
in the new Jerusalem,
the new creation
forever and ever.
Brothers and sisters,
as we live
as God's people
and as followers
of Jesus Christ,
let's examine
exactly where
the source
of our life's water
is coming from.
Let's see to it
that we're not drinking
from the water
of this world,
which will only leave us
thirstier and thirstier
than ever before.
But rather,
we're reliant
on the river
of living water,
the Holy Spirit
that flows
from the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb
that is Jesus Christ.
Those who faithfully
draw near
to that living water,
those who faithfully
hold on
to the testimony
of Jesus,
on that final day
when he returns,
will be able
to enter into
the city
of New Jerusalem.
And we'll be able
to enjoy
the living water
and the fruits
of the tree of life
and we'll be restored
in eternal fellowship
with the Lord God
face to face
in his presence.
Let's pray.
O Holy God,
we thank you
for the rivers
of living water.
We thank you
so much
for your spirit
which is the living water
that we have today
which aids us
and guides us
as the helper
to aid us
in our walk
and faith
with you,
Lord.
Lord,
we thank you
that you give us
this grand vision
of the new cities
that is to come,
the new creation,
the new heavens
and earth
where we'll be able
to dwell with you
for all eternity
in your light
day and night,
night and day.
Lord,
we thank you
that we have
this access,
this unfiltered access
to be able
to worship you
in spirit
and in truth.
Fill our hearts
with that wonder,
fill our hearts
with that hope
of the coming kingdom
of our Lord
and God
and help us
in the here and now
in our present moment
to look for
that source
of our living water
and see to it
that it comes
solely from you,
Lord.
We thank you, God.
we love you
and we pray all this
in Jesus' name.
Amen.