Turn with me please to Revelation
chapter 21. We'll read a few verses from
verse 1. Revelation chapter 21 verse 1. 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. 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. 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 first of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things. and I will be his
God and he shall be my son. Verse five, and he that sat upon
the throne said, behold, I make all things new. I make all things
new. Behold, look, look at this. Look at this wondrous scene. This wondrous scene that John
in the book of Revelation, in this revelation which he was
granted, which he wrote down in this book. Look at the wonderful
scene that he was shown. A wondrous scene. A new heaven
and a new earth. A new city, Jerusalem, a new
Jerusalem. Coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. God dwelling with
man, God wiping away all tears from the eyes of men, a place
where there is no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying,
no more pain, where all the evil, where all the sin, where all
the corruption, where all the darkness of this world is taken
away, for the former things have passed away. a place where those
who are thirsty drink of the fountain of the water of life
and live forevermore a place where men dwell with
God as his children a wondrous scene a wondrous scene
in which God says behold I make all things new. All things. Everything is new. Everything is new here. Everything
that is old, everything that is fading, everything that is
fallen, everything that is corrupt is done away and all is new. A wonderful sight. a sight that we as believers
should be looking for every day, that we should hope for, that
we should long for, to enter into this place which is promised,
this place which God has brought to be for His children, this
great inheritance. He that overcometh shall inherit
all things, all things new, All things perfect, all things righteous,
all things beautiful, all things wonderful. What a hope, what
a destination is set before God's people, who journey through this
world, looking unto Jesus by faith. Who pass through this
world as pilgrims and strangers, in a dark and an evil land, in
a barren country. which they look upon not as their
home, but they pass through as Abraham journeyed, as it were,
with tents. They can't settle here. They
can't call this world home because they have a different character,
a different birth, a different lineage. They're no longer of
the earth, earthy. They're no longer simply the
children of Adam. but their birth is from on high. They are offspring of the Spirit
of God. They've been born again. They've
heard words that come from heaven's glory. They've heard the voice
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, calling them when
in the grave, calling out their name, come forth. And with new life they came forth
from the grave, and they followed Him who called them. They followed
Him whose voice sounded out from heaven above, and in following
they follow Him until they enter in. They cannot look upon this
world as home. Believer, is that your experience?
Do you walk and journey through this land, through this world,
through this life? weary of it, longing for something
greater, longing for that which is new, longing for that which
is perfect, longing for that where Christ is in the midst. Do you long to be with him where
he is? Do you walk lightly to the things of this world? We
live here, we're in the world, yes, but we're not of it. We deal with the world, we deal
with the people in the world, we deal with the commerce and
the business in this world. We have our work, which we must
labor at. We have our studies, which we
must study at. We have the places that we must
go. And yet we don't feel one with it. Once we did, Once we
had hopes and ambitions and dreams all centred in this world. Once
we indulged in the pleasures of this life. Once we thought
that was all that mattered. And yet as we sought it, it all
slipped through our fingers. And as God began to teach us,
we began to discover that all that this world promised was
of nothing worth. All the riches fade and rust
and decay. Nothing that you gain in this
world can be taken beyond the grave. Nothing is lasting. Nothing
is real. All the pleasure comes at a price. All the love of man is conditional. The greatest things that men
aspire to in this world, the characters of people, the friendship,
The love, all these things ultimately cause pain. People are betrayed,
people are let down. It's all a mirage. The best of this world fades
away. And the child of God, sinners
upon whom God has said his love, sinners with whom he has dealings
people like you and me who come to hear the gospel and the sound
of Jesus Christ and his voice and his truth who hear the alarm
sounding in the heart that this world is fading and passing that
it's corrupt and fallen and that there's a judgment which is coming
both of this world and all that dwell therein there's a judgment
which is coming for us in which we as individuals in particular
must give an account of what we've done there's a judgment
which is coming and when we come to discover this we realize that
everything that we sought in this world is useless everything
which we did is tainted by sin and all of our best deeds all
of our most noble aims will be found wanting We realize that
one day we will come to stand before the Creator of Heaven
and Earth and we have no excuses which we can make before Him.
There is nothing that we can say to excuse our actions. Everything that we have done
has been for self. Everything we have sought has
been selfish in its core. What can we say? What can you
say? What will you say? What will
your plea be on that day? Have you been taught that you
have nothing to plea except to fall upon the mercy
and grace of God? Have you been taught your need
of something new? Your need to be delivered from
what you are and your need to be delivered from what this world
is and its influence. Your need for righteousness,
your need for a new heart, your need for a new mind, your need
for a new record, your need for righteousness to stand before
a holy God who will judge you in righteousness. Have you been
shown your need? for if you have and if you've
been shown the only one who can provide that need the one who
is described as the alpha and omega the beginning and the end
the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God who came into this dark
and this evil and this needy world to deliver those who are
needy from the corruption of their own hearts, and to deliver
them from the captivity wherein they dwell, and to deliver them
from that judgment which is coming upon them, and to bring them
into that which is new. If you've been pointed to him,
and pointed to his cross, and pointed to that place wherein
he delivered that which was old, that which was fading away, that
which was corrupt. And He took those who were children
of Adam and made them children of God. He took those who were
lost and set them free. He took those who were blind
and made them see. He took those who were deaf and
made them hear. He took those who were full of
sin and made them righteousness. If you have been taken to the
cross and beheld Him and given eyes to see Him, given ears to
hear Him and given a heart of faith to believe Him and to look
under Him and to see that blood which He shed for sinners and
to wash yourself in that blood If you've been made thirsty in
a dry and a barren land and cried out unto the God who can quench
such a thirst, if you have been led to the fountain of the water
of life and drunk of it freely, then you will say and you will
rejoice that God has made all things new all things new you
will behold and look and say truly truly God in Christ has
made all things new wondrous gospel wondrous salvation behold
I make all things new. Not just a new year, not just
new days. We enter 2012 today, 2011 as a period of time so named
has gone. The world rejoices in the passing
of time. It looks and hopes for better
things to come. It perhaps looks back on former
days with some disappointment at various things which may have
happened, and it looks for a better day to come. And it marks the
passing of time with dates, months, days, and years. And as each
year comes and goes, it looks with hope and ambition to the
coming year. but whilst this world has its
gaze set upon the here and the now whilst the people of this
world have their gaze set upon man and his aims and his ambitions
and what man can bring to pass and whilst this world shuts its
ears to the sound of that gospel that comes down from on high
then everything that will come upon it is old New Year or not,
the world simply passes from one sinful day into another.
The world simply heaps up more corruption upon corruption. And
every individual that walks in the darkness of this world with
its mind shut to the things of God, simply increases their account
of wicked deeds. for which they will have to answer they may have a new year but
unless they are brought to hear the newness of the gospel and
unless they are brought to hear of the one who makes all things
new then they will remain in captivity in the old man Adam. There is a wonderful promise
here to those who call upon the name of God, a wonderful promise
to those who look unto Christ, a wonderful promise to those
who drink of the water of life freely, a wonderful hope and
end for them. But as a dreadful description,
in verse 8 of what will come upon those who've never heard
or who shut their ears and shut their minds. For it says that
the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers
and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone
which is the second death their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death where is your part? what will
your end be? will you enter into that new
heaven and new earth where there is no more death,
no more pain, no more sorrow, where all the tears are wiped
away, where all the crying is gone, where there is no pain,
where Christ is all to his people. Is that your hope? Is that your
destination? Or are you fearful? Are you unbelieving? Are you an idolater or a liar? abominable, a murderer, a whoremonger,
a sorcerer? Is your part a part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone? You may say I'm no murderer,
I'm no whoremonger, I'm no sorcerer. Ah, but are you fearful? Are you unbelieving? Have you
heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and said that's nonsense? Or
have you simply in apathy shut your ears to it and said well
that's all right for you. And maybe one day I will consider
the claims of Christ and whether he is who he claimed to be. And
whether there's any reality in this gospel of which Christians
speak. But for now I've got other aims,
other desires, other things which are important. That all seems
a far off. Are you an idolater? Do you worship
other things? Do you worship your goals, your
ambitions? Do you worship riches? Do you
worship pleasure? Do you worship family? Do you
worship anything but He who is the Alpha and Omega? Do you deny the claims of Christianity
the claims of the gospel that there is one God in three persons,
that he created the heavens and the earth, that he sustains all
life, that he made man upon this earth, that man rebelled against
God his maker in the garden, that he shook his fist at him
and in so doing sin entered and sin passed upon all men and death
by sin. and all die because all are sinners
and all who are born are born liars and are born raging against
God and all will be held accountable for their deeds. There is a judgment
to come. Do you deny these things? Do
you question them? Do you doubt them? Do you deny
that Christ was born? Do you deny that He was truly
the Son of God made man? Do you deny his claims whilst
on this earth? Do you deny that he died? Do
you deny that he rose again? Do you cast any doubt upon it? Do you question whether he lives
and reigns above today having ascended unto glory? Do you question
whether he will return again in power? Do you wonder whether
any of these things are truly going to come about? Are they just things you've heard,
things that others believe, things which give others some hope,
but things which are meaningless to you? Well if you question
them you make God a liar, for God says these things are true.
He says unto John here, write, for these words are true and
faithful, they are true. Do you want to know what tomorrow
will bring? What will come about in 2012? What does the future hold? Well
I can't tell you what will happen next week, next month or this
year but I can tell you with a certainty that there will come
a day when sun will pass into the new heavens and the new earth
and will sit around the throne of he who is Alpha and Omega
and where others who are fearful and unbelieving, idolaters and
liars, as I was, and as you either were
or are today, where others like that will have their part in
the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second
death. Fight it, hate it, despise it, reject it, shut your ears
to it all you will, But these words are true and faithful. And faced with the reality of
this lake of fire, and faced with the reality of this judgment
to come, and faced with the reality of what we are by nature as sinners
before a holy God, as corrupt, as hard-hearted, as unbelieving,
faced with such a reality how wonderful how needful it is that
God should say behold I make all things new all things new
all things how we need it how we need it that God should make
all things new for that which is old is terrible. That which we have inherited
from our fathers as children of Adam is corrupt and evil. That which we are by nature will
rightly be judged and destroyed. We need something new. And if
you know anything of your own heart, anything of the corruptions
of your way, anything of your own selfishness, anything of
your own desires, anything of the deceit that comes out of
your own heart. If your blind eyes have been
opened a little to see something of what you really are, and you've
been brought to stop fooling yourself in thinking that you
are wonderful when really you are awful before a holy God when
really your life measured against his righteousness doesn't just
not make the mark but it doesn't even begin to compare if God
has shown you something of what you really are and sounded some
alarm in your heart of what you really are and your need, how
you will cry out, oh, oh, that God should make all things new. I need a new heart. I need a new mind. I need a new
body. I need a new life. I need a new hope. by nature in the old man Adam.
We are desperately wicked, so desperately wicked, so utterly
fallen, that unless God makes all things new, what hope would
we have? It won't do to make some things
new. It won't do to change us now,
when we've done so much wrong before. Some when they hear something
of the truth of the gospel try to change their ways. They try
to seek after God, they try to go a new way, they try to turn
from what they once were. But however good they are in
so doing, however good an attempt they make to reform their life,
They can't do anything about what they once were and what
they have already done. And when they stand before God,
they have to give an account for all that they have done,
not just what they did today, but an account of all they have
done in the years before. We can't blot out the past. We need all things new. We need
the past blotted out. We need the present locked. We
need the present to be new. We need the future to be new.
We need righteousness. We can't do it. We can't change
ourselves. We can't change ourselves. We
can't make ourselves new. We as those who are dead in trespasses
and sins by nature, we can't cause ourselves to live. We can't
change ourselves. We are what we are. Many will make New Year resolutions
on days like this. And as everyone knows, New Year
resolutions hardly last a week before they're broken. Well,
if you can't keep a New Year resolution about some lifestyle
habit, about some diet you're going to go on, about some activity
you're going to undertake, if you can't last with that for
very long, how are you going to walk in righteousness? How
are you going to undo all the wrong that you have done and
walk right before a holy God endlessly, continuously, every
day? You cannot. We have no strength,
no ability. and ultimately no ultimate will
because our will is so fickle. One day it will seek after the
things of God and one day it will seek after our things and
the things of this world. Our old man is corrupt to the
core. He cannot change. He cannot improve
himself. He cannot reform himself. A reformation
won't do. Improving some things whilst
leaving other things alone won't do. Salvation does not stand
in a patching up or in an improvement of the old man Adam. God says
of men's attempts to patch themselves up, their attempts to reform,
their attempts to live a righteous life. He says of their righteousnesses
that even your righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Then if the
best things we do are filthy, then what of the worst things?
There's no hope. No hope if our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. If our attempts to do good are
not acceptable, what hope have we got? except that we look to
another, to God, who himself says, behold, I make all things
new. I do it. Not behold, all things
will be new. Not behold, let us make all things
new. Not behold, follow me and work
with me and we shall make things new. But behold, I make all things
new. He says unto those who would
try, those who would strive, those who hoped to make things
better themselves. He says, stand still, stop, and
look. Look, look at what I have done. Behold, I make all things new. Not some things, not most things,
not many things, but I make all things new. And it is I that
does it. Because you have no ability and
no strength in your state to do it. You need me to make you
new. You need me to change you. You
need me to do the work. And I do. And I have. John says I saw a new heaven
and a new earth. A new heaven and a new earth.
This heaven that we're in now, that we live under now, this
earth that we stand upon now, is not going to be reformed.
It's not going to be improved. It's not simply going to have
everybody saved. But it's going to be destroyed
and taken away and replaced with a new heaven and a new earth. God's gospel, God's salvation,
God's purpose is to bring in a new heaven and a new earth. All things are new. 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 Jerusalem, the holy city. Well, what of old Jerusalem? It's to be done away with. What
is old Jerusalem? Old Jerusalem was the holy city
in this world. Old Jerusalem is a picture of
the religion of man in this world. It's a picture of that place
in which the Jews worshipped God according to the old covenant
that He gave them, where they sacrificed unto God, where they
sought to worship God, where they sought to follow Him. And
yet God says of it that it will go with this world. there will
be a new Jerusalem. Because that religion below was
not and is not good enough, it's corrupt. the righteousnesses
of those that worshipped in Jerusalem, the righteousnesses of those
who worship in the churches below, the righteousnesses of all those
who seek to come into glory by their own ends and their own
means are as filthy rags. then not only will the world
and its corruptions and the blindness of this world be destroyed, not
only will the fearful and unbelieving, abominable murderers, whoremongers,
sorcerers, idolaters and liars be sent into that lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone, not only will that be destroyed,
But all those religious, all those self-righteous, all those
who seek to climb up unto God as they build, as it were, a
tower of Babel, all those who seek to climb up unto heaven
by their own strength, by their own righteousness, by their own
will, will ultimately in the end find that they have a part
in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. because they,
in common with others, were fearful, were unbelieving. They, today,
are unbelieving. They are idolaters and they are
liars because they reject the gospel of God's Son, they reject
the truth that God alone makes all things new. Do you want all things to be
new? Then how will it come about? Are you seeking to change things? Are you seeking to be the one?
Are they new because you decided to change and to go this way?
Are they new because you were doing so well? Oh you had a life
that was like this once. But now you go to a church, now
you go to worship, now you live like this. And how much better
you are than you once were. And how God will be pleased with
you. Oh, you're so sure, aren't you? Lord, Lord, I've done this
in thy name and I've done that in thy name. And yet in your
heart, you reject the truth that you've made nothing new. That
you could not, that you would not. but there is a God who himself
makes all things new. Are you believing or unbelieving? Because we will never believe
until we're taught that we cannot put a finger to this. Until we're
taught that all that is of this world and all of its religion
just leads man to destruction. But that all salvation, all hope,
all glory comes from God alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone. And He does indeed make all things
new. We'll never learn until God takes
us aside and causes us to stand still and to cease from what
we do, cease from our work, cease from our will, and says unto
us in power by His Spirit, behold look look to my gospel look through
my gospel at my son behold i make all things new all things there
is a new heaven a new earth a new jerusalem in which dwell those
who are born again Those who were once dead who by my grace
hear the gospel and live, they are new. All my children, all those whom
I save are born anew, they are new creatures. They have new
hearts. They will have new bodies, resurrected
with Christ, risen from the dead. Their old bodies will be sown
in corruption. They will be raised on that last
day in incorruption with new bodies. Their old hearts has
been destroyed and put away, crucified with my son at the
cross, slain. And I put in them a new heart
and a new spirit. They have new minds, new mentalities,
They have repented, I've granted them repentance because I've
given them metanoia. Repentance, a new mind, a change
of mind, I've turned them around. Once they went this way, now
they go this way. Where are you heading? Has God
made you new? Has he put a new heart in you?
Has he given you a new mind? Has he given you a new mind about
the gospel, about Christ, about the vitality, the importance
of these things? Things which perhaps once to
you were a weariness, once to you was something that you perhaps
heard in a religious education class in school. once you perhaps
heard from time to time when dragged to church or perhaps
your parents have brought you up to go to the meetings and
you've heard the gospel but they're just words and your heart's desired
other things but has God begun to sow a seed in your heart to
desire these things and to no longer consider these things
a weariness but to consider them vital to seek after everlasting
life, to seek after that water of life, to seek after the fountain,
to seek after He who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. Perhaps He has worked the work
in you, perhaps He has begun a change in you, but are you
still wallowing in the old covenant, rather than turning to the new?
Are you still wallowing in that law that God gave to Moses? Still seeking to keep it, still
seeking to reform yourself? And you haven't come to see the
reason it was given which was to show you that you are a sinner
without strength and ability, unable to keep it, without any
righteousness, filthy with a filthy heart, a violent and deceitful
heart. If you're brought there, You'll
realize the old covenant will never do. You need a new covenant. One in which God is the one that
fulfills all the needs of the covenant, all the terms. One
in which God does it, one in which he writes the promises
and he fulfills it. One in which he says this will
be done and I will perform it. One in which he says behold,
I make all things new. Are you still wallowing in the
old man Adam in the flesh seeking to live by your strength or has
God crucified you with Christ? Has He slain you with Him? Has
He taken you to the cross? And have you seen yourself crucified
and nailed to that cross? And looked unto Christ the new
man? And seen yourself as a new man
created in righteousness? Have you seen you, your name,
your old man, what you were nailed to the cross? And do you rejoice
that you were nailed? Do you rejoice that you were
judged? Do you rejoice that you were slain with Christ as He
died in your place? and do you rejoice that he, that
old man has been laid in the grave and you with Christ have
risen up the other side of death a new man as God brought you
there as he's shown you that blood that washes away all that
was old that blocks away all that was old all that was filthy
all those filthy garments which you had in your natural state
Has he blotted them all out in that blood? Has he taken a new
garment, a white robe and dressed you in righteousness, in holiness? Can you rejoice with a God who
brings in a new creation? Behold, all things are new. The
former things are passed away. And you rejoice in a God that
does it all. Do you rejoice that he does it
all? Do you rejoice that he has done it all? Because he does
it all, not man. Oh see this clearly. I make all things new. It's not a matter of us doing
anything. we're not called to do anything
we're not called to add any part to this to add anything to this
to add any of our action or our will to this we're called to
see and he brings us to see and he opens our blind eyes to see
and he leads us and he opens the eyes and touches them and
says look look behold look on and see what i have done because
he has done it all he's done it all and he said unto me it
is done It is done. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is
a first of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that
overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son. I make all things. This is true
and faithful. it is done it is not being done
it not it is not that it will be done it is not let us do this
together but it is said to sinners lost in sin in the darkness of
corruption come and behold it's done You whose eyes I have opened,
I have already saved you. I've blotted out your sins. I've
taken away your old man. I've judged it already. There's
no judgment gonna come your way. There's nothing for you to fear. There's nothing for you to doubt.
It's done. All things are new. And this
is the hope I set before you. You will dwell with me. in a
new heaven and a new earth there's nothing to add nothing left to
be done nothing unfinished it's done it's done i make all things
new all things not just new years the world looks at a past and
a time of hopes and ambitions but this god stands outside a
time in eternity he knows the end from the beginning he doesn't
look to the coming of another year with hopes that this should
come about he knows what will come about he looks upon the
this world and its history from the dawn of time to the end of
time he knows what's coming and he knows that what is coming
is that there is a day coming when he will take all those for
whom his son laid down his life on the tree, all those for whom
he died and suffered, all those for whom he drank the cup of
God's wrath, he will take all those for whom his blood was
shed and bring them to see and bring them to see that all things
are new and bring them to be with him where he is. He will
cause all of them in their thirst to drink of the fountain of the
water of life freely. And He will cause them all to
overcome all, all opposition, all trials, all persecution. They will by His grace, by His
power alone, they will overcome all. and in the end they shall
inherit all things because he is their God and they are his
sons his daughters his children he is the Alpha and the Omega
the beginning and the end and when he looks on time it is done
I make all things new then look Behold, behold while you may. Don't shut your ears in fear
and unbelief. Don't wake up on that last day
to discover your part in the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone. But may God by grace open your
eyes today, open your ears to hear his son speak. Open your
ears to hear his speech from on high when he says unto you,
Behold, I make all things new. It is done. Hear the speech of the Alpha
and Omega, the One who is the beginning and end. Hear Him. and hear the wondrous, wondrous
news that all that is old, all that is corrupt, all the captivity
of man by nature, all the sin and corruption, all the death
and rebellion, all the sickness and wars, all the famines and
ruins, all the tragedies, all the tsunamis, all the earthquakes,
all the wickedness and evil and the tragedy of this world will
be done away with. and all those for whom Christ
died, all those who have drunk off his water, all those who
have washed in his blood, all those who have faith to behold,
will behold with a certainty that he has made all things new. Have you heard his voice? Have
you beheld? Do you know that it is done? Is it done for you? Is it finished
for you? Is it wrought for you? Can you
say with a heart, a new heart, a heart of faith, that in Christ
it is true? In Christ I looked, in Christ
I beheld, and I know that in Christ my all in all, in Christ
I can behold, and I can say that all things are new and I can
worship and praise and throw my crown at the feet of Him who
has said unto me behold I make all things new. Amen.