I never knew the tennis player Betty. I knew Betty in the closing years of her life with Ron as they came to our church.
! If I sum up one of Betty's great qualities it would be determination. She was astonishingly determined.
! There are certain people in church life you get home on a Sunday evening and somebody
says were they there or weren't they there? And then you spend the rest of the week trying
to remember whether this person was there or not and you ask different people and say I can't remember.
You never said that about Ron and Betty. Mainly because they arrived about 10 minutes into the service
with clattering and bangs and falls very often. But never have I been so glad that people came late
to church. And I want to say to Ron we as a church family we have so enjoyed getting to know you and Betty.
It was a joy for us to see her determination and her endurance and her perseverance. And we as a church
are very very grateful for her and for you. I'm going to speak from the reading that you just had so if you
keep that open before you. One of the distinctives of the Christian faith is the Christian faith is about hope.
It is about the future. It's about now yes. But it's about hope. D.L. Moody was a very famous American preacher.
Very colorful. And he said one day you will read in your newspaper that D.L. Moody has died.
He said don't believe a word of it. I am more alive than I've ever been. And we believe as the Christian
church in the resurrection of the dead. We believe that Christ will come again. We believe that there
will be a new heavens and a new earth. And it will be physical. And you might think you are really
living now. But for those who have trusted in Christ, God's word says you wait. You wait
as to what you will be. When your soul and your body shall be perfect.
C.S. Lewis in those great series of books, the Chronicles of Narnia finishes the seven books
with a chapter called Farewell to Shadowland. And this is from the last paragraph. He says,
For this is the end of all the stories. And we can most truly say that they all lived happily
ever after. But for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world
world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover of the title page. Now
at last, they were beginning chapter one of the great story which no one on earth has read,
which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before. A world of peace
inhabited by a people at rest, ruled by the righteous king. And that's what you just have read to you.
It's an accurate summary of the last two chapters of the Bible. And I want to ask three questions
about this world which is to come. I want to ask firstly, whose new world is it? Whose new world is it?
What Mark just read, a world where there's no tears, there's no death, there's no mourning,
there's no crying, there's no pain. How does that world come about? You know if you've been alive,
well, you've been alive as long as you have. You know that humanity can't do that. A golden age
of humanity. People have been saying that for centuries, haven't they?
They think that we can create one. Maybe you think that. Maybe you think that in your life,
if I just get this, if I get in that relationship, if this happens, it'll be a perfect world. But you
can never, none of us can ever create a world like we've just read, can't we? Today is a great reminder
of that, isn't it? Funerals are times when we are faced with the reality that we can't make a golden
life for ourselves. But I want you to see in the fifth line of the reading, can you see whose world
this is? It says, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. Look at the second paragraph.
Who is saying that? Behold, I am making all things new. You see, you can't make a perfect world for
yourself, another guy. You can't insulate yourself from pain and suffering. But God says, doesn't he,
behold, I am making all things new. We are speaking about God's new creation. And only God can restore
men and women in the universe in which we live. Only God can make a new creation. All things have
passed away. And all things become new. Betty experienced that in her life, didn't she? When she became a Christian.
When God worked in her life and she moved from old creation to new creation. And when somebody is born again
and brought into a saving life, a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, that is a work of new creation.
And God is making all things new. And what you have at the end of the Bible is a picture that God is going
to do that on a universe scale. And it's overwhelming. And that is what God offers you today.
He offers you a world that you want. He offers you a world that you need. He offers for you to be born again.
To be made new creations. So that you can one day enter his new world. What's going to happen in the new world?
Well it tells us that it will happen and things won't happen and it will happen in an instant.
It says, doesn't it? Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
And the only way you can describe it, I don't know whether you picked it up,
the only way you can describe it in these verses is in the negative.
Do you notice what? No more tears.
No more death.
No more sorrow.
No more crying.
No more pain.
No more sin.
No more temple.
No more curse.
And he describes it.
I've not got time to go and pick up all the details.
But he's describing the new heavens and the new earth largely in negative terms.
That really shouldn't surprise us.
He's not being negative about what this new world will be like that God will create.
Far from it.
It's quite the opposite in fact.
But how do you describe something that is wonderful beyond description?
It's like a young man falls in love.
He goes home to his mum and he says, I've met this girl and I've fallen in love.
And his mum says, well, what's she like?
And he says, well, he doesn't provide, does he, a clinical summary.
He doesn't say, well, she's actually five at eight.
She's size 12.
She's got a large unusual nose.
She's got brown eyes.
He doesn't say like that, does he?
He doesn't give her distinguishing features.
What does he say?
What does the young man say?
He was fallen in love and his mum asked what she like.
He says, I've never met anyone like her before.
She's not like anyone I've ever known.
It doesn't help the police, does it, if they've got to go and find her.
It's not the kind of description that's going to help the police search.
But it does express, does it, how he feels about her.
And he can only describe her in negatives.
Because in his eyes, she is wonderful beyond description.
And that's what John does here in this passage that was read to us.
He talks about the new heavens and the new earth.
Imagine a world, he says, where there's no domestics.
Where there's no arguments.
Where there's no natural or international spike.
Where there's no racial prejudice.
There's no threat of war.
No threat of terrorism.
There's no poverty.
There's no disease.
Imagine a world where there's no Parkinson's.
Imagine a world where there's no drought or devastation.
A world where there's no tsunamis.
There's no family breakup.
There's no hurricanes.
No typhoons.
A world without pollution.
A world where there's no sickness.
No sorrow.
And no death.
A world where everyone's got more than enough to eat and drink.
A world where we're not hurt.
And where we don't hurt other people.
A world where we can reach our full potential as human beings.
A world where you never grow old.
A world where you're not frail.
A world where you're not senile.
A world where you don't lose your memories.
Somebody's described it like this.
This is what it's going to be like in the new heavens and the new earth.
It's going to be brilliant minds in perfect bodies in a transformed universe.
Brilliant minds in perfect bodies in a transformed universe.
And that is what the Christian has to look forward to.
That is the place where Jesus has gone to prepare for us.
And John describes it, doesn't he, largely in negative terms.
This is the world, not the world as we know it.
But the world that it's meant to be.
It's the world we long to see.
It's the world to come.
Look at the pictures.
There's some great pictures, isn't it?
There's a garden.
There's a bride.
There's beauty there, isn't there?
There's a community.
But here's the most important thing that's right in the middle.
Don't miss this.
What is it that's so special about this new creation?
It's the place.
Can you see it?
It's in the fifth line.
The dwelling place of God is with man.
With men and women.
God will be there.
There'll never be a place where God is not.
Jesus will be there and you will know him.
What a glorious thing that is.
Just notice for a moment something that's really helped me that I didn't mention earlier.
There's a puzzling phrase, isn't it?
It says there'll be no sea.
There will be no sea.
What the earth does that mean?
Does that mean that there'll be no sea at all?
Well, no, I don't think it is.
I think it's symbolic.
Remember where the Apostle John, he's writing this.
He's writing this from the island of Patmos, isn't he?
He's in exile.
He's separated from the people.
And as he looks out into the sea, it separates him.
Isn't that so helpful for us today?
That there is a day coming
when there will be no separation.
There is a day coming
when there will be no isolation.
There is a day coming
when there will be no loneliness.
When there will be no grief.
And so the third question is this.
Who's going to be there?
Who is going to be there?
Can you see at the end,
it tells us, doesn't it?
It says the one who conquers.
By the way of putting it,
it says the one who's overcome.
So that means there are those who've overcome
and there are those who have not overcome.
Does that mean, is it,
that he's so determined,
like I began with,
that she has kind of,
by her own determination,
kind of stormed the gates
to the new creation?
Of course not.
It's not.
Can you see it?
Apart from the third line up,
can you see it says,
it's those who are thirsty.
It's those who feel their need.
It's those who find their thirst
quenched by Jesus Christ.
And by his grace.
It's those who throw themselves
upon the mercy of God
and realise they haven't got everything together.
And they walk in the strength of him
who saves them.
And though they struggle
like Betty struggles,
and though they fall
like Betty fell,
they overcome,
not because they are strong,
but because of their faith
in Jesus Christ alone.
They love the Lord
and they want to obey him.
And they shall inherit this new world
by God's grace alone.
But not everyone will.
Those who have trusted,
those who have not trusted
in Christ.
Those who refuse
to believe in him.
The chapter goes on
to speak of the kind of people
that won't be there
in the new world.
It's an incredible description,
but one of the groups of people
that won't be there
is those who
don't believe.
And unbelief
is a wicked thing.
It keeps you
away
from Jesus Christ.
Unbelief
to refuse to believe
in the Lord Jesus
will destroy you.
And you will be
overcome by that.
And anyone who hears
the gospel,
the good news
of God sending
his son,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
to take the punishment
for your sin
and that he is
raised from the dead
and he will bring in
a new world.
Anybody who doesn't
hear the gospel
and does not bow
their knee to King Jesus.
Well, there's nothing
worse than that.
Can you look
at the
middle of the
second paragraph?
I want to say to you
this isn't
sentimentality today.
This isn't
a dream.
And he was seated
on the throne
and said,
behold,
I'm making all
things new.
And also he said,
write this down.
Write it down.
Why is he to write it
down?
Because these words
are trustworthy
and true.
He said to me,
this is done.
I'm the Alpha
and the Omega.
What does that
mean?
Jesus is the
first
and he's the
last and he's
everything in
between for us.
And so please
don't think
this is just
sentimentality
today.
This is
trustworthy
and true.
And so in
this new world,
will you be
there?
Will you be
there?
Let me read
to you
an illustration
that I read
the day before
Betty died.
It's from a
lady called
Joni Erickson-Tarda.
Joni is now
in her late
80s.
If you can get
her books
through,
read it.
She was
17 years old
in 1967.
She was
in a diving
accident which
has left her
paralyzed from
the neck down.
And since
that point,
Joni has been
an incredible
witness to
God's kindness
and grace
in her life.
And in
particular,
she's written
so powerfully
on this
great hope
of a future
world in
which there's
going to be
total redemption
which Revelation
21 is about.
And in a book
she wrote about
heaven,
she says,
on one occasion
I was attending
a conference.
At the end
of the session,
the speaker
invited the
500 people,
if they were
able to,
to kneel
in front of
their seats
as they
closed the
session in
prayer.
She's paralyzed
from the neck
down.
And Joni Erickson-Tarda
watched everyone
around her
kneel.
And as she
watched,
she couldn't
stop her tears.
But she
wasn't crying
out of self-pity.
Here's what she
said was going
on in her head.
Sitting there,
I was reminded
that in heaven
I will be free
to jump up,
dance,
and do aerobics.
And though I'm
sure Jesus will
be delighted
to see me
rise on tiptoe,
there is something
I plan to do
that may
please him
more.
If possible,
sometime before
the party
really gets
going,
sometime before
the guests
are called
to the banquet
table of the
wedding feast
of the Lamb,
the first thing
I plan to do
on resurrected
legs is to
drop on
grateful,
glorified knees
and I shall
quietly kneel
at the feet
of Jesus
because the
day is
drawing near
when I'll
be able
to kneel
again.
It's a
beautiful picture
of a future
reality.
A future
reality.
A world
of peace
inhabited by
a people
at rest
ruled
by the
righteous
king.
And the
question I
can bet you
want me to
ask you is
will you be
there?
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father,
we thank you
for the
reminder of
the frailty
and the
fragility of
life.
We thank you
for Betty
and her
witness and
her testimony
to us.
we thank you
that she
loved and
believed and
followed the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
And we ask
that every
single one of
us will bow
our knees,
will get off
the throne of
our lives and
allow King
Jesus to
reign.
That in our
hearts you
would do that
miracle of a
new creation
and the hope
of a new
world,
a renovated
universe,
ruled by a
righteous King.
That that
would fill our
hearts and
minds and
affections with
joy.
We pray this
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.