[0:00] Passages this morning, Romans 8, and then look also, put your finger in Revelation 21.!
[0:30] Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings, in order that we may also share in his glory.
[0:44] I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
[0:57] For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
[1:18] We know that the whole creation has been groaning, as in the pains of childbirth, right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
[1:38] For in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not have yet, we wait patiently for it.
[1:53] And then turn over to Revelation. And let's read what it is that we're waiting patiently for. We'll read 1 through 8 of Revelation 21.
[2:10] 1 through 8 of Revelation 21.
[2:40] 1 through 8 of Revelation 21.
[3:10] For these words are trustworthy and true. Then he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
[3:23] To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
[3:35] But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
[3:54] This is the second death. God is good. God is good. God is good. God is good.
[4:06] And his goodness is his delight in blessing others. That's what his goodness is. It's that disposition of joy in making others joyful.
[4:18] And we've been studying God's goodness and have seen it in creation. But we have moved on in our study from God's goodness in creation to his goodness in redemption.
[4:35] This is his goodness after man had turned his back on this good God of creation and had gone his own way and joined in Satan's rebellion. Now that there is any good left for hell-deserving despisers of God should take our breath away, that God would still be good to those who turned their back upon him.
[4:59] We had ruined ourselves. We had stuck our sin in his face. And that he should answer that with a promise to send a redeemer is amazing.
[5:12] Instead of immediately damning us to hell, that he should have even more goodness for us in sending a redeemer.
[5:23] He didn't send a redeemer for the angels that fell, but he sent his own son when we fell in Adam. Pause and wonder. The children's catechism question asks, Did God leave all mankind to perish in a state of sin and misery?
[5:42] The answer? No. He purposed to save his people by sending a redeemer. Who is that redeemer? The only redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ.
[5:56] He sent him to obey for us, to die for us. When we had forfeited eternal life by our disobedience, he promised eternal life for all who would rely on Christ's obedience.
[6:11] And when our disobedience brought the punishment and curse of death, he sent his own son to take that punishment for his people, those who trust in his death for them.
[6:24] Well, when it would have been cheaper to destroy us and start all over again, he instead chose to redeem a remnant of fallen men whom he would recycle, he would reclaim them, he would restore and remake them at huge cost to himself, even putting his own son to the death of the cross.
[6:46] And huge cost to Jesus who would lay down his life that we might have life. That's why I say God's goodness to us in redemption far surpasses his goodness to us in creation.
[6:59] And that's nothing small. We've enjoyed another week of his goodness in creation. It's staggering. The sights and smells and tastes and sounds of God's goodness in this creation.
[7:14] But here is something far higher. And it's this, this goodness of God in redemption that makes lifetime worshipers out of redeemed sinners.
[7:29] We can't get over the fact that Jesus loved us and saved us when we were rebels. As we sing in that song, we stand amazed, stunned.
[7:40] We stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how he could love us. Sinners, condemned, unclean.
[7:51] Has that not brought you here again this morning to worship him? To sing his praises? To hear his word? To lovingly bow and own him as your Lord and Savior?
[8:02] And amazingly enough, his goodness is not only determined to redeem a remnant of ruined humanity, he's also out to redeem the whole cursed creation.
[8:16] The creation, the good creation that was cursed on behalf of man's account. Man's fall into sin. Now, part of the attack on God's goodness today is based on the fact that there's so much suffering and evil in the world.
[8:35] And they would blame God for that and even for allowing it to turn out this way. And then they would say, if God was good, he would eliminate all suffering and evil from the world.
[8:50] Well, if our friends would just read their Bibles, they would see that's exactly what he's got planned. The total elimination of all evil and suffering in this world.
[9:03] But he's going to do it in an orderly fashion. He's going to do it in his time and in his way. Peter says, or Jesus spoke in Matthew 19, 28 about the renewal of all things.
[9:20] When the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, Peter says of Jesus in Acts 3, 21, he must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything.
[9:33] Even as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. So just as it was man's sin that brought sin, or that brought evil and suffering into this creation, into this world, so when sin is fully removed from man, it will also be removed from man's environment.
[9:54] This world. Again, we see God's plan is not to destroy the whole world, but to reclaim it, to recycle it, to restore it, to renew it.
[10:07] And when he's finished, the redeemed creation will display a far greater goodness than even the original creation in its sinless state.
[10:18] The redeemed earth will be better by far. And that's what I hope to demonstrate this morning. God's goodness in redemption far exceeds his goodness in creation.
[10:31] And that will be seen in the world as well as in redeemed men. So men are judging God's goodness prematurely. They're looking at the world as it is today and looking at people as they are today and they're saying, they're not at all impressed that God could ever be good and allow this to go on.
[10:51] But he's not finished yet. Now he started. He's begun. The work of his son. But he's not finished. The goodness of any project cannot always be seen while it's in process.
[11:08] Would you agree? The goodness of any project can't fully be appreciated until the work is fully done. So when we step into the finished building, only then do we appreciate the goodness of the builders.
[11:25] And only when the work of art is finally unveiled, when it's completed, do we appreciate the skill and goodness of the artist.
[11:37] And it's the same in God's work of redemption. He's presently redeeming sinful man, sinners who ruin themselves, who do obey the gospel call.
[11:48] And he renews our hearts by grace. But they're not perfect hearts yet. And when he's perfected us at his coming, only then will he perfect the planet, the rest of creation, not before.
[12:04] Now in many places, the Bible takes us fast forward to that day and it shows us God's goodness at the completion of redemption. Last week we looked more at the beginning of it than the sending of his son for us.
[12:19] But we're going to look at the end of redemption. And that's why we had Revelation 21 read, what do we see at the end?
[12:30] We see God dwelling with redeemed men on this earth. A new heaven, a new earth, a perfected earth where he will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
[12:43] And there'll be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, I'm making everything new.
[12:54] It is done. That's where the Bible's leading us. That's where history's leading us. And that's where we need to follow this morning. If we would appreciate just how good God is, we must see his goodness at the end of redemption.
[13:10] So I ask you to turn to Romans 8, the other passage that was read, we see much the same. This passage is reminding us of the completed project that's coming, the future glory, the end of the curse, and all of suffering and pain gone from redeemed man and his world.
[13:33] Let this passage then hold before our eyes the incomparable goodness of God that is awaiting all of his children when he finishes redemption's work.
[13:45] Now I need to emphasize as verse 17 tells us that this passage is only talking about God's children. Not all human beings are God's children in the sense that Paul's referring to here.
[14:00] No, he's talking about those who have been born again into the family of God. Those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus. Some of the descriptive statements of them earlier in this chapter and in the chapters just before tell us that these are the ones who are in Christ.
[14:17] By faith, they put their trust in Christ so that they're joined to Jesus Christ. They're born again. They're redeemed by his blood. They're justified through faith.
[14:28] And so they have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, as 8.1 says, there's now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because Christ was already condemned for them.
[14:41] Sin is no longer their master. They've been set free from sin to serve God. So they don't live anymore, chapter 8 tells us, according to the dictates of their own sinful nature, the flesh.
[14:54] They rather live according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit who now lives in them and is leading them to put to death the misdeeds of the body, verse 13, and to submit to God's law, verse 7, who's helping them in their troubles to turn to God and to cry out to Him for help knowing that He is their Father and they can come to Him and cry, Father, help me.
[15:21] These are the ones who are the children of God as He says in verse 17. If we are children, that's the kind of people we're talking about.
[15:33] And if we're children, then certain things follow and are true of us. So these are the ones who are destined for this future glory that we're looking at this morning at the completion of their redemption.
[15:45] The work which His goodness began, the arm of His strength will complete. So God has begun the good work and He's going to complete it.
[15:57] And when we come to that completion, it will be breathtaking glory. Notice the emphasis on glory, verses 17 and 18 of Romans 8. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
[16:13] If indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
[16:25] Notice we will not only see Christ's glory, but we will share in His glory. 1 John 3, 2 says when we see Him, we'll be made like Him, for we'll see Him as He is.
[16:44] And seeing the King in His glory will evaporate all remaining sin within us. And we will be just like Him, fully changed. no remaining sin left.
[16:57] Now we will be as morally holy as Jesus Christ Himself is holy. That's what we have to look forward to. Now we've already, we already have the Spirit of Christ living in us.
[17:11] Powerfully recreating and retooling our mind, our desires, our will, our actions, changing us into the likeness of Jesus. But that is not yet complete.
[17:21] complete. This is talking about the day of completion. When we see Christ, we will share in His glory. That has to do with the entirety of our being.
[17:38] What are we? Well, we're body and soul. So let's talk about our souls in that day. Our souls will be shining with the glory of Christ. Perfectly stamped with Christ's glory upon our souls, our hearts, our mind and affections and our will.
[17:57] Verse 18 says that the glory, that glory, the glory that will be revealed in us. Not just revealed to us, but revealed in us.
[18:08] Within our souls, the glory of Christ will now be shining out. His perfect likeness. We've been studying something of godliness in our Sunday school class and we've seen that there's a beauty in godliness.
[18:21] There's something glorious and attractive and wonderful about godliness. Well, when we see Jesus and are made like Him, there will be a beauty about our souls that will shine out as the glory of Christ is revealed in us and we share in that glory even within our souls.
[18:42] But not just our souls, our bodies as well. They too will be shining with the perfect glory of Christ. These bodies that are often now the cause of much pain and suffering and distress.
[18:57] These bodies at Christ's coming, we're told, will be raised from the dead and gloriously changed. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that they'll be sown perishable, they'll be raised imperishable.
[19:13] They'll be sown in weakness, they'll be raised in power. Sown in dishonor, raised in glory. There's our word.
[19:25] We're going to share in Christ's glory. Even the glory of our bodies will shine with the glory of Christ to be revealed in our bodies.
[19:36] Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 49 that just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, Adam, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven, Jesus.
[19:52] So our destiny is not likeness to Adam. Our destiny for these bodies is not that they will one day be like Adam's body before the fall when he was innocent, fresh from the hand of God.
[20:07] No, no. We've borne the image of Adam. We're going to bear the image of the man from heaven. Now think about that. The resurrection body of Christ raised in glory.
[20:19] That's the bodies that we will share. Isn't that what Paul tells us? That our citizenship is in heaven and we're looking for a savior from there who by the power that he has is able to bring everything under submission to him and then it says that he will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like not Adam's original body like his glorified body.
[20:45] Body of glory Philippians 3 21 Daniel says will shine like the brightness of the heavens as we're raised. Now just what all that will look like and be I don't know but I want to be there and experience it.
[21:00] Glory body and soul likeness of Christ shining out this is what we were made for to be image bearers and then we will bear that image perfectly.
[21:14] And that's all involved in what Paul is saying here in our text of Romans 8 that we will share in his glory a glory that will be revealed in us. Now the world doesn't yet recognize our glorious status as children of God.
[21:31] They don't get out of the way when you pull out onto the highway or when you come walking in they don't make way for you as if to say wow this is a child of the living God. And why don't they treat you that way?
[21:44] John says well the reason the world doesn't know us is that it did not know him. His glory was veiled when he visited. In our glory what we will be is not what we are now.
[21:59] But when he appears in his glory and is revealed then his children his people will appear with him in glory and his glory will shine out through them and then it will be seen how glorious these children of God are.
[22:19] Our glorious status as sons of God will be revealed unveiled for all to see when Christ is revealed in all his glory then we also will appear with him in glory and people will see that we're part of his family.
[22:36] I'm his and he's mine and the family likeness will be clear for all to see. Not only in our bodies transformed into his glorious like his glorious body but everything that exudes from our our mind our affections our choices our behavior our souls you see made like the Lord Jesus.
[23:02] Now the fact that this glory will be revealed in us means it's not yet been revealed in us. The glorious restoration of the children of God is not yet complete we're still works in process and sometimes they can be quite inglorious.
[23:19] but the revealing is coming. A glorious unveiling of Christ's glory in us. Verse 19 says that the whole that the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
[23:37] Now who is this creation waiting for the sons of God to be revealed? Well it's it's all the rest of creation the non-human the earth the the earthly creation the mountains the hills the trees the flowers the rivers the deer the giraffes the rabbits the creation waits in eager expectation.
[24:02] J.B. Phillips trans paraphrases it they're all waiting on tiptoed excitement. They're waiting on tiptoe. For what?
[24:13] For the sons of God to be revealed made manifest perfected. Why? Why is all creation so excited?
[24:26] What skin do they have in this game? What do they stand to benefit? What does our being revealed as the sons of God have to do with them at all? Because that day will be their liberation day from the curse just as it will be our liberation day.
[24:44] that's what he says in verse 20. For the creation was subjected to frustration. Remember when Adam fell? God cursed the earth. The creation shared in the curse because of man's sin and that's what Paul's referring to here in verse 20.
[25:01] The creation was subjected to frustration not by its own choice but by the will of the one who subjected it. God was the one who subjected all the rest of creation to a curse because of man's sin.
[25:18] But the curse is not to have the final word and that's what Paul's telling us here. It's not to have the final word for the children of God nor for the world, the environment of God's children for all eternity.
[25:32] Verse 21, for there is the hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
[25:45] You see, this is the order of God. Man fell so God cursed man and cursed creation and sin and death and suffering came into this world. God's going to fully redeem man through the work of Christ and when he does, he's going to redeem the creation as well.
[26:03] He's going to reverse the curse. You remember Balaam was hired to curse God's people and he says, I can't. God is blessed and I can't reverse it. Well, if God's the one who curses, God can reverse it and that's what he's going to do.
[26:18] He's going to reverse the curse, turn curse to blessing for all creation, not just the redeemed sons of men. That's why they can't wait.
[26:31] That's why they're on tiptoe. That's why in personification, the trees are watching, getting ready to clap their hands, to join in this liberation movement that will be theirs when Christ returns.
[26:46] So just as God's children are set free from the curse, so will the rest of creation be set free. And so strong is creation's anticipation for that liberation that Paul says the creation is groaning.
[27:01] Verse 22, the whole creation has been groaning. Ever since God cursed the ground for Adam's sake in Genesis 3, the creation has been groaning.
[27:12] You might see it in the earthquakes. You might see it in the floods. You might see it in the tornadoes. You might see it in all the destructive storms and diseases and things that plague this earth.
[27:24] The whole creation is groaning. You'll see it in coronaviruses, all sorts of new viruses that are falling upon humanity. Where is this?
[27:34] This is creation groaning under this objection to frustration and decay and bondage and looking forward to a day when it will be set free. like a pregnant woman the whole creation is groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
[27:56] Like a pregnant mother groaning with anticipation of the child that is to be born. The creation is anticipating this glorious liberty. And not only them verse 23 says but we ourselves we children of God who have the first fruits of the spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons the redemption of our bodies.
[28:20] So we're too waiting on tiptoe. We too are yearning and groaning for redemption to be complete. We've tasted the first fruits of redemption. We've known what it is to trust in Christ and to have Christ dwell in our hearts by faith and the spirit of God to take up residence here and to usher us into this new life a life lived in fellowship with God.
[28:44] We've tasted the first fruits the present work of the spirit within and we say if this is just the first fruits bring on the full meal. We can't wait for what's coming.
[28:58] Our adoption is sons the full privileges of sonship including notice the redemption of our bodies verse 23 ends. The redemption of our bodies when our lowly bodies with all their troubles will be transformed into the likeness of Christ glorified body forever out of reach of suffering totally incapable of death and that's even better than Adam's body in the garden.
[29:29] Remember I'm saying that the end of redemption is even better than the creation goodness of Adam. Yes he came from God's hand perfect without sin upright but he was capable of dying wasn't he?
[29:47] Fearfully and wonderfully made a trophy to God's goodness but nevertheless capable of death and subsequent history proved that because he did sin death came to him as Genesis 5 5 says Adam lived 930 years and then he died.
[30:11] When Christ returns and transforms our bodies into the likeness of Christ's body incapable of dying immortal indestructible Jesus died once he cannot die again we will share his glorious body and be incapable of death but our immortal resurrected bodies will bring us higher than sinless Adam in Eden because God will swallow up death forever and there will be no more death that's part of the old order things that have passed away giving way to the new order which is nobody dies anymore in the new heavens and the new earth what a glory what a goodness will be on display that day and for all of eternity as we shine with the glory of God so that's why the rest of creation is groaning and waiting and eager anticipation for us to be revealed as the sons of God that we are when Christ returns they too will share in being redeemed from the curse and there will be no more curse revelation 22 3 what will that be when he comes to make his blessings flow as far as the curse is found wherever this created order has been frustrated it's going to be brought back into order wherever the ground is not produced as much because it's producing thorns and thistles and all kinds of other things it's going to be reversed and will be far more productive can you imagine more beautiful sunsets more beautiful birds and animals and scenery what will the new earth be when it's once liberated from its bondage to decay again
[32:06] I don't know but I want to be there and experience it and what will be the glory of ourselves children of God bought with the blood of Jesus when we share this moral likeness of Christ and he meets us and says well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord when our joy in being there will only be surpassed by his joy in having us there his joy in seeing us enjoying and as we're aghast with new surprise after new surprise of the things in heaven we see he will be delighting in our delight now isn't that what we were made for to know that we are pleasing God to know that we were made to please him and isn't that what we long for to know that as God looks at us he doesn't find anything of a mind that's thinking poor thoughts of him and selfish thoughts and nothing in our affections as we talked at the beginning of worship that is cooling and just going through none of that we know we stand before him perfect as perfect as his son and we see the smile of
[33:25] God we see Christ rejoicing over us with singing we know we're finally home this is what we were made for and for all of eternity he will delight in seeing us delighted because he's good and he does good and redemption completed will show a greater goodness than even the beginning of creation before the fall well the next thing in our passage we see why he's told us this ahead of time why has he taken us fast forward to the end of the game the end of the battle and shown us what's going to happen it's to give us hope hope a confident expectation of future what future good we're studying the goodness of God this is to give us hope and future good and not a wishy washy hope but a confident expectation to know for sure that my best days are yet ahead that the best goodness of God will be on display for all eternity and I'll be there that's why he's told us this ahead of time notice verse 24 and 25 for in this hope we were saved but hope that is seen is no hope at all who hopes for what he already has kids you hoping for a new bike you can understand that but if you've already got the new bike you quit hoping for it don't you and that's what he's saying we're saved in hope we don't have what is coming yet and that's why we go on hoping for it verse 25 if we hope for that which we do not yet have we wait for it patiently and here's the reason he tells us in his word about the future goodness awaiting his children this is the believers happy hope the yet unseen and unrealized hope is it's just what we need to energize us to persevere patiently in the midst of suffering here and now and that's why these pages and passages are in our
[35:37] Bibles they're here on purpose God knew we would need them to persevere to the end and so these passages of the future glory the future goodness they're like energy drinks along the way to strengthen us to keep going all the way to the end because only those who endure to the end shall be saved so here take this energy drink look look what's coming and keep running hope is the coming good hope in the coming goodness of God is the key to persevering it's what motivates you to keep running and not grow weary and to give up it's what makes you patient in affliction it's what inspires our patient waiting for if we hope for what we do not yet have but we're willing to wait for it if I know it's coming then I'll keep going the opposite is true if I don't know that it's coming
[36:40] I just might slow down and stop and turn back that's why these passages are in the Bible because when hope dies the patient waiting dies and that's big trouble when we quit waiting for God's coming glory we set out to find our own glory we return to the world to the old life to sin to searching for glory where there is no glory all because we lost hope in the coming glory and we gave up there is no true glory apart from the king of glory there is no true glory and goodness apart from Christ only empty cisterns that can hold no water do you see the importance of our hope the whole of the
[37:42] Christian life is lived in hope in hope of the future good the coming glory we're saved in hope in the in the process of hope in the standing of hope that confident expectation of future good so how do we keep hope alive well feed your hope on the coming glory get yourself to heaven often do you know do you know this book will take you there and give you as it were a virtual tour of heaven for your eyes of faith get there go often future glory is not just something to stumble into and to be enjoyed then no future glory is something we're to be enjoying now in the midst of suffering that's why we've been told that it's coming that we might have something of the enjoyment that keeps us persevering frankl was a man that lived through the concentration camps and he noticed something interesting that those who had hope of being set free lived longer than those who had given up hope the whole book to the
[39:05] Hebrews is written to assure us of our hope we have as an anchor that reaches within the veil where Jesus our forerunner has gone before us because he's there and there is our forerunner we're gonna be there so we have this hope as an anchor steadfast and sure because those who give up hope go back to the Christless Judaism from which they came that's the book of Hebrews and it's true of us we need hope we need hope so feed your hope on the coming glory of God that's the huge part of God's answer to the present problem of pain and suffering come with me child and let me show you the end and that's why our Bibles are constantly taking us to the end and especially when we're in trouble and suffering and life is hard so what does Jesus say in Matthew 5 blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness it's not fun being persecuted because you're doing what's right in
[40:08] God's eyes but they're blessed why for theirs is the kingdom of heaven so blessed are you when people insult you persecute you falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me rejoice and be glad why because great is your reward in heaven it's taking you to the end game it's taking you to the future glory the apostle Paul says this is why we don't lose heart in our physical sufferings second corinthians 4 16 and 18 though outwardly we are wasting away Paul's getting older his body's breaking down death and decay are at work in his body and why isn't he weary and giving up the race to heaven he tells us though outwardly we're wasting away yet inwardly we're being renewed day by day for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us what an eternal glory an eternal glory and therefore we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen for what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal and chapter 5 follows that we're memorizing so if we've got problems in this old tent we've got a heavenly dwelling coming get your eyes on that and the certainty of it and the confidence it gives us then to stare in the face of death and say death where's your victory grave where's your victory where's your triumph
[41:46] Jesus Christ is triumph for us and we will rise because he arose again in our very text I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to what to the glory that will be revealed in us folks if you're not thinking about the glory to be revealed in us all you've got in the balance is just your present sufferings and you won't do well if that's all you've got in doing I won't do that so if you keep hope alive read your bible it'll take you to heaven it'll show you the future glory visit the glory side often keep your heart in heaven get it there even before you get there hold on the troubles here won't last forever let your troubles here chase you to heaven in your mind with your bible with the spirit to shine his light upon his word look John look what's coming so your troubles chase you to heaven for another visit and secondly don't set your heart on anything in this world in such a way that it spoils your groaning for that world rather let
[43:07] God's goodnesses in this world lure you to the coming world that is better by far so let your troubles chase you to heaven and let the good things in this life the good things of this creation lure you to the better things that God's preparing for those that love him if this world's still under the curse and it is it's still waiting it's still waiting to be set free if under the curse this world is so full of his goodness what will it be when God liberates it from the curse and makes all things new so that the sweetest taste of created goodness now are just appetizers for what's coming later Chris Rice has a lovely song that he he sings too much I love this world you made she echoes better places and home six me till we shall see direct with unveiled faces face to face with Jesus in unveiled faces didn't know home six was a verb do you know what it's like to be homesick for heaven is that what the good things of this earth are doing for you are they making you homesick for home home is where Jesus is the lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's lamb so let the troubles chase you to heaven let the good things of this earth homesick you to heaven it's coming keep going brother keep going sister the best is yet to come and all because when we rebelled and ruined ourselves
[45:23] God sent a redeemer he's come now he's lived he's died he's obeyed the law he's died he's risen he's gone back to heaven and he's coming again to finish redemption's work new heavens new earth perfected people to inhabit a perfect planet is he your redeemer is this your destiny is this your future it's it's not for everyone revelation 21 ended with verse 8 but yes the children of God will inherit all this but the unbelieving the cowardly the liars the sexually their place will be in the lake of fire forever they must go through the curse of God for all eternity why because they didn't put their trust in Jesus to bear the curse for them so they ruined themselves and they ruined themselves for all of eternity how sad for some of you here perhaps to only ever experience the goodness of
[46:29] God in this present form a world under the curse and to never taste what it will be like to be exactly what God made you to be perfectly like Jesus in a world that's perfect without anything of sorrow and death when you could have had Christ and you could have inherited the whole thing do you know how good Jesus is he delights to see sinners come to him he delights to forgive sin he delights to throw his arm around the bestraying rebellious sinner that stops running and turns around and falls into his arms he's like a physician he is the great physician think if you had the disease that was bringing death indeed the disease of sin is bringing death and hell and
[47:38] Jesus is the great physician he's come God has sent him and he's come with the only remedy and he has it in his hands and he's offering it to you sincerely offering it to you what a kind physician but he doesn't just make the offer with a take it or leave it attitude here it is you want it eternal life if not it's hell Jesus never offered the remedy in that spirit at all he came and he offered it freely to sinners and then he pleaded with them to take it oh please please take my offer he begged with sinners to take the gift of water of life freely and if they still did not he wept to see them rejected and that's why we have that beautiful picture of our savior as he looks over Jerusalem and the whole crowd on the day of the triumphant entry they're all cheering and shouting and
[48:49] Jesus is weeping and wailing if you only you had known who it was that was coming to you how often I would have gathered you like chicks under the mother hen's wing but you would not isn't there something of God's goodness in Jesus free offer to you this morning whoever you are he wants you to taste and see how good he is and if you don't you'll never be able to say but he didn't really want me to have it no he he weeps when he would rather see you turn and live than to see you destroy take him take him he's just that good he delights in mercy let's pray our God you are holy and therefore there was a price to pay for rebellion and sin but you are good and therefore you sent your son so that whoever would believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life thank you that we have a redeemer this day a redeemer to offer to any sinner here who needs to be saved we pray that you would save not only here but all around the world so bring glory to your goodness just how good you are thank you for what you've prepared for your children keep it front and center with us don't let us grow weary because we forgot what's coming and all because of you lord jesus who has purchased eternal life for us when we forfeited it by our sin thank you then in jesus name amen