I want to begin this message
over in the book of 2 Peter. And you'll see in a moment why
I turned to 2 Peter chapter 3 to begin this message. In closing
his second epistle, the Apostle Peter says in verse 10, chapter
3, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,
the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is his return
to the earth. He will come again. Christ is
coming. He said to his disciples in one
of those last meetings with them after he had risen from the grave,
He said, I go to prepare a place for you. If I go, I will come
again. I will come again. And then when
he led them out upon the mountain to ascend to the Father, they
watched him steadfastly as he was taken up in a cloud into
heaven. And as they stood beholding the
departing Redeemer, an angel appeared to them and said, ye
men of Galilee, why do you stand here gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus shall so come. This same Jesus. They say that
over and over again, this same Jesus. God hath made this same
Jesus, both Lord and Christ. And this same Jesus, and Job
said, whom I shall see and not another. This same Jesus which
is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner
as you see him go. He's come the day of the Lord.
He will come. And then he'll come suddenly. We read a while ago his coming
in verse 10 here of chapter 3. He shall come as a thief in the
night. A thief comes unexpectedly. If the good man of the house
had known the thief was coming at 2 a.m., he'd have been up
waiting on him. But he comes unexpectedly, most of the earth,
even the church. Someone asked a friend of mine
one time, do you think the Lord will come today? Well, he said,
I think not. He said, Adam and I will, and
you think not if your Lord doesn't come. unexpectedly as a thief
in the night. And when he comes, he said in
John 5, the dead shall hear his voice and all that are in the
graves shall rise. Before the Lord consumes this
old earth in a white, hot, fervent heat, he is going to remove every
person from this earth. The sea will give up the dead,
death and hell will give up the dead, all that are in the graves.
When God burns this earth to a crisp and a cinder, there won't
be any people living or dead. We which are alive and remain
shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, called
up to meet our Lord, and all the dead shall rise. All the dead. And then listen to this, and
then the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise. The heavens, not the third heaven,
that's the throne of God. That's where Christ is. That's
where Paul said he was taken, the third heaven. But the heavens,
somebody said the third heaven is the throne of God. It's not going to pass away.
But the second heaven, that's where the stars and the moon,
the planets and the galaxies and all these things are. And
then there's the first heaven where the birds fly, where the
clouds float, where the rain falls. But those heavens, there'd
be no more sun, no more moon. Isn't that what we read? No more
stars. You'll pass away with a great
noise, the heavens, and listen, and the elements shall melt with
a white hot heat, all the elements, and the earth, and the works
that are therein, all the works of flesh and nature,
everything related to the first creation, everything shall be
consumed, not a grain of dust that will remain, be burned up, verse 11, seeing them, that all
these things, all these things upon which we look and gaze,
even the heavens, the earth, the mountains, all
these things upon which we gaze, and unfortunately with which
we are so consumed. and involved and taken up with.
Everything your senses detect, eyes and ears and nose and hands
and feel and obey desire. That being true, what manner
of persons ought we to be in all our conversation, holy
conversation in godliness? What manner of people, what should
we be employed in considering these things? Searching the Word, honestly,
not just going to church. I'm going to church. Been doing
that for all your life. Father, go and announce this
song, Holy, Holy, Holy. Let's read it. Let's consider
it. Consider Christ Jesus. Search
the Word. Seek the Lord diligently, singularly,
earnestly. You'll find me, he said, when
you search for me with all your heart, but not biweekly. Believe the Gospel. What manner
of person should I be? A man believe in the Gospel.
A man look into Christ. A man like Paul who said, oh,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not having my own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is of the
faithfulness of Christ, obedience of Christ. Oh, that I may know
Him, know Him and the power of His resurrected life and be conformed
to His image. Verse 12, here's what we ought
to be looking for, looking for, waiting for, and hastening. What's hastening mean? It means
longing for. It means expecting. Looking for, waiting for, longing
for, expecting the coming of our Lord, the day of God. wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent, white-hot, indescribable..." You men have looked into those
brass furnaces out there, nothing to it. That would be like an
icebox compared to this heat. "...Nothing shall be left of
this world, of sin, of Satan, of evil, not even a grain of
dust, or listen, or a memorial of it. Isaiah 65 says, behold, listen,
behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former
shall not be remembered nor come into mind. That's how completely
the old heavens and earth will be obliterated. It won't even
come to mind. Nevertheless, oh my goodness,
that's distressing, distressing commentary. But nevertheless,
we, according to His promise, that's our foundation for believing.
He said so. He promised. According to His
promise. Turn to Matthew 24, let's see
His promise here. Matthew 24, according to His
promise, His promise, He said this, our Lord Jesus, Matthew
24 verse 33, Heaven and earth shall pass away. You have my
word for it. Matthew 24, 35. But my word shall not pass away. No, sir. I have His promise. Nevertheless, according to His
promise, not according to my thoughts, Well, I just believe
there's going to be a new heaven and new earth. I do believe it,
but I believe it because He promised it. We don't have any right to
believe anything except what He says and what He promises. We don't have any foundation
to believe anything except what He says. Nevertheless, Peter
said, according to His promise, we look for, we long for, we
expect You believe this preacher? I know it. I know it. I know whom I believe. We know
that we pass from death unto life. We know that the Son of
God has come and given us an understanding. It's not just
mental assent to some doctrine. I know this. I know. Nevertheless, according
to His promise, we look for a new heaven. and a new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness, holiness, where nothing shall enter that
worketh or maketh deceit, hypocrisy, or lie. Now then, I turn to John's
revelation of Christ, chapter 21. Now then, here it is. And I saw, John said, I saw this
new. We, according to his promise,
look for a new heaven and earth. John said, I saw it. Brethren,
I saw it. I saw a new heaven and a new
earth. The old world with its sin and
darkness was gone. The old world with its sorrow
and troubles, its diseases and death was no more. For the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away. They were no more. I saw a new creation. Not the
old creation repaired. Get that now. Our God deliberately says, It
will pass away, and I create new heavens and new earth, and
the former will not be remembered, nor come to mind." Not a grain
of dust, not a memorial. Gone. The old heaven and the
old earth was passed away. Not renovated, not repaired. He said, Behold, I make all things,
everything brand new. And then John said, no more sea. I read that. I read the commentaries. And I wondered, why did John
say, no more sea? There are a lot of things there
will be no more. But old John said there will
be no more sea. But you have to know where he
was. John was about 90. And he was the disciple whom
the Master loved. He was the disciple who wrote
the book of John, who leaned on his breast at the Last Supper.
He often says, the one whom the Lord Jesus loved. Affectionate
John, but for preaching the Gospel, the other disciples were killed.
They killed every one of them. Judas committed suicide, but
the other ten were killed, martyred, but John, They put him out on
an island in the middle of the sea, a prisoner in exile, so
nobody could ever hear his voice again, but they did. Old John was out there surrounded
by sea, a prisoner, and he said, when I saw the new heaven, new
earth, there was no more sea, no more prison bars, Nothing
else to shut me out or shut me in. I was free. This old body has me in bondage. It's called the body of death
and the body of sin. Someday I'm going to be free
and there will be no more boundaries and bars and prisons. But then
again, the seed divides. I know the seed provides food,
salt, a lot of things. But the sea divides people and
nations. One time the sea was almost an
uncrossable divide. And people and nations were totally
separated. We don't know anything about
that today because the world has become so much smaller because
of transportation. But it divides. And there will
be no more division. In John's day it divided. But
we'll be one nation, one people, Jew and Gentile, all people. And then thirdly, the sea is
an emblem of unrest. In fact, the heart of the sinner
is compared to the troubled sea. Unrest. And there will be no
more sea. There will be no more fearful,
raging, roaring, unrest, troublesome sea. But all will be peace. And I, John, listen to our chapter
21 verse 2, And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
a husband. Now then, don't think of a material
city now, because that's not what this is talking about. Whatever
you may read elsewhere, This holy city coming down, New Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, is the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. This refers to the church of
our Lord in its beautiful, complete state, as a bride adorned, prepared
as a bride adorned for a husband. Well, you get that, preacher.
Oh, I turn to Isaiah 52. Let's look at several scriptures.
Isaiah 52, verse 1 and 2. First of all, this holy, holy
city. You know, the holy city is just
like we're a temple, living stones. There's no holy bricks, but there
are holy people who are stones. Chapter 52, verse 1 says, Awake,
put on thy strength, O church, O Zion, city of God. Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, holy city, for henceforth there shall be, there shall no
more come unto thee the uncircumcised, the unclean, the hypocrites,
the false professors. Shake thyself from the dust.
Arise and sit down, O Jerusalem, it's the church. Loose thyself. from the bands of thy neck, O
captive daughter of Zion." This is the city of God, New Jerusalem,
the church. Look, if you will, at Psalm 48.
Psalm 48, verses 1 and 2. Psalm 48. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in
the city of our God, in the mountain of holiness, 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. Where does
the great King dwell? In His people, with His people,
in the city of the great King, the holy city, God's city. Now, Revelation chapter 3. Notice
this, Revelation chapter 3, verse 11 and 12. Revelation 3, verse
11 and 12. Behold, I come quickly. Hold
that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown, and him
that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. Is this
a material temple? No. It's a temple of my God. And he shall go out no more,
he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name
of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new
Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and
I will write upon him my new name." The city, the holy city,
is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now one more, Revelation
22, verse 19. Revelation 22, 19, and if any
man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out
of that holy city and from the things that are
written in this book. This is the new Jerusalem. To distinguish
it from the old Jerusalem, the old Jerusalem of ceremony and
tithes and shadows and baptism, pictures and buildings, tabernacles,
The city of God. It's a holy city purged by His
blood. Let's look at Isaiah 26. If you
don't mind, turn to these scriptures. Turn to Isaiah 26. A holy city. A holy city. Every person in
this city is in Christ holy and righteous. Isaiah 26 verse 1,
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. We
have a strong city. Salvation with God will God appoint
for walls and bulwarks. This is a city, city of God,
the holy city of God. Open ye the gates, that the righteous
nations which keepeth the truth may enter in, and thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he
trusts in thee." How about Hebrews 12? I'll ask you to turn to one
more for a moment. Hebrews 12. I'm saying that this
city, this holy city, refers to the church of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The city of God. All right, Hebrews
12, 22. You are come, but you are coming
to Mount Zion. Zion is the church. It's spiritual
Israel. It's Christ's redeemed sheep.
You're coming to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God. The heavenly Jerusalem, the new
Jerusalem, to an innumerable company. of angels, to the General
Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men,
made perfect." Justified men, made perfect. But back to my
text. That's what this is. I, John,
saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, redeem people of God, coming
down from God out of heaven. I told you when he destroyed
this old earth that not any believer is going to be there. Caught up together to meet him
in the clouds with the Lord. And then it says when he comes,
his saints he'll bring with him. Isn't that right? When he comes.
Let's look at 1 Thessalonians 3. Coming down from God out of
heaven. Not coming out of the graves,
they're already out of the graves. The world is destroyed. John
said, I saw a new heaven and a new earth and the holy city,
the people of God coming down to the new earth out of heaven
from God. 1 Thessalonians 3 verse 13. To the end that he may establish
your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father,
at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."
With all his saints. He's coming. I'll come again. And then in 1 Thessalonians 4,
over one page, verse 14, If we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring
with Him. You can't separate the bride
and the bridegroom. When He comes in glory, when
He comes to the new earth, new heaven, we're coming with Him. Coming with Him. Coming down
out of heaven. Now watch this next line. Prepared
as a bride. adorned in His holiness, in His
righteousness, adorned in His holiness and righteousness. A
holy, righteous, sinless, perfect church conformed to His image,
prepared, chosen, redeemed, sanctified, adorned. You see a bride coming
down the aisle and they've taken hours getting her ready preparing
her for this moment just for this moment days and days and
weeks sowing and preparing and then for that moment when she
comes with her husband but I'll tell you this that's the object
of God's election way back yonder this bride of Christ, this holy
city, this new Jerusalem, coming down with Him from God out of
heaven prepared. This preparation started back
before the foundation of the world, for whom He foreknew,
He predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, to be
married to Christ, to reign with Him. He predestinated them to
be conformed to the image of His And whom He predestinated,
He called whom He called, He justified whom He justified,
He glorified. This bride of Christ is prepared
from the foundation of the world. And that's why Christ died. Turn
to Ephesians 5. Listen to this. Ephesians 5. I love this scripture here. Ephesians chapter 5. Prepared
and adorned. God chose them. This was the
object for which Christ came here and lived a perfect life
and died on the cross and shed His blood. Verse 25, Ephesians
5, Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, gave
Himself for it, that He might sanctify it and cleanse it with
the washing of the water by the Word, that He might present it
in this hour, in this day, to Himself. a glorious church, a
holy city, not having a spot, a wrinkle, or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish. As a bride, prepared and adorned, chosen by God, redeemed by Christ
And then the Holy Spirit, this is why the Holy Spirit called
us and quickened us and sanctified us by Christ's Titus 3, listen, not by works of righteousness
which we've done. Titus 3 verse 5, but according
to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration,
by the renewing of the Holy Ghost. By adorning us in the perfect
robe of His spotless righteousness. Oh my goodness. Read that verse again, Revelation
21, 2. I, John, saw the holy city. The church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. New Jerusalem. Coming down from
God. out of heaven as a bride. Here
comes the bride, prepared. I go to prepare you for the place
and the place for you. Adorned for her husband that
he might present it to himself, a holy church, not having spot,
blemish or wrinkle. In verse 3, And John said, I
heard a voice, a great voice out of heaven, either an angel or our Lord Jesus
Christ or the Father himself. I don't know, but I believe it's
the Lord Jesus. I heard a voice out of heaven
saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. The tabernacle
of God. There was a time when the tabernacle
of God sat on this earth. The tents of Israel surrounded
it. It had a cloud over it at night,
in the daytime, and a pillar of fire at night. The priests
went in and out offering sacrifices. There was a compartment, by 15, by 15, where the ark sat
and where the Shekinah glory of God appeared. So there was
a time when He, in that way, tabernacled among men. And there was a time when our
Lord came to this earth and tabernacled. He was called, it said, He tabernacled
among us in flesh and blood and walked among us. He was despised
and rejected of men and unrecognized really by some of his disciples.
Have I been so long time with you, Philip, you don't know me? But he dwelt that way as a man
and then he said, now where two or three are met in my name,
I'll be among them. But this, read this again. Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and He will dwell with them, not a cloud, not a
pillar of fire, not in a little compartment, not as a spirit among them when
they meet to worship, but in person, in His glorious body,
in His personal glory, Husband and King, I will dwell." Listen,
He will dwell with them, and there will be His people, His
chosen people, His covenant people, His redeemed people, His holy
people. Listen, and God Himself. Our
Lord appeared to the troubled disciples in that upper room. They thought he was a ghost,
a spirit, taken aback. And he said, he said, listen, reach hither and touch me. A
spirit doesn't have flesh and bones as you see me have. It
is I myself. Think about that. And this said,
God Himself. In the only revelation of God
that men will ever see, Christ. God Himself will dwell with them
and there'll be His people and God Himself. I can't even comprehend
that. Emmanuel, God with us. As Thomas said when he fell down,
my Lord and my God. It is I myself, God himself will
dwell with them and be their God, their husband and king. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. God himself will wipe away their
tears. Now I can wipe away tears. I have a little tear right now
thinking of the glamour and glory and expectations. But I can wipe them away. I can
change my mind to something else. That's the way I do that sometimes
when I am overcome with sorrow or tears. I just think of something
else. You do too. I can temporarily dry tears,
I can think of something else, or I can get occupied with something
else. I can go out and cut grass, and
tears will go away. Or water the flowers, or get
busy working on the car. But I can't put them away for
good, because the cause of tears never goes away on this earth. Never goes away. But he's going
to wipe them away totally. How's he going to do that? Well,
number one, I'll give you three things. Number one, he's going
to take away all sin and weep over our sins, all fear, all
doubt, and all unhappiness. So in that regard, Sin, fear,
doubt, unhappiness. He'll wipe the tears away, taking
away the cause. And then secondly, He's going
to wipe away all tears by revealing to us. Now listen. Revealing
to us His purpose in our sorrows and in our trials. We weep over
the loss of a loved one. But then He's going to show us
why that loved one was taken. His purpose in it. His reason
for it. And we're going to say, I'm glad
you did it. He's going to show us how He
served His glory and our good by doing that. And we're going
to understand it, and we'll wipe away our tears. We won't weep over what's good.
We weep over what we think is bad. But what we think is bad
and what we think ought not be done, He doeth all things well. And we're going to know as we
have been known. We're going to see, not through
a glass dimly like we do now. Don't understand. I cannot, to
save my life, understand why that has to be. He's going to
show me. And then I'm going to say, well,
praise the Lord. I'm glad that happened. If I'd have known then
what I know here, I wouldn't have cried. If God took you right now to
glory, I'd cry. But if I could see you there
and see why He did it, I'd rejoice. I'd say, well, I wish I'd go
in. Wait for me! Right? That's the
way He'll wipe them away. And then thirdly, by restoring
to us those whose absence may just weep. How am I going
to weep for one who's standing beside me in the glory of Christ,
conformed to His image? Huh? You understand what I'm
saying? Sure you do. And God Himself shall be their
God, and God Himself will wipe away the tears. Because He'll take away the cause
of tears. And He'll show us why He did
what He did. And the one for whom you weep
is going to be with you. Why can you weep anymore? Now
that's it. And he said there'll be no more
death. There won't be any more death. There won't be any more sorrow. There won't be any more crying.
There won't be any more pain. You know why the farmer thinks
The curse of Adam, the old offer, things as they were, Satan, sin,
fear, flesh, passed away. Sting of death is sin. And when
sin's gone, sting's gone. Don't turn to this. Let me turn
and read it. I can go over that quickly. Isaiah 25 verse 8, listen, He
will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away
all tears from off all their faces and the rebuke and the
offense and the troubles of His people shall He take away. The
Lord has spoken. Now verse 5, he that sat upon
the throne, this is our Lord Jesus Christ, no doubt about
it. I know who it is because in verse
6 he said, it is done I am Alpha and Omega. He said that to John
in chapter 1, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end. So he that sat on the throne,
our Lord Jesus Christ, and then he says, In verse 6, I'll give
unto him that's thirsty of the fountain of the water of life.
He is the water of life. He's only one that can give water
to the thirsty. He said, any man thirst, let
him come to me. So this, he that sat on the throne,
our Lord Jesus Christ said, Behold, I make all things new. A new
heaven, a new earth where sin has not been nor ever can be.
A new covenant based not on law, but pure grace. Everybody in
glory breathes in sovereign grace, pure grace. And love, everlasting,
unchangeable, perfectly holy. A new people, listen, a new people
who have no sin and have no potential to sin. Because they're like
God who cannot sin. They're like Christ. We shall
see Him as He is and be like Him. And if we're like Him, we
can't sin. We have no potential to sin.
Because God cannot lie. We'll have a new psalm. Unto
him who loved us and washed us from our sin. Now he said, verse
5, write this. Here it is. Write it. These words
are true. And these words are trustworthy,
they're faithful. Now listen to verse 7. And he
that overcometh, this means several things. Number one, he that believeth.
He that believeth on the Son hath life. As many as received him, to them
gave he the power to become sons of God. But it means he that
endureth. to the end, he that continueth
in the gospel, in Christ, and be not moved away from that gospel. He that overcometh this world,
the temptation to leave, to depart, we're not of them that depart,
but of them that believe to the saving of our souls. He that
endureth, he that overcometh, he that continueth shall inherit
all these things.