Revelation 21 - Pastor John Randall From CCSJC

good morning citizens church although it is difficult for us to make this decision to meet online this morning i prayed i sought counsel i felt like because there were several of us families that have gotten sick this week that it was the right thing to do to meet online i'm still thankful that we can worship the lord and we could receive from his word this morning would you pray with me lord we thank you for our time this morning and god we ask lord that you administer to us lord as we're gathered lord with our families jesus we pray for those that are sick in our church we pray lord that you would touch their bodies that you would heal them god we pray lord for our province god we pray for the doctors the nurses lord especially within our church jesus that you would use them that you would minister to them and minister through them god pray for the leadership of our country god we pray lord that you would this week go before the election god you would appoint the right person lord to lead our nation we love you jesus we thank you in your name we pray amen let's worship the lord [Music] good morning welcome to our online church let's pray together dearly father [Music] we pray that you would meet us in our homes this morning until we can be together again god pray that we would be a faithful people god that would be in your word we would be worshiping you for that you just meet us in this place follow fresh on us this morning amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] love sure i know for sure [Music] is [Music] [Music] i will love you forever [Music] for sure [Music] [Music] for all of your goodness is [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] for all of your goodness [Music] oh [Music] yes [Music] [Music] i love [Music] your mercy never [Music] [Music] is [Laughter] [Music] i goodness [Music] [Music] know [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] [Music] breath that i make [Music] [Music] laid down i'm surrendered now i give you everything your goodness is [Music] all my life you have been fair is [Music] of the goodness [Music] [Music] of the goodness is [Applause] [Music] everything yeah [Music] running after me [Music] yes you chase us down with your goodness you're so faithful to us jesus we have so much to praise you for pray that you'd encourage our hearts to continue to worship you this morning [Music] you see me [Music] you know my every [Music] for move i know that you are for me i know that you will never [Music] who you are [Music] [Music] so gracious so [Music] you know much every move you love for me [Music] i know that you are [Music] i know [Music] i know [Music] my weakness [Music] who you are [Music] i know [Music] yes [Music] [Music] shoes [Music] is [Music] my story this is my [Music] this is my story this is [Music] [Laughter] [Music] is [Music] he just is [Music] [Music] this is my story [Music] this is my song [Music] this is my song praising myself [Music] [Music] is [Music] watching and waiting walking [Music] lost in his love this is my story this is my song [Music] please [Music] this is my story [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you all make [Music] you are breaking [Music] [Music] when i trust you i don't need make me whatever [Music] jesus bring me [Music] [Laughter] [Music] you [Music] when i trust you i don't need [Music] think me whatever [Music] all you have given me jesus bring me [Applause] [Music] there is [Music] today [Music] make me this bring me an offering make me would ever want me to be i came here with nothing all you have given me jesus bring [Music] jesus spring [Music] and all my life you have been faithful oh [Music] [Music] as we've all gathered together in our homes one of the things i thought would be so good to look at is what our eternal home is going to look like in heaven i'm so thankful that we have a guest pastor that is going to share with us what heaven is going to look like from the word of god in revelation chapter 21. i hope you enjoy this message from pastor john randall my older brother sharing with us what heaven is going to look like [Music] this morning if you have your bibles if you would open up with me now to the book of revelation chapter 21. wonderful wonderful revelation chapter 21 and beginning in verse 1 now i saw a new heaven and a new earth the first heaven and the first earth had passed away also there was no more sea then i john saw the holy city new jerusalem coming down out of heaven from god prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and i heard a loud voice from heaven saying behold the tabernacle of god is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people god himself will be with them and be their god and god will wipe away every tear from their eyes there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying there should be no more pain for the former things have passed away and then he who sat on the throne said behold i make all things new shall we pray together father what a glorious passage this is so rich so deep lord we ask that by your grace and through the work of your holy spirit lord that you would open the eyes of our understanding that eternity would be placed within our hearts and lord we ask these things together now in jesus name amen well as we come to the 21st chapter of the book of revelation we are given a glimpse of the unimaginable glories of eternity and for the believer in jesus christ this earth is not our home it's simply a stop along the way heaven is our home and the new jerusalem will be our final destination i can recall as a child learning songs early on about heaven with lyrics that said heaven is a wonderful place filled with glory and grace i want to see my savior's face for heaven is a wonderful place i want to go there and truly heaven is a wonderful place and yet our understanding about heaven is incomplete we have some built-in limitations we cannot fully comprehend that which is infinite while living in finite bodies and there have been those who have given the false impression that heaven is going to be boring uninteresting depictions portrayals are made of believers walking through the pearly gates receiving a pair of wings and then signing up for harp lessons and sent to a puffy cloud in the sky to play the harmonious praises for eternity that are equivalent of a child's lullaby that's not what heaven is it's important when we begin to look at eternal things heavenly things that we keep this in mind the bible declares in first corinthians chapter 2 and verse 9 that i has not seen nor ear heard nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that god has prepared for those who love him but god has revealed them to us through his spirit for the spirit searches all things yes the deep things of god furthermore paul in writing to the corinthians said in the 13th chapter for now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face now well i know in part but then i shall know just as also i am known we're not fully able to comprehend the magnitude nor the weight of the glories of heaven at this time but rest assured one day we will but the bible declares in first john chapter 3 beloved now we are children of god and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and everyone who has this hope in himself purifies himself just as he is pure it was charles spurgeon who was instructing a group of seminary students on sermon delivery and he said to them when you speak of heaven let your face light up with a heavenly gleam and let your eyes shine with reflected glory and then he said and when you speak of hell well then your usual face will do but the word for heaven appears 500 times at least in the scriptures it's mentioned at least 50 times in the book of revelation and the hebrew word for heaven along with its greek counterpart are used in three different ways the first heaven refers to the air the atmosphere immediately above the earth it is the heaven as it is described in genesis 1 20 where the birds fly but then you have the second heaven which is the celestial realm in which the sun the moon the stars are placed then you have what the bible refers to as the third heaven which is the dwelling place of god far above the atmosphere or even the celestial heavens heaven is not a state of mind heaven is referred to as an actual place a city a country a kingdom a destination though heaven is far beyond the created world in another dimension when believers die that is where they go immediately to be absent from the body is to be present with the lord those believers who are alive at the rapture of the church will also be transported to heaven immediately now at this point in the book of revelation the rapture of the church has taken place the seven years of tribulation have passed the millennial reign of christ it's been completed the final release of the devil and then his permanent place in the lake of fire and the great white throne judgment have all come to pass and what we observe in the final two chapters of revelation chapter 21 and 22 is the eternal state eternity and that begins with first of all the unveiling of a new heaven and a new earth look at verse 1 now i saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and also there was no more sea there are at least seven new things that john writes of in these next two chapters the first vision that he sees is that of a new heaven he says and a new earth and the bible tells us back in the book of genesis that in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth we know that the earth was without form it was without void and yet god called it into existence he spoke and it was created we also know that not only did god create everything but he also sustains everything even at the present time the first heaven and the first earth were prepared for adam and eve sadly they sinned in the garden of eden death passed to all men and also all of creation was affected by man's sin due to the pollution the destruction of our planet certainly during the tribulation period is everything is destroyed during those seven years the bible seems to indicate there's going to be a need for a new earth furthermore satan's presence in the past dwelling in the heavens as you read about in scripture there's going to be a new heaven a new heaven and a new earth jesus said it this way in matthew 24 and verse 25 jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away the apostle peter also wrote concerning the passing of heaven and earth when he wrote but the day of the lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with a fervent heat the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up now when john describes here a new heaven and a new earth there is some theological discussion as to what he refers to in speaking of what is new some suggest that john is describing a renovation of what is old he just the lord is going to renovate the old earth he's going to renovate the heavens others believe that it's a new creation altogether isaiah seems to indicate this as well in the old testament prophetically speaking isaiah chapter 65 and verse 17 isaiah said these words for behold i create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind what we know for certain is this it's going to be new you've never seen it before we've never experienced it there's nothing to compare it to it's new now there is a hint here as to some of the things that we will notice that are different and that is there will be no more sea oh the surfer declares that seems tragic now that doesn't mean that there's not going to be any more water but rather it's an indication that in the new earth that there will be a different arrangement as far as water is concerned it's going to be new you think a-frames coming in at specific times and set and glassy are wonderful nothing compared to what's coming it's going to be new i like that as wonderful and as beautiful as many places are on the earth today we don't have an accurate comparison to what the new heaven and the new earth are going to be like just for a moment imagine you don't have to imagine it but think about the most beautiful place that you've ever been on this planet maybe it was in the mountains perhaps it was in some tropical island just the most beautiful breathtaking thing that you've ever seen as it relates to this planet and listen it pales in comparison to what is coming it is new what a day that's going to be as the vision continues to unfold the apostle moves now from the general description of the new heaven and new earth to a description of a new city called the new jerusalem in verse 2 then i john saw the holy city new jerusalem coming down out of heaven from god prepared as a bride adorned for her husband the new jerusalem is not necessarily the heaven but it's the eternal capital as it were it's not the old or current jerusalem that's there in israel at the present time it's one that is new and john describes it as being a holy city that actually comes down from heaven he also described the city as a bride adorned for her husband he's not declaring that the city is actually a bride but listen the beauty of that city the splendor of that capital is comparable to a bride that made herself ready for her husband so beautiful so breathtaking and within this glorious capital city the new jerusalem john describes the many blessings that will be experienced by those who actually live in this city in verses three through eight but before we consider the blessings given to those who actually dwell in this city what i want to do is follow the apostle on this guided tour of the city you know when michelle and i first visited the city of new york and if you've been there you know it's overwhelming it's so large there's so many people above and down and below it's like an ant farm just it's just happening just all at the same time and it never the city never sleeps and it's actually true and remember how are we going to understand what this whole city is like here's how you figure it out here's a tip you buy a ticket and you get on the red bus you get on the red bus and you go up to the top deck and it's open and they drive you around the entire city you plug in your earphones you listen as the tour guide tells you this is how big it is this is what it looks like this is where you you know and all these things and you go on and on that was a terrible example but you go on and on throughout the whole city and you get this you know looking at all the boroughs and you understand where this is and where that is and how that was built and when that took place and now you have a full layout of the land and now you can safely get off the bus well get off the bus anyway and you can go experience it personally now that you understand the city and really that's kind of what john has here he's given a tour if you would a glorified tour of this new city he tells us about the origin of the city he tells us about the materials that are used in the building of the city he even gives us the measurement and the size of the city and then the blessings will get off the bus and find out what you'll experience if you are blessed to live in this city first of all the origin of the city in verse 9 then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me saying come i will show you the bride the lamb's wife and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and he showed me the great city the holy jerusalem descending out of heaven from god having the glory of god her light was like a most precious stone like a jasper stone clear as crystal in the book of revelation we have observed the apostle john's encounter with several different angels this time one of the angels that took part in the bold judgments came and spoke with john and then led him in the spirit it says to a high mountain where he got a view of the city of god coming down from heaven again he said it was holy and it originated in heaven and he tells us that the glory of god filled this city this city folks is the residence of the saints of believers in jesus christ do you remember when jesus spoke to his disciples prior to his departure back to his father to the glory that he experienced before he came to the earth here's what he said to them he said in john 14 let not your heart be troubled you believe in god believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so i would have told you and i go to prepare a place for you and if i go to prepare a place for you i will come again and receive you to myself that where i am there you may be also and where i go you know and the way you know the new jerusalem i believe is this place that jesus has promised and jesus has prepared for those who love him this is the present dwelling i believe of the holy angels and where the redeemed go when they die this is the new jerusalem a city and it comes down out of heaven eventually in the book of hebrews this was the city that abraham was looking for in the book of hebrews chapter 11 that great hall of faith chapter as it has been called it tells us in verse 10 concerning abraham that he waited for the city which has foundations whose builder and maker is god one of the most distinguishing characteristics of this city is the glory of god the glory of god is the sum total of all of his attributes the prophet isaiah could see this coming radiance of god's glory in the new jerusalem when he wrote in isaiah chapter 60 verse 19 he said the sun shall no longer be your light by day nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you but the lord will be to you an everlasting light and your god your glory the glory that john observes the entire magnificent splendor of the city he said notice this it was like he's trying to compare it to something it was like a most precious stone like a jasper stone it was as clear as crystal the city originated from heaven it's the city of the saints it's filled with the glory of god now as the tour continues we're given insight now to the structure of the city this is the origin it comes from heaven but here's the structure here's what it's made of look at verse 12. also she had a great and high wall with 12 gates 12 angels at the gates and the names written on them which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of israel three gates on the east three gates on the north three gates on the south and three gates on the west now the wall of the city had twelve foundations and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the lamb as john sees the structure of the city he describes the walls the gates and the foundation the wall of the city gives it its parameters the gates you'll notice that there are 12 at each gate there is an angel standing by notice also how many times the number 12 is repeated here just in these verses god doesn't use this number repeatedly simply uh to be redundant the number 12 in numerology scripturally speaking speaks of the government of god the number 12. and so you have 12 gates 12 foundations 12 apostles 12 angels this is the foundation of the city this is the structure of the city and then john was given the invitation having observed the structure of the city he's actually given the measurements of the city it says in verse 15 and he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city its gates and its wall the city is laid out as a square its length is as great as its breadth and the measure he measured the city with the reed 12 thousand furlongs its length breadth and height are equal then he measured its wall 144 cubits according to the measure of a man that is of an angel now having introduced john to the wall and the gates and the foundations of the city the angel now is going to really is going to measure the major dimensions of this city and these are estimated but he says he's using a reed which is estimated to be a measurement of 10 feet long it was the the unit of measurement that was used common among the jews in ancient times and he begins to measure all of these things for john the city is is a square it's again trying to picture it in your mind it's a square it's length and breadth of the same 12 000 furlongs you could say roughly on every side it's 1500 miles on each side dr henry morris who is both an engineer a brilliant man an author he did the math based upon the data presented in revelation and he estimated that if given let's say a population of 20 billion residents each person would be able to enjoy a block of space approximately one cubic mile i mentioned that to say this to you there's room for you and there's room for anybody who wants to go there god's made a place john then is allowed to view the materials of the city ah this is the origin of it this is the structure of it this is even the measurement of it but what's it what's it made of what do you what do you build these things out of well look what it says notice the list of materials verse 19 the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones the first foundation was jasper the second sapphire the third chalcedony the fourth emerald the fifth sardines the sixth sardius the seventh chrysolite the eighth barrel the ninth topaz the tenth christopher praise the eleventh jason and the twelfth amethyst the 12 gates were 12 pearls each individual gate was one pearl and the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass here we have a list of the materials i mean could you imagine going down to lowe's after church hey you got any uh amethyst i'm gonna build a huge wall how about some pearl build a 200 foot wall out of straight pearl what aisle is that on it's not there i mean we these gems that we're reading about here we've seen on tiny rings or or necklaces but the walls the walls were made out of what what was at that time one of the most beautiful things ever i mean you look at these things a jasper and and it says it was his purest crystal imagine a 200 foot wall as pure as crystal and then the glory of god just kind of shining right through it in every direction the brilliance the splendor the glory of it it's hard to imagine the gates again i've seen these pearls i don't know if they're written if they're real you know there's a way they say to tell whether it's a real pearl or not but an entire that's why people say the pearly gates because the gates of the city are made with pearl they're enormous and that's a huge oyster i mean how are you gonna manufacture this thing god just builds it how about the foundations the foundations are adorned with precious stones 12 and all 500 miles long 1500 miles on each side you can't begin to fathom ultimately what that's gonna be like and then john says oh by the way the streets yeah they're made of pure gold like as clear as crystal now you think about this one of the most valuable things in this earth that people value above everything else is gold gold sometimes you see these commercials come out buy gold you need to get gold get these gold coins these are really poor gold gold gold gold and you can get it in you know certain commodities that you know certain sizes gold or if you have it you can trade it in and get money listen the streets in heaven are gold i mention that to you because if somebody comes to visit you i i think it would be very rare and perhaps even odd if you said hey i've got to show you something about our city you are going to love it you're like what is it what makes it so significant the city that you live in come here come here look at this what is it it's asphalt it's impressive huh it's everywhere all over what do you think you think i think you've lost it you know what i'm saying to you is that something that we take for granted and don't even think about this this the streets are made of gold folks unprecedented the size of the city mind-boggling the beauty of the city overwhelming the materials that are used unimaginable yet what surpasses the city is the one who will be in the city the lord god almighty dwells in this city which brings us back to verse three the blessings that are experienced by those who live in this city oh let's say john now gets off the bus and he begins to observe the blessings of those who have the privilege of living in this city notice what he says in verse 3 john says i heard a loud voice from heaven saying behold the tabernacle of god is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and god himself will be with them and be their god as this new jerusalem comes down from heaven the greatest of all blessings that will be experienced by those who dwell there will be that god himself will tabernacle among the people in the old testament god instructed moses to build a tabernacle it was a tent in the middle of the wilderness it was the tent of meeting the place where the people would come to worship and offer their sacrifices and once the tabernacle was built the bible tells us that the glory of god inhabited was in dwelt among the people god tabernacled among his people his glory in other words tabernacled with his people at the tabernacle but then you come to the new testament and in the new testament john chapter 1 tells us that in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god and john goes on to describe in his gospel that the word became flesh and the word is tabernacled among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth in other words now the glory of god god was tabernacling in christ the glory was revealed through the person of jesus christ and there were moments when he allowed his disciples to see a glimpse of that glory one example would be when they were up on the mount of transfiguration they got a quick glimpse of the glorified christ in that moment and they fell face down the glory of god in the tabernacle in the old testament the glory of god in the new testament and the person of christ but folks listen in eternity the glory of god is god i mean you have the father the son and the holy spirit all dwelling they're tabernacling among us no longer separated by time or space or any other dimension god's presence is not distant in any way this is the glory the blessing of dwelling in the new jerusalem it was charles spurgeon that put it this way he said the greatest glory of heaven and the ultimate restoration of what was lost in the fall is right here i don't think he said that the glory of eden lay in the grassy walks or in the bending of the luscious fruit trees but its glory was in this that the lord walked in the garden in the cool of the day this was adam's highest privilege that he had companionship with the most high and in eternity folks that is restored as a result of god dwelling with us the apostle goes on to describe that this place this city is a place of no mores in trying to describe what the new jerusalem is going to be like and trying to describe what eternity is going to be like john has to describe it in a way by saying there are certain things that won't be there if you want to know what it's like you have to eliminate these things and that's the one way you'll be able to understand what it's like it's a place of no mores what do you mean by that notice what it says in verse 4 god will wipe away every tear from their eyes that's the first thing that's not going to be there tears again hard to fathom no more tears you know you've heard people say well aren't there tears in heaven and we get to heaven we're going to cry because we're so grieved over our failures and god's going to wipe our tears no no i don't believe he's talking about we're going to get to heaven and go i blew it so bad i can't believe it lord can you no let's talk about the comfort of god meaning it's not something we experience anymore that we're not weeping we're we're joy everlasting in his right hand are pleasures forever and more we are not weeping in heaven there are no tears in heaven regardless of what people suggest listen it's not going to be like it is john's making a comparison here not only is there no more tears but notice this there's no more death no more death 10 out of 10 people die i mean everybody dies unless you go up in the rapture and i'm holding out for it but but but people die all the time but here the the last of mortal curses that the death is swallowed up in victory we don't there's no more death again how do you even fathom something there's no more death that's always been a part of life not here no more sorrow no more crying no more how about this pain can you imagine waking up without any pain i mean any kind of pain i mean the older you get the more pain like wow i feel that i didn't even know i had that but that hurts right there whatever that is you know feeling pain but there's no more pain no more sorrow all of these things are absent they've all passed away all of these things have become new and that is what the lord says you know someone put it this way man comes into the world with a cry and he goes out of the world with a groan and everything in between is helpless wailing but the hallelujahs of this eternal bliss and world where we're going to dwell is going to drown out the voice of sorrow and pain and death forever what a blessing to be in this place again we are so limited in our capacity to fathom what a world would be like without it without these things that make up so much of this fallen world but there'll be no more that's why the bible tells us in second corinthians chapter four it says therefore we don't lose heart even though the outward man is perishing the inward man is being renewed day by day our light affliction is but for a moment but it's working for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory while we don't look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen they're temporary but the things which are not seen they are eternal no more pain no more sorrow no more crying no more death death is swallowed up i love this thought death dies in the eternal state death dies people don't death does the bible tells us that the last enemy first corinthians 15 will be destroyed and that is death the apostle john then hears a voice speaking again and the lord declares something so beautiful it says in verse 5 then he who sat on the throne the lord spoke and he said behold i make all things new i just love that passage i make all things new and then he said write these things down write these words for they are true and faithful perhaps the reason why the lord exhorted john to write these things down is they almost seem unbelievable you got to write this down this is true this is faithful this is going to happen make sure you write this down don't miss this so that we would know and that we would look forward with anticipation to the time in which we'll dwell in this city the new jerusalem with our lord with our king an invitation was also given he said to me it is done i love that phrase it's done it reminds me of what jesus said when he hung on the cross it's finished it's done it's complete on the alpha the omega the beginning and the end he's always existed there was never a time when god didn't exist he's existed in eternity past eternity future and everything in between he is god i'm the beginning in the end and he said this i will give not only will i make all things new but i'm also going to give the fountain of water the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirst here the lord is seated upon his throne he's saying it's done it's finished and i'm giving you this invitation and a promise if you're thirsty you can come and drink freely of the water of life you remember when jesus met that woman at the well she tried everything to satisfy her thirst went from relationship to relationship one man to the next man to the next man five men she had been with and the man that she was with was still not her husband she was a hurting woman entrenched in bondage to lust of the flesh looking for satisfaction in sexual relationships and empty and jesus knew it and he told her listen if you if you drink from this well just know this you're going to thirst again but the water that i shall give you if you take of this water you'll never thirst again water of life in john chapter 7 on the last day of the the feast you remember jesus stood up and he addressed the people and he said if anybody is thirsty let him come to me and drink freely for out of his innermost being will flow torrents of living water and here the invitation is given the promises made you will drink freely of this living water folks listen i want you to know something today your thirst my thirst cannot be quenched by anything in this world it can only be quenched by the lord himself in eternity we are satisfied content i love what someone said our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you now the final question and this is important it's essential really who's going to be in the city who's allowed access into this city who has entrance into this place who's a resident of this city well he tells us who will be there and who won't it says if you look here with me now follow along in verse 7 he who overcomes shall inherit all things and i will be his god he shall be my son verse 8 but in contrast the cowardly unbelieving abominable murderers sexually immoral sorcerers idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death those who will be there and those who will not be there those who enter into eternal judgment in the lake of fire that was reserved for the devil and his angels who have rejected the gospel message of christ who choose to live a lifestyle of sin and pursue these things the lord says they're not going to be there but those who overcome those who follow after the lord they shall inherit these things but then it's even clarified even further if you look down at verse 22 it says but i saw no temple in it that is the city for the lord god almighty and the lamb are its temple the city here's the electric company of the city the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it because the glory of god illuminated it the lamb is its light think about that no sun no moon just god shining his illuminescent glory that's the only light that you'll need there will be no more night in this place and it says here that the nations notice who else is going to be here the nations of those who are saved those who are saved shall walk in its light the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it its gates will not be shut at all by day there shall be no night there and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it verse 27 but there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles causes an abomination or a lie but only those who are written in the lamb's book of life dwell here in this city those who overcome inherit these things those who are saved and those who are written in the lamb's book of life those are the residents of this city those are the ones who will dwell in this place and friend you need to know that your name is written in the lamb's book of life and you can know that for certain john wrote these things we have written unto you that you might know that you have eternal life you say how can i know that my name is in that book how can i know that i have eternity in this new city where god himself dwells this place where there's no more tears no more sorrow no more pain all the former things have passed away and all things become new how can i know that for certain by accepting christ as your savior by trusting in christ in what he did for you on the cross when he died for your sins and when he was buried and then he rose again from the dead that friends is the only way that you're gonna know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you will have eternity in heaven and that when you take your last breath here on this earth you will then enter into heaven taking your first breath there experiencing the glory of god amen and all the things that have been painful and all the things that have grieved you all the heartache all the sorrow all the shame all of it it's gone it's not even a memory i mean just in that one brief moment it just everything changes everything changes this morning we have a privilege to remind ourselves of what makes our residency in this city possible and that is the work of christ and today we have the blessing of concluding our time by taking communion and remembering what he's done will you pray with me as we prepare our hearts for that heavenly father as we are just really overwhelmed by the description that we are given in your word concerning the things that have yet to come lord again i ask that right now you would place eternity in our hearts an excitement a joy the thrill of knowing that one day we'll be with you in your presence lord in this place that you have promised and lord we realize today what makes all of this possible and we want to remember you we want to remember the work of christ on our behalf jesus name i hope you enjoyed that message from pastor john on what heaven is going to look like i'm so thankful that when i look to the word of god and i see what heaven is going to be like and i know that i'm going there for all of eternity it brings rest and it brings comfort to my soul going through the difficult times that we're in if you need prayer for anything please send us an email reach out to us you can give us a call our phone number is listed right on our website and i'd love to pray with you thank you for your prayers for my family we've been sick this past week or so and for all of you that are sick we're praying for you we love you and church family we look forward to seeing you next week god bless you guys [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] me [Music] do [Music] wow [Music] you

Channel: Citizens Church Edmonton

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Id: T4LZ5qbDdSQ

Length: 74min 51sec (4491 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 19 2021