Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Rev. 21. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Jesus’ conversations with His disciples ranged from the very mundane things of life in this fallen world of sin to the sublime things of prayer and the heavenly kingdom of God. This is the grist of our own lives as Christians living in the world today – the mundane things of life in this fallen world of sin: work, health, children, aging, building a life in this world and traversing through that life, making our own personal history; and also the sublime things of our relationship with God, knowing His love, a life of prayer to Him, and looking forward to the time when we also will be with Him, with the Father and our dear Lord Jesus Christ, in His glorious heavenly kingdom.
- The two things – the gritty aspects of life in this world and the surreal aspects of the life to come seem so inconsonant, that it is often hard for us not to compartmentalize them – and think of them as being separate, two completely different aspects of our being. However, this is not the case, and God’s Word constantly makes clear that we “have” [present tense] eternal life, and that the difference between life in this world and the life to come is “location.” We see this in the first lesson, this complete association of the “heavenly” and the “earthly” – Paul’s vision to travel to Macedonia and preach the gospel there – the riverside, the gate, the place of prayer, the businesswoman Lydia who sold purple materials, and Paul’s need for a place to stay – in her house.
- Today we will be reflecting upon the “heavenly,” the description in our text of the heavenly Jerusalem, the home of God and His dear people of faith. What we see in this text is a complete and direct parallel to our lives in this world – although we can “see” none of this. It is nonetheless real and true, and it is deeply empowering for us to understand these things, and to realize that “GOD IS OUR ALL, OUR EVERYTHING” even now, here in this world. We see in our text that:
I. God Adorns His Saved People, All Believers
Text: “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”
Statement: Now we might immediately begin thinking of architectural and engineering features and dynamics – but before we think of the physical nature of heaven we must remember that “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” is the holy Christian Church, all believers in Christ. You remember what the apostle Paul wrote: “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” [Eph. 5:25-27]
It is the church’s beauty, as the Bride of Christ, which is astonishing and amazing, a beauty provided for each of us in God’s cleansing, forgiveness, and mercy in Christ Jesus. His blood cleanses us from all sin and guilt, and His love renews us in love for God and love for one another. It is the Bride, the wife of the Lamb which is beauteous, wonderful, and glorious – and that is each believer, each and every one us, and right now!
Application: So we are traversing through this mundane life, but even now we are the Bride of Christ, beautifully and wondrously adorned – but not yet visible to human eyes. The reality, however, is present – and all is provided for us by God’s grace in Christ Jesus: “GOD IS OUR ALL.”
Transition: The life of the church also often seems quite mundane and unspiritual to us as well – when we think of buildings, offerings, providing for those in need, and also as we think of the squabbles and unspiritual and unloving behavior we observe from time to time within the church. However, in our text we see that:
II. God Is Our Temple – In Heaven There Is No Physical Temple
Text: “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.”
Statement: Now we do have earthly churches and sanctuaries – and God has promised wondrous blessings in these places: the preaching and teaching of His Word, the Sacraments of Baptism and His Supper, absolution, and the fellowship of His saints. However, God is even now present everywhere – as He has promised us, and even now He remains our temple. We can pray to Him, and worship and praise Him, everywhere and at all times – and we should! This is not to denigrate our church, or the importance of our “gathering together” for worship, the Word of God, and the Sacraments. But what joy is ours in knowing that we are constantly in God’s temple, in His presence – even now in this life.
Application: So the mundane, our houses and where we work, wherever we go, we are in the presence of God and therefore in His temple! How glorious it will be when we can see this with our own eyes – even as John was blessed to do in the glorious vision of heaven which he was granted. But what we are not able to “see” now nonetheless remains real and sure and certain, for “GOD IS OUR ALL” even now in this world – thanks and praise be to Him!
Transition: Indeed, what we see in this world is quite interesting. We are dependent upon light for earthly sight, physical sight, and yet we see in our text that:
III. God’s Glory, His Great Love, Is Light, And All The Light That We Really Need – And So In Heaven There Is No Need Of “Natural” Light
Text: “The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
Statement: Even here and now in this world we have the “light of God.” You remember what John wrote: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . . The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” [John 1:5,6,9] Jesus is the glory of God, His crucifixion for our salvation. In the church we are constantly looking at the glory of God, and being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another.
Application: This is the dramatic coalescing of the mundane and the heavenly – the light of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, light which is here and now – which we grasp by faith. And this “light” which has no “natural” cause or origin changes everything, and enables us to see everything quite differently, including the reality that “GOD IS OUR ALL.” Yes, this light shines in a most brilliant way within the church – in the Word and Sacraments and worship, but we take it with us wherever we go – even at the gate to the riverside, our living room, our workplace. It is the same light we will live in when we get to heaven, where there is no sun or moon.
Transition: And this is the dynamic which most powerfully demonstrates that “GOD IS OUR ALL,” for according to our text:
IV. By God’s Light We Live
Text: “By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day – and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Statement: You see, it is by the light of Christ that “nations walk” and the only reason that there is “glory and honor,” and a place where we can dwell where there is nothing detestable or false – because Christ’s blood cleanses us from all sin, and all who believe in Christ have eternal life, and so “are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” This is the import and weight of the life of the church – to instill this light and life through Christ’s Word and Sacraments. And all believers bear this light wherever they go – letting their light shine in all the world.
Application: This is the light that moved Paul into Macedonia, the light that moved Lydia to baptism, and the light that compelled her to open her house to Paul and his companions, to provide for his needs as he preached the Gospel. It was the light that compelled it all – the Lamb and the glory of God.
This light is here today – in this place, this sanctuary, and also in the hearts and minds of all who know Christ Jesus by faith. So it is in you, and you live by it, and it provides your vision – just as it will forever, even in heaven, for “GOD IS OUR ALL.”
Conclusion: We like to focus on our “doing,” our accomplishments, our efforts – and so we lose sight of how already, every day of our lives in this world, “GOD IS OUR ALL.” We see how it will be so in heaven – but His will is already being done here on earth even as it is in heaven, because even now He is our Savior, our Temple, our Light, and our Life. Yes, even now, even in this mundane and earthly life “GOD IS OUR ALL” – and He will be forever, for all who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
The “gritty” aspects of life in this world change dramatically when we see and understand that “GOD IS OUR ALL” even now. The mundane becomes the surreal and heavenly – it is all one thing, one life, one eternal life that is ours even now through faith in Jesus. Yes, it will be even more poignant and glorious in the life to come, in the heavenly Jerusalem. But it is no less real even here and now – and we are invited to rejoice in God’s goodness, love, salvation, and providence even now!
“GOD IS OUR ALL.” May He enable us to see this, and to know it, and to have eternal joy in this reality. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.