1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:06,720
So Revelation 21 verse one. 
Then I saw a new heaven and a 

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new earth, for the 1st heaven 
and the first earth had passed 

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away, and there was no longer 
any sea. 

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I saw the holy city, the New 
Jerusalem, coming down out of 

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heaven from God, prepared as a 
bride, beautifully dressed for 

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her husband. 
And I heard a loud voice from 

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the throne saying, Look, God's 
dwelling place is now among the 

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people, and He will dwell with 
them. 

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They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be

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their God. 
He will wipe away every tear 

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from their eyes. 
There will be no more death or 

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mourning or crying or pain, for 
the old order of things has 

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passed away. 
He who was seated on the throne 

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said, I am making everything 
new. 

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Then he said, write this down, 
for these words are trustworthy 

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and true. 
He said to me, it is done. 

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I am the alpha and the Omega, 
the beginning and the end to the

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thirsty. 
I will give water without cost 

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from the spring of the water of 
life. 

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Those who are victorious will 
inherit all this, and I will be 

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their God and they will be my 
children. 

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But the cowardly, the 
unbelieving, the vile, the 

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murderers, the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts, 

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the idolaters and all idols, all
liars, they will be consigned to

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the fiery lake of burning 
sulphur. 

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This is the second death we go 
to verse 22. 

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I did not see a temple in the 
city because the Lord God 

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Almighty and the Lamb are its 
temple. 

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The city does not need the sun 
or the moon to shine on it, for 

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the glory of God gives its 
light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

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The nations will walk by its 
light, and the kings of the 

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earth will bring their splendour
into it. 

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On no day will its gates ever be
shut, for there will be no night

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there. 
The glory and honour of the 

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nations will be brought into it.
Nothing impure will ever enter 

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it, nor will anyone who does 
what is shameful or deceitful, 

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but only those whose names are 
written in the Lamb's Book of 

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Life. 
Then the Angel showed me the 

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river of Water of Life as clear 
as crystal, flowing down from 

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the throne of God and of the 
Lamb down the middle of the 

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great St. of the city. 
On each side of the river stood 

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the Tree of Life, bearing 12 
crops of fruit, yielding its 

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fruit every month. 
And the leaves of the tree are 

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for the healing of the nations. 
No longer will there be any 

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00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,640
curse. 
The throne of God and of the 

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Lamb will be in the city, and 
His servants will serve Him. 

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They will see His face, and His 
name will be on their foreheads.

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There will be no more night. 
They will not need the light of 

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00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:40,600
a lamp or the light of the sun, 
for the Lord God will give them 

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00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,040
light, and they will reign 
forever and ever. 

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00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:49,600
I'm going to tell you a little 
story. 

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00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,200
I like stories. 
It's just turned midnight on the

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00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,920
15th of April 1912. 
If you're really good at 

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00:03:57,920 --> 00:03:59,200
history, you might know what's 
going on. 

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00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:05,200
There's just over 2200 men, 
women and children on board an 

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ocean liner heading across the 
Atlantic and it's just hit an 

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iceberg. 
Not good news. 

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Water is on board, the boat is 
going down. 

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00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,079
Women and children get on the 
boats, the lifeboats, but 

60
00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:20,079
there's not enough lifeboats 
even for the women and children,

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let alone the men and let alone 
the people who are on the lower 

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classes down below deck. 
There's not really much hope. 

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As the boat is going down, it's 
turned on its end and it's going

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to sink and people will be in 
the middle of the ocean, 

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freezing ocean. 
Now there's a famous movie from 

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1997. 
It won Oscars, made lots of 

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money, and it has a particular 
scene in there which may or may 

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not have happened, I don't know.
But there is a moment when 

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there's a priest and he's 
hanging onto the boat and he's 

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going down here and all his kind
of the parishioners and the 

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others who are listening are 
also hanging on and they're 

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00:04:57,280 --> 00:04:58,440
thinking, what is he going to 
say? 

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00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:00,240
What, how is he going to come 
for us? 

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00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:04,800
And he says, then I saw a new 
heaven and a new earth. 

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00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,560
The 1st heaven and the first 
earth have passed away. 

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Then he goes and there was no 
longer any sea. 

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It's kind of funny, maybe 
ironic, but it is in the Bible. 

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We did read it, didn't we? 
Just now this scene kind of 

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shows the truth that these words
are a comfort and a hope for 

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people who are facing death. 
They say, do you know what? 

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It's not good now, but there's a
new heaven and there's a new 

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earth. 
That's from the first one of 

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00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,720
chapter 21, where we're living 
now. 

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00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,400
We'll pass away along with all 
the difficulties and the hurt 

85
00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:42,680
and the suffering that it 
contains. 

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00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,680
But this glimpse of the future 
shouldn't just be a hope for 

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00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:48,920
people who are facing death and 
difficulty. 

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00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:53,360
Should be a hope for all of us. 
Anyone who is following the 

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00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,320
resurrected Jesus in good times 
and bad times. 

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00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,320
There was this offer of hope for
those people. 

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00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,320
It's going to look at Revelation
21 and 22. 

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00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,440
Please have those Bible, your 
Bibles open in that final book. 

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00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:09,400
You have to hold the final 
pages. 

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So it's going to try and close. 
It's so far at the back. 

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00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,960
It's it's big. 
There's so much that you can 

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00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:17,600
say. 
You read these chapters over and

97
00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,280
over again. 
You'll find so many different 

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00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:22,000
things in there. 
Can't talk about everything, but

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00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,480
we are going to look at some 
parts of it to help us think 

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00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,560
about what hope we have for 
tomorrow. 

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But we're going to start with a 
little bit of context because 

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Revelation is a weird book. 
I remember when I was a kid and 

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I was at church, maybe a bit 
bored, I'd flick to the back and

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look at the stories about 
Dragons because that was cool. 

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That would keep me going. 
There's a weird stuff, There's 

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00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:42,800
weird stuff in Revelation. 
So a bit of context. 

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It is apocalyptic. 
That doesn't necessarily mean 

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it's about the end of the world.
An apocalypse, which is what 

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Revelation is, means it's 
revealing something that was 

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hidden. 
Read this in verse 1 of chapter 

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1 of Revelation starts with the 
revelation from Jesus Christ, 

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which God gave him to show his 
servants what must soon take 

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00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,520
place, so something hidden. 
Revelation is about showing 

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God's people what will take 
place. 

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Jesus shows these things to the 
apostle John so that he can then

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00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,200
share it with other Christians. 
Christians who are facing 

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00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,480
persecution in that 1st century.
They feel like they're on the 

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losing side. 
Everyone is against them. 

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They're not going to make it. 
According to church tradition, 

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John was the only of the 
disciples who was left. 

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All the other disciples had 
died. 

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They were executed for their 
faith. 

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John was the last one and he 
even he was exiled kind of in 

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house arrest, which is when he 
had the vision and wrote this 

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00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,040
book. 
So this whole book is filled 

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with poetic picture imagery to 
encourage believers in the 1st 

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00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:53,920
century who are suffering, who 
are facing opposition, that even

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though they feel like they're 
losing, if they're on Jesus 

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side, then they will win because
Jesus wins. 

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That's what Revelation is about.
You can summarize it. 

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00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:07,000
Jesus wins. 
It's not a historic account of 

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00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,200
what's going to happen on this 
day. 

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00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:10,680
This will happen, then this will
happen, then this will happen. 

134
00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,480
But it shows us images 
throughout the whole book to 

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00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,160
help us understand something of 
what God's salvation plan is and

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how it's going to end up. 
So as I said, I used to read 

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about the Dragons. 
There's heaven with the glassy 

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00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,640
sea and rainbow and golden gates
and things. 

139
00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,240
There's plagues and flying 
horsemen. 

140
00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,200
There are Dragons and all sorts 
of other monsters. 

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00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:36,200
There's a lion who is also a 
lamb who has been slain, but 

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00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,400
he's also standing and winning. 
There's there's lots of imagery 

143
00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:42,080
in here. 
Maybe one day we'll preach 

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00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:43,840
through Revelation Avenue. 
I think that might be a good 

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00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:45,640
thing. 
Maybe we'll think about that 

146
00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:48,320
next year. 
But this context that I just 

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00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,400
shared now is to help us this 
morning to understand some of 

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00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,200
the pictures that Revelation is 
using to tell Christians about 

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their future. 
Hope, bright hope for tomorrow. 

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00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:01,680
So we're going to see some 
images that tell us that wrong 

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00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:06,800
things will be made right, that 
healing and life will come and 

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00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:11,600
that will satisfy and that the 
presence of God will be with his

153
00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,360
people forever. 
So as you think about these this

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00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,840
morning, let's allow ourselves 
to make there'll be all sorts of

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00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:20,320
things going on. 
You might come from different 

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00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:21,840
places. 
Let's try and allow ourselves 

157
00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,760
for this time as we look at 
these book chapters to be 

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00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:29,120
excited and to be hopeful of 
what God has in store for his 

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00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:34,400
people. 
So we'll start with wrong things

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00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,640
made right. 
As we heard last week, Jesus 

161
00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,680
resurrection is the firstfruits 
of what is to come. 

162
00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,080
Jesus suffering in death and his
payment for sin was turned into 

163
00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,680
a glorious resurrection body as 
he rose from the dead and 

164
00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:50,920
ascended to the right hand of 
the Father. 

165
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His resurrection is a sign that 
one day everything wrong will be

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00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:59,720
made right. 
So chapters 21 and 22, the kind 

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00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:02,880
of climax of Revelation, start 
with those verses that are 

168
00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,120
quoted by the priest on the 
Titanic we read earlier on. 

169
00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:08,120
I saw a new heaven and a new 
earth. 

170
00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:11,520
The 1st heaven and the first 
earth had passed away. 

171
00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,640
The sin and the suffering of 
this world, this fallen world 

172
00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,040
will pass away. 
There'll be something new in its

173
00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,880
place. 
First one calls it a new heaven 

174
00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,720
and a new earth. 
We can call it a new creation. 

175
00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:26,040
I'll also talk about a new 
creation. 

176
00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:27,720
That's what I kind of mean this 
morning. 

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00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,000
There'll be something new in 
place of what there is now. 

178
00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:33,920
Jesus gives 3 images. 
Well, there's three images I'm 

179
00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,320
picking out to explain what this
new creation is. 

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00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:42,760
So first chapter 21, verse one, 
there will no be no longer any 

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sea. 
Now I love the sea. 

182
00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,240
I don't want the sea to go away.
Maybe you think the same thing. 

183
00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,960
I was swimming in the sea in 
Torquay a couple of weeks ago. 

184
00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,000
It was freezing, but I was in 
the sea. 

185
00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:55,640
I quite enjoyed it, even as cold
as it was. 

186
00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:58,320
It's beautiful. 
It's home to wonderful animals 

187
00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:01,920
and plants and we can give God 
glory for those things. 

188
00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,160
He made the sea and it's a good 
thing. 

189
00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,040
So why would there no longer be 
any sea? 

190
00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,600
Well, we need to know that in 
biblical terms, the sea is a 

191
00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:14,240
picture of chaos and 
uncertainty. 

192
00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,880
So those people, especially in 
the 1st century, the people who 

193
00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,360
this was written to, the sea was
uncertain. 

194
00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:24,760
It was dangerous, it could kill 
them. 

195
00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:26,880
They didn't know what was going 
to happen and it would just, it 

196
00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:28,720
could just take over at any 
moment. 

197
00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,440
So you see these in the stories 
of this of the disciples when 

198
00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:34,960
they're sailing on stormy seas. 
There's at least 2 cases of 

199
00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:37,200
that. 
Both times they thought they 

200
00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,160
were going to die. 
This is it. 

201
00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,120
The sea has taken us until Jesus
stepped in and rescued them. 

202
00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,120
Throughout the Bible we might 
see sea, and it's often a 

203
00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:48,000
picture of uncertainty and 
chaos. 

204
00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:50,400
So when we read that in the new 
creation there'll no longer be 

205
00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:54,560
any sea, we can hear that Jesus 
is saying in the new creation, 

206
00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:57,440
there'll no longer be chaos, 
There'll no longer be 

207
00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:01,440
uncertainty. 
Uncertainty will be gone. 

208
00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:06,680
The danger of death and the 
threat of danger is going to be 

209
00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:10,040
finished. 
That's not just for when you go 

210
00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,560
sailing on the sea. 
That's for all things. 

211
00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:15,520
Things when you're on the land, 
things in our physical life, 

212
00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,840
things in our mental life, 
things in our relationships. 

213
00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,440
When there's uncertainty and 
there's chaos, when there's 

214
00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:27,680
threats and danger, it'll be 
restored to order just as things

215
00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:32,960
were meant to be fully. 
And finally, I happen to believe

216
00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,680
that in the new creation, there 
will be sea and we'll go sailing

217
00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:37,320
and kayaking and it'll be 
amazing. 

218
00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:43,600
I will never drown, just like 
the whole of creation will be. 

219
00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:49,320
It'll be a restored, amazing, 
joyful place to be next. 

220
00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:53,200
So I'm going to be flicking 
around, which is why I need to 

221
00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,880
have your Bibles open. 
Now, Verse 23 of chapter 21, the

222
00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,160
city, it's another way of 
looking at the new creation. 

223
00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,800
The city does not need the sun 
or the moon to shine on it, for 

224
00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:08,320
the glory of God gives it light 
and the lamp is its lamp. 

225
00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,400
Also in chapter 22 and verse 5, 
it talks about this. 

226
00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,160
There'll no longer be any night.
They'll not leave the light of a

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lamp or the light of the sun, 
for the Lord God will give them 

228
00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:22,920
light. 
So we've already lost the sea 

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00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:24,720
and now we've lost night time as
well. 

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You might think again. 
I loved we were in talking at 

231
00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:29,440
night time. 
They had all these lights around

232
00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:30,880
the harbour, they reflected on 
the water. 

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00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,640
It was really good. 
Maybe you enjoy fireworks or 

234
00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:35,960
maybe sometimes there's a blood 
moon. 

235
00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:37,640
When it's low down it all goes 
colourful. 

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00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:40,680
It's really amazing. 
There's nocturnal animals that 

237
00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:43,040
come out at night that are 
awesome to have a look at, to 

238
00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:44,440
see what they see, how they 
live. 

239
00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:46,000
There's good things about night 
time. 

240
00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:49,560
But again, let's think about 
those original heroes, 1st 

241
00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:52,520
century heroes, when they think 
about night, when they think 

242
00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:57,360
about darkness, to them it's 
danger, it's the unknown, it's 

243
00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:02,240
threat at any moment. 
There's no St. lights or 

244
00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:05,360
electric lamps in the houses. 
There's no car lights. 

245
00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,960
Darkness was even one of the 
plagues that gods sent in Egypt 

246
00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:12,920
during the Exodus. 
Darkness is a bad thing. 

247
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,440
It's dangerous threat for 
day-to-day life. 

248
00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:20,400
Night time in darkness was the 
time when people would hide and 

249
00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:26,320
attack then God's new creation. 
There's no need for lights to 

250
00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:28,640
shine into the darkness to 
remove that danger. 

251
00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,360
There's no need to even for the 
sun in the daytime or the moon 

252
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,200
or anything like that. 
Because God Himself is the 

253
00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:39,120
light. 
His Holiness and His goodness 

254
00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:41,640
and His truth is all the light 
we could ever need. 

255
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,560
He will be our everlasting light
like that never runs out. 

256
00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,480
He'll be our guide to help us 
know the way that we should go. 

257
00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:54,520
Light will be clear and bright 
it'll be. 

258
00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,080
We'll be able to see exactly 
where it's going, where to go, 

259
00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:01,680
where to go next, where there's 
danger, an unknown hiding around

260
00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,800
the corner. 
They'll be gone. 

261
00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:05,600
We'll be led by the light of 
God. 

262
00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,360
He'll shine into the darkness 
that we might have in our lives 

263
00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:17,440
now forevermore. 
And third picture, go back to 

264
00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:20,880
chapter 21, verse four. 
He will wipe away every tear 

265
00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:25,560
from their eyes. 
There'll be no more death or 

266
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,920
mourning or crying or pain. 
For the old order of things has 

267
00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:35,680
passed away. 
The current order of things is 

268
00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:41,840
hard, right, and can be hard. 
Physical illness, both chronic 

269
00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:44,680
and short term illness and 
injury. 

270
00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:49,600
Mental illness that plagues us 
and steals our joy. 

271
00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,200
Breakdown of relationships. 
There's broken families and 

272
00:15:55,200 --> 00:16:00,800
marriages and friendships. 
There's the loss of life we 

273
00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,000
hoped we might have that is 
taken away. 

274
00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:07,440
There's the loss of people, our 
friends and our family, our 

275
00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,960
loved ones. 
But this is not how things were 

276
00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:14,280
meant to be. 
This is not what we were made 

277
00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:18,560
for. 
That's part of why Jesus came 

278
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:24,120
and was born and lived a human 
life, because he knew what it's 

279
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,960
like to live a life like this. 
He knew that when he lived. 

280
00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,440
We read that Jesus wept. 
He cried. 

281
00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:34,680
We see that Jesus was angry at 
the fallen world. 

282
00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:36,840
That was not how it was meant to
be. 

283
00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:42,560
But in God's new creation, all 
these wrong things will be made 

284
00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,520
right. 
There's a wonderful verse in 

285
00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:49,480
Psalm 56. 
It says that God collects our 

286
00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:54,400
tears in His bottle. 
God sees every one of our tears,

287
00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,520
every difficult situation that 
we have, and they matter to Him.

288
00:16:59,960 --> 00:17:03,840
That's now in the new creation. 
There will be no tears to 

289
00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:05,920
collect. 
He's going to wipe away every 

290
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:11,960
tear. 
There will be no more death, no 

291
00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,880
more mourning, no crying, no 
more pain. 

292
00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,280
There'll be no more illness, 
physical or mental, will be a 

293
00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:28,640
thing of the past. 
Relationships will be restored 

294
00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,520
and they'll be renewed. 
We will love one another just as

295
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:37,280
God has loved us. 
Death, as we heard last week, 

296
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:39,320
will be defeated. 
It has been defeated. 

297
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:43,440
It will be destroyed forever. 
Wrong things will be made right.

298
00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:48,680
For those who trust in Jesus, 
this world, with its hard and 

299
00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,440
painful experiences, is as bad 
as it will get. 

300
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:56,920
Jesus knows what it is to 
suffer. 

301
00:17:58,200 --> 00:17:59,840
We see that. 
We see in the Bible that he's 

302
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:03,520
suffered. 
And now he promises to walk 

303
00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,080
through life with us as we 
suffer. 

304
00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,040
But in the new creation, when he
finally returns and makes all 

305
00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,680
things new, He will remove it 
forever, completely. 

306
00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:16,120
It'll be gone. 
Hallelujah. 

307
00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:25,120
So there'll be bad things that 
are removed in the new creation,

308
00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:28,200
but there'll be wonderful things
that will be given to us too, 

309
00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,400
healing and life. 
So verse 6 of chapter 21, to the

310
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:40,040
thirsty I will give water 
without cost from the spring of 

311
00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:49,240
the water of life. 
Water is life for a lot of 

312
00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,080
people today, especially those 
in the 1st century. 

313
00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,800
Water is life when it's in the 
sea. 

314
00:18:56,120 --> 00:18:58,560
Yeah, it's chaotic and 
uncertain. 

315
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,840
But the well, the place where 
people got water to drink and to

316
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,360
do the things they needed to do,
was the place in the village or 

317
00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:08,880
the city that brought it life. 
Without water, you don't, you 

318
00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,920
don't survive. 
That would be it. 

319
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:16,840
So in the new creation there's 
water for everyone whenever they

320
00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:21,880
need it, for free and forever. 
There'll be no thirst, there'll 

321
00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:24,680
be no striving against 
adversity. 

322
00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:29,920
There'll be abundant life on tap
for anyone whenever they need 

323
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:32,320
it. 
Maybe you remember the woman at 

324
00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,520
the well in John chapter 4. 
The well is the centre of plain 

325
00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,960
of the village and there's a 
whole thing that goes on with 

326
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,520
Jesus and the woman at the well.
Jesus said to her, Whoever 

327
00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,440
drinks the water I give them 
will never thirst. 

328
00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,480
Indeed, the water I give them 
will become in them a spring of 

329
00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:52,760
water welling up to eternal 
life. 

330
00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:57,560
This living water we now receive
today. 

331
00:19:57,560 --> 00:19:59,040
We can receive that today by 
faith. 

332
00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:03,000
We can receive the abundance and
living and flourishing now by 

333
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,280
faith, but in the new creation 
they'll be freely available. 

334
00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:08,760
Yes, there is faith, but it'll 
be a whole different thing 

335
00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:13,160
because we will see Jesus. 
We'll never doubt we'll have 

336
00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,720
that eternal life, living water 
whenever we need it. 

337
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:22,880
We'll be fully satisfied, fully 
refreshed, fully alive forever, 

338
00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:29,480
all thanks to the grace of God. 
That's living water. 

339
00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:35,040
And then chapter 22, verses one 
and two talks about the Tree of 

340
00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,680
life. 
On each side of the river of 

341
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,760
living water stood the tree of 
life bearing 12 crops of fruit, 

342
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,480
yielding its fruits every month.
And the leaves of the tree are 

343
00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,520
for the healing of the nations. 
Aren't trees amazing? 

344
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:52,400
I was driving down Wellford Rd. 
the other day. 

345
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:54,480
I'm so used to them being 
completely bare for the last few

346
00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:55,920
months and suddenly they're 
full. 

347
00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:58,760
Little green leaves. 
The sun shines through it. 

348
00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:01,840
That's amazing. 
Or the blossom that's coming out

349
00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:03,960
on some of the apple trees, the 
fruit trees around. 

350
00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:07,040
This happens every year. 
Green leaves in the flowers and 

351
00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,520
the fruits in the spring, they 
almost overflow. 

352
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,880
In the summer, they fall off. 
In the winter, they're empty. 

353
00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,040
They fall off in autumn. 
Sorry, they're empty in the 

354
00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,560
winter, and then they come back 
in spring. 

355
00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,720
Even more amazing are the trees 
that have fruits, apple trees, 

356
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,680
damson trees, where the fruit 
comes back year after year. 

357
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:30,960
Well, here's an image of the 
provision of God that we already

358
00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:34,760
get now, but forever for the 
people, for His people in the 

359
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:39,000
new creation. 
This tree of life on both sides 

360
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:43,720
of the river has twelve kinds of
fruits in this image. 

361
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:48,440
It would like it's full and 
abundance #12 in Revelation. 

362
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:49,600
There's lots of numbers in 
Revelation. 

363
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,920
That's another thing we won't 
particularly talk about, but #12

364
00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,640
in Revelation is a is a number 
of fullness of completeness, 

365
00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:01,640
especially relating to people. 
So twelve kinds of fruits means 

366
00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,280
there's enough for everyone. 
There's more than enough for 

367
00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:06,520
everyone. 
It's at the 12 baskets when 

368
00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:08,680
Jesus was feeding the 4005 
thousand. 

369
00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:13,680
More than enough for everyone. 
And not only each year do we get

370
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,600
fruits like we do now, but each 
month we'll get fruits. 

371
00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:18,680
It's just say, look, it's going 
up. 

372
00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:23,040
It's it's exponentially 
increased undeserved goodness 

373
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,960
from our gracious God, from the 
tree of life. 

374
00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:31,520
I'll be reminded of the garden 
in Genesis where we first hear 

375
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,160
about the Tree of Life. 
It stood by the river that 

376
00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:36,880
watered the garden. 
Well. 

377
00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,120
Then Adam and Eve had 
everlasting, everlasting food, 

378
00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:45,640
and they enjoyed it until sin 
came and Adam and Eve were 

379
00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:48,320
parted from the garden, parted 
from the fruits that they would 

380
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:53,880
have had. 
Well, that parting, that 

381
00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:57,840
separation will be restored. 
We'll have access to the tree of

382
00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,160
Life again, but even better 
because it's not just a tree 

383
00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,080
next to a river, but it's this 
weird tree that stands on both 

384
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,560
sides of the river. 
I've seen some people trying to 

385
00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,320
figure out as the roots and the 
roots go above doesn't really 

386
00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:10,720
make sense, but it's a picture, 
isn't it? 

387
00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:12,760
I think it means that there's 
trees everywhere. 

388
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:14,720
There's the river and there's 
trees everywhere. 

389
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,560
The tree of life is all over the
place. 

390
00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:22,120
The river is has water clear as 
crystal, living water, the tree 

391
00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:26,680
of life with living fruits for 
us to enjoy, and the leaves on 

392
00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:30,800
the the leaves of the trees by 
the river heal the nations. 

393
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,040
There's a lot again in 
Revelation about who's going to 

394
00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:37,160
be in this new creation. 
There'll be a great multitude of

395
00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:41,800
people from every tribe, every 
nation, every tongue, and 

396
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,520
they'll all know the healing 
life of the new creation. 

397
00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,880
All the hurt and harm and 
suffering that came before in 

398
00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:55,200
this world will be healed by our
healing and restoring God. 

399
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,400
He'll bring healing and life in 
the new creation. 

400
00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,800
So we've got the removal of 
these wrong things to be made 

401
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,280
right. 
We have the arrival of these 

402
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:13,360
good things to restore us and to
help us to flourish and to live.

403
00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,000
That all sounds good, right? 
Yeah, it does. 

404
00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,040
It is good. 
But these things are just an end

405
00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,800
in a way. 
They don't mean anything without

406
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:26,880
the presence of the God who 
provides it for us. 

407
00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:32,000
Without God's presence with us, 
the removal of wrong things and 

408
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,400
the giving of good things is 
just stuff. 

409
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,800
It's just stuff for us. 
They may be unending, but they 

410
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,800
won't truly satisfy. 
There'd always be something 

411
00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:43,400
missing. 
We weren't made just to enjoy 

412
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:45,960
lots of stuff. 
We were made for a close 

413
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:51,120
relationship with the God who 
can satisfy, and that's what we 

414
00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:53,520
get. 
We see that in Revelation 2122 

415
00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:57,080
as well. 
So here's where the images get a

416
00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:02,920
bit more abstract. 
Chapter 21, verse 22. 

417
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,640
I did not see a temple in the 
city because the Lord God 

418
00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:09,080
Almighty and the Lamb are its 
temple. 

419
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,200
So again, the city is another 
picture of the new creation. 

420
00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:18,480
In the garden of Genesis 1, the 
Lord walked with Adam and Eve. 

421
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:24,480
They saw him, they spoke with 
him, they knew him, but from the

422
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,360
moment that they were banished 
from the garden, the presence of

423
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:32,000
God was just out of reach and 
they knew it. 

424
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,280
No presence of God means there's
none of His blessings. 

425
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,680
None of His blessings will come 
without His presence. 

426
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,520
Bible talks about that as a 
curse. 

427
00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,920
A curse took place. 
The curse was put on the people,

428
00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:45,640
the curse was put on the 
creation. 

429
00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,880
Because without God's presence, 
there's no blessing, there's 

430
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,320
only curse. 
All the right things became 

431
00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:56,240
wrong. 
So throughout the Bible, in the 

432
00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:59,560
Old Testament, we see God's 
people are seeking to get back 

433
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,960
into God's presence. 
That's why we have the tent of 

434
00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:06,360
meeting that Moses set up. 
We had the Tabernacle then, 

435
00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:09,560
which was kind of the bigger 
tent that moved around to have 

436
00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:13,280
God's presence inside. 
Finally, this is a picture of 

437
00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,880
what some people think the 
temple in Jerusalem looked like,

438
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,600
which is the temple where God's 
presence was found. 

439
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:28,560
But it was never fully there. 
It was never fully accessible. 

440
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:30,800
It was always still out of 
reach. 

441
00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:37,160
The sin of the people and God's 
holiness meant that there 

442
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:40,400
couldn't be a connection. 
There was rituals for people to 

443
00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:42,480
go through to be able to access 
God's presence. 

444
00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,200
Even for the priests, I think 
the priest could only go into 

445
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,600
God's presence once a year and 
they had to tie a rope around 

446
00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,280
him just in case he was struck 
down. 

447
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:52,560
He had to pull him out so he 
didn't have to go in after him. 

448
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:57,360
God's presence was always there,
but he was just out of reach. 

449
00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:02,640
And then in Jesus, the New 
Testament, we see God's presence

450
00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:06,800
come down and arrive in human 
form, but not forever, because 

451
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,600
Jesus ascended to heaven, to the
right hand of the Father, but he

452
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,200
sent the Spirit. 
The Spirit again, is God's 

453
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,760
presence come to live in us, to 
come and live in his people. 

454
00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:21,560
But we still sin in this fallen 
world. 

455
00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:24,160
We're still tempted away from 
the Lord. 

456
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:29,840
We still quench the Spirit, but 
in the new creation, there's no 

457
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:35,480
need of a temple say that to say
that there's no barriers between

458
00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:40,160
US and God's presence anymore. 
It's not about literal temple, 

459
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,360
it's about God's presence. 
It'll be freely available. 

460
00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:48,000
There'll be no nothing in our 
way from getting to know God, to

461
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,080
know His blessings. 
There'll be no rituals. 

462
00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:54,840
There'll be no place we need to 
go to be in the presence of 

463
00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:57,520
Almighty God. 
There'll be no sin that gets in 

464
00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:02,840
the way that clashes with His 
Holiness or be in God's presence

465
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:06,280
forever. 
We will see His face. 

466
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,800
We'll know His warm embrace 
every day. 

467
00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,800
Psalm 16 puts it this way. 
You will fill me with joy in 

468
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,880
Your presence, with eternal 
pleasures at your right hand. 

469
00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,960
It's what we look forward to in 
the new creation. 

470
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:35,520
And chapter 22, verses 3 to 4, 
the throne of God and the Lamb 

471
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,720
will be in the city, and His 
servants will serve him. 

472
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,960
They will see His face and His 
name will be on their foreheads.

473
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,840
You remember the jubilee 
celebrations of Queen Elizabeth 

474
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:52,040
the second, or maybe the 
coronation of King Charles the 

475
00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:56,320
Third? 
Get these big moments in British

476
00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:57,760
history. 
The British people lie in the 

477
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,080
streets in London. 
They're looking to see the 

478
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,360
golden carriage come by and 
there's the wave. 

479
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,520
Something like that, isn't it? 
The royal wave? 

480
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,000
They wave their flags. 
Maybe they wear union union 

481
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,720
flags on their clothes. 
They see the King and the Queen 

482
00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:14,200
go past and some of them get to 
meet them. 

483
00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:18,760
You might not be a royalist. 
Whether you are or not, I don't 

484
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,360
know. 
But this is this idea is 

485
00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:25,160
something of what we will 
experience in the new creation 

486
00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:29,320
when we see our King, our true 
King, the King of kings, 

487
00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:33,040
Almighty God, we'll see him on 
his throne every day. 

488
00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:38,120
We'll have that exciting 
privilege again. 

489
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,280
Don't forget, this is an image. 
I'm not sure there'll be a big 

490
00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,840
throne that we look at, and I 
don't know what that will look 

491
00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,680
like, but we'll see. 
God, our king, and don't forget 

492
00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:51,200
this God is the King of kings. 
He is the best king. 

493
00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:55,640
He's a servant king, King who's 
never high and mighty, looking 

494
00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,560
out for himself, always doing 
what is best for his people. 

495
00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:02,680
And then we will serve him as 
his servants. 

496
00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:05,760
And straight away, that's a bit 
jarring, servant. 

497
00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:08,200
That's not very free, is it? 
That's not a good place to be. 

498
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,520
But I think that's to say, as we
all know what we were made for 

499
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:16,280
because we are God's people, his
creations, which who he loves. 

500
00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:19,960
We all know that we are made to 
serve him and that's the best 

501
00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,880
thing for us. 
And we all serve him gladly and 

502
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:28,400
joyfully. 
We'll see his face at the 

503
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,800
moment, maybe picture what what 
do I think of when I when I 

504
00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,560
think about God? 
It's difficult to try and 

505
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:35,320
understand, but we'll see God's 
face. 

506
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,520
We'll have that deeper 
understanding that we can only 

507
00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:40,160
imagine that we can't even 
imagine of now. 

508
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,880
He'll not be unknown. 
Sometimes it's hard to have that

509
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:47,440
faith, to know that God is 
there, to know that God is real.

510
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:49,880
That'll be gone. 
He'll be tangible, He'll be 

511
00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:51,960
visible. 
There'll be no doubts. 

512
00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,440
We'll see him face to face all 
the time, and we will be marked 

513
00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,640
as His again. 
It's a picture. 

514
00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:01,520
I'm not sure we'll have God 
written on our foreheads, but 

515
00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,960
it's the idea that we'll be 
marked as His. 

516
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:07,800
We will know that we belong to 
God, that we are His forever, 

517
00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:11,560
His precious possession, His 
loved children who will never 

518
00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:15,840
forget that. 
The best part about the new 

519
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:21,000
creation is that God is there. 
God is there with His people. 

520
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:26,320
We will see Him for ourselves. 
Wrong things will be made right.

521
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,240
Hallelujah, there'll be healing 
and life. 

522
00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:34,880
Hallelujah for the presence of 
our glorious and loving Creator 

523
00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:37,600
and Father will make it all 
worthwhile. 

524
00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,320
Jesus presence with us is what 
will satisfy us and fill us with

525
00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,080
joy forever. 
More than wrong things being 

526
00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:50,560
made right, more than the good 
things that we get before the 

527
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:55,240
infinite Almighty God, there'll 
be glory upon glory, joy upon 

528
00:31:55,240 --> 00:32:00,320
joy, love upon love. 
The best of what we know now. 

529
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,200
There are really good things 
that we have in our lives now, 

530
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:04,720
aren't there? 
In our relationships. 

531
00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:08,520
The greatest moments we can 
think of, they'll be multiplied 

532
00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:13,560
exponentially as we enjoy God's 
presence and his blessings to 

533
00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:15,280
us. 
What I hope to look forward to. 

534
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,960
If you watched Titanic, maybe 
you remember the movie Titanic. 

535
00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:28,920
The boat goes down, 1500 
passengers and crew die along 

536
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,840
with it. 
And the movie follows this. 

537
00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:36,560
One of the passengers Rose, she 
grows old, she throws a jewel 

538
00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,480
into the sea. 
It's a bit of a weird moment, 

539
00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,480
but she does that. 
And then she has this kind of 

540
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:44,120
vision, this afterlife vision 
where she meets all the people 

541
00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:46,040
she remembers from Titanic on 
the boat. 

542
00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:50,240
And then her love interest comes
down the down the stairs and 

543
00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,080
they meet and everyone applauds 
and it's very happy and all 

544
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:54,560
lovely. 
A wonderful reunion. 

545
00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:58,960
I do believe that there will be 
a wonderful reunion in the new 

546
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:03,240
creation with our loved ones. 
Those who are there, who who 

547
00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:04,960
trust in Jesus, we'll all be 
there. 

548
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,040
Maybe people we never knew, 
maybe the person who shared the 

549
00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:09,920
gospel with once and then they 
left. 

550
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,440
Maybe down the line they become 
a believer and they see you 

551
00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:14,240
there. 
Wouldn't that be amazing? 

552
00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:17,800
Maybe those who just know 
through stories, biographies, 

553
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,280
even in the Bible will meet 
those people there. 

554
00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:26,360
But this hope from Revelation is
more than just a reunion like in

555
00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:29,520
Titanic, as wonderful as that 
reunion may be. 

556
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,920
New creation is a removal of the
curse of all wrong things in 

557
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,040
this world. 
It's healing and life. 

558
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,480
Everyone who is there, it's 
eternal life in the presence of 

559
00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:44,080
the God who made us, who loves 
us, and who saved us. 

560
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,280
That's the good news of Jesus. 
That's the gospel, right? 

561
00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:53,360
All of these things are waiting 
for those people who trust in 

562
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:58,080
him and in his resurrection, For
those who go to Jesus for 

563
00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:00,320
forgiveness and eternal life. 
This is what I want. 

564
00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,960
Sin is paid for. 
They are invited in to this new 

565
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:07,520
creation to be of God forever. 
They will live as they are 

566
00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:12,719
always meant to live. 
But there is a warning in these 

567
00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:15,840
chapters. 
We had those two chapters. 

568
00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:17,320
We think, oh, which parts of it 
should we read? 

569
00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:21,199
Is tempting to avoid those bits 
we don't really like. 

570
00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:25,560
Because this hope is only a hope
for those who put their trust in

571
00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:28,320
Jesus, who'd been forgiven by 
His grace. 

572
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,080
The Bible says that those who 
are unbelieving and who live for

573
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:39,080
themselves will be cast out into
a horrible image. 

574
00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:42,520
We've had lovely images, this 
horrible image of the fiery lake

575
00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:45,920
of burning sulfur in Revelation 
21/8. 

576
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,080
Their sin means they cannot come
in. 

577
00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:55,400
Their sin must be dealt with and
that is how God is dealing with 

578
00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:59,520
their sin. 
They reject Jesus, so they are 

579
00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:06,440
rejected by Jesus. 
Revelation 21 and 22 offers a 

580
00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,880
wonderful hope for those who 
have washed their robes. 

581
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:14,240
That's in 2214. 
Think that washing of robes is 

582
00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:17,480
to believe in Jesus death and 
His resurrection for their sins.

583
00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:21,080
Their names are written in the 
Lamb's book of Life. 

584
00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:25,480
They are welcome to come in, but
anyone who has not been washed 

585
00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,560
and forgiven by Jesus will be 
outside of this hope, 

586
00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:32,560
tantalizingly out of their 
reach. 

587
00:35:38,020 --> 00:35:41,500
Hear the words of verse 17, 
chapter 22 on the screen here. 

588
00:35:42,460 --> 00:35:44,220
The Spirit and the Bride say 
come. 

589
00:35:45,500 --> 00:35:50,140
Let the one who hears say come. 
Let the one who is thirsty come.

590
00:35:50,500 --> 00:35:53,940
Let the one who wishes. 
Take the free gift of the water 

591
00:35:53,940 --> 00:35:58,840
of life. 
Have you come to Jesus yet? 

592
00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:11,940
Do you have this hope? 
As we finish, I've got three 

593
00:36:11,940 --> 00:36:15,220
things I think I hope you'll be 
able to take away for what this 

594
00:36:15,220 --> 00:36:17,060
makes to a difference to our 
lives today. 

595
00:36:17,460 --> 00:36:19,340
Because these are good things. 
I hope that you have been 

596
00:36:19,340 --> 00:36:21,780
encouraged and excited about 
what God has in store. 

597
00:36:22,100 --> 00:36:26,300
Here's some more practical 
things that I hope will help. 

598
00:36:26,940 --> 00:36:32,080
Number one, let it guide your 
actions now as you work to bring

599
00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:36,480
glimpses of this new creation 
into this old current creation. 

600
00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:40,760
What are the wrong things in 
this life that you're able to 

601
00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:44,840
put right? 
What wrong things can we help 

602
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,560
people to endure through 
comforting them and loving them 

603
00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:52,400
and praying for them? 
One thing. 

604
00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:57,440
One day all tears will be wiped 
away, but until then we still 

605
00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:01,440
cry. 
So whose tears can you help wipe

606
00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:05,160
away as we wait together for 
that hope to come? 

607
00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:09,840
How can we bring life and 
healing and flourishing to those

608
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:14,080
who are in need? 
How can we .1 another to the 

609
00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:21,240
presence of God? 
You know God will bring this one

610
00:37:21,240 --> 00:37:24,200
day, but we still pray in the 
Lord's Prayer your Kingdom come.

611
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,320
That's for now. 
How can we bring God's Kingdom 

612
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:30,400
now? 
Second, let it encourage you to 

613
00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:34,400
share the good news, thoughts 
about this is good news. 

614
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:35,920
This is the gospel that we 
share. 

615
00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:40,240
Doesn't this news answer our 
longing for an end to suffering,

616
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:44,480
an end to conflict, for healing 
and flourishing in life, for 

617
00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:46,360
purpose and meaning and 
belonging? 

618
00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:50,920
All of those things, all of 
those longings answered in the 

619
00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:53,400
Christian hope. 
That's what's in store for God's

620
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,760
people. 
Let's tell the amazing story 

621
00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:58,960
that one day Jesus will return 
and all the wrong things will be

622
00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:01,960
made right. 
God will break in and finally 

623
00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:04,880
restore creation to how it was 
always meant to be. 

624
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:07,480
That is a great story that we 
have to share. 

625
00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:13,760
It's a theologian called Blaise 
Pascal, and he said make good 

626
00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:18,160
men or women wish Christianity 
were true and then show that it 

627
00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:22,280
is. 
I think this hope is something 

628
00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:23,760
that people would want to be 
true. 

629
00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,240
Don't you want one day for 
everything to be restored, for 

630
00:38:26,240 --> 00:38:29,000
wrong things to be made right, 
to have healing and life and 

631
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,680
flourishing and meaning and 
purpose? 

632
00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:33,960
Let's share that with people so 
they wish it were true. 

633
00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:37,400
And then let's show them the 
evidence of the life, death, and

634
00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,520
resurrection of Jesus that 
proves that it is true. 

635
00:38:43,720 --> 00:38:48,040
Finally, let this news be help 
you to be sustained in good 

636
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:53,120
times and in bad times. 
When things are good, remember 

637
00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:56,200
this hope that we have that 
encourage you to share the 

638
00:38:56,200 --> 00:39:01,160
gospel that excites you about 
what things lie ahead that cause

639
00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:04,080
you to praise and glorify God 
for His salvation plan. 

640
00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:10,200
When things are hard, remember 
this hope that we have. 

641
00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:15,360
The bad things in this life are 
as bad as they get. 

642
00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,560
There's a wonderful new world in
life to come. 

643
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:24,840
Maybe you've prayed for healing 
for years, maybe all your life, 

644
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:29,040
or one day that healing will 
come. 

645
00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:35,400
Maybe you're seeking God 
desperately, you never seem to 

646
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:40,520
fully find Him. 
Or one day you'll see His face 

647
00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:47,000
and you'll be marked as His. 
Maybe you live day-to-day with 

648
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:50,600
uncertainty and dread of what 
might be coming next. 

649
00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:54,280
Well, one day there'll be no 
more sea. 

650
00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:58,600
There'll be no more uncertainty.
There'll be certain order. 

651
00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:02,320
That'll be the warm embrace of 
your perfect Father every day. 

652
00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:10,200
So remember, Revelation is a 
book to remind us that Jesus 

653
00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:13,880
wins. 
Anyone who is with Jesus, they 

654
00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:17,960
will win with Him. 
One day he will return to make 

655
00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:22,040
all things new. 
And a big question is, will you 

656
00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:27,360
be with him? 
Let me finish with the verses. 

657
00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:31,080
Right at the end of Revelation, 
right at the end of the entire 

658
00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:35,960
Bible. 
He who testifies to these things

659
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:40,720
says, yes, I am coming soon, 
Amen. 

660
00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:47,400
Come Lord Jesus, the grace of 
the Lord Jesus be with God's 

661
00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:49,720
people. 
Amen. 

662
00:40:50,760 --> 00:41:00,200
Let's pray. 
Our Father God, we praise you 

663
00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:04,920
for your salvation plan. 
One that we could never come up 

664
00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:09,120
with, one that often we don't 
fully understand. 

665
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:14,200
But it's amazing that you would 
send your Son to die for 

666
00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:20,000
undeserving sinners like us, to 
bring us into your presence with

667
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,440
fullness and joy forevermore. 
We praise you now for this 

668
00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:28,000
creation, for the things that we
enjoy in this life. 

669
00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:33,120
And we praise you for the 
promised new creation to come. 

670
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:37,400
Help us to live out the new 
creation today. 

671
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:41,320
As your Kingdom breaks in, we 
pray that you would use us to 

672
00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:46,160
wipe away tears, to bring life 
and healing to those who are 

673
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:49,240
struggling to point people 
towards you. 

674
00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:54,760
Help us to be excited about this
new creation by this hope of the

675
00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,000
future, the hope that Jesus 
offers us. 

676
00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:03,080
And please sustain us and 
encourage us through good times 

677
00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:08,520
and in bad times, as we hope and
trust in the promises of 

678
00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:12,960
revelation, come, Lord Jesus, we
pray. 

679
00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:14,520
Amen.