The Holy City, New Jerusalem

Q: What does the Bible say about the New Jerusalem?

The New Jerusalem is described as the holy city coming down from heaven, symbolizing the church of God in its eternal glory. The New Jerusalem, as depicted in Revelation 21:2, represents the church of God in its complete and eternal form. It symbolizes the beauty, glory, and triumph of God's people in Christ Jesus. The imagery conveys a profound truth about the unity and perfection of the church, which consists of those redeemed by the blood of Christ, showcasing a reality far greater than any earthly city. This city is a reflection of God’s grace and purpose from eternity, emphasizing that it is established by God and continually comes down from heaven, emphasizing God’s initiative in salvation.

Q: How do we know that God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

God's grace is sufficient as it is rooted in His eternal purpose and His redemptive work through Christ. The doctrine of God's grace is central to the understanding of salvation in sovereign grace theology. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares that we are saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. This grace is not only sufficient but also necessary because it highlights the absolute dependency of sinners on God's mercy. The work of Christ on the cross secures our redemption, ensuring that those chosen from eternity are called, justified, and ultimately glorified (Romans 8:30). The entirety of salvation hinges on God’s unchanging purpose and His sovereign grace, protecting the elect from any possibility of failure or loss.

Q: Why is the holiness of the church important?

The holiness of the church reflects the purity and righteousness of Christ, ensuring that the elect are accepted before God. The holiness of the church is of paramount importance because it underscores the work of Christ in purifying and redeeming His people. Revelation 21:9-10 illustrates the church, the New Jerusalem, as a bride prepared for her husband, emphasizing its complete righteousness in Christ. In God's eyes, the church is holy because it is covered by the blood of Christ, which removes all sin and condemnation. Understanding the church's holiness aids believers in recognizing their identity in Christ and motivates them to pursue holiness in their daily lives, echoing the call to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called (Ephesians 4:1).

Q: What role does Christ play in the New Jerusalem?

Christ is central to the New Jerusalem as both the light and the foundation of this holy city. In the New Jerusalem, Christ serves as the radiance and the essence of the city's glory. Revelation 21:23 notes that the city has no need for the sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates it, indicating that Christ, as the light of the world, is essential to understanding God’s purpose and glory. Furthermore, the foundation of the city is built upon the teachings of the apostles, which ultimately points to Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). This reveals that the city, and by extension the church, draws its life, purpose, and existence solely from Christ, underscoring His preeminence and sufficiency for salvation and eternal life.

Q: How does the New Jerusalem illustrate God's sovereignty?

The New Jerusalem illustrates God's sovereignty through the certitude that all whom He has chosen will be included in His eternal kingdom. The New Jerusalem stands as a testament to God's unalterable sovereign will in saving His people. Revelation 21:27 reveals that nothing unclean will enter the city, assuring believers that all whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will dwell there eternally. This underscores the truth that God's purpose in election, redemption, and glorification is perfect and cannot fail. The church as the New Jerusalem epitomizes God's control over history and His unchanging plan to bring His chosen ones into communion with Himself forever. The unwavering promise that none of the elect will be lost signifies the power and authority of God over all creation.

Throughout the book of Revelation,
we have seen vision after vision of the Lord Jesus Christ in his
redemptive, saving, preserving grace. Every vision seen and
recorded by John sets forth the whole history of redemption from
the incarnation of Christ and to the final consummation of
all things at our Lord's glorious second advent. Each vision contains
three things. It contains that which is historical,
that which is current, and that which is prophetic. Each vision
tells us what the Lord has done, is doing, and shall do for the
good of his people, for their everlasting salvation, and for
the glory of his name. As you read through the book
of Revelation, You get a sense of anticipation. Everything appears
to be moving steadily in one direction with one steady pace
toward one particular end, toward one glorious accomplished goal. In reality, history is not, as
the historians like to say, as the scientists like to imagine,
history is not circular. That is, the world did not kind
of evolved, you know, out of nothing, and it evolved into
this great universe that we now enjoy, but it's gradually going
back in reverse to nothing. They tell us about the Ice Age,
you know, and how once this world was covered with ice, and now
we're gradually experiencing another Ice Age. It's gradually
coming on. If we hang on another 20 or 30
billion years, we'll be covered with ice again. That's kind of
silly. It's ridiculous. It's beyond
reason. It's certainly not scientific.
But history is not circular at all. History is linear. History
moves from beginning all the way through time toward one glorious
final event. History began with God saying,
let there be light. And there was light. And it shall
end. when God who is light comes again
into his glorious universe which he has made. History moves with
a direct line to that day when the Lord God himself shall be
revealed in the full accomplishment of redemption by Jesus Christ
our Lord. Now this is the vision which
John sees in Revelation 21 verses 9 through chapter 22 and verse
5. In this passage of scripture,
we have a beautiful symbolic picture, a symbolic picture. Now, please mark that. As you
read through the book, these pictures are not to be taken
literally. They are to be looked upon as
symbols, symbols of beauty, symbols of glory, symbols of majesty,
but they are symbols. The symbol is far less. than the reality is. The symbol
is far less than the glory that shall be revealed, but it is
a symbol, a picture, and the whole passage that is before
us is a symbol of what God shall do for His elect in Christ Jesus. It is a symbolic picture of the
Church of God, the Bride of Christ, as God views it. It is the Holy
City, the New Jerusalem. Now remember, the picture is
indeed altogether symbolical. It is a picture of the church
of God in her eternal heavenly glory. But this vision of the
church, it's not only a vision of her triumph and her glory,
it is also a vision of her triumphant glory right now in Christ Jesus
the Lord. We right now in Christ, the church
of God, you and I, we are right now complete in Christ. Everything we need, everything
God requires of us, everything God will bestow upon man is presently
the possession of God's church. The bride and body of Christ
is already complete in this sense that God has chosen his people,
God has redeemed his people, and they are in him, in Christ
Jesus according to God's eternal purpose right now. So that there's
no possibility of failure, there's no possibility of disappointment,
there's no possibility of incompletion insofar as the kingdom and church
of God is concerned. Our Lord declared upon this rock,
speaking of himself, I will build my church. and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. There is no possibility of failure. And in this passage of Scripture,
John describes the glorious, perfect completion of God's church
in Christ Jesus. Here he tells us 12 things about
the church of the living God, the holy city, the New Jerusalem.
Now let me give you these things as I've gone through and just
picked out these things. We'll come back and study them
a little more in detail. But first of all, John tells
us the angel took him off into a great high mountain, and that's
the mountain of faith. Only upon the mountain of faith
do we see things as they really are. We look at things down here
on earth level. We look at things through the
eyes of the flesh, and everything seems to be in chaos. Everything
seems to be disappointment. Everything seems to be incomplete.
But standing upon the mountain of faith, the mountain of God's
holy word, by the Spirit of God, we see things as they really
are. How are they? First, John tells
us that the church of God is described as a city, the holy
city, the great city, the New Jerusalem. Look in chapter 21
and verse 2. And I, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as
a bride, adorned for her husband. 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. The church of God is a city,
and it is always coming down to men from the throne of God. The church didn't begin in the
world. The church did not begin in time. The church began in
eternity. The church began in the purpose
of God. The kingdom of God began in His eternal decree at His
throne, and it comes down to this earth, not that it begins
here and rises up to heaven, but it begins in heaven and comes
down to the earth by the blessing of God. It's always coming down
from above. You see, the church of God is
compared to a city because it is a community of men and women
a community of men and women in fellowship with God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is a city, but it is called
the city of God. Over in Psalm 46, the psalmist
describes the church as being the city of God. It is the city
built by God, built upon God, and the thing that binds the
citizens of the city together is God himself. We dwell together
in this holy city in communion and fellowship with one accord
with God Almighty through the mediation of Jesus Christ. It
is called the holy city. That is, it is holy because it
is purified by the blood of Christ. It is holy because in this church
there is no sin. It is holy because it is perfectly
righteous in Christ Jesus. Say, Pastor, can you really say
that the Church of God today has no sin? Sure I can say that.
Absolutely. As God sees it, not as we experience
it. There's an abundance of sin in
our experience. There's an abundance of sin in
everything about us, but because we're redeemed by the blood of
Christ, our sins are put away. He was manifested to take away
our sins, and in Him is no sin. Are you in Christ? In Christ
there is no sin. No sin. He's taken it away. No
condemnation, no possibility of sin or condemnation for Christ
took it away. It is a holy city and it is called
the New City. I kept looking at that and I
wonder what's the significance. The New City, the New Jerusalem. Well, it's a city that's been
made new, altogether new, by the grace and mercy of God in
Christ Jesus. For if any man be in Christ,
he's a new creature. But more than that, it's a city
built upon a charter of a new covenant, the covenant of God's
grace before the world began. It's a city whose glory shall
be seen in a new world, even the world which God himself shall
create, wherein dwelleth perfect righteousness. It's a very large
city. We're told of this city that
its length and height and breadth measure something close to 1,400
miles high, 1,400 miles long, 1,400 miles wide. Now obviously the figure is not
to be taken literally, but as you read verse 16, the city lieth
four square. And the length is as large as
the breadth. And the measure of 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 140 and 4 cubits according to the measure of a man, that
is, of the angel. He's telling us that this city,
as it's pictured, is 1,400 miles this way. 1,400 miles this way.
1,400 miles this way. and 1,400 miles this way. Now
what does that signify? It does not signify that it's
a city larger than New York or Hong Kong. That's not significance
at all. It signifies that the city is
a huge thing. Its inhabitants are 10,000 times
10,000. Yes, thousands of thousands.
As the sands by the seashore, as the stars of the sky, innumerable
is the host of God's elect. It's a great and mighty city.
This city, being very large, however, is a perfectly complete
city. Perfectly complete. It's a perfect
cube. Perfect. Perfect symmetry. In
other words, there's not one citizen in this city missing.
There's not one whose name is written in the charter of the
city, the Lamb's book of life, who's not found in the city.
It's perfectly complete. The body and bride of Christ
shall lack none, none whatsoever. People have the notion these
days that if men believe not, then the purpose of God is frustrated.
They have notions these days that somehow or another the glory
of God and the holy city of God, the habitation of God's saints
in heaven, will somehow be disrupted and saddened and vacant places
found because man won't let God have his way. Hear me, this city
is absolutely perfect in its symmetry. There are no empty
places in the city. There are no vacant seats around
the throne of God. There is nothing lacking in this
city. You read the book of Romans,
the eighth chapter. The Apostle Paul says, For whom
he did foreknow, them he also did predestinate. Whom he did
predestinate, them he also called. Whom he called, them he also
justified. Whom he justified, them he also
glorified. The very ones that God from eternity
foreknew, the very ones whom he predestinated, they are the
ones he called, they are the ones he justified, and they are
the ones he glorified. Not one is missing. I'm telling
you that all of God's elect, every sinner in this world loved
and chosen of God shall be with him forever. The Lord Jesus Christ
will see to it. And this city is a radiant, highly
valued city, for it's a city of pure gold. Now there's lots
of emotional hype in songs written about the streets of purest gold
and all that silly stuff. What does it signify? When we
talk about this city being a city of pure gold, it signifies this
city is valued beyond any measure of gold. It means this city,
this city is perfect. It means this city has no alloy
mixed with it. It means this city has nothing
about it that corrupts, nothing about it that defiles. This city
is the city of the living God. Turn over to Psalm 46. Let me
show you this. Or Psalm 48, rather. Verse 1, Great is the Lord, and
greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain
of His holiness. Beautiful for situation. The
joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King. This is the city I'm talking
about. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. Now skip down to
verse 12. Walk about Zion. Come on now,
that's what I want us to do tonight. Let's walk about the walls of
this city. Let's walk about Zion. Walk about Zion and go round
about her. Tell the towers thereof. Mark
ye well her bulwarks. Consider her palaces, that ye
may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our
God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto
death. This city then. which John describes
is called the city of the living God. But secondly, this holy
city, the church, is the bride of Christ. Again, look at verse
2. This new Jerusalem comes down
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. In verse 9, this angel said,
Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. Again,
I stress that John is not talking about things. He's talking about
people. He's not talking about literal
walls. He's not talking about literal
gates. He's not talking about literal streets. He's talking
about people. He's talking about the church of the living God.
When we talk about the church, we're not talking about these
pieces of wood and the furniture and the walls and the light fixtures.
Who would ever imagine such a thing? We're talking about you. I'm
talking about you. And this is what John is describing.
He's talking about you and me, the people of God, the bride
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to Ephesians 5. Ephesians
chapter 5. I'll tell you what this bride
is. In Ephesians 5 verse 25, Paul
says, Husbands, love your wives. even as Christ also loved the
church. Who did he love? This holy city,
his bride, the church. Christ loved the church and gave
himself for it. Who did he redeem? The church,
his holy bride, those people whom he loved. He gave himself
for it, for this purpose, that he might sanctify it and cleanse
it with the washing of the water by the word, that he might present
it to himself. Now look at it. that he might
present it to himself a glorious church. And he's not talking
about this local assembly here. He's not talking about the Baptist
denomination. He's not talking about some...
particular group of churches. He's talking about all of God's
elect scattered throughout all the earth. Christ loved the church. That includes Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, and Bob, and Wes, and Merle. That's the church
of the living God. Christ loved the church. Christ
redeemed this church so that he might sanctify it, so that
he might purify it, so 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 before him. Now
I'm going to show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. Who is it? It's the object of his eternal
love. John says, I was called up into the high mountain and
the angel said, look here, look here. Here's the object of God's
eternal love. Why did God create this world?
Why did God make all things to happen that have happened? Right
here it is, the object of His eternal love. God did it all
for her. God did it all for her. He loved her with an everlasting
love. She's the choice of His heart.
The Lord God out of all the nations of the earth and all the peoples
of the earth has chosen this bride. He's chosen this church.
He's chosen these men and women out of every nation, kindred,
tribe and tongue. She is the one to whom He has
betrothed. He betrothed Himself to her in
the covenant of grace. He said, I will be your God and
you shall be my people. He set his heart upon her, and
he said, I will take away the name Bailey out of your mouth.
You'll no more call me a hard master, a hard despot, but you'll
call me Ishi. Ishi, my husband, my man, my
Lord, the one whom I love. I'll not be called by you the
despot, but I'll be called by you the Lord, the sovereign ruler,
the object of your love. She is the one for whom dowry
has been paid. She's the one whom he redeemed
with his precious blood. He paid the dowry for her. She's
purchased by him. She's bought by him and she belongs
to him. He has a right to her and he
will not lose what he's redeemed. She's the one whom he is coming
to wed. But thirdly, we have to move
along. This city, the New Jerusalem, is a well-lit city. Look at verse
11. She has the glory of God. And
her light was likened to a stone most precious, even like a jasper
stone as clear as crystal. Verse 23. 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. 22 verse 5. There
shall be no night there. They have no need of candle,
or they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord
God giveth them light." The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, He's
the light of the world, and in Him the light of the glory of
God shines unto us and shines in us. The Lord God Himself,
as He is revealed and known in Christ, the sin-atoning Lamb,
is the light of the city. Christ is the light that drives
out the darkness of ignorance. Christ is the light that drives
away the darkness of sorrow. Christ is the light that drives
away the night of despair. Christ, the Lord our God, the
Lamb, He's the light. He's the light. Can you see the
light? Can you see the light, Jesus Christ, the light of the
world? He's the light of Zion. He's the light of God's church,
both here and hereafter. You see, it is only in Christ
that the glory of God is seen right here now. The glory of
God shines into the hearts of men in the face of Jesus Christ
by the gospel we preach. Some of you can see that. You
can see the glory of God in the Redeemer's face. You can see
it. It shines in your heart. You not only behold the doctrinal
truth of the gospel, you behold the glory of the gospel. This
is the glory of God revealed. We see it now. Oh, we see now
through a glass darkly, I grant. We don't see it like we're going
to see it, but we see the glory of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
That's the only way you'll ever see it. The only way you'll ever
see it is in Christ. You won't find it in your books
of theology. You won't find it in your words
of men, you won't find it in your studies, in your academic
accomplishments. You'll not find the glory of
God there. You'll not see the glory of God out in nature, no.
We see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ as he's
revealed in the gospel in our hearts by the Spirit of God.
Do you see it? In eternity. the Lord Jesus Christ
himself will be the light of God's elect. In other words,
we will see the glory of God then only in Jesus Christ our
Lord. Now, let me try to stress to
you the importance of this. We recognize and we know, we
worship, we rejoice in the Divine Trinity. We believe in Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, one God and three glorious persons, yet
one indivisible God. There are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these
three are one. But we recognize as well that all the knowledge
of God we have All of God we know, all of God we shall ever
see, all of God we hear, all of God we touch, all of God we
grasp is Jesus Christ the Lord in Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily and He's the light. He's the light. We'll
come into heaven's glory and sitting upon that throne, sitting
on that throne, we'll see light. light. I don't mean by that dazzling
braveness, though that's included. I don't mean by that some mysterious
aura. I don't mean by that something
that's beyond grasping in our own minds and hearts right now.
We're going to see everything with understanding, with perception,
with clarity as we behold God. face to face. Behold God, all
that he is. God who's a spirit, who no man
can see, no man can approach unto. God who's glorious, majestic. God who's incomprehensible. God
whom the heavens cannot contain. We're going to see him. We're
going to see him. What are we going to see? A man. A man with nail prints in his
hands. a man with a hole in his side,
a man with scars on his head, a man who lived and died for
us. That's our God. And we'll see
him. When we see him, we shall know even as we're gone. We'll
see light. He's the light of Zion. But fourthly,
the church is the temple of God. We know that. But here John tells
us that the church, that God is the temple of the church.
Look in verse 22. Verse 22, The church is the temple
of God, but God is the temple of the church. And I saw no temple
therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of
it. God dwells in us. That's glorious,
blessed truth. You're the temple of the living
God. The Spirit of God dwells in you. If you belong to Christ,
you're the temple of God. Daily, daily, immutably, forever,
God dwells in you. But listen, try to get hold of
this. God is our temple, and we dwell in Him. We dwell in
Him. Our sphere of existence, our
sphere of being, our sphere of life is God. God Himself. He's our temple. We don't worship
at any material altar. That's idolatry. We don't worship
in any sanctuary. I go in places and have a sign
on the door leading into the auditorium that says sanctuary.
This ain't not a sanctuary. It's not a sanctuary. It's a
building. That's all. It's just so much wood. That's
all. It's going to burn. This is not
a sanctuary. God's our temple. God's our temple. We worship
God in spirit and in truth. He's our temple. We dwell in
Him. We worship Him day by day. We worship Him hour by hour.
We worship Him as well on the job as we do in this place. The
only difference between here and another place is that we
have set this place aside for God's people to gather as one
in public worship. But the church of God has nothing
to do with the material building. Nothing at all to do with it.
We dwell in him now and in heaven. The only difference between our
existence now and our existence then is that we shall dwell in
the conscious full manifestation of the atmosphere of God without
sin. Without sin. That's the difference.
That's the difference. The difference between the life
of God's people now and the life of God's people in glory is that
there we will have no experience of sin, none of the consequences
of sin, and we will have the full understanding and comprehension
of the fact that we dwell immediately in God and dwell in him forever. Oh, wondrous glory. What an honor. What a privilege, what security,
what prospect. Fifthly, the New Jerusalem is
a divinely secured fortress of grace. Look in verse 12. This city had a great wall, a
wall great and high, and 12 gates. And at the gates, 12 angels,
and the names written thereon, which are the names of the 12
tribes of the children of Israel. Again in verse 17, and he measured
the wall thereof. In verse 18, and the building
of the wall of it. Round about the city is a great
high wall, a wall with four sides. It's an unseen wall. John sees
it in the vision, but it's an unseen wall. But this great unseen
wall is a very secure wall, for the wall of our salvation is
the Lord God Himself. Turn over to Zechariah, book
of Zechariah chapter 2. This wall is the triune God. This wall is our Savior. This
wall is not something that we see or feel or touch. This wall
is God Himself. Zechariah 2 verse 5. For I sayeth
the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about and will
be the glory in the midst of her. He's our wall. The Lord
God is round about us as a wall to protect, as a wall to defend
us. The wall of our salvation is
one wall, but it has four sides. It's a wall on the north side
and on the south side, on the east side and on the west side.
That wall is our God. We are fixed and set and protected
in the purpose of God Almighty. God's purpose secures His church. The Lord God has chosen us. The
Lord God has purpose to have us. The Lord God, by His purpose
and decree, will not allow one hair of our head to be harmed. His purpose is a wall about us.
The purchase of God is also a wall around us. The Lord Jesus Christ,
by the shedding of His blood, has purchased every citizen of
this city. Everyone. Everyone living in Zion. Everyone
chosen in Zion. Everyone who shall be brought
to life in faith in Jesus Christ. Every one of them is purchased
by God. He can't lose one or He'll lose
His glory. He can't lose one. I mean not one of them. There's
no possibility that Christ redeemed one should perish, for His blood
is the revelation of His glory, and if one should die, His glory
dies with it. The power of God is a wall to
secure this church. No matter what assaults Satan
may bring, no matter what assaults the world, the flesh, sin may
bring, the power of God preserves us. The power of God keeps us.
The power of God upholds us. He said, I give unto them eternal
life and they shall never perish. Why? Because nobody's going to
snatch them out of my hand. Nobody will snatch them out of
my hand. I am the Lord. I change not. You sons of Jacob
are not consumed. And the promise of God, that's
a wall to protect us. He said, I give eternal life.
They'll never perish. If one of God's elect should
perish, the promise of God falls to the ground. God himself has
proved to be a liar, and there's no truth anywhere in the world. None at all. So how can you speak
so confidently? Because God said it. That's all.
God said it. Not one of his own shall perish.
But look sixthly, verse 14. and see that the foundation upon
which this city is built, the foundations are the twelve apostles
of Christ. Verse 14, And the wall of the
city had twelve foundations, in them the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb. Verse 19, And the foundations
of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of
precious stones. Now, men and women, built in
this city are built upon a sure foundation. And when John sees
these 12 foundations laid upon which the wall of salvation is
built, upon which the wall of hope and everlasting life, the
walls of Zion are built, he sees those 12 foundations. What on
earth is the significance of that picture? It's just this. Men and women come into this
city come into the church of God and enter into glory at last
by the preaching of the apostles. That is, by the message that
the apostles delivered. Turn over to Ephesians 2 and
I'll show you. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 20. The very foundation of hope,
the very foundation of life everlasting, it's not that the foundation
of the city is the apostles themselves. The foundations of the city is
the singular message which all the apostles preached. Ephesians
2 and verse 20. And you are built upon the foundation,
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. You see, the apostles themselves
are built upon this foundation and the message they preach,
the message they declare, what we have written in the book and
that which I now preach to you is the very message of the apostles
and that message is Jesus Christ the Lord, Jesus Christ Himself. These apostles are all messengers
of the Lamb. That's what apostles mean. They're
called the apostles of the Lamb. That simply means they're the
heralds of the Lamb. They're the ones who go around the world
and declare the Lamb. They're the ones who say, behold,
the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Their foundations
are Jesus Christ himself. And in this great foundation,
the gospel of Christ Jesus our Lord, all the glorious attributes
of God are revealed. You see all of these twelve manner
of stones that are described in the walls, in the foundations
of the walls. I can't help but to think that
those precious stones describe the attributes of God as they're
revealed in the gospel. Mercy and truth, righteousness
and peace, justice and grace, love and severity. goodness and
severity, all the attributes of the Lord our God set forth
in the gospel. We see how that God in Christ
Jesus by the sacrifice of Christ, by the punishing of the substitute
in our stead, on our behalf, we see how that God can be as
just as though He never forgave sin and as merciful as though
He never punished sin. We see here in Jesus Christ,
in the gospel of Christ, how that God Almighty can be perfectly,
utterly, severely strict and righteous in the maintenance
of His law. and yet perfectly, abundantly
gracious and merciful in the pardon of sin, in perfect consistency
with the law. Here the attributes of God shine
forth in the message of the apostles, Jesus Christ our Lord. No one
on this earth can declare the revelation of God's character,
of God's attributes, except that person who knows and understands
the message of God's substitutionary redemption of sinners by Jesus
Christ the Lord. The seventhly, this great city
has 12 gates of pearl. Again, in verse 12, we read,
this city had a wall great and high and had 12 gates and at
the gates, 12 angels and the names written thereon, which
are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. In
verse 13, On the east, three gates. On the north, three gates. On the south, three gates. And
on the west, three gates. Verse 21. And the twelve gates were twelve
pearls. Every several gate or every individual
gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was
of pure gold, as transparent as glass. Verse 25. And the gates
of it shall not be shut at all by day. for there shall be no
night there." Now, what does that signify? Well, first, there
are twelve gates described here, three on each side of the city,
facing in every corner of the earth, three gates facing. The gates are open. The gates
are all wide open. They're standing wide open. What
on earth does that signify? It tells us first that there
are plenty of open gates. on every side for everybody who
will to enter in. Would you enter into life? Would
you enter into the city of righteousness? Would you enter into the glory
of God? The gates open. The gates are
wide open. Come, enter in. Oh, everyone
that thirsteth, let him come and take of the water of life
freely. But those gates are made and opened for a specific people
whose names are written on the gates. the twelve tribes of the
children of Israel. Who on earth is that? We're the
Israel of God. The very people whose names are
written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of
the world. Those gates are open so that anybody who will can
come in. But the names written on those
gates describe the people who will enter in. They are those
chosen in the Lamb before the world began. Concerning these gates, at every
gate there's an angel. I don't need to tell you the
angel here described is not one of the spirit beings which God
created before he made the world. The angel here described is a
man. In verse 17, it tells us plainly that the city was measured
by the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. The angel described
at these gates. I believe you're looking at one
of them. Believe you are. The word simply
is messenger. Messenger. The angel stands at
the gate. Here I stand before you in the
name of God Almighty with a message from God and I'm telling you
Jesus Christ is the gate of life and my business is to point you
to the gate. Say enter in. Enter in. Come on! There's an
angel standing at the gate. He says, come! Come! Come to
the banquet! Come to the feasting! Come to
Christ Jesus the Lord. Come and wash all your sins away. Come and be robed in perfect
righteousness. Plunge in today and be made complete. Come on. Come on to Christ Jesus.
Will you come? That's my business. Calling you
in the name of God to come to Christ. But these gates, these
gates are pearls. One pearl. I know what the pearl
is. It's the pearl of great price,
Jesus Christ our Lord. He's the gate, the door, the
only door by whom we enter into the city. I am the door, he said,
by me, if any man enter in. You're going to have to come
by the door. You're going to have to come by the door. Door's
the way of access. You want to get into that room?
You got to go by the door. You say, well, I'll go around
back door. In this city, not any back door. There's just one
door. Jesus Christ is the door. He's
seen on every part of the world, or in every part of the world,
and He's opened in every direction, but there's only one door. No
matter who comes in, you're going to have to come by this door.
No matter how old they are or how young they are, you're going
to have to come by this door. No matter how rich or how poor,
you've got to come by this door. You've got to come by the merits
of Jesus Christ's obedience, by the merits of His blood and
His righteousness, or you cannot enter into the city. No matter
when you enter in, no matter where you enter in, no matter
who enters, you must enter in by the door. I am the way, the
truth, and the life. Our Savior said, no man cometh
unto the father, but by me. The gates of this beautiful city
are never shut. They're never shut. Isn't that merciful? If I had the gates in my control, there are times when I'd shut
them. Because I'm hard, and I get disgusted. I get upset, men and
women. I preach and explain and preach
and explain, and you despise what I preach, you who believe
not. You despise the gospel of God's
free grace, and I get upset. Just stay out. Just stay out. He's not our God. He's not like
I am. The gates are never shut. Come,
enter into the city. Come, enter into the city. Christ
Jesus is an open door for needy sinners. Oh, if there's a needy,
thirsty, hungry, helpless sinner in this place, Christ is an open
door right now, open to you who will enter in. Come, enter in
by Christ Jesus the Lord. The street of the city is pure
gold, transparent as glass. Verse 21. Notice the language,
and the street. He does not say, and the streets.
He said, and the street of the city. I like that. There's not but one street in
the city. There are Baptist around this
part of the country. who are of the opinion that they're
going to live on Main Street and the rest of us are going
to live on 20th Avenue, you know, somewhere in heaven's glory,
the number one street in this city. It's the street of God's
paving. It is a street running through
the city, coming from every gate right up to the throne of the
Lamb and the rivers of the water of life and the tree of life.
And that street is pure, transparent, gold. What is it? It's the gospel
of Jesus Christ the Lord. The way to God is the gospel
of his grace. The gospel is the only way. The
gospel of God's free grace is pure and transparent. There's
nothing to hide, nothing No hidden things that we're going to kind
of jump on you with later on. Once you get in, then later on
we'll tell you some of the secrets. No, the gospel of God's grace
is out of here, plain for everyone to view, pure and transparent
to everyone's vision. We're telling you the truth right
out front. We're telling you what it's going to cost you.
We're telling you what the way is. We're telling you the hardships
of the way. And we tell you the blessedness of the way. Come
to Jesus Christ and live and know the way of life in Him alone. But the gospel is as a street
of pure gold, the most highly valued thing in all the world. I was talking to Brother Jim
Meadows this afternoon Jack Dempsey, two of the men from Ashland,
did my heart good to hear them speak of the privilege they enjoy,
how blessed of God we are to hear the gospel of God's grace,
to have a man declaring the gospel of God's grace to us week after
week after week, to go and know that there's a man who studies
and prepares and seeks a message from God and he declares to us
the gospel. Pure gold. Pure gold, more highly
valued than rubies and diamonds and gold. This is the gospel
of God's free grace. Ninth, this great city is supplied
by life, by the river of the water of life that proceeds from
the throne of God. Look in verse one of chapter
22. And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as
crystal. proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb. The river does not flow by the
throne of God. It proceeds out of the throne
of God. For the source of life is the
throne of the sovereign God. If He gives you life, you'll
have life. If He doesn't give you life, you'll not live. This
river of the water of life is Jesus Christ our Lord. He's the
river. Are you thirsty? Come and drink.
Come and drink. Anybody thirsty, our Lord said,
let him come to me and drink of the water of life. If any
man drink of this water that I give unto him, he'll never
thirst again. Come, find satisfaction for your
soul. Drink the refreshing water of
life. I drink in this rich river. and find life for my soul and
refreshing for my heart. This river of life is Christ
Jesus. In the midst of the city is the
tree of life. Look in verse 2. In the midst
of the street of it, on either side of the river, was the tree
of life. Not many trees, the tree. The
tree of life, which bear twelve manner of fruits, and yielded
her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations. In this church of the living
God, now, right now, presently, is the tree of life. I'm not very good at it, but I've been trying to show
you the tree of life. Actually, the translation might be read,
the wood of life. I'm positive what he's talking
about is the death of Jesus Christ, our Lord, the substitutionary
sacrifice of the Son of God. How can man live with God? By
the death of his son. That's the only way. That's the
only way. This tree of life will surely
bring life. It bears all manner of fruit,
twelve manner of fruit, and it bears that fruit every month
of the year. Our Lord did not die in vain.
Our Lord Jesus Christ bears fruit as the result of his death, and
the leaves of that tree. That is the doctrines of the
gospel. justification by His grace through His blood, salvation
by grace alone, redemption by the blood, sanctification by
His Spirit, everlasting life by the power of His grace. All
the doctrines of the gospel, they're spread out for the healing
of the nations. Oh, Spirit of God, bring these
blessed leaves of the tree of life and cause them to touch
the hearts of men and bring healing to these people this very evening. This tree of life is Jesus Christ,
our Lord, in his substitutionary death. And it's seen in all the
church of God. And then 11th, in this new Jerusalem,
God sits upon the throne. Verse three, and there should
be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the lamb shall
be in it. and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see
his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads." You see, in the church of the
living God, his sovereignty is acknowledged. First thing dealt
with when a man comes to faith in Christ is God's sovereignty. That's the very first thing dealt
with. If somebody said, well, God saved
me, and then 20 years down the road I learned about His sovereignty.
Oh, no. If God saves you, first thing you learn is His sovereignty.
You find out He's on the throne, and in your heart you're brought
gladly to acknowledge His total dominion. Not only that, but
His will is obeyed. Wherever men enter into this
gate, into the gate of life, the will of God is surrendered.
His servants serve Him. They follow Him. And there His
face is seen. They shall see His face. And
His name shall be in their foreheads. One last thing. The inhabitants
of this city, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, are God's
elect. Look in chapter 21 in verse 24.
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 defile
it. Neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie,
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. All
whose names are written in the book, they'll be in the city.
All the redeemed of the Lord by the blood of Christ, they
shall be in the city. All who are saved by the grace
of God, by the power of his spirit, they shall be in the city. and
they shall all reign forever and forever seated upon the throne
of his glory. This is the church of the living
God. This is Mount Zion. This is the
city of the great king. Will you enter in? Will you enter
into this glorious city, into this glorious habitation and
be made whole by Jesus Christ the Lord? Or will you continue
in your sin, your rebellion, your unbelief, and be shut out
from this city? For there shall in no wise enter
into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination
or maketh a lie." In other words, as long as you carry your sin
and cling to your sin, and hold to your sin and refuse to be
washed in the blood of Christ, have your sins atoned by the
substitute sacrifice and aware of his perfect righteousness,
you cannot enter the city. Will you lay down your fig leaves
of self-righteousness and your pollution of sin and be washed
today in the blood of Christ and enter into the city of our
God, drink of the water of life, eat at the tree of life, You
have right to the tree if you do but enter the city. God help
you now to come to Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

The Holy City, New Jerusalem

What does the Bible say about the New Jerusalem?

How do we know that God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the holiness of the church important?

What role does Christ play in the New Jerusalem?

How does the New Jerusalem illustrate God's sovereignty?

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The Holy City, New Jerusalem

What does the Bible say about the New Jerusalem?

How do we know that God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the holiness of the church important?

What role does Christ play in the New Jerusalem?

How does the New Jerusalem illustrate God's sovereignty?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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