Alright go with me if you would
to Hebrews chapter 13 Hebrews chapter 13 1 verse of scripture will be our
text for this evening Hebrews 13 verse 14 For here have we no continuing
city, but we seek one to come." There are two parts to this message.
The first part is, here we have no continuing city. The second
part is, but we seek one to come. Now as we just read in the scripture
reading just a minute ago, We mention often a new heaven and
a new earth. We talk about it all the time. This heaven is going to melt
with a fervent heat. The heavens, the planets, the
stars, everything that we know in the heavens, they are going
to melt with a fervent heat. And this earth and everything
in it is going to be destroyed. God is going to create a new
heaven And he's going to create a new earth We mentioned that
often we dwell on it often We look forward to it We're going
to do the same thing tonight but I want to specifically look
at the city and New Jerusalem on this new earth. And maybe our Lord will let us
enter into it just a little bit. Here's where we begin. Here we have no continuing city. None. Now I like this city. I like Kingsport. I like it a
lot. I love this city. I love living
here. This is home to me. I mean that.
This truly is home. There is no other place on earth
I would rather live. Some people will say, well, I'd
rather live in Hawaii. I'd rather live in Paris. Not
me. I mean that. Not me. It's the
people that make me say that. It's you. But I love this city. I love this city. The Lord's
made me happy. He's made me content right here. With that being said,
there is no city on this earth, including this city, including
Kingsport, that we will be able to continue in or that will continue. Kingsport will not continue. It will not keep going. This
city will not continue forever. No city on this earth will continue
forever. Everything here has an end. The sooner the Lord helps our
heart to know that, the more content we'll be to watch everything
go. Everything here has an end. The definition of the word city
is a large populated governed habitation, where people reside,
work, and conduct daily life. And I'm just going to go ahead
and tell us, for a believer, that's Christ. That's Christ. All of the government is on His
shoulders. In Him, We live and move and
have our being. We honestly do. In Him. We live in Him. He is our habitation. He is our life. And how glorious
that is for a child of God, because down here on this earth, in the
physical state of this earth, there is no city that we could
dwell in forever. There's no place to go. There's
no place to go. The people of the cities will
not continue forever. They're here for a little bit,
and then they're gone, and more people replace them. The businesses
of the cities will not continue forever, no matter how established
they seem to be. It'll be gone. It'll all be gone. We cannot put our stock in anything
on this earth. Nothing. Nothing. None of it
will continue forever. And the reason is because of
sin. That's the reason. It all boils
down to sin. The problem is always sin. Sin brings an end to whatever
it touches. Sin brings a death to whatever
it touches. And everything on this earth
is touched by sin. Everything. So here, we have
no continuing city. And outside of Christ, we don't
have one to come. Outside of the Lord Jesus Christ,
an eternal desolation awaits, just eternal emptiness, an eternal
destruction awaits. But in Christ, in everything
that it means to be in Christ, we actually have We actually
have, we really have an eternal, populated, governed place of
habitation. We actually have that. We say
that we live in Kingsport and Kingsport's not gonna continue
and everybody thinks, well, I know that. We actually have a real
place a populated place, a governed place of habitation awaiting
us. This is a real place. That's
a real place. It's a real place. Now, who will
inherit this city? Who has this actual city waiting
for them? Well, verse 14 says, we have
it. For here have we no continuing
city, but we seek one to come." Who are the we? Who is he talking
about when he says we? Am I a we? That's what I want
to know. Am I a we? Who is it? Well, in this chapter
here, he's been telling us, verse 1, he says it's brethren in Christ,
let brotherly love continue. Brethren in Christ have it. Verse
3 says it's those who are in the body, remember them, that
are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity
as being yourselves also in the body. Whose body? Christ's body,
in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 5 says it's those
who he said he would never leave and never forsake. Let your conversation
be without covetousness and be content with such things as you
have for he has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
Verse six says, it's those who can truly say, the Lord is my
helper. The Lord is my shepherd. The
Lord is my savior. Salvation is totally of the Lord. Period. Totally, totally of the
Lord. Verse eight says, it's those
who are looking to and trusting in and cast their all on Jesus
Christ the same. Yesterday, today, and forever.
Verse 9 says, it's those whose hearts have been established
with grace, freely bestowed grace, not unto us, O Lord. Not according to works, lest
any man should boast. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. Verse
10 says, it's those whose only altar of sacrifice before God
is Christ. We have an altar. He is my altar. Verse 12 says, it's those who
know that they were sanctified, set apart, cleansed, made pure
by His own blood alone. Those who plead the blood of
Christ alone, alone, that's it. And His suffering without the
camp alone. Verse 13 says, it's those who
have come to Him, let us go. Let us go. Knowing that no center
can come to him except the father who had sent Christ draw that
center. Verse 14 says it's those who
have truly been given a heart for Christ. Those who desire
him and need him. Those who cry and mean it, I
mean cry and mean it, we have here no continuing city. If the Lord does not lay it on
a believer's heart to cry that, a sinner will say, this is my
city. I'm dying right here. I want
it, give it to me. I'll hoard it up. I'll buy all
I can get and I'll sell it not. I'll take it to my grave with
me. But if God moves on the heart, That child of God will say, this
is not it. We have here no continuing city. I want to dwell with Him wherever
He is. He's my city. That's who has
this continuing city waiting for him or her. That's who the
we's are. And I want to be a we. I want you to be a we. If God
has given us a heart to cry that, then we're in Christ. He put
us in Christ. Pleading the sacrifice of His
blood alone is evidence of a sinner being in Christ. That's the evidence.
And if we're in Christ, then that city is waiting for us. We have a continuing city. Now, let's see if He'll reveal
a little bit of it to us. First, let's notice this. Verse
14 says, For here Have we no continuing city, but
we seek one to come. It's one city. It's one city. This new earth only has one city
on it. It's just one city, not multiple
cities like we have now. God's people will never be separated
geographically ever again. Never again. Ephesians 2 says
he's gonna gather all of his people together in one, in one
place, in one God, in one spirit, even in him. One, it's one. Where we're going is one. It's
all one. So this glorious city is one
great city. Now look with me at Hebrews chapter
11. Back two pages to Hebrews 11. Verse 10 says, For he looked
for a city which hath foundations, Who's builder and maker is God. Now everything that we're going
to look at has spiritual significance. Everything, every word in this
book has spiritual significance and Christ is the foundation.
Christ is the foundation. We're going to see that in just
a minute, but most people have it in their minds. When they
think of heaven, they think of clouds. If you see a TV commercial
and it's supposed to be somebody living in heaven, they're usually
in the clouds. They're sitting on a cloud. They're
laying on a cloud. That's not the city we're looking
for. We're looking for a city that
has foundations. This earth has foundations. God said to Job, where were you
when I laid the foundations of the earth? This city that we're about to
enter into, it's coming so fast. It has foundations. Verse 10
says, whose builder and maker is God. Think about that. I looked this up on the internet.
Possibly most everyone in here knows that this city got its
name in the late 1700s from Colonel James King, who had a port on
the Holston River. And as the traveling boats came
by, they would stop and conduct trade, and everybody knew to
stop at King's port. But you may not know that, In
1917, this city was re-chartered. It was chartered in 1822 and
re-chartered, re-designed in 1917 by a man named John Nolan
from Cambridge, Massachusetts. And he designed this city in
a particular way. And because of how he laid it
out, this city became known as the Model City. And it's still
called that. It's still the nickname of the
city. This is the model city. And I believe Mr. Nolan did a
pretty good job. I like this city. But let's see
if we can get our minds around this. The city that we are headed
to. The actual city, this real place. The builder. The contractor. The architect. The designer,
the one who laid it out, the maker, is God. God built this city. He's the
only one who has had a hand in it. Literally. He's the only one who's had a
hand in it. Who made this city? God made
it. God made this city. Look at verse
16 right here in Hebrews 11. It says, but now they desire
a better, country's in italics, but we'll say it anyway. Now
they desire a better country, that is, and heavenly, wherefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared
for them a city. He's the one who did it. Oh,
and has he prepared a city? I hath not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man's, the things
that God has prepared for them that love him. Our Lord said in John 14, in
my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you, I go to prepare a place for you. So this is one great
city. It has foundations. God is the
builder and the maker of it. Now look with me at Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12 verse 22 says, But
ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. God said that his angels were
ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall
be heirs of salvation. God has stationed guardian angels
with every single one of his people right now. Guardian angels around every
single one of his people. Because He chose to show mercy
on a number that no man can number. Because of that, there is an
innumerable company of angels in this city. Literally. Glorious. Just glorious. We're
going to forever be reminded of the provisions of our God
to us. How He watched over us and cared
for us. Look at 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3 verse 12 says, Looking for and hasting unto
the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat. Nevertheless, we, according to
his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness, which is Christ. He is righteousness. He's all righteousness. And because
he has been made unto us righteousness. And because he has put away all
unrighteousness, fulfilled all righteousness, because of that,
not one speck of sin will be there. You know how you go to
a big city and it's filthy? The sidewalks are filthy, the
streets are filthy, it's just filthy. Too many people, it creates
so much filth. People make filth, not in this
city. There is not one speck of sin. Not one dot of sin anywhere in
this city. Not one speck of decay. Not one hint of death at all
on anything. Not on the leaves, not on anything. Nothing. It will not be there. It will not be found. This one
great city has foundations. God is the builder and the maker
of it. All of the host, the servants, the ministers of heaven, they'll
all be there with us. It's filled with the perfect,
holy, spotless righteousness of Christ. And the apostle John
got to see it. The Apostle John got to see it.
God showed him the city and John got a pen and he wrote down everything
he saw. Turn with me over to Revelation
chapter 21. Revelation 21 verse 1 says, And
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And
I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God,
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. A city
is a place, but a city is the people. You know what makes a
city the most dangerous city in the nation? The people. And what makes a city the friendliest
city in the nation? The people. John said, I saw
the city and she was beautiful, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband, adorned with his righteousness, adorned with grace,
adorned with his perfection. Verse 3, And I heard a great
voice out of 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 shall be with them and be their God. And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write, for
these words are true and faithful. Write down what I'm about to
show you. Verse 10 says, And he carried
me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed
me that great city, holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God, having the glory of God, and her light was like unto a
stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."
That's what she looked like. Why does the bride look like
a jasper stone, clear as crystal? It's because in Revelation 4,
John saw the throne, and he that sat on the throne looked like
a jasper stone, clear as crystal, Christ. As he is, so is she. Whatever he looks like, that's
what she looks like. Verse 12 says, and it had a wall
great and high. What does the wall look like?
There's going to be a wall. It's going to sit up on a high
mountain. It's beautifully situated. It has a great wall around it.
What does that wall look like? Look at verse 18. And the building
of the wall of it was Jasper. What is that wall? Christ. Isaiah 60 verse 18 says violence
shall no more be heard in thy land Wasting nor destruction
within thy borders, but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation
you're gonna call the walls when you get inside that thing and
look at the walls. You're gonna call the walls Salvation and
you're gonna call the gates praise That's Christ. It's all Christ
Back up in verse 12, it says it had a wall great and high,
and it had 12 gates. What are those gates? We just
quoted it. Praise. To who? Christ. He said, I'm the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved. Verse 12 goes on to say, And
the gates had twelve angels, and names written thereon, which
are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. This
city is for God's elect, God's particular redeemed, chosen people,
and only His elect. Verse 15 says, And he that talked
with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates
thereof, and the wall thereof. Had a reed, a rod. What is that rod that everything
is going to be measured by? It's the rod of Jesse. Christ. Everything there is going to
be measured by Christ. How does it stack up to Christ?
Everything there verse 16 in the city life four square and
the length is as large as the breadth and the and he measured
the city with the reed 12,000 furlongs the length and the breadth
and the height of it are equal the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians
3 That's the love of Christ for his people. He said oh the breadth
and the length and the depth and the height and Measured by
the reed, measured by Christ. Verse 19 says, and the foundations,
the city has foundations, of the wall of the city were garnished
with all manner of precious stones. Twelve slab foundations under
this wall, under this city. The first foundation was Jasper. Are we starting to see a reoccurring
theme here? He that sits on the throne is
Jasper. The bride is Jasper. The wall is Jasper. The first
foundation is Jasper. Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ. Verse 19 says, the second sapphire,
the name means numbered, scored with a mark. Our Lord numbered
himself with the transgressors. He scored himself with a mark.
The third is chalcedony, that means hollowed out, emptied. He emptied himself of all but
love and bled for Adam's helpless race. The fourth, an emerald. When John saw the throne in Revelation
4, it says there was a rainbow about the throne and it looked
like an emerald. It was in the sight of an emerald.
What did God tell Noah that rainbow was? He said, that's my covenant
to you. You can approach that throne
because of my covenant, covenant of my blood. Verse 20 says the
fifth sardonyx, that means a stone unmovable. The sixth sardius
over in Exodus 28, there's a marginal definition that tells us that's
a ruby. Blood red, the blood of Christ. The seventh chrysalite,
that means to furnish what is needed, to act towards one in
a given manner. It's called grace. The eighth barrel, it means a
lowly vessel. That's what our God humbled himself
to be. God was manifest in the flesh.
The ninth, topaz. There's not a concordance definition
for that, but the stone represents union. It represents love, and
it represents union. That's why God became a man,
to unite himself with his people. The tenth, chrysopresis. It means
made, and it means green grass. He maketh me to lie down in green
grass. The eleventh, adjacent. It means the judgment of God.
We were judged in Christ. He was judged for us, on our
behalf. The twelfth, an amethyst. It means sober-minded, single-minded. Everything there is single-minded
on Christ. And then verse 21 goes on to
say the gates were pearls. The pearl of great price, that's
Christ. Verse 21 goes on to say, the
street is pure gold. In Revelation 3, the Lord said,
buy of me gold tried in the fire. Gold has to be tried in the fire.
The street, the way, Christ had to be tried in the fire of God's
wrath. That's how we walk right on in. He was tried in the fire
of God's wrath. Verse 22 says, there's no temple
in this city. Christ is the temple. We worship
in him. We're going to worship in him
for all eternity. Verse 23 says there is no son. Christ is the light of it. Now
here's what we can conclude from all these things. Once we get
to this actual city. Every time we look at each other. We're going to see Christ. Jasper. Every time we look at the wall,
every time our eye glances at the wall, we're going to see
Christ. Every time we look at the gates,
we're going to see Christ. Every time we look at the foundations,
we're going to see Christ. Every time we look at the throne,
we're going to see Christ. Every time we see light, We're
going to see Christ, and there's no night there. For all eternity, every single
thing that our eyes look upon, we'll see Christ in it. As He
is in all of His perfection, His sinless glory, we're going
to see Christ. There will never be one more
moment where we don't see Christ. Never be one more moment. And
verse 27 says, 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. Those
that God wrote in that book with the blood of the Lamb. And every
soul is going to cry, worthy is the Lamb. That's a real city. With real people in it. We know
some of them. They're there at this moment.
Our God is there at this moment, and it's right around the corner
for us. There's nothing to fear. There's nothing to fear. Some
of our loved ones, they're already there with their eyes and their
hearts completely fixed on Christ, and we're going to be right with
them in just a minute. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we're
going to be right there with them. Life as we're going to know it
is going to continue that way forever. It's going to be that
way forever. I'll make this very quick, but
we'll close with this. Go over to Isaiah 65. Isaiah
65. Verse 17 says, For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come
into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem
a rejoicing and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and joy in my people. And the voice of weeping shall
be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall
be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath
not fulfilled his days. For the child shall die an hundred
years old, but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be
accursed. And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and
they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They shall
not build and another inhabit, They shall not plant and another
eat for as the days of a tree are the days of my people and
mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall
not labor in vain nor bring forth for trouble for they are the
seed of the blessed of the Lord and their offspring with them. I'm holding to that. I'm holding
to that promise. Lord, please bring our offspring
with us. Please bring them with us. Verse
24 says, And it shall come to pass that before they call, I
will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The
wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall
eat straw like the bullock, and the dust shall be the serpent's
meat, They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,
saith the Lord. You know, that's better. That's
better. We seek a better city, a better
country with a better city. And that's, that's better. The beautiful city of God. All
right, let's all stand together.