to Revelation 21. Revelation 21. I'd like to deal
with the last three verses, 25, 26, 27 of this chapter. I want to preach this morning
on this subject, who shall be found, in heaven. Before we begin,
let's have a word of prayer. Our Father, we truly thank You
that we can come this morning and lift our hearts before You
in the name of the Lord Jesus, realizing that the blessing that
we have to desire to be in Your presence and to hear Your Word,
and to believe, and to be coming to Christ this morning. It is
all according to Your goodness, grace, mercy, and kindness. We ask You to bless the Word.
Bless it to our understanding. Bless it to our heart. Cause
us to rejoice. We pray that You would bring
honor to Yourself. and that it would be to the good
of your people. For Christ's sake we ask these things. Amen. Who, this side of the grave, can perceive the actual glory of having fellowship with Almighty God? Who could even consider actually being able to see Him? We look upon Him now by faith. But Job said, I'm going to see
Him. There's coming a time when time's
going to be no more. And all of God's people, God's
elect, God's church, His bride, His sheep, are going
to forever be with Him. Now, we've got the Lord's Word
on that. John 17, 24 says, Father, I will that they also whom Thou
hast given Me, be with me where I am, that they may behold My
glory which Thou hast given Me, for Thou hast lovest Me before
the foundation of the world." He who has been appointed the
heir of all things. Not appointed as being God, but appointed as being the God-man. As far as being God, nothing
is appointed to Him, Jeff. He owns all things. He made all
things. All things are His. He is the
Almighty God. God has nothing given to Him. But as far as being the Messiah,
the Word made flesh, He is appointed heir of all things. Do you know what that means?
Everything has been given Him, and whatsoever Almighty God has
given Him, that is His. He said, All souls are Mine. And He does with them whatsoever
He will. You know, this is real. This
is not a game. This is not a carnival. This is not merely head knowledge
that is separated from the heart. It's real. This world is passing. And Almighty God's sheep, those
that have been called out of darkness by the regenerating
power of God's Spirit, they anticipate the sight of Him who has eternally
been their surety. He who has eternally stood for
the sheep before they ever knew it. He who answered for them
before the Spirit of God ever called them out of darkness,
when they never knew Him, never desired Him, never longed for
Him, never hungered Him, never loved Him, never, never, never. He loved those that the Father
gave Him. He loved them. He loved them. And I'll tell you right now,
those that the Spirit of God has called out of darkness, they
long to see Him. They want to see Him. Those that know Him not, fear
to see Him with good reason. Heaven. Heaven. Being where He is, being in His
presence, the Bride, we've been looking at this the last few
weeks, the Bride is the city. She is heavenly Jerusalem. She is the city of God, made
what she is by God's grace and power and purpose God has made
her what she is because He desired to before
the foundation of the world. This is a city that hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God. Now this city, verse 25 says,
the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day. By day, right there means always,
ever. That's what the word means. By
day. The gates of this city shall
not be shut ever. Christ is the gate. You know
why it says gates? For the sake of time, I won't
go back 12 gates. Names over the gates. That's
what we've been studying. All those gates are Christ. The door. He is the door to this
city. He's the door to the Father. He's always been the door. And here's what it says. These
gates are not ever going to be closed. They'll never be. a prevention
of access to God Almighty in Christ. For there shall be no night there. Night. Darkness. How can there be night there
when He is the light? There is no night. There is never
a night. I went to bed last night. And
I was just not aware of stuff that was going on. Why? I was
asleep. It was night. I wasn't aware. No night there. Constantly forever
aware. Constantly forever beholding. Let me tell you how silly we
are. Well, let me tell you how silly I am. You think for yourself. Let me tell you how my old wicked
nature thinks. There is a body of sin that is
with me. I was born with it. And it's
in darkness. And it's dead. It's dead to God. Dead to love
toward Him. I have a nature in me. I have two natures. There's two
men here. Now there's one nature that thinks
when I read this and says there shall be no night there. And
I have one nature that says this. Well, what are we going to be
doing? I mean. What I mean forever, just you
know, you're talking about just forever worshiping God. You're
talking about just I mean, what else? What else is going to be? I hate the way I think. That's the most. disrespectful,
irreverent thought that I could think. Oh, wretched man, James, that
I am. How dare me think disrespectfully
like that? And the reason is, is because
I've got an old man in me that just hates God and hates the
way The Scriptures reveal Him to be. And it fights against
my new man. Now, I've got a new man that
just the very glimmering moments of being able
to somehow fellowship with him. I mean, just for a moment. There
would be times sometimes that I could read a Scripture, and
it's as if the Spirit of God Opens that up to me for just
a minute or a second. And it's like just for a fleeting
moment, I got it. And it just welled up in me and
my eyes just welled up. And I think, Lord, thank You. That was so good. That was so
wonderful. Just to be able to, for a second,
just to be able to fellowship with Him. That was so good. Without the presence of sin,
it will be forever just like that. Without the presence of sin,
it will be glorious. There will be no night there.
No darkness. No oblivious absence of His presence. 1 John 3 says, Beloved, now are
we the sons of God, and it doth not appear what we shall be,
but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is. We will be like Him. We will be like Him. Romans 8.29 says, For whom He
did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of His Son. To be like Him. Him who I cannot even imagine what it would be. Well, John did say it does not
appear what we shall be. To see Him as He is. Revelation
22 verse 4 says we shall see His face. And verse 26 in Revelation 21
says, And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations
into it. Now those that will be in heaven,
there will be a continual access to God, will be like Christ. See Him as He is. And shall bring the glory and
honor of the nations into it. All that will be found in this
city, they're going to carry something with them. That's what
bring means. It means to carry. What are they
going to carry? They're going to carry the glory
and honor of the nations. Now, if there's any glory and
any honor that's going to be carried, it's going to be from
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They're going to bring the glory.
This word is that word glory that we've looked at before that
has as its root word. And it's always important to
know what a word means. If you don't know what it means,
well, you don't know what was said. The word means to think
or to have the opinion. We've looked at that before,
the glory. Not what we thought. Not the opinion that we've had
out of our own nature. I just told you what my own opinion
was. The disrespect that I have toward
God, leave me in that state and I'll forever be separated from
Him. But the glory that is spoken of here, is God's glory. It's the result
of God's opinion to show mercy and compassion. They shall bring
the glory. They're going to bring the result
of God's glory, God's honor, God's opinion, God's thoughts. What has God thought? Romans
9, 15, For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy. I'll have compassion on whom I'll have compassion. It's
God's opinion to show mercy. It's God's thoughts in Christ
to save His people. That's God's thoughts. The Scripture says in Romans
9, 16, so then it is not of them that willeth. It's not of those that resolve
by their will. Men say, well, I have a free
will. No, you don't. Show me in the Scriptures. Show
me in the Scriptures. It's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, that exerts or strives hard. Well, I did my best. It wasn't good enough. What's good enough? What God
does. What does it take for you to
get into heaven? You've got to be as holy as God. You have to be as holy as God.
It's a little bit higher standard, isn't it? How am I going to be as holy
as God? Only by the imputation of the
righteousness of Christ. God. God Himself made flesh,
robing you in Himself. and God Almighty seeing you only
in a substitute, charging His holiness, righteousness
to you. You must be before God holy. I have done the best I could. It is not of Him that willeth
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. They shall bring the glory and
the honor." The honor. What does that mean? The value. The value. The word honor here
means the value upon which a price is fixed. Romans 9, 21, Hath not the potter
power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honor? That is, to fix the value and
another unto dishonor. What price is fixed upon the
redemption of one soul? price. What value? Here it is. Here it is. When I see the blood, I'll pass over you. What blood? Whose blood? Here
it is. He who was made sin. And I do not
mean He who had sin laid on top of him and God judged the sin and it
left him unaffected. If God judged sin and Christ
wasn't made sin, God was not just. He killed an innocent man. If this man was not made sin, what blood is he going to take? It's going to take he who was
made sin, and the justice of God was executed on him who was
made sin. And being made sin, he was obedient. Made sin. When Adam was made sin, Adam
disobeyed. Christ made sin and He obeyed. Adam came in contact,
sin was found there, and Adam disobeyed. Christ was made sin
and Christ obeyed. Being made sin, that blood in
that one man, Justice was satisfied, wrath was satisfied, God's law
was satisfied in dealing with him being made sin for all of
his elect and obedience was found. That's my righteous servant.
Now I'm well pleased with him. Now who can redeem a sinner but
God? Who? What are they going to bring?
They're going to bring honor. Honor. The value. These that
bring glory and honor of the nations. All that the Father
chose in Christ before the foundation of the world. All that He chose
to show mercy to. All that He made vessels of honor.
They shall bring that glory and honor unto the city. If anybody were to ask, what
value or honor do you possess that gives you the right to be
in heaven? What right do you have to be
found in God's city? Let me tell you something, the
next words that come out of your mouth better be consistent with
these scriptures. Because if you start talking
about what you've done, or the church that you attend, or when
you got baptized, or when you walked down an aisle, or when
you gave your heart to Jesus, or when you prayed through, or
when you spoke in tongues, the next words that come out of your
mouth, if they're not something like
this, I'm not going to say, I'm not going to quote you of a sinner's prayer. You know,
you've got to say this. If it's not something like what
I'm about to say, he chose to show mercy to me. He took this dead sinner that
was a rebel against God Almighty, running, hating God, despising
His goodness, despising His mercy, despising Him. While I was despising
God, God stopped me. God gave me life. God Almighty
gave me a heart, made me willing in the day of His power, left
to me. I wouldn't come. I wasn't coming.
I didn't want to come. And He gave me a heart. And He
showed me mercy. And He gave me faith. And He
wrote me in Christ. I am what I am by the grace of
God. What right do you have to be
here? God gave me the right in Christ
to be here. And I have nothing else to boast
in. What have I done in myself I didn't do anything. He showed
mercy to me. Verse 27, And there shall in
no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written
in the Lamb's book of life. There shall in no wise enter
into it anything that defileth, 1 Corinthians 6 and 9 says, No
you not, that unrighteousness shall not inherit the kingdom
of God. Nothing. No kind, no variety, nothing
unclean, nothing unhallowed, nothing unsanctified. This demand met one way. We just touched on it. what I am, He must have been made that. You have to understand something.
When Christ died at Calvary, He wasn't dying for His own sins. He made them His own. But He was dying for His people.
He was dying for that which they are He made Himself what they
are. God hath made Him sin that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. God Almighty must set me apart. God Almighty must choose to do
that which was determined before the foundation of the world. He chose us in Him. That's what
Ephesians 1-4 says, before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 1-2, unto the church of God which is at
Corinth, to them that are sanctified, those that are holy, hallowed
in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all that in every
place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs
and ours." Here's the thing, nothing is going to enter into
that place that's not pure. Secondly, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination. That is, nothing that is producing
detestable idolatry. Nothing that is producing it. Will there still be those producing,
that's what it means, worketh, still be producing detestable
idolatry at the final judgment? Now, you'd think this. If somebody
is at the great white throne judgment, turn with me while
I'm making this statement, Matthew 7. Matthew 7. At the great white throne judgment,
surely there's going to be people that'll straighten up and fly
right. I mean, you know, obviously they're standing before God in
judgment. Surely they're going to turn over a new leaf now. Matthew 7, verse 21, Not everyone
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven, but he that doeth The will of my father, which
is in heaven, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have
we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out
devils in thy name done many wonderful works. Then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me, ye that work. Right now. While they're standing
there. Iniquity. Ye that work iniquity, you that right now are in rebellion
against me right now. If there's anything that is worked
in me, back in Revelation 21, here are those that won't be
there, anything that worketh Abomination. There is a work that must be
worked. In me. John 629 Jesus answered and said
unto them. This is the work of God. This
is what God does. This is what God produces. This
is the work of God. This is not my work. It's not
your work. This is the work of God. What is it? That you believe on Him whom
He has sent. Now, you believe on Christ as
He is revealed to be in the Scriptures. Well, how is He revealed? Well,
based on His Word. Based on His Word. He came into
this world, the angel told those shepherds, you know, call His
name Jesus. He shall save His people from
their sins. His sheep. Not all men are His
sheep. He told some Pharisees, He said,
You believe not because you're not My sheep. Obviously, there
are some that are and some that are not. You don't believe because
you're not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice. If a man or a woman Leaves this
world. Believe in God. That's a work
of God. This is the work of God. Here's the third kind that's
not going to be in heaven. Or maketh a lie. Revelation 22 15 says for without
our dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and adulterers
and whosoever loveth and maketh or are producing a lie. No one shall enter heaven then, or even the visible church
now, that are continually being liars against God. What is it to lie against God? It's to not believe Him. To not
believe Him. I know that the presence of sin
is with all of God's people. God's elect. But I will tell
you this, there's a new heart. There's a new mind. There's a
new will. And God's people are honest. They will take God's
side against themselves. They will. God's people will
take sides against themselves and against everybody else. They are agreeable to God's Word.
In the body of death, the presence of sin is going to be put off. And that which is left is going
to be the presence of truth. A man that stands before God
Almighty that has had the body of death
that Paul said, I, who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? God will. Stand before Him. Stand before
Him and there will be nothing there left except absolute holiness
in Christ. And there won't be anything there
that defile it. There won't be anything there
that worketh an abomination and there won't be a lie there. Who are they going to be? They
which were written in the Lamb's Book of Life. That's who they
are. And when did that occur? When
was that book written? Turn back to Revelation 17. I
want you to look at it. When was the Lamb's Book of Life
written? Some say it's written every time a man or woman gives
their heart to Jesus. An angel writes it in. Lamb's
Book of Life. That's not in the Scriptures.
What is in the Scriptures? Here it is. Revelation 17, 8.
The beast that thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out
of the bottomless pit and go into perdition. And they that
dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written
in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world when
they behold the beast that was and is not And yet is. When did God write the names
of all of his people in the book of life, Christ himself? When
did he write them in there before the foundation of the world? They were all written. There
was one entry, all of them, right then. Has there ever been any other
entries since that time? No. How do you know? Because the Scripture says that
they were all written before the foundation of the world. Christ has always stood for His
people. He lived for them, died for them.
The Spirit of God calls them out, reveals to them in time
what God eternally purposed. And He gives them a heart to
believe it. And they rejoice in it. And they'll take sides
against all untruth. Untruth will tell them, say,
well, the Lord wants to do them. They'll say, no, the Lord's never wanted to do
anything that He didn't do. He says, my counsel shall stand.
I will do my pleasure. Who's going to be found in heaven?
all that God has ever purposed to save. How would you know who
they are in this life? They believe God. They confess
Him. They follow after Him. And they
continuously come to Him. Coming. You that believe, you're
coming to Him right now just as surely as you came to Him
the first day you heard His voice in your heart. You're still coming
to Him. And you love for it to be so.
May the Lord add His blessing on His Word, for Christ's sake.