Last week we looked at a little
bit of how various ways that God spoke in the book of Revelation. Because it tells us here in verse
5, He that sat upon the throne said. And He spoke in various
ways in the book of Revelation. And almost every one of those
we could simply say He spoke to get people's attention. Now
however we look at it, however, whether it's a lion, he spoke
like a lion or spoke like a trumpet or whatever, he speaks to get
people's attention. And his people have the ability
of hearing his word. And he said, my sheep hear my
voice. There's something about that.
I don't understand all there is about that, but there's something
about that that is so precious to the church. My sheep hear
my voice and they follow me. And that's just the way God intended
for that to be said. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. And if someone says, well, I
know that's in the Bible, but I don't believe it. I just mark
them. Now, I pray that they'll be like
me, that somewhere down the road they'll hear the gospel. and
God will arrest them, and then they will say, my sheep hear
my voice, and they follow me. That's what it says. Alright,
let's look here, read these first six verses of this 21st chapter,
and then I'd like to spend some time on this verse 5, and it
reflects going back, it reflects going forward, it reflects on
what happened in Genesis, It reflects on what took place in
all of the Old Testament Scriptures. And this is really what the Lord
was saying to Nicodemus, Are you a teacher of Israel and you
don't know these things? And in reality, Nicodemus could
have quoted most of the Old Testament, but he never saw past Abraham
as his physical father and realized God said so many times, I did
this. That's the part that God, the
Lord, was trying to impress on him. It is the Lord that makes
all things new. We don't do it ourselves. We
can't accomplish that task. As much as we may try, we will
never accomplish that making all things new. Verse 1, I saw
a new heaven and a new earth. And that's just part of this.
It takes the Lord to make that. We'll never get that done without
the Lord. The Lord has to do that. 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. New
heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem. I make all things new. 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 we could put New Covenant right there. This is the New
Covenant. God shall wipe away all tears,
the effects of the New Covenant, from their eyes. There shall
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor cry, neither shall there
be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Behold,
I make all things new. 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. And he said unto me,
It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give unto him that is
a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. I am Alpha
and Omega. I sign this. I declare this. I authorize this. I put this
in print. This is good. The church will
enjoy this. Now, would you turn with me back
to the book of Isaiah chapter 43. Isaiah chapter 43. Now, Isaiah 43, the gospel according
to the prophet Isaiah, he makes a statement here, Isaiah 43 and
verse 27. If you look at that, this is
why things have to be new. This is why things must be new. Isaiah 43, verse 27, thy first
father hath sinned. That's what he's telling Israel.
And as a result of that, we have some serious problems in the
human race. Thy first father has sinned,
and then it goes on to say, and thy teachers have transgressed
against me. Look at chapter 44, verse 9. This is an illustration for us
to reflect on. My first father hath sinned. What is going to be the consequences
of that? And this 44th chapter shares with it. This is the need
that God said. This is why I must make all things
new. Adam sinned and it caused a terrible
gulf between God and man. And here's the consequences of
that gulf. And he uses this illustration
several times in the book of the prophets and some in the
Psalms, almost identical. And sometimes we go around and
we say, we think about people. Can't they see this? Can't they see how contradictory
what they're saying is? Can't they see they say, we believe
in salvation by grace, but we are going to accomplish it by
works. Can't they see that? Why can't they see that? Well,
here's the consequences of your first father has sinned. Isaiah
chapter 44 verse 9, and I tried to find a place to start and
end and make it a little shorter, but I just couldn't. So I'm going
to start here with verse 9. They that make a graven image
are all of them vanity. And their delectable things shall
not profit, and they are their own witnesses. They see not,
nor know, that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or a molten
graven image, that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his
fellows shall be ashamed, and the workmen. They are of men. Let them all be gathered together.
Let them stand up. Yea, they shall fear, and they
shall be ashamed together. The smith with the tongs both
worketh in the coals, and fashioneth with hammers, and worketh it
in the strength of his arms. Yea, he is hungry, and his strength
faileth. He drinketh no water, and is
faint. The carpenter stretches out his rule. And this is as
we go through here. We see this person He did this
and this person he did this and we're going to accomplish the
task here We're going to make us a god and all of this just
leads up to this point what man will do the extent man will go
as a Result of thy first father has sinned and this is why God
said I make all things There's absolutely nothing that by making
a god that's going to accomplish a thing and In fact, we get just
a little bit high. I like what that one preacher
said. We're all recovering Pharisees. And when we see some fool bow
down before an idol of gold, wood, or stone or something,
we just walk away saying, that's the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
Nancy and I were down there in Mexico and watched those ladies
down on their knees for a hundred yards or more just a little step
on their knees and then pray and count some beads and then
move ahead and spend their whole day getting up to the altar.
And we walk away and say, oh, that's dumb. That's the height
of ignorance right there. And we get just a little bit
flippin' about it, and yet everybody has a God just like that. Without
Christ, there's a God just like that. And we're just stupid. We're fools. And we do it, but
now, oh, we'd never bow before a stone God. We didn't do that.
We're just very careful that we didn't get that far. Well,
let's look at this. Verse 13, The carpenter stretcheth
out his rule, he marketh it out with a line, he fitteth it with
planes, he maketh it out with a compass, and maketh it after
the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, that
he may remain in the house. Very carefully, let's make sure
this looks like a real person. He heweth him down cedars, and
taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengthened for himself
among the trees of the forest. He planteth an ash, and the rain
doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to
burn, he shall take thereof, and warm himself, yea, he kindleth
it. Not one time in here do we find
God saying, this is what I do. He kindleth it. He cutteth it. He planteth it. And God just
wants us to understand this is the extent of that problem your
first father sinned. And there's no logic to this
at all. Then shall it be for a man to burn, and he shall take
thereof the warm himself, yea, he kindleth it, he baketh bread,
yea, he maketh it a god, and worshipeth it, he maketh it a
graven image, he falleth down thereto, he burneth part thereof
in the fire, and with part thereof eateth flesh, he roasteth roast,
and is satisfied, yea, he warmeth himself, and say, ah, I'm warm,
I've seen the fire. and the residue thereof he maketh
a God, even his graven image, he falleth down unto it, and
worshipeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me, for
thou art my God. They have not known nor understand,
for he hath shut their eyes that they cannot see, and their hearts
that they cannot understand. Now notice this, And none considereth
in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to
say, You know what? I burned part of this. I cooked
over this. I built a god out of this. Nobody
ever comes to that conclusion on their own. And that's just
the way it is. And that's why we find the Lord
saying, I make all things new. There's not a heart to understand
that part of this, I cut down for firewood. And part of this,
I cut down to roast my roast over. And part of this, I cut
down to warm myself over. And the residue, well, now that's
a strange, on eBay I could get a million dollars for this. It
looks like a God, if you stretch your imagination enough. Well,
I'm being a little bit facetious here, but people are so gullible. I know. I've been there. And fall for anything. And pay
for it too. And God said here, that none
considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding,
to say, I burnt part of it in the fire, ye have also baked
bread upon the coals thereof, I roasted flesh, and eaten it,
and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination, and shall
I fall down to the stalk of a tree? He feedeth on ashes, A deceived
heart hath turned him aside, and he cannot deliver his soul,
nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? Now that's pretty
interesting. That's just so true to life. And that's what the prophet Isaiah
said 3,000 years ago. Why? Because your first father
has sinned. Now, back up to where he started
in chapter 40... Chapter 43 verse 18, there we go. Chapter 43 verse
18. Now, remember ye not the former
things, neither consider the things of old. Don't ever rest
on the old. Why? Behold, I will do a new
thing. Now it shall spring forth, shall
ye not know it? I will even make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in the desert." A way in the wilderness. Now the definition of wilderness
is contrary to a way. And a stream or rivers in the
desert. Rivers are contrary to the very
definition of desert. The beast of the field shall
honor me and dragons and the owls because I give waters in
the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my
people, my chosen. I will do exactly opposite of
what is looks like. It's a desert. It's a place with
no paths and no water, and I'll come in, I will make all things
new. Now that's the power that God
must exert, and it's He that must exert it. Now when it comes
to new, we go into the New Testament just a little bit. It's no wonder
that the Lord, when He instituted the Last Supper, He used the
term, this is the new covenant. Now that word new there has the
idea that I make all things new. It is his covenant. It is my
covenant. The covenant that God has made. Men didn't make this covenant.
God made this covenant and he said this is the new covenant
in my blood. This is not the old. This is
the new. Now, it's interesting. He made
the old with the anticipation of bringing in the new. When
did he know that he was going to need a new covenant? Well,
it doesn't take us very long to go back to the book of Genesis
and find out God knew what was going to take place in there.
And it doesn't take very much when God opens our heart to understand
that when He said, the day thou shalt eat, this is not just a
statement, this is a prophecy. God does everything that He ever
intends to do. Before the foundation of the
world, it was decreed and it's being carried out in time. So
Him knowing full well what was going to happen in the garden,
in fact, when He said the seventh day, the end of the sixth day,
or the seventh day, all things were very good. With the full
knowledge, in a short time, it is going to be destroyed by our
first Father. He's going to see him. He had
the anticipation of instituting, or not instituting, but bringing
forth the blessings of the first covenant, the oldest covenant,
the new covenant, even when he said, everything that I've created
is good, and it's going to be fallen in a few moments, hours,
days, how long it took, I don't know, but it's going to be trashed
by Adam, and God already has. I'll make it new. God has already
stated, I will make it new. It will be a new covenant. And
we find out that it was in Ephesians, He makes a new man. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter
4. I make all things new. This is
a hallmark statement. I make all things new. Ephesians 4.24 And that ye put
on the new man. Now the old man won't do it.
The new man, I make all things which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness. This new man is created by God
in regeneration, in righteousness, and it is in the truest holiness. It's made after God. There was
no holiness ever brought about by the sacrifice of an animal.
Even though it was called a holy convocation and holy sacrifices
and holy duties, nobody was ever made holy by it. But this new
creation is made in righteousness and true holiness. Because it's
God's work. We find in Revelation, New Jerusalem,
new heavens and a new earth. But in 2 Corinthians chapter
5, let's stop by there and camp just a moment. I make all things
new. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7. We did a little camping beside
this stream in the past, but this is just 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. Therefore, as a result of what's
gone before me, therefore, if any man be in Christ, It is a miraculous, I will say
that again, it is a miraculous thing to be a Christian. It is as the result of a grand
miracle on God's part. That's why it is It is so pitiful. It is so demeaning when I say that I can
get this on my own. Because it's a miracle. It's
miraculous to be a Christian. It took the miraculous, gracious
work, the same effort that God put into creating the heavens
and the earth and everything. And He said He started with nothing.
He doesn't start with anything that we have to contribute. There was nothing that God had
to start creation. Everything was from nothing. And that's where he's starting
with the miraculous work of regeneration. There is nothing we contribute. Our belief isn't contributed.
It's a result of. Our faith isn't contributed.
It's a result of. So a Christian is a miraculous
being. It took the same effort by God
that He did and performed and created in the heavens and the
earth. It takes that same effort to raise somebody from the spiritual
dead. I will make, I will make all
things new. It is a miraculous thing to be
a Christian. It is beyond words in description. We use words around it, but it
is a, it is totally a miraculous thing. It requires God's power,
nothing less than the power exerted by God in raising his son from
the dead. That's the same power that he
exerts to give the new birth. This is a birth that he gives
it's a creation. There is a being that was never
before That is created verse 17 therefore If any man be in Christ he is
a new God never takes some of the old
mud and makes the new creation. He starts from scratch every
time. When God creates the new, it
is from nothing. And there's somebody new now
that's never been. This new spirit that he gives
us is created by God. Originally, we were in Adam,
but in the new creation, we're created in Christ. In Adam, all
die. In Christ, all are made alive.
The old state passes away. We have a new state. The old
state is condemnation. That's the only state that we're
in by nature. And we can't even see it. We
can't even see that we'd cut down a tree and burn part of
it for heat, and burn part of it to bake bread on, and burn
part of it to roast our roast on, and then take a chunk of
it and carve out a god. And he said, we don't even have
the horse sense about us to recognize what we've done. Only after he
creates this new creation do we recognize that was the dumbest
thing. That was absolutely foolish. I couldn't get any closer to
God than if I'd have roasted the bread and offered it to him.
Bake the bread and give it to him. The old state passes away.
We're in condemnation. But in Christ, the new state,
we're justified. He has declared us justified. Under the old, the old life,
we're under the law. Under the new, we're under grace. Oh, and this just antagonizes
religious people. Because they still want to be
under the law. Doing something. And when Christ
said, I make all things new. We're under grace and grace alone
and law has no part in it. And people just cannot understand
people being controlled by grace. We're going to have to get some
law in here so that they'll act like Christians. No. Christ has
created His creations so well that they are controlled by His
love. We don't have the law over us
anymore. It was condemning. In His new
creation, He controls us by love. Wouldn't you have loved to have
raised your children and they were obedient just because of
love? Just because of love. I love
my mom and dad so much, I'm going to do exactly what they asked
me to do. Now they may have said it, but they didn't have the
wherewithal right here to follow through on us. But in this creation,
God has created His creation so good and so new that He controls
us by His love. And when people want to put the
law on us, we back up. No way. I'm really liking this
relationship, having God as my Father, and I love Him, and He's
drawing me with cords of love, and He's bringing me in His direction,
and I'm not going to be put back under this law. because that
means condemnation and I'm so used to being no condemnation
that I'm just got it and like it and don't put me anywhere
else. Religion cannot handle a God
that said my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. We've got
to get them. They're trapping so that they'll
follow the Lord. We just can't turn them loose. And when people say that, they're
indicating where they're really from. They don't know this new
creation. They got an old stump of a tree
they're worshiping. and they warmed their hands over
part of it, cooked the bread over the other part of it, and
made a roast over the rest of it. So this is no condemnation. We're not under the law. There's
some old principles. The old, there was a legal covenant. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. Well, under the new, in that,
it was influenced by fear. And that's what law really does.
Boy, you're going to have to answer for that. You're going
to have to answer for that. You know what God's people do
now? They confess it, but they know they can't answer for it.
Either Christ has taken care of it once and for all at the
cross, or we're still under condemnation and we don't have His new-ness. if we have to pay for it. And
when the preacher says, you're going to have to answer for that,
they're just saying they don't know the extent of this new creation. It is a miracle to be a Christian.
It's not just, well, I think I'll just go down and join the
church today and be a Christian today. That's not it. Never has
been, never will be that. It's not signing a card and it's
not going forward. I had a good friend. in the religion
I was in who was a sovereign grace preacher and told me that
he spent nine days praying through and I backed up and said oh my
goodness and he trusted his praying through that's what got him saved
he got so feeling so bad and he spent nine days on his knees
oh it took a little bread and milk It's a new creation. It's not praying through. We
can't pray through. We can't get there from here.
The darkness is too deep. The pit is too steep. It's a miracle to be a Christian. And it does away with the law
and gives us something that is far better. And that's the love
of God that constrains us. It constrains us. God's people will love God and
they will love God's people. There's something really interesting
about this new creation. God's people, they don't have
to be told to go to church. They don't have to be told to
be around God's people. There's a magnet that is put in them
that they just can't help but be around God's people. They
will just be around God's people. There's not one word in all the
New Covenant that says, Thou shalt go to church seven times
a week. I've really learned to feel sorry
for a whole group of people. Their temple of doom is right
next to us. I cannot believe seven days a
week, three, four, five hours at a hitch. And people make fun
of that and then make fun of me because we don't have a Bible
study every night. The Bible doesn't tell me I have
to go to church. The Bible says God's people will
want to be with God's people and hear the gospel. Now there's
a big difference there. I have to be means I'm going
to check that off. I'm not going to be there mentally.
I remember going to church, I was never there mentally. I could
have got hit on top of the head and not known it. But now, I want to be around
God's people. I want to be around God's people
who know what it is to be free in Christ and have a miracle. God worked a miracle in them.
All this nonsense stuff, I want a miracle church. I want miracle
people to be around because they understand what this is talking
about. The old legal covenant was influenced by fear, but the
new covenant is influenced by love. The old character passes
away. We were God's enemy. It's just
so plain. Throughout the Old Testament
it mentions that, but Paul sums it up and says we're enmity with
God. We're His enemy. In this new covenant, this I
make all things new, we're God's children. The enmity is gone. He has created a life in us that
is in love with God because we were made by Him. We are brought
about in newness of life in Him. And He's our Father. And there's
a stronger tie between God's people and God than there is
between us and our own natural Father. It's stronger. It is stronger. It's a miracle. Now, the physical birth is a
miracle. Don't get me wrong. I believe that's a miracle. But
this... We didn't have part in this. Humanity had part in our birth.
Children of Adam had part in our birth. It's broken. And that's
why we have so many syndromes. We're related to Adam. He had
a big syndrome. We're God's enemy, now we're
his friend. We have a new federal head. I'm so glad for that. In
Adam, I was dead. He was my federal head. He answered
for me in the Garden of Eden. Now I have someone else answering
for me. It's Christ. He's answering for me. He is
directing me. It's not works, but grace. We
have a substitute to undertake for our responsibilities. Now
I meet kids all the time that don't feel responsible for themselves.
Well, as a believer in Christ, He's taken all my responsibilities. Everything I should have done
to God, He's taking care of it. Everything. There's nothing lacking. It is a covenant of grace. It's
a miraculous life. And he's taking care of every
responsibility. Oh no, shouldn't you pray? Yes,
but that wasn't the issue. Shouldn't you worship him? Yes,
but that's not the issue. There was sin between me and
God. And now he's taking care of all the responsibility. Don't
you think what he said is true? He prayed for his people. That's
far greater prayer than I'm ever gonna create. He worshiped his
father's far greater worship than I'm ever going to worship
and then he says that I give it all to you I give it to you.
I give you my prayer. I give you my worship. I give
you my love for God I give it all that's far greater. That's
the miracle God gives it to human beings and this new relationship. God is our Father. We're co-inheritors
with Christ. The Holy Spirit becomes our teacher
and our guide and our comforter. My goodness. This is a miracle. God's attitude towards us is
so great in Christ. And we have a Father. We lost
it in Adam. And no one wants to be on that
family tree. That family tree is going to
face death and that's all there is. And he transforms us and
transfers us to another family tree. And that family tree gives
us a father, gives us a co-inheritor with Christ. We co-inherit. Can you get around that? Co-inherit
with Christ. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher. Now the preacher gets up to the
preachers, but it's really the Spirit that teaches us. The preacher
brings out the Word, but it's the Spirit that teaches us. And
did you know what? Every one of his children will
be taught and every one of his children will be taught the same
thing There's no contrary teaching
by the Holy Spirit He's not going to teach this group this and
this group that or he's not going to teach anybody in the group
Contrary to what the Bible has to say it's going to be learn
that we're going to believe the same thing. I Was told one time
that We need to have little differences of opinion because that means
people are thinking. And after I was saved, I realized
that's the dumbest thing I ever heard. God's people are going
to agree. They're going to agree on the
most valuable important thing. They're going to agree that God
is sovereign. And if that's what he's going to make us believe,
and we will, then everything else he had to say, he is all-powerful,
he has all power in his hand, and he can create life, and he
will create life, or there's not going to be life created.
That's what is so valuable and necessary that this subject of
his sovereignty and his power is ours. And we don't go home
and say, well, I wonder if he is or isn't. No, he is or he
isn't. He is Lord of all or He's not
Lord at all. That's just the way it is. So
this new creation, it's a new relationship. We're God's child,
we're the Savior's servant, and we're the Spirit's temple. There
was a temple made a long time ago over there in Israel. Blocks
came out. The most valuable thing we can
ever get out of that is the types and shadows and pictures of Christ
in it. Don't go building a temple. The temple of the Holy Spirit
is His people. And His people in conglomeration
also is His temple. The church, we no longer labor. I love this. We no longer labor
for eternal life. We no longer labor for eternal
life. Because we have it. It's not a labor. We're not,
oh man, I better do something for Jesus today. If you're His,
you will. You will. And I wrote myself a note here,
I've already brought it up. Where's the command to attend church?
I've known churches that excluded people that didn't. Well, maybe
that's a good thing. Some of us should be excluded
from a lot of churches. Just show us where we belong. God, the children of God, are
drawn to join this new society, the company of the saints. The
Lord makes all things new. Christianity is a miraculous
thing. It's not common. It's miraculous. It's only given by God. We are
just the recipients of it. I want to go to my grave saying
that. We're just the recipients of it. We couldn't participate
in it if we wanted to. And after we're saved, we decide
it. We find out we don't want to. We'll mar it. We'll mar it. All right. The Lord said again
over there in the book of Revelation, chapter 21, verse 5. And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. He said unto me, Write, for these
words are true and faithful." Alright, we'll stop there. We
might get into verse 6.