So we're going to begin worship now. We're singing firstly this evening from Psalm 93.
Psalm number 93 in the Sing Psalms. That's page 1, 2, 3.
We're singing to the tune Stroudwater.
The Lord is King. His throne endures majestic in its height.
The Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength and might.
The world is founded firm and sure, removed it cannot be.
Your throne is strong and you are God from all eternity.
Singing the whole Psalm, the five verses, on page 1, 2, 3.
The Lord is King.
The Lord is full in majesty and armed with strength and might.
The world is founded firm and sure, removed it cannot be.
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
The Lord is strong and you are God from all eternity.
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
The mighty night.
The Lord in throne, the night is strong.
For power full is He.
And then all the oceans waves are makers of the sea.
Pure royal statutes, Lord, stand firm.
And changing it to worth and holiness.
Adore to us all endless days, O Lord.
Now we're going to call upon the Lord in prayer.
Let's join together as we call upon God.
Lord, our gracious God, we come before you with thanksgiving.
To give thanks for that reminder and these great words we have sung.
Of your own greatness and majesty.
Of your sovereign rule over all things that you have created.
And we thank you, Lord, that that encourages us this evening.
Especially as we look in on ourselves and find so many marks of our own failures.
As we look over a world that seems to be in constant turmoil.
We thank you, Lord, that you rule over all of these things.
Sovereignly and in majesty.
And that you are worthy thereby of our praise and our adoration and our service.
We thank you, Lord, that you are worthy of the Lord.
We thank you, Lord, for the privilege we have of gathering here in your presence.
And of coming before you, Lord, not only to sing your praises.
To read your word.
To hear your gospel proclaimed.
But also to speak directly with you in prayer.
We thank you, Lord, for the promises that meet us as we come together in this way.
Promises that meet us as individuals.
Though we gather collectively before you, Lord, as a congregation.
We acknowledge that we have our individual requests and our concerns.
And our individual needs as well.
And we bless you for the way that you continue to provide for us.
And for the way especially that you do not mark our iniquity against us.
You have provided us instead with salvation in all its abundance in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we thank you tonight that as we come to you,
we come to one who has provided us with a mediator in him.
A mediator to represent God to us fully.
And to represent us before God.
We thank you for the way that Jesus Christ carries out.
All his tasks with perfect accomplishment.
And for the way that we can come to trust in him fully.
As one who is worthy of our trust.
Lord, grant us, we pray as we come,
that we may be conscious of your own presence.
Here in our midst and for each of us personally.
That we'll know our souls to be touched this evening.
By the truth and by the power of your word.
Bless us, we pray, with your Holy Spirit.
Grant that your Holy Spirit may apply your word to us.
With that power which he alone has.
To affect our lives positively.
To bring us further knowledge of ourselves.
And especially in the light of that knowledge of you that we need.
As one who has provided such salvation for us.
Bless us, we pray tonight, with all our concerns.
We bring before you, Lord, our own individual and collective concerns.
Our needs as a congregation.
Our concerns as a congregation.
As we seek to serve you in the gospel from week to week.
From day to day.
Lord, we thank you for supplying us with the ongoing resources.
To support the gospel practically, financially.
We pray that as we are thankful for that.
That we may see that upheld and even increased.
We pray, Lord, that you'll bless us too.
With further resources of a human kind.
That we may see others coming.
To join themselves to the serving people of God in this world.
And in this congregation as well.
Bless us, we pray, in all the work that we plan for this week ahead.
By your will.
Bless the work, we pray, amongst our young people.
Our children and our infants and toddlers.
We ask that that will be blessed to each and all of them.
And to the families that belong to them.
Bless, we pray, the Bible class and the Sunday school.
Bless us with further resources in terms of teaching.
Grant to us, Lord, that we may constantly bear before you in prayer.
The need for our children to be educated under the influence of your Holy Spirit.
And brought to know you at a young age.
We pray for those who belong to us.
Who will be with us for a time of holiday.
Who serve you in other parts of the country.
Those who are students and studying elsewhere.
Remember them, we pray.
As well as those locally who belong to us.
We ask, O Lord, that your blessing in all of these areas of our life as a congregation.
We'll know your blessing.
We pray for your blessing too tonight.
For those who have particular ailments and illnesses.
Remember them, we pray.
Those who suffer from mental health issues.
We pray for them.
We give thanks, Lord, that you have access to our minds.
More than we ourselves can possibly have.
And we pray that you'll bless all those tonight who have these issues.
And all those families who care for them.
Those who don't have the privilege of faculties like many of us possess.
We pray, Lord, that you would grant them your blessing.
Your presence.
Your salvation.
And we pray that you would bless too those who are seriously ill and receiving treatment.
Those who have been through surgery in recent times.
We commit them to you.
We ask too for those who mourn the passing of loved ones.
For they, Lord, are always with us.
And we hear every week that we gather here of others who have passed away in the week before.
And we pray that you'll bless them.
These families that we know of tonight.
Who mourn and who express their grief to you.
And, O Lord, we pray that they will know your comfort and your guidance.
And your strengthening of them during these difficult times.
Remember us too, we pray as a community.
Granted, we may be thankful for all the resources you provide us with.
Bless those in our local Corlea.
Our council who represent our various parts of the islands.
As they meet from time to time.
And all the officers of the Corlea as well.
As they take decisions, Lord.
Affecting us all from week to week.
Be pleased.
We pray to grant them your blessing.
To raise up others who will also come to contribute in that way to our society locally.
We pray that you'd help us, Lord.
As we pray for those in our community who have specific talents and gifts to help us in different times of need.
Whether it be at times of bereavement.
Times of illness.
Through the expertise in the hospital.
The hospice.
The care homes.
And the clinics that we find.
Lord, bless them all.
We pray.
Make us thankful that we have access to such resources.
That are so lacking in so many parts of the world.
And even in parts of our own nation.
And bless our nation, Lord.
We pray at this time.
Be pleased to bless those in government over us.
Bless those of them who fear your name.
And who bear that testimony before their fellow members of parliament.
And members of the Scottish parliament.
Lord, we ask that you would continue to bestow wisdom on those who lead us in that way.
And bestow wisdom on us as a people as well.
That whenever elections come round.
That we may be led of your spirit.
To elect those who will honor your ways wherever possible.
Those who will be known as a people of integrity and trustworthiness.
And we ask, O Lord, that you would guide us as a people in that way.
And so remember the world in which we live.
In all its turmoil.
In all its distress.
Especially those places tonight that have famine and disaster.
And war to contend with.
Bless your people, especially in those areas of the world.
Grant to them, O Lord, your own steadfast love.
To be known from day to day for them.
Be with us now, we pray.
Hear us in this our prayer.
And pardon our many sins and cleanse us.
For Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Now we turn to sing some more verses.
This time we're singing in Psalm 106.
Scottish Psalter version on page 378.
We sing verses 1 to 5.
And the tune this time is St. David.
Give praise and thanks unto the Lord.
For bountiful is he.
His tender mercy doth endure unto eternity.
God's mighty works.
Who can express or show forth all his praise?
Blessed are they that judgment keep.
And justly do always.
Psalm 106.
The verses marked 1 to 5.
Give praise and thanks unto the Lord.
Amen.
His �일's tomb and turbulenceru.
As yet, the spiritual Lord.
Or are he nothing.
The nation,ики God's legendary King.
He inspired us that he said,
The judgment, the unjustly, do always.
Remember me, Lord, with love,
which love to my God's name,
with thy salvation, O my God,
who blessed me from here.
But I, thy chosen, who may see,
and in their joy rejoice,
and may with thy inheritance
fly on with cheerful voice.
Now we're going to read from God's Word two passages,
firstly in the Old Testament,
in the prophecy of Ezekiel,
and then we'll read from the last chapter of the Bible,
Revelation chapter 22,
a few verses at the beginning of that chapter.
First of all from Ezekiel,
and chapter 47,
reading verses 1 to 5.
It's on page 888 or thereabouts,
if you're using the church Bibles.
Then he took me back to the door of the temple,
and behold, water was issuing from below
the threshold of the temple towards the east,
for the temple faced east.
The water was flowing down from below
the south end of the threshold of the temple,
south of the altar.
Then he brought me out by way of the north gate,
and led me round on the outside
to the outer gate that faces towards the east.
And behold, the water was trickling out
on the south side.
Going on eastwards with a measuring line in his hand,
the man measured a thousand cubits,
and then led me through the water,
and it was ankle deep.
And he measured a thousand,
and led me through the water,
and it was knee deep.
Again he measured a thousand,
and led me through the water,
and it was waist deep.
Again he measured a thousand,
and it was a river that I could not pass through,
for the water had risen.
It was deep enough to swim in,
a river that could not be passed through.
And he said to me,
Son of man,
have you seen this?
And if we turn now to the book of Revelation,
and the revelation of John chapter 22,
we'll read the first five verses there as well.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,
brightest 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.
We pray that God will bless to us
those two readings of his word this evening.
Let's turn to read and sing again in Psalm 36.
Psalm 36, and the Sing Psalms version on page 44.
The tune this time is Free Church,
and we're singing verses 5 to 10.
Psalm 37, and the Sing Psalms version on page 44.
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
Your faithfulness is wonderful, extending to the sky.
Your righteousness is very great,
like mountains high and steep.
Your justice is like ocean depths,
both man and beast you keep.
How precious is your steadfast love,
what confidence it brings.
Both high and low find shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
They feast within your house,
and drink from streams of your delight.
For with you is the source of life.
In your light we see light.
To those who know you as their God,
your steadfast love impart.
Maintain your righteousness
to those of pure and upright heart.
So verses 5 to 10, to God's praise,
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord.
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord,
it reaches heaven high.
Your faithfulness is wonderful,
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
Your righteousness is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
Your være with whom it hands�� mira demasiado through the Lord.
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
My shoulders of the above the world, it reaches heaven high.
It reaches heaven high.
Her easant self- tailored awarding to the Lord.
O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
Bl zeg-low high.
If your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
O Lord, it reaches heaven清 the lion of earth to the 결국,
all ye're delighted high.
ye are blessed by the RIGHT now.
Almostatherine high.
O cry and o'er find shelter in the shadow of pure peace.
The peace within you have standing from streams of beauty light.
For when you reach the source of light, make your light please see light.
To those who know you must have gone, your steadfast love impart.
Continue righteousness to those of pure and of bright heart.
Now for a short time together this evening, let's turn to Revelation chapter 22.
Looking at these five verses that we read earlier from the beginning of the chapter, verses 1 to 5.
We're all familiar, I'm sure, with the work of war artists.
Sometimes they're commissioned by their country in a time of war.
Sometimes they just choose themselves to go to where there is conflict in order to depict what they see.
And sometimes that, of course, is used for propaganda purposes.
But very often you can find a war artist conveying a sense of the horror of war,
sometimes more effectively than just taking a photograph of it.
Because the war artist can, as an artist, can actually instill in their presentation of their work
something of emotion, something of the scale of things.
Things which really you cannot capture in a photograph by itself.
And down through the years, war artists have gone to war.
We think especially of the two great wars, the Second World, First World and Second World War
and other wars that their own nation have been involved with.
And have captured, in terms of paintings and drawings, something of what they witnessed there
and tried to convey a sense of what that was like in that terrible time of war.
We could really compare the book of Revelation to a series of paintings by war artists, if you like.
Because the book is really about a war between the Lamb, who is Jesus on one side, along with his people,
and his enemies on the other hand.
They're described in various ways through the book of the Revelation.
And the whole of the book of the Revelation is pretty much to do with that conflict,
with that warfare between the Lord and his followers,
and those who actually follow what's sometimes called the beast or the dragon,
representatives of evil and of opposition to God down through the centuries.
When you come to chapter 19, for example, you'll find that there's a representation there
of the final great battle and of the triumph of Jesus from verse 11 onwards.
He saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse.
The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
And you can see all the way through these verses that follow on from that,
an account of how he is portrayed, his might, his prowess, his ability, his final victory.
And so in verse 16, on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And so that fits in with the other portraits that we've called them,
these depictions of this conflict as you go through the book of the Revelation.
And looking at it like that, I think, helps us to sometimes get to grips with the teaching of the book,
which at some points is not easy,
but it tells us, it keeps us in mind of the one common strand or theme that runs through it,
this great conflict between the Lord and his enemies.
And then you come to chapter 21, where you have a painting there in words of the New Jerusalem,
leading into chapter 22 we're looking at tonight,
which you might say is the lasting peace that Jesus, by his conquest of evil and of sin,
has brought about for his people actually to share with him.
Now in the study Bible I use at home, I came across this comment,
and it's as follows,
the book of Revelation is designed not only to inform and assure Christians about God's final purposes,
but to increase their longing for God and the realization of his purpose.
The certainty of that consummation, that final victory,
comforts saints during times of temptation and persecution.
In other words, when you look at a passage like this passage in Revelation 22,
bringing you into the final state of things,
the peace of God's people that they enjoy together with the Lord,
what that is really for is for now.
It's not just projecting us forward to get some sort of glimpse into how things will be finally.
The whole of that teaching of Revelation is for the present situation of God's people
as they go through this life.
So that as they come and confront various difficulties themselves,
as they share in meeting the opposition that the enemies of the gospel in every generation actually throw at them,
here is the book of the Revelation that God gave to John and is now in the Scriptures,
so that we will find our comfort, our assurance, our certainty of final victory
when we come to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And as we'll see, we share in that great victory that is his,
that is already achieved by his death and resurrection and exaltation to glory.
So all the time through the book of the Revelation,
as much as any other book in the Bible,
God is saying to us, this is for now.
This is for your present conflict.
This is to assure your heart that in Jesus Christ and on his side,
you are certain of victory, however tough, however challenging,
however stressful, however difficulty,
the way towards the final victory might be.
With Christ on your side and you on his side,
that is your assurance tonight.
And maybe you're here tonight feeling a bit downcast,
the challenges that you're facing,
things you maybe never really seem to get on top of,
the stresses of life as you go through life,
both for young people and older people like ourselves.
But here is God saying, I have given you this book
so that in looking through this book at the victory of Jesus and his people,
you can say of yourself as you find yourself amongst them,
this is actually my privilege and my portion,
that I belong to these people
and that he is my king and my lord
as he is king of kings and lord of lords.
So let's look at this passage briefly.
I'm first of all going to look at what I'm going to call the New Eden
because features of this passage remind us very much of a passage,
for example, like Genesis,
describing the creation at the beginning of things
where God created heavens and the earth
and ourselves, mankind as well.
Genesis 2, for example, verses 7 to 10
very much form a background or the imagery there
is very similar to this final chapter in Revelation.
Let me just read what it says there,
verse 7, chapter 2 of Genesis,
where then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life
and the man became a living creature.
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east
and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground the Lord made to spring every tree
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden
and there it divided and became four rivers.
And you can see the similarity there in the description
with what you find here in Revelation chapter 22.
But three things in this chapter 22, this passage,
three things in regard to the new Eden that we're calling it.
It's, of course, different in the sense that Eden was,
as we'll see, something that man enjoyed,
mankind enjoyed only for a while
and then they were closed out from it
because of their own sin and rebellion against God.
Let's leave that for a moment.
But the three things that dominate the scene
are, first of all, the throne,
and then the river,
and thirdly, the tree in the midst of the garden.
First thing that dominates it is the throne of God,
the water of life,
this river that flowed with the water of life,
bright as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Christ on his throne, God on his throne.
And that is the source of this river,
this water of life.
But it's the scene,
in the scene,
it's the throne that essentially dominates the whole scene.
And if you go back to chapter 4,
of course, that's, as you know,
a chapter that deals with the throne in heaven
that John saw at that point
in the beginning of this revelation
that God gave him.
Behold, he says,
I saw a door open in heaven,
and the first voice which I heard said,
Come up and I will show you what must take place.
And I behold,
I was in the Spirit,
and behold,
a throne stood in heaven.
And he who sat there
had the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian.
And so on the description there.
There's the immensity of this throne,
the greatness of this throne of God,
this rule of God,
this sovereign control of God,
this God who rules over all things that take place,
whether they are evil or whether they are good.
But God, in his own sovereign oversight of everything,
is absolutely in charge.
We need to always remember that.
And you go back to chapter 20 as well,
where you find the defeat of Satan,
and then followed by the great white throne of judgment.
I saw a great white throne,
and him who sat on it,
or was seated on it,
from his presence,
earth and sky fled away,
and no place was found for them.
We're worshiping tonight this God.
We're worshiping this God,
as one put it in the Old Testament.
The heavens of heavens cannot contain you,
let alone, said Solomon,
this temple that I have built.
And it's the immensity of God,
the greatness of God,
the majesty of God,
the glory of God,
that fills this Bible from beginning to end.
It is the central feature of this Bible.
It is foundational to everything else that you read of,
and come to know through this Bible.
Every other single topic has to come back in some way or other to be related to
this throne of God,
this majesty of God,
this rule of God,
this greatness of God.
The throne that's in heaven.
You know,
you think of the grace of God,
the favor of God,
the love of God.
And we may think of these at times as,
as if they were kind of thin or flimsy things.
Some people in the world certainly would think of them as we're,
we're not really thinking properly if we give them the place that the Bible itself gives them.
But you see,
the grace of God is sovereign grace,
is royal grace.
The favor of God is a favor that is immense,
because it's God's favor.
The power of God is the power of the sovereign throne.
The authority of this throne is the authority of God,
whose authority covers all things.
Here's the throne at the midst of it,
in the midst of it showing us the immensity of God,
the greatness of God.
And that's why we bow in his presence.
And that's why we say this is the main feature of this Bible.
There is nothing more important than we realize that this grace,
this salvation is,
is royal,
it's sovereign,
it's kingly,
it's divine.
And you know,
one of the greatest marks of being a Christian
is that you accept in your heart,
that you accept in your mind,
that you accept in your conscience,
that you accept with your will,
this rule of God,
that you accept that God rules.
And that's why it's such a humbling and immensely rewarding thing
to come to hear of a Christian saying,
at the time of great distress or loss,
the Lord knows what he's doing.
The Lord is in charge.
He's in control of my life.
The throne.
The throne of God.
The throne in heaven.
The rule of God.
The majesty of God.
The greatness of God.
That's the first feature
in this wonderful painting of heaven for us in these words.
The second thing is the river.
I saw, he said,
the river of life,
the angel showed me,
the river of the water of life,
bright as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God.
Isn't that a wonderful emphasis?
When you think about the throne
and its immensity,
you maybe think of it,
some people might think of it
as really quite detached from human life
and from human needs,
but it's the very, very opposite.
The water of life that comes to course through
the life of God's people,
the life of his church,
the life of heaven itself.
Where does it begin?
Where does it source?
It's the throne.
The throne is the source of the water of life,
the source of salvation.
It is from God.
It is freely on his part provided for us.
You remember John in his gospel
that he spoke very often,
wrote very often of salvation
in terms of water.
That wonderful chapter four
where Jesus dealt with the women of Samaria.
She had come to draw water
and she met Jesus at the well
and in conversation,
it's a magnificent conversation,
isn't it?
That great interview.
She hadn't expected such a thing when she came,
but this is what she met with.
And he took her first of all to the water of that well,
that natural water.
Whoever, he says,
drinks of this water
shall thirst again.
But the water that I shall give him
shall be in him,
a well of water springing up
into everlasting life.
You see, it's not just that water comes,
the water of life comes,
eternal life comes from the throne of God,
but it flows into our lives.
It flows into the life of his people.
It fills their soul.
It dominates their thinking.
It fills their vision of eternity.
There's water of life which flowed from the throne.
And if you go to John chapter 7,
you'll know the passage,
I'm sure yourselves very well.
John chapter 7, verses 37 to 39.
On the last day of the feast,
the great day,
Jesus stood up and cried out,
If anyone thirsts,
let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me,
as the scripture said,
out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water.
Now this he said about the spirit
the Holy Spirit,
whom those who believed in him
were to receive.
For as yet the spirit had not been given
because Jesus was not yet glorified.
And that's anticipating
the day of Pentecost
and everything that happened
subsequent to that in history,
the history of the church
with the power of the Holy Spirit
and the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Well, there it is in John 7,
they're portrayed as water flowing
from those who believe
as well as into those who believe
because God doesn't actually
bestow salvation on us
in a way that just keeps it
entirely to ourselves.
The influence of that
and the influence of that life
reaches outward.
The Holy Spirit,
the heart of a human being
who's been saved,
a Christian, a believer,
the Holy Spirit in the life
of that person
communicates things
to others beyond themselves.
And here is a reminder to us
that from this throne
in the middle of heaven itself,
this water of life,
brightest crystal,
flows as the source of life.
And you see what it's saying?
It flows through the middle
of the street of the city,
also on either side of the river,
the tree of life.
It flows through
the streets of the city,
through the middle
of the street of the city.
And again,
this is one of the main features
of this wonderful painting,
as we're calling it,
of heaven,
of the final state,
that you have this water of life
flowing constantly,
freely,
and it's coming
through every single part
of the city,
the main street of the city,
to make its way
through the whole city.
In other words,
that is such a wonderful portrayal
of how heaven itself
is just vibrant,
constantly vibrant,
perfectly vibrant with life.
Life in its abundance.
Life in its fullness.
Life supplied by God
from his throne.
The eternal life
that God
has provided
for his people.
And isn't it a reminder
as well,
as the woman of Samaria said,
or found out,
she left her water pot
and she hurried
to tell the people
of her own town
what she had discovered,
what had come her way
in meeting with Christ.
Why did she leave
her water pot?
There are all kinds
of fancy interpretations
of that
and what that represented
and what that might
have been a symbol of.
Well,
whatever you say about that,
she left it for this reason
among many others perhaps,
but she left it for this reason.
She had actually found Jesus
and she was so excited
she forgot the primary reason
she had come to that well
to draw ordinary water
because she had found
the water of life.
And she went back
and told her own people.
That's the Spirit of God
as that Spirit of God
works in the lives
of His people.
What do you want to do
when God has brought you
to see Himself
and to see that salvation
and to accept Jesus
and to know that a change
has taken place in your life?
You want to share that.
You want to tell people about it
in whatever way you go about it.
Some people are very shy about it.
They find it very difficult.
Others don't have that difficulty.
But in one way or another,
those who have come
to trust in Christ
and know something
of this water of life,
they communicate
the reality of that
to the world
in which they live.
And it's the burden
of your heart tonight
as a Christian, isn't it?
That those who see your life
will actually know something
of the beauty of God
being revealed in His life,
in His eternal life
that He's given you
through the life that you live.
So there's the throne
and there's the river
and there's also the tree
on either side of the river,
the tree of life
with its twelve kinds of fruit
yielding its fruit every month.
Now in Eden, of course,
as we see it in the book of Genesis,
the tree of life
was situated in the middle
of the garden
along with the tree
of the knowledge
of good and evil.
They had access to
the tree of life.
There's nothing to indicate
that they couldn't have partaken
of the fruit of the tree of life,
although the fruit of the other one,
of course, was prohibited.
The tree of life represented
life in the highest form
for man at that stage.
Now, of course,
through the sin
that Adam and Eve
perpetrated
as the head of the human race
at that time,
as Adam was,
Eden was closed to them.
Eden was actually then
shut out from.
They were shut out from it,
reminding us
that there is a curse
attending sin against God.
That rebellion against God
meets with God Himself,
separating us from life.
But it's restored
in Jesus Christ.
That life
that we forfeited
in Adam
is restored
in the last Adam
in Jesus.
And that's why
He came into the world.
So that He would not
just undo
what Adam had done
in his sin against God,
but that He would actually
do something
which would mean
that never again
would God's people
be excluded
from life,
from the garden of life,
from the tree of life.
And you can see
in verse 14 here,
in the chapter here,
that there's a very
important reference
there as well.
Blessed are those
who wash their robes
so that they may have
the right
to the tree of life
and that they may enter
the city by the gates.
When Adam and Eve
were excluded
from Egypt
and the way was barred,
they had forfeited
the right of access
to that life
that the tree of life
represented.
God was shutting them
out from that.
But He didn't shut
us out permanently
from access to life.
Here is Revelation
telling us
not only do God's people
have access
to the tree of life
and will have that
permanently
and everlastingly
in heaven,
they have a right to it.
What do you mean
they have a right to it?
I hear you asking.
How can they actually
be shut out
because of their sin
and at the same time
come to have a right
in it again
to have access
to the tree of life?
Well, they have a right
in it because of
what Jesus has done
and who He is.
He gives them the right.
They have their right
in Him.
He has opened the way.
He is the Savior.
He is the one
who has brought us
this life.
And as He opens
the way to it,
so God is assuring us,
I give you the right
to the tree of life
when your trust is in Me,
when you live by faith in Me.
And you know,
that's something
surely that encourages you
tonight
amongst the many times
that we doubt,
the many times
that we have
things in our lives
and in our thinking,
in our mind,
where we think
perhaps less of ourselves
than really God
thinks of us
as His people.
God is reminding us,
you have rights
that I have given you.
You have the right
of being My children.
You have the right
of adoption,
being heirs
with an inheritance.
You have a right
to that inheritance.
You have a right
to the tree of life.
You have a right to it
because the Savior Himself
has opened
and given you
that right.
And in Him,
nobody is going to
take that right
away from you.
The devil can actually
tempt you
and you can actually
have many times
of doubt
and of difficulty
and of struggle
in your Christian life.
But one thing
that cannot be taken
from you
is the right
to the tree of life,
the right that God
gives His people
to the life
that He has bought
for them in Jesus
at such great cost.
But they may have
a right to the tree of life
and may go through
to enjoy that
for themselves.
And you see,
the supply from the tree
on each 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.
The nations,
as they are brought,
people from all nations
to come to know the Lord.
Heaven is going
to be populated
by multitudes,
by multitudes.
And they're from all parts
of the world,
all backgrounds,
all races,
all singing
the same song,
all joining
in the victory
of Jesus.
No rivalries,
no conflicts,
no war times,
no divisions,
no jealousies.
all that's gone.
All that's left
in this world.
It's all about
peace
and life
and harmony
and sharing together
in the wonder of heaven.
And so the tree of life,
and it's a reminder
that it yields its fruit
every month
as you see in that
a reference to
the constancy
of the supply.
It's really a way
of saying,
well, you can't say
as time goes by
in heaven
or in eternity,
but let's just use
the phrase
as time goes by,
as you spend
eternity
in eternity,
there's a constant
supply of life
and will be
and it will go on
forever.
Because as chapter 7
puts it,
the Lamb who is in the
midst of the throne
shall be their pastor
and shall lead them
to living waters
of life.
And God shall wipe
away every tear
from their eyes.
What a prospect.
What a vision
of the future
for God's people
in heaven
to use in the present
as we said
at the beginning
to take for your comfort,
for your assurance
if you're a Christian
tonight.
And that's why
this is such a wonderful
feature of the New Eden,
the throne,
the river,
the tree.
Therefore use now
in our thinking.
Let's think secondly
though of fellowship
with God.
I'll need to be
briefer with this.
Fellowship with God
and really there's
two things in that
fellowship with God
that these verses
bring out for us.
First of all,
there's access
to God
all the time.
You see it's speaking
here of the face
of God
where it says
his servants,
there's no more curse
and therefore
his servants
will worship him.
They will see his face
and his name
will be in their foreheads.
Now seeing the face
of God,
the face of God
is often in the Bible
a description
of the favor of God.
When God's face
shines upon people
that's a way of saying
they have his favor.
When God's face
is frowned
against others
that's a sign
of his wrath
or his anger
or his displeasure.
But here is
the face of God.
They see the face of God.
Through Jesus Christ
they are aware
of God's presence
as never before.
And as they see
the face of God
they see
that wonderful acceptance
that they have.
We could go through
some passages
tonight in Ephesians
chapter 2
which speaks of them
being again
out with
the life
that God has
for his people
until they come
to know
the Lord Jesus Christ
himself.
You know the chapter
very well.
Ephesians 2
and verse 12
Remember
that you were
at that time
separated from Christ
alienated from
the commonwealth
of Israel
strangers to the
covenants of promise
having no hope
and without God
in the world.
That's the description.
Just as the description
was outside
of the gates
of Eden.
without God
without hope
in the world.
And what's next?
Christ.
But
now in Christ
Jesus
you who were
once far off
have been brought
near
by the blood
of Christ
for he himself
is our peace.
Now he's talking
there about peace
between Jew and Gentile
but it's true
on that other level
as well
that for us
as one time
outside of the
possession of life
of the peace
that we have now
with God
as Christians
but now
he says
it's no longer
how it was
it's now a different
situation altogether
you have
this peace
because he is our peace.
As you go through
the Bible
as you go through
the New Testament
especially
it's not just
the New Testament
you find in the Old Testament
too
these great words
of context
but
God
but
God
but
now
you see
he's talking
about the total
change
that grace
has brought about
that God
has brought about
that salvation
is
think of Psalm 130
Lord if you were
to mark our
iniquity against us
Lord who could
stand
but there is
forgiveness
with you
instead of
marking our
iniquity
placing it on
a record
and leaving it
there
for our
condemnation
forever
there is
he says
forgiveness
with you
there's loving
kindness
with you
there's grace
with you
and here you find
in this passage
in Revelation
that
they shall see
his face
and his name
will be
in their foreheads
what does that mean
it means
they have the mark
of ownership
upon them
possibly going back
to
Paul's own days
when there would be
the practice
for slaves
to be branded
with a mark
to show who
they belong to
not saying that
that was
commendable
these were the days
they were living
in
but
if you are
marked
as a slave
in whatever way
that mark
that branding
showed who
you belong to
and in a
spiritual fashion
the Lord's people
are marked out
by himself
and if you go to
1 Corinthians
chapter 6
verses 19
to 20
he says
you have been
bought with a price
therefore you are
not your own
you belong to
God
what was the price
of purchase
for us
as sinful
undeserving
human beings
the blood of
Christ
the death
of Christ
and when you
come to place
your faith
in Christ
in that Christ
who died
and rose again
and now sits
on the throne
you are actually
then marked
by God
you are marked
as his
and you can say
you are under
his ownership
and that's not
an ominous thing
although there's
a side to it
that we remind
ourselves of
every day
where we say
to ourselves
well we are
actually the
children of God
so our behaviour
in the world
is important
as the late
Queen Mother
once said
at one time
when the royal
family were
arriving at
D-side
and coming off
the train
and Queen Elizabeth
II's children
were then quite
young
and the Queen
Mother
as she was
then
was heard
to say
by those
standing nearby
now remember
children
royal children
royal manners
royal children
royal manners
you are not
your own
the apostle
said
you've been
bought
with a price
therefore
honour God
glorify God
in your body
and spirit
which are God's
there his name
will be on
their foreheads
they will be
known as the
people of God
they will know
themselves
as the people
of God
and there will
be no doubts
in heaven
as to who
they are
and who
they belong
to
and you know
one of the
wonderful things
is they will
know themselves
not just
fully known
by God
and that
that is the
case
but also
fully loved
one of the
great human
requirements
is to know
that you are
loved
there are millions
of people in the
world tonight
who can't say
I know that I am
loved and it's
precious to me
because they have
no source of love
even on human
in a human way
they don't know
of anybody who
loves them
they're desperate
they're struggling
with life itself
but in Jesus
you know who's
loved you
and in heaven
you will know
that you have
been loved
and are loved
and will be
loved
for all eternity
and the comfort
of that in heaven
is indescribably
great
and it's that
which you look
forward to
through faith
in Christ
and they shall
reign
forever and
ever
in other words
they will share
in that victory
of Jesus
they will not be
on the same
level as him
he is the king
of kings
and lord
of lords
but they share
in his victory
just like you see
in a royal family
privileges
whatever you might
say of that
that's not our
business
but where you have
a royal family
and members
of that family
they share
in those privileges
they share
in essentially
what the reign
of that king
or queen
is about
and very much
more so
is the case
with heaven
because all
those who come
to be brought
to heaven
by the grace
of God
they shall reign
with Christ
forever and
ever
they will share
in the victory
of Jesus
endlessly
throughout
eternity
what a prospect
that is
there's nothing
like that
in this world
the longest
reign in this
world
will come
to an end
sharing
with a monarch
in his
or her
kingship
or queenship
or reign
will itself
come to an end
the moment
they pass on
but this is
a reign
unlike any
other reign
the lamb
in the midst
of the throne
reigns forever
and they reign
and shall reign
forever and
ever with them
and so tonight
here is the
question
for ourselves
tonight
who
is our life
ruled by
where is
our confidence
on what
and in whom
is our trust
what is our
relation
with this
throne of
God
what are we
made of this
throne of God
revealed to us
in the Bible
where does the
throne of God
feature in your
own life
and in my
life
is it the
case with you
that you've
come to share
in the victory
of Christ
through your
trusting in
him
and accepting
of him
and giving
yourself to
him
by the grace
of God
or to put it
in Jesus'
own words
where is
your treasure
let me just
remind you of
what he said
in the
Sermon on the
Mount
do not lay
up for
yourselves
treasures
on earth
where moth
and rust
destroy
and where
thieves
break in
and steal
but lay
up for
yourselves
treasures
in heaven
where neither
moth nor rust
destroys
and where
thieves do not
break in
and steal
for where
your treasure
is
there will
your heart
be also
where is
your heart
where is
your treasure
is it in
this world
well if so
that's where
your heart
is
is your
treasure in
the Lord
himself
in heaven
if so
that's where
your heart
is
and it's
not what
you want
to lay
up for
yourself
treasures
in heaven
may God
bless
his word
to us
now we're
going to
conclude by
singing
psalm 72
in the
Scottish
Psalter
that's on
page
314
to
June
Effingham
singing
from the
middle of
verse 16
the final
four verses
page
314
the city
shall be
flourishing
her citizens
abound
in number
shall
like to
the grass
that grows
upon the
ground
there's a
prophecy
of the
final state
of things
for God's
people
what the
city of
heaven
will actually
be like
and then
his name
the name
of the
Lord
forever
shall
endure
last like
the sun
it shall
men
shall be
blessed
in him
and blessed
all nations
shall him
call
these four
verses
the city
shall be
flourishing
shall he
shall be
уки
our citizens
And now I shall die to the rest that rose upon the ground.
His name forever shall endure, last like the sun it shall.
Men shall be blessed in Him, our blessed, all nations shall dim call.
Now blessed be the Lord our God, the God of Israel.
For He alone, the wondrous works in glory have excelled.
And blessed be His glorious name to all eternity.
The whole earth is glory filled. Amen. So let it be.
I'll go to the door to my left after the benediction.
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore. Amen.