Let's read from Revelation 21
9 through the end of this chapter And we will likely spend a couple
of weeks looking At various things in this passage, but look at
verse 9 and there came unto me one of the seven angels which
had the seven vials Full of the seven last plagues and talked
with me saying Come hither. I will show thee the bride the
Lamb's wife and He carried me away in the spirit to a great
and high mountain showed me that great city the Holy Jerusalem
descending out of heaven from God Having the glory of God and
her light was like into a stone most precious even like a jasper
stone clear clear as crystal and Had a wall great and high
and had twelve gates and at the gates twelve angels and names
written thereon Which are the names of the twelve tribes of
the children of Israel? On the east three gates, on the
north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the
west three gates. And the wall of the city had
12 foundations, and in them the names of the 12 apostles of the
Lamb. And he that talked with me had
a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof,
and the wall thereof, and the city lie four square. And the
length is as large as the breadth, and he measured the city with
the reed, 12,000 furlongs the length and the breadth and the
height of it are equal and He measured the wall thereof in
a hundred and forty and four cubits according to the measure
of a man That is of the angel From the building of the wall
of it was jet was of Jasper and the city was pure gold like into
clear glass and And the foundations of the wall of the city were
garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation
was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth
an emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh
chrysolite, the eighth barrel, the ninth a topaz, the tenth
a chrysoprisus. 11th adjacent and what the 12th
and amethyst and the 12 gates were 12 pearls every several
gate was of one pearl and The street of the city was pure gold
as it were transparent glass And I saw no temple therein for
the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are the temple of it and
The city had no need of the Sun neither of the moon to shine
in it For the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof. And the nations of them which
are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth
do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it
shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory
and honor of the nations into it, 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 Now back in verse 9 as I said, we'll probably spend
two two lessons in this passage but let's sort of begin at the
beginning and these angels here, you know these These different
messengers there were different types of messengers and Some
angels by nature and then others just messengers of the gospel.
These were gospel preachers. We've seen these seven before
And their gospel they represent the gospel preachers of the world
And this one said to john come here and I will show you That's
what gospel preachers do We uh, we don't give our opinions. We
don't deduce things. We don't interpret the scriptures
We just say, come and see. Look, here it is. When the lame
man was healed in the beginning of the book of Acts, the people
could say nothing against it because the man was standing
there. They couldn't refute. And that's how the gospel is.
It's evident. It's something that's shown,
set forth, revealed, heralded, not analyzed and interpreted. And so that's clear here. We show the Lord Jesus Christ
and what he's done for sinners from the scriptures. And he said,
I'll show you the bride, the lamb's wife. And this is throughout
the scriptures. You remember the Lord, it says
when the Lord healed that Syrophoenician woman's daughter, it says, behold,
a woman of Canaan. Why are we looking at her because
you can see the glory of Christ in her In what he did for her
That's why the bride is set forth to see The glory of God you will
see all through this that Christ is the reason to look at her
I'll show you the bride the Lamb's wife all of this description
in This chapter is what people traditionally have considered
a description of heaven But the gates of pearl and the streets
of gold are not describing a place. They're describing a people This
is the church. We're looking at in this whole
chapter Not some place called heaven where the Lord where God
lives and when people go if they're good This is the bride of Christ
Jesus the Lord calls us his temple in first Corinthians chapters
3 and 6 and You are the temple of God, and here's the confirmation of that, or the
reason that we're called that is that the Holy Spirit, he said,
dwells in you. You're the temple of God because
the Holy Spirit dwells within you, and that's also the sense
in which we are God's city here. In verse 23, the glory of God
and the lamb are the light of this city. And in verse 10, let's
see, in which verse is it? It says, we have the glory of
God, having the glory of God. And I guess it's verse 11, is
it? But here in our text, it says
having the glory of God. So this is why we're called the
temple or we're called New Jerusalem in this case. Us being the temple of God is
not something special about us. It's because of him that's within
us. And that's us here also. So the glory of God, the lamb, or
the light of the city, and the difference being that as the
New Jerusalem, we're perfect. We're the temple of God even
now, and we're New Jerusalem now, but we haven't experienced
this in the way that God sees us. We don't see us the way God
sees us. You don't see me like this now,
and I don't see you like this. If we think of, in spiritual
terms, we could see each other this way, because as God sees,
is the way it is. We should think of each other
in Christ. We're glorified, holy, made like
Christ himself. Remember that this is the description
of us in glory. Here, the whole goal and point
of predestination in the scriptures is that we would be conformed
to the image of God's son. We're predestinated to be conformed
to the image of God's son. So the whole point of everything
God has done, that's the goal, to make us like his son, and
that's what we're seeing here. Remember how the beauty of God's
loved ones is described in Ezekiel 16, 14. And thy renown went forth
among the heathen for thy beauty, for it was perfect. Do you remember
the next three words? Through my comeliness. That's
why we're so beautiful in our text, because we're conformed
to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And even back then in
the book of Ezekiel, we're described as perfect through his comeliness,
which I had put upon thee, not which we had achieved, which
he had put upon us, saith the Lord God." So by grace in Christ,
this is us. And what a beautiful vision this
is. Verse 10, and he carried me away in the spirit to a great
and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy
Jerusalem. Descending out of heaven from
God Well, there's a lot in each one of these verses this city
is not a place Heaven is not a place It's a person heaven is Christ
and God's city is his people Everybody thinks about a place
with with Golden Street We know this is not literal because it's
talking about us. We're people and We're a nation,
a holy nation. He calls us a peculiar people,
his own people. And so these things are images,
they're pictures of what's real, what's true of us in Christ.
And this is the city that Abraham looked for. You think about this.
Turn over with me to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews 11 verse eight. Hebrews 11, eight, by faith Abraham,
when he was called to go out into a place which he should
after receive for an inheritance, obeyed and he went out, not knowing
whether he went. By faith he sojourned in the
land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder
and maker is God. He knew that even the land that
God promised to him, the earthly place where they Sojourned to
under the Old Covenant was not the goal the ultimate destination
He looked for a place that God made That can only be our text
he looked for a place a City which have foundations. We'll
see that something about the foundations of that city Whose
builder and maker is God he wasn't looking for a place, but for
a state of being with Christ, in Christ, like Christ. That's
what believers are looking for. Paul said, I have a desire to
depart and be with him, with Christ, which is far better.
That's not a place, that's him. And the very first part of the
description of us when we're conformed to the image of Christ,
you see the first thing that describes us here in our text?
What else could it be? We're if we're just like him
holy That's all it could really be that's God's chief attribute
in the sense that God is love, but he didn't love everybody
his love is holy Everything every other attribute
of God is a holy attribute And that's that we're called
the bride here, the lamb's wife reminds us of a passage of scripture. The bride, we're his bride, we're
his church called his bride, his wife, the lamb's wife. That
reminds us of a passage of scripture which also happens to describe
us the same way our text does. Listen to Ephesians 5.25. Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it. that he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. And we are, in this vision, we
are. And in spiritual reality, we
are. And the reason we're a glorious
church, as described in our text, holy, Why is that? He gave himself for it, that
he might sanctify it and cleanse it, that he might present it
to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle. We
look like that, we are like that, because Christ gave himself for
us. That he might present us as such. Notice in verse 11 there, having
the glory of God. having the glory of God, not
just seeing it. We see his glory now in the face
of his son. But we have the glory of God.
God's glory is who he is. And who he is is holy. And we're
described the same way. The brightness of God's glory
is Christ. And we're now perfectly in his
image, you see. different ways in which Having
the glory of God applies to us The greatest manifestation of
God's glory on earth is the cross and Christ's cross is the reason
for our glory now God forbid that I should glory Saving the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it's the reason for who we
are then Even in our very experience He made us a glorious church
by giving himself for us. Notice it says her light was
like unto a stone most precious. Now, we hear precious stones
throughout the scriptures. This one is extraordinary, a stone most
precious. We know from verse 23 that the
lamb is the light So we know who this is referring to her
life is like into a stone most precious Light in scripture represents
a few different things revelation That word is a lamp unto my feet
a light into my path We will know even as we are known
by this perfect light We'll see we'll know we'll understand First
John 3 to beloved now are we the sons of God and it does not
yet 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 see the lamb by the light
by this perfect light in The lamb is the light. Light also represents holiness
and goodness. There's no darkness. When Judas
went out to betray the Lord, it says, and it was night. That's
a wonderful picture of the evil that was taking place. And yet
the light was about to shine brighter than ever. that darkness
There's no darkness in this place darkness represents evil as well
as ignorance Turn with me to first John chapter 1 First John 1 5 This then is the message which
we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and
In him is no darkness at all If we say that we have fellowship
with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth but
if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship
one with another and The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth
us from all sin We walk in the light, but we still are Old nature
is darkness, but the blood of Christ cleanseth us Now I don't really know what
to say about the light being like a jasper stone clear as
crystal Except to say this light mostly
goes unnoticed I doubt if you notice the light in here tonight
when you walked in we just kind of enjoy being able to see and
don't really think about it, just go on with our lives. We
take the light for granted. But in extraordinary circumstances,
we do say at times, that light is so beautiful. And nowhere
maybe is light more beautiful than in the shining of diamonds. And this is the picture. When
you see Christ, you will say that light is beautiful. You
can't miss him, you can't ignore him, you can't take him for granted
when you see him like he really is. The light is beautiful and
everything and everyone is beautiful in his light, in him. In verse 12, the wall of the city
speaks of our security in Christ. We're hedged about now by God's
grace No enemy can touch us. He said 1,000 will fall at one
side and 10,000 on the other, but he won't come near you. His grace, his providence, his
power encircle us and protect us. The description of this wall
and the incredible dimensions of this wall in our text speaks
of perfect, complete, eternal, security God might let a wolf
in now once in a while. He tells us to beware of wolves
And he might let one in every now and then down here to accomplish
his purposes Like Judas for example But there are no wolves in the
new Jerusalem There is no evil. There's no one no one can enter
in and Comfort necessitates safety there
could never be Comfort and peace without perfect security And
perfect safety is perfect comfort There are no enemies there there
are no wars no threats No drama, no disturbance, whatever Of the
peace and comfort that we have in Christ. It's hard to imagine
but because of our sin our peace
can be Interrupted our comfort can be disturbed But it's our
flesh that's disturbed and we don't have any flesh there. We
don't have any flesh thing God uses even that that we experience
in this life for our good But then there's no need nor any
possibility any of that And that's a wonderful thought. The description of the wall inspires strong confidence. According to verse 18, it's clear
as crystal. Imagine this picture in your
mind. It's clear as crystal. Jasper being described in verse
11 as being clear So this was like a diamond. And it's over
200 feet thick, as these dimensions are. 200 feet thick and hundreds
of miles high. 12,000 furlongs. So it's just something that you
can't even really imagine. And that's why these numbers
are used. So it would defy even your imagination. But the picture of that clear
walls, that thick and that high, and on the other side of those
walls, the city seen through that wall is like, is pure gold,
like a mirror. It says like clear glass, you've
seen very, very shiny gold. It looks like you can see through
it because it's reflecting everything. The gold is not clear like the
diamond, but it's like a mirror. It's so pure and beautiful. And this picture is given to
take us beyond anything we've ever seen before or could even
imagine. And this is the city whose builder
and maker is God. And it's just a picture. Remember,
this is us. in Christ, like Christ, holy,
glorious, beautiful, and utterly secure. In verses 12 and 13, if you'll
kind of glance through those for a second again, there are gates on all sides
of this city. No matter what quarter of the
globe you're in, there is access. He is called, chosen, and called
his people out of every kindred, tribe, nation, and tongue under
heaven, and the gates are all wide open. They always are. And there's
an angel at each gate, a messenger. What's the message? We see that
in the context, don't we? Come, you that are thirsty, come.
The Spirit and the bride are saying come. And we say come,
and take the water of life freely. That's the message. And this might be confusing if
your thoughts are tied to time, because when the world has ended
and been destroyed, there'll be no gospel call then. But we
can't allow our thoughts to be tied to time in this. This arrangement
of gates and angels speaks of the way that God's city has always
been populated by the preaching of the gospel and by sinners
entering into Christ Jesus, the one who said, I am the door. There's just one access, but
it's pictured as 12 here on every side of the city, every quarter
of the globe. There's messengers saying come
come Come and drink It doesn't signify 12 different
ways into glory or into the fellowship of God's people Those gates had
the names of the 12 tribes of Israel Do you notice that in
verses 12 and 13? The gate, each several gate had
one of the names of the 12 tribes of Israel, which picture God's
elect. How many ways did God give Israel
to be saved? Look unto me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth. For there's none like me, a just
God and a savior. These gates what a beautiful
picture of salvation these gates are open. They're facing every
quarter of the planet Yet there are names on them It's not willy-nilly It's not helter-skelter, it's
it's If your name's not on a gate you don't come in But just like with Noah's Ark
The clear teaching of scripture all through is that damnation
is not, you are not condemned and sent to hell because God
will not allow you to be saved. You're not gonna find that in
the scripture. It's because you will not enter in at the straight
gate. You will not. You refuse to come to Christ.
You will not come to me, he said, that you might have life. That's the message of scripture.
And God also, at the same time, is glorified here in his electing
grace and love. Of course he is. Because if God
had not written our names on those eternal gates, no one would
be saved. The 12 tribes of Israel, of course,
God's elect, But that's the nation of Israel, and those tribes were
pictures of God's elect throughout the world. Every nation, kindred,
tribe, tongue under heaven. If he had not written us in the
Lamb's Book of Life, which also, I think the last verse of the
chapter says, if you're not found in the Book of Life, you don't
get in. Your name is among those 12 tribes,
the elect of God. And if they weren't there, there
would be no salvation. If God had not chose and given
a people to his son, in love, predestinating love, that poem comes to mind, "'Tis
not that I did choose thee, for Lord, that could not be. This
heart would still refuse thee, but thou hast chosen me." But which is it, Chris? Is the
way into the city open to everybody, or is it only for God's elect?
Well, turn with me to John 6, and I'll let you answer this
question yourself. Think about it. John 6, 37. John 6 37 all that the father
giveth me shall come to me Now that's election in John 17 our
Lord's high priestly prayer to the father on behalf of his people
He said, I don't pray for this world. I'm not interceding for
this world. I'm not going to Calvary for
this world. Remember his hour had come. This is his high priestly
prayer. This is the smoke of the incense
rising and covering the most holy place before the blood is
splashed on the altar. And he said, I don't represent
this world. I represent those whom you gave
me for they are thine and all thine are mine. Isn't that beautiful? That's God's electing grace.
If your name is not on the gate, he never represented you. His righteousness is not yours.
His sin offering is not for you. Look at the next word. And him
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Now look, are
you gonna sit there tonight and figure out whose names, the names
of those that the father gave the son? Are you gonna come to
Christ? There are some that want to take
issue with the fact that God gave a people, a peculiar people,
a certain distinctive people to his son instead of just, did
you hear that? Everybody that comes to me, I'll
never cast you out. Why would you want to argue about
the first and not just Obey him in the second. Come to cry, this
is my son, hear him. Bow to him, believe on him and
you'll have everlasting life. So which is it? Is the call to everybody or only
the elect gonna be saved? Of course it's both. The ones that come to him just
happen. to be the ones that he gave to his son in eternity.
Is it you? I don't know. You can look for
your name in the Lamb's Book of Life, or you can come to Christ
and bow and believe on him. Submit to him. Lose your life and find it in
the Son of God. For I came down from heaven,
verse 38 there in John 6, I came down from heaven not to do mine
own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the
Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath
given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day. That's his whole purpose described
there from the standpoint of God's electing love and grace
upon his people. That's what he said again in
John 17, his high priestly prayer, as he came as our high priest
to offer his blood, his precious blood on the altar of God's justice,
his intercessory prayers went up, the smoke of the incense
rose up in the most holy place, and this is it. He said, of all
those you've given me, I haven't lost any of them. He said, here,
I'm not going to. And then he repeats that in his
prayer. I haven't lost any of them, but should raise them up again
at the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me. Here's the whole will of the father from the standpoint
of right now, right now. It's not that the other one is
not true right now, but from our perspective, sitting here
listening to the gospel, listen, this is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on
Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the
last day. Do you see Him? Do you believe
on Him? Then you're one of His elect.
Revealed himself to you can't see him set by faith and faith
is God's gift not of works lest any man should boast The result from both perspectives
is Salvation Christ two perspectives, but one reality Christ is salvation
I want you to think about that with me. You're still sitting
there, you're at John six, right? Look at, think about this passage.
Now, all that the father giveth me is coming to me and him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Two different perspectives. God gave a people to his son,
a specific determinate people, a certain number of people. No
man can number, but God does. He knows exactly how many and
their names and every hair on their head. but also come to
me and I'll give you rest. Is anybody thirsty tonight? Come
to me and drink, the Lord says, and we say it too. We who have
come say come. But look, do you notice something
that's the same in those two different perspectives? If you're looking at God's electing
grace, where is that? Me. Salvation you see if you're looking
from the perspective of God's electing love and grace upon
his people You see that salvation is Christ All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me And him that if you're looking
from the perspective Of how those people are saved in time in inexperience
in conversion, in time, on some day that God has ordained. What
do you see then from that perspective? Him that cometh to me. It's the
same. No matter which way you're looking
at it, Christ is salvation. God gave a people to his son
and Christ represented and redeemed those people. And it's all those who come to
Him, hearing the gospel, and by His grace, believing on Him,
seeing the Son, and believing on His name. And so we sum all
this up the way John did. As we're looking at this last
part of this book of Revelation, think about how John summed it
all. How am I gonna sum all that up tonight? The way John did.
In 2216, I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you
these things in the churches. What things? Our text, and the
part we haven't looked at, and all the part we have looked at.
All of the things in this book. I, Jesus, have sent mine angel
to tell you these things in the churches. What things? I am. I am. I am the root and the offspring
of David. In other words, David came from
me and I came from David. Isn't that beautiful? The son
of God who created everybody and everything was born of a
woman in order to save me and redeem me from my sins. I am
the root and the offspring of David, and the bride and morning
star. And the spirit and the bride
say come. That's how I would sum this thing up. Come to Christ. And let him that heareth say
come. And let him that's thirsty come. Whosoever will let him take the
water of life freely