Okay, let's find Revelation 21. Revelation chapter 21. I'm taking
the title for the message from what's found in verse 10. Revelation
21 verse 10. And John received this special
revelation from God the Holy Spirit, and
He carried me away in the Spirit to a great high mountain, and
He showed me that great city. the holy Jerusalem descending
out of heaven from God. Look right across the page at
verse two. It's called New Jerusalem, the
city. And I, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband. The great and holy city of God.
the great and holy city of God, New Jerusalem. Now this city
that's described here is not a physical city. It's a spiritual
city. It's a spiritual kingdom. There
is a physical city, even right now, called Jerusalem. It is a very historical place. Many travel miles and miles to
see the sites there. And many come away very impressed
and moved by what they see. They call that some kind of religious
experience. But there's nothing holy about
that land over there. I don't call it the holy land.
If you look at that land today, it's a land of war, turmoil,
tribulation. But this city here that we find
in Revelation 21 is not talking about a physical city, but rather
a picture of the glorified church of the Lord Jesus Christ, His
chosen, blood-bought bride, His wife. This is talking about the
protection and safety we have inside of this city as the church
of believers called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Now,
throughout the book of Revelation, We have vision after vision of
the Lord Jesus Christ in his redemptive, saving grace. He's described in this revelation
as the Lamb of God. 27 times we see him in his sacrificial
character as the Lamb of God. The Lord Jesus Christ, we have
vision after vision of his redemptive, saving, preserving grace. Every vision, and we've seen
this book is divided into seven visions. Every vision seen and
recorded by John sets forth the whole history of redemption from
the incarnation of Christ until the final end of all things at
his second glorious coming. Now there's a page written out
there on the table that will describe those seven visions
and you can pick it up and read it at your leisure. One old preacher
years ago, Jonathan Edwards, said the whole grand design of
redemption is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the
bottom line. The bottom line in salvation
is who gets the glory? God gets all the honor and glory
because salvation is of the Lord. You remember that verse in Romans
11? where it talks about the depth
and the riches of His wisdom and His grace. And then it talks
about of Him and through Him and to Him, for all things to
whom be glory both now and forever. Amen. All things work to His
glory and grace. All things. Now in these verses,
the Lord of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives us a glimpse into
the glorified state of His church, known as His wife, known as his
bride. This is seen and viewed as this
beautiful, magnificent, great, holy city coming down from God
out of heaven. The bride, the Lamb's wife, the
church, and the city are all different descriptions of the
same thing. Did you get that? The bride,
the Lamb's wife, the church, and the city are all different
descriptions of the same thing. Every believer chosen and bought,
washed and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ,
are born into this city by the power of Almighty God. We are
citizens of a heavenly Jerusalem called Mount Zion, the city of
the living God. Now hold your place here and
let's see if we can find that. Turn back to the book of Hebrews.
Book of Hebrews. puts a contrast, Hebrews chapter
12, puts a contrast between Mount Sinai, the mountain that burns
with fire and blackness, he says, you're not coming to Mount Sinai,
you're not coming to the law. But he says in Hebrews 12 verse
22, but you're coming to Mount Zion, Mount Zion. And then to the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable company of
angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, and to the judge of all, and
the spirit of just men made perfect, perfect in Christ, and to Jesus,
the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of the sprinkling
that speaketh better things than that of Abel. Abel's sacrifice
was a type and picture of Christ, but the actual sacrifice of Christ
is better, better than what Abel brought that day. This is the
Lord's view and description of his bride, the way he sees her
right now. is the way it really is. We are,
that is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and believers who
make up that body, we are His body, He is the head. We are
made beautiful only through His righteousness, only through His
comeliness. Through His righteousness we
are made new creatures. Through His sacrifice putting
away our sin, and through His righteousness being imputed unto
us. Look at verse 9. Revelation 21
verse 9, And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which
had the seven vows for the seven last plagues. And he talked with
me, saying, Come here, the effectual call of God. I'll show thee the
bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the
spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city.
Holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God. From God. Now I can say with
the messenger here that spoke with John, come hither and I
want to show you the bride, the Lamb's wife this morning, the
redeemed of the Lord. Come hither and I'll show you
what God says in His Word. Now John was carried away in
his spirit. not literally carried to a high
mountain, but in his spirit, in his heart, in his mind. Only
when we are able to stand upon the high mountain of faith can
we clearly see this vision by the revelation of God the Holy
Spirit. We through faith understand these things, a spiritual picture
that God reveals unto us. Now there is a tenfold, at least,
a tenfold description given here of the New Jerusalem the holy
city, the bride of Christ, and what a blessing to have eyes
to see what is revealed right here. Now we have these things
as believers, these things that are described here, we have these
things now in measure, but then in that day perfectly, fully,
and eternally in that glorified state in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you can see why I had to
divide this into two parts, maybe three. There's just too much
here. But I'm going to go through this
rather slowly so we can get a glimpse of what's being said here. The
city of God comes down from God, as it says there in verse one
and again in verse two. This new holy Jerusalem descends
out of heaven. The Lord is the one who's established
this city, and he is the one who determines who will inhabit
and enter into that city. It's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. He
said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. Now, you remember what it says
in verse 27? God determines who's going to
enter into that city. And to enter into that city,
you must be as good and holy and righteous as God, or you're
not going to enter in. Now, how can you be holy and
righteous as God? Only in Christ. Look what it
says in verse 27. About this city there shall in
no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever
make it an abomination or make it a lie, but they which are
written in the Lamb's book of life. Is your name there? Is my name there? How can this
sinner know? if his name has been written
in that land's book of life. The only way we know is by faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the gift of God, the
gift of God. No one will enter that city but
those to whom it's prepared. Only the elect of God, only those
whose names are written in the land's book of life and the foundation
of the world shall enter into that city. The 144,000 that stand
with him, remember over here, turn back to Revelation 14. The
144,000, verse 1, Revelation 14, And I looked, and lo, a lamb
stood on Mount Zion, and with him the 144,000, having his father's
name written in their forehead. He owns us. The foundation of
God standeth sure, having the seal of the Lord, knoweth them
that are hid. We've read this many times over
in Matthew 25, where the Lord, when he comes back, will divide
the sheep from the goat and the goat from the sheep, and he'll
put the goat on the left hand and the sheep on his right hand,
and he will say unto them on his right hand, come ye blest
of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from The foundation
of the world. God determined to inhabit this
city with a people predestinated to be conformed to the image
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's only by the Lord's sovereign
grace that we are made citizens of that new Jerusalem. Remember
it said of Abraham in Hebrews chapter 11, he looked for a city
with a foundation who builder and maker is God. That's what
we're looking for. We're looking for that heavenly
Jerusalem. We read a moment ago in Egypt
chapter 2, he said, we're no more strangers and foreigners
but fellow citizens with the saints of the household of God
and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets,
Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. All the apostles
and all the prophets, they all said there's one foundation And
that one foundation we know is what? The Lord Jesus Christ.
Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which
is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The Lord of glory absolutely
rules supremely over the city, over its citizens. We enjoy that
now, but then, perfectly, fully, forever. Now notice some of the
descriptions of this city. The church, the bride of the
Lord Jesus Christ called His elect. He loved the church and
gave Himself for it. That bride, it was washed in
His blood. This city is called a holy city.
Holy Jerusalem. Holy Jerusalem. Notice it says
that in verse 10 and again in verse 2. And I, John, saw the
holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.
It's a holy city. It has to be because God is holy.
God is holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Now, only holy
citizens can enter into that holy city. Now, how are we made
holy? How are we made holy? Well, let's
see if we can find out. Turn over here to Ephesians chapter
5. Ephesians chapter 5. How are we made holy? It's certainly
not by works of righteousness, which we have done. It's certainly
not by our morality. Our best morality in God's sight,
you know what it is? Filthy rags. Our best morality
in God's sight is nothing but dung. He said, away with it. It is nothing but filthy rag.
So, how are we made holy? I mean, admittedly, I'm a sinner. And to enter into that new Jerusalem,
that holy city, I must be as good as God. I must be as holy
as God. Well, preacher, how can that
be? Only through Christ and Him crucified. Look what it says
here in Ephesians 5. 25. Ephesians 5, 25. Love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with a washing of water by the word,
that's the gospel, that he might present it to himself, watch
it now, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, but that it should be holy and without blame. Ooh, wow, that's saying a whole
lot. That's only through the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's only through the Lord Jesus
Christ putting away our sin. Now, it's a holy city, inhabited
by holy people, made so by the blood, atonement, and pride.
Look over to Colossians chapter 1, verse 19, Colossians 1, 19. You see, it's the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, that cleanses us from all our sin. Colossians
1, verse 19, For it pleased the Father that in him should all
fullness dwell, having made peace through the blood of his cross,
by him to reconcile all things unto himself. By him, I say,
whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you
that were sometimes foreigners, strangers, alienated, enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now he hath reconciled. in
the body of his flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in his sight. He presents us to the Father
holy, unblameable, unreprovable, not only in our sight, but in
his sight. completely justified in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Remember, don't turn, I'll read
this in to you. Go back to Revelation 21. Let
me see if I can find this scripture over here in the book of Jude.
What it talks about, He's able to keep us from falling and to
present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy, through the only wise God our Savior, be glory and dominion,
majesty and power both now and forever, to present you faultless
but for the presence of his glory, and he presents us with exceeding
joy. He said, look here, Father. Look,
my people. They're as holy as me. They are
me, because we're one with him. That's the good news of the gospel.
We're not going about to establish a righteousness of our own. We're
resting in Christ, who is our righteousness. He's the end of
the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. So it's
a holy city. Secondly, it's called a great
city. A great city established by our great God upon His great
work of redemption, great work of salvation. How should we escape
if we neglect so great salvation? Hebrews 2 verse 4. You remember
what we read in Ephesians chapter 2. He talks about everything
we were by nature, dead in sin, children of wrath, even as others.
Children of, by nature, children of wrath, even as others. But
it says, but God who is rich in mercy, for his great love
were with, he loved us. Even when we were dead in sin,
he quickened us together with him. By grace are you saved. That's great love. That's great.
His great love wherewith He loved us. Here in His love, John said,
not that we loved Him, but He loved us. And He sent His Son
to be the sacrifice for our sin. This is a great city, a great
salvation based upon His great love, based upon His great atonement. You see, everything about our
God is great. He's a great big God. He's a
God of love, a God of grace, a God that does not change. So
it's a holy city. It's a great city. It's a new
city. It's a new city. This is new Jerusalem. It's not
the old city. This is new Jerusalem. This part
of that new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
It's a new city made so by the eternal, unchanging decree of
God. We don't make ourselves new creatures.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. That's God's
workmanship. We are His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. If any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are complete. We're complete in Him. And then
this city, it says down in verse 16, this city lies foursquare. Now, I wasn't very good in geometry.
Some of you math students can help me out. The city that lies
foursquare, the length as large as the breadth, the measure of
a city with a reed, 12,000 furlongs, and the length and the breadth
and the height were all equal. That is, it's a complete city. It's a complete, perfect cube. In him was all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily, and in him we are complete. Complete. complete in Him. Of His fullness
have we all received grace for grace. Grace for grace. It's
a perfect city. Room for all of God's people
out of every kindred, tribe, nation, tongue, and heaven. This
12,000 furlongs that is said here, according to my calculations,
and they may be wrong, but that's OK. But to try to give you some
kind of scope of what he's saying here, the breadth, the length,
the height, the depth, The 12,000 furlongs, approximately 1,400
miles. 1,400 miles. Now, to put that
in perspective, and I checked this on Google Maps, from Pikeville,
Kentucky to Denver, Colorado, 1400 miles. That kind of gives you an idea.
And again, the Lord gives us these things that we might somehow
get a grasp upon it, but don't think of these things as physical
things. It's a spiritual kingdom. A spiritual
kingdom. But that gives us some kind of
idea that it's a holy city, it's a great city, it's a new city.
It's complete. We are complete in Christ. It's
a glorious city. Look at verse 11. Having the
glory of God. Boy, this city. And again, this
city here is talking about the church. He's talking about his
bride. The bride in the church in this
city, all synonymous, having the glory of God. The glory of
God. And her light was like unto stone
most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. It's a glorious city, having
the glory of God. Now if you look at Ephesians
chapter 1, when it talks about how God has chosen us in him,
before the foundation of the world, and He did it in love,
how He predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ. And where it talks about He has
made us accepted in the Beloved, Ephesians 1 verse 3 down through
verse 6, how He made us accepted in the Beloved, and then it talks
about, what does it talk about next? To the praise of the glory
of His grace. It's all about His glory. I read
a book years ago by Jonathan Edwards. was one time president
of Princeton University back in the 1700s. And the book was
called The History of Redemption. I would, if you could get a copy
of it, I would read it. And I read it, oh, many, many
years ago, 30, 35 years ago. But I remember one thing he said
in that book, the grand design of redemption is the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Apostle Paul said, God forbid I should glory save in the cross
of the Lord Jesus Christ. This glorious city, the bride,
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, they've been given the
glory of God to the praise of the glory of His grace. Going
on with Ephesians chapter 1, we talk about the Father choosing
us to the praise of His glory. Then in the next verse, it talks
about the Son redeeming us, in whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of
His grace, to the praise of the glory of His grace. And then
it talks about the work of God the Holy Spirit, in whom He trusted
after you heard the Word of Truth, in whom we have redemption, in
whom we have the revelation of God, and He sealed that to our
heart, all to the praise of the glory of His grace. So it's a
glorious city because it's the glory of God that shines in the
face of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a highly valued city. Look
at verse 18. It's a highly valued city. Verse
18 and other verses too. But verse 18, and the building
of the wall of it was jasper, and the city was pure gold. You see that? Clear as glass. Now there's no dross in this
city. There's no more death, no more
sin, no more sorrow. It is a city made of pure gold. Gold. You remember Psalm 45,
we talked about that ophir gold? The purest gold. There's no dross
in this gold. It's absolutely pure. It's a highly valued city as
pure gold, so pure that it's transparent as glass. Now, this
gives us an indication. Again, this is talking about
symbolic language. Gold is not transparent as glass
as we look at it physically, but as we look at it spiritually,
it's transparent. This gold is clear as glass. That is, his church, redeemed
with his blood, is precious in his sight because we are redeemed
and bought with his precious blood. It's a highly valued city. It's a pure city made of pure
gold. The gold of His grace, the gold
of His mercy, the gold of His unchangeable decrees. You see
what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this is point number two. I told you there were ten things.
Point number two. Aren't you glad that we're going
to stop here? And I've gone 25 minutes. So we'll go 5 or 10
minutes more. I'll let you go. The second thing,
this city has much light. This city has much light. Look
at verse 11. Having the glory of God and her
light was like unto the stone most precious, even like jasper
stone. Jasper stone. Look at verse 23.
The city had no need of a sun, neither of the moon, to shine
in it, for the glory of God did enlighten it. And the Lamb, notice
that, the Lamb is the light. How can the Lamb be the light?
Because this Lamb is Christ. Christ, He said, I am the light. I am the light of the world.
Look at verse 25, And the gates of it shall not be shut at all
by day, By day, for there shall be no night there. Now look at
Revelation 22, verse 5. And there shall be no night there,
and they need no candle, neither the light of the sun. For the
Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and
ever. Now this light, the church, This light of the church is the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We have the light, don't we?
Our Lord said this in John 12, I am the light of the world.
He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the light of life. He is called the Son, S-U-N,
the Son of righteousness with healing in His wings. The light
of the gospel drives out darkness and ignorance and blindness and
misery and guilt. We've been translated out of
the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. No more night, no more darkness,
no more sin, no more sorrow. You see, He commands the light
of the Gospel to shine in our heart, and He does that right
now. That we might see the glory of God that shines in the face
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want you to turn to 1 Peter
2. Can you find that? Sure you can. 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verse 9. He said, you are a chosen generation. You are a royal priesthood. You
are a holy nation. You are a peculiar people. You
see, he's describing this same thing. He's describing this city,
the wife of Christ, the bride, the church. He said, you're chosen. You're a priesthood. He's made
us kings and priests unto our God, Revelation 1, verse 6. We're
a holy nation, a holy city. Peculiar people, that means purchased,
purchased with the blood of Christ. He bought us with his own blood
that you should show forth the praises of him who calls you
out of darkness into his marvelous, what's that word? Light. He's
our light. By the light of the gospel, we
see how God can be just and justify the ungodly. We see how God can
be a just God and Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ. He commands
that light to shine in our heart. Well, let's look at one more
thing. This holy city, His church, has the abiding, complete presence
of the Lord. Remember in verse 3? And I heard
a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them
and be their God. The church has the abiding, complete
presence of the Lord. Look at verse 22. Revelation
21, verse 22. And I saw no temple therein,
for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb He's the temple. You see, in Him we live and move
and have our being. Our dwelling is in Him. No temple,
no sacrifice, and no more blood on the altar. Believers as priests
of God will enjoy the immediate, loving, direct presence of the
Lord forever and ever. Did you catch that over here
in verse 22, verse 3? Revelation 22 verse 3, And there
shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it. The throne of God, the throne
of the Lamb, and His servant shall serve Him, and they shall
see His face and His name in their forehead. In their forehead. You remember the Apostle Paul
writes, we see through a glass dimly, we see through a glass
darkly, but then face to face, face to face with Christ my Savior,
face to face, oh, but to see and know, we shall have his complete
eternal presence to be one with him forever and ever and evermore.