Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / The New 'Eden'

Transcript

The New 'Eden' · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:00
So we're going to begin worship now. We're singing firstly this evening from Psalm 93.
0:05
Psalm number 93 in the Sing Psalms. That's page 1, 2, 3.
0:12
We're singing to the tune Stroudwater.
0:14
The Lord is King. His throne endures majestic in its height.
0:18
The Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength and might.
0:22
The world is founded firm and sure, removed it cannot be.
0:25
Your throne is strong and you are God from all eternity.
0:30
Singing the whole Psalm, the five verses, on page 1, 2, 3.
0:34
The Lord is King.
0:55
The Lord is full in majesty and armed with strength and might.
1:14
The world is founded firm and sure, removed it cannot be.
1:31
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
1:33
The Lord is strong and you are God from all eternity.
1:47
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
1:54
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
2:02
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
2:07
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
2:11
The Lord is full in majesty and might.
2:19
The mighty night.
2:24
The Lord in throne, the night is strong.
2:33
For power full is He.
2:41
And then all the oceans waves are makers of the sea.
2:58
Pure royal statutes, Lord, stand firm.
3:07
And changing it to worth and holiness.
3:20
Adore to us all endless days, O Lord.
3:34
Now we're going to call upon the Lord in prayer.
3:36
Let's join together as we call upon God.
3:41
Lord, our gracious God, we come before you with thanksgiving.
3:46
To give thanks for that reminder and these great words we have sung.
3:50
Of your own greatness and majesty.
3:53
Of your sovereign rule over all things that you have created.
3:57
And we thank you, Lord, that that encourages us this evening.
4:00
Especially as we look in on ourselves and find so many marks of our own failures.
4:06
As we look over a world that seems to be in constant turmoil.
4:10
We thank you, Lord, that you rule over all of these things.
4:15
Sovereignly and in majesty.
4:17
And that you are worthy thereby of our praise and our adoration and our service.
4:22
We thank you, Lord, that you are worthy of the Lord.
4:23
We thank you, Lord, for the privilege we have of gathering here in your presence.
4:29
And of coming before you, Lord, not only to sing your praises.
4:32
To read your word.
4:34
To hear your gospel proclaimed.
4:36
But also to speak directly with you in prayer.
4:40
We thank you, Lord, for the promises that meet us as we come together in this way.
4:46
Promises that meet us as individuals.
4:48
Though we gather collectively before you, Lord, as a congregation.
4:52
We acknowledge that we have our individual requests and our concerns.
4:58
And our individual needs as well.
4:59
And we bless you for the way that you continue to provide for us.
5:05
And for the way especially that you do not mark our iniquity against us.
5:09
You have provided us instead with salvation in all its abundance in the Lord Jesus Christ.
5:16
And we thank you tonight that as we come to you,
5:18
we come to one who has provided us with a mediator in him.
5:21
A mediator to represent God to us fully.
5:26
And to represent us before God.
5:30
We thank you for the way that Jesus Christ carries out.
5:34
All his tasks with perfect accomplishment.
5:38
And for the way that we can come to trust in him fully.
5:41
As one who is worthy of our trust.
5:44
Lord, grant us, we pray as we come,
5:46
that we may be conscious of your own presence.
5:49
Here in our midst and for each of us personally.
5:53
That we'll know our souls to be touched this evening.
5:56
By the truth and by the power of your word.
5:59
Bless us, we pray, with your Holy Spirit.
6:02
Grant that your Holy Spirit may apply your word to us.
6:06
With that power which he alone has.
6:08
To affect our lives positively.
6:11
To bring us further knowledge of ourselves.
6:14
And especially in the light of that knowledge of you that we need.
6:17
As one who has provided such salvation for us.
6:21
Bless us, we pray tonight, with all our concerns.
6:25
We bring before you, Lord, our own individual and collective concerns.
6:30
Our needs as a congregation.
6:32
Our concerns as a congregation.
6:34
As we seek to serve you in the gospel from week to week.
6:38
From day to day.
6:39
Lord, we thank you for supplying us with the ongoing resources.
6:43
To support the gospel practically, financially.
6:47
We pray that as we are thankful for that.
6:50
That we may see that upheld and even increased.
6:54
We pray, Lord, that you'll bless us too.
6:56
With further resources of a human kind.
7:00
That we may see others coming.
7:02
To join themselves to the serving people of God in this world.
7:06
And in this congregation as well.
7:09
Bless us, we pray, in all the work that we plan for this week ahead.
7:13
By your will.
7:14
Bless the work, we pray, amongst our young people.
7:17
Our children and our infants and toddlers.
7:20
We ask that that will be blessed to each and all of them.
7:23
And to the families that belong to them.
7:26
Bless, we pray, the Bible class and the Sunday school.
7:30
Bless us with further resources in terms of teaching.
7:33
Grant to us, Lord, that we may constantly bear before you in prayer.
7:38
The need for our children to be educated under the influence of your Holy Spirit.
7:44
And brought to know you at a young age.
7:47
We pray for those who belong to us.
7:48
Who will be with us for a time of holiday.
7:51
Who serve you in other parts of the country.
7:54
Those who are students and studying elsewhere.
7:57
Remember them, we pray.
7:58
As well as those locally who belong to us.
8:01
We ask, O Lord, that your blessing in all of these areas of our life as a congregation.
8:06
We'll know your blessing.
8:08
We pray for your blessing too tonight.
8:11
For those who have particular ailments and illnesses.
8:14
Remember them, we pray.
8:15
Those who suffer from mental health issues.
8:18
We pray for them.
8:20
We give thanks, Lord, that you have access to our minds.
8:24
More than we ourselves can possibly have.
8:27
And we pray that you'll bless all those tonight who have these issues.
8:31
And all those families who care for them.
8:34
Those who don't have the privilege of faculties like many of us possess.
8:40
We pray, Lord, that you would grant them your blessing.
8:43
Your presence.
8:44
Your salvation.
8:46
And we pray that you would bless too those who are seriously ill and receiving treatment.
8:51
Those who have been through surgery in recent times.
8:54
We commit them to you.
8:55
We ask too for those who mourn the passing of loved ones.
8:58
For they, Lord, are always with us.
9:00
And we hear every week that we gather here of others who have passed away in the week before.
9:06
And we pray that you'll bless them.
9:08
These families that we know of tonight.
9:10
Who mourn and who express their grief to you.
9:14
And, O Lord, we pray that they will know your comfort and your guidance.
9:19
And your strengthening of them during these difficult times.
9:22
Remember us too, we pray as a community.
9:25
Granted, we may be thankful for all the resources you provide us with.
9:29
Bless those in our local Corlea.
9:31
Our council who represent our various parts of the islands.
9:36
As they meet from time to time.
9:38
And all the officers of the Corlea as well.
9:41
As they take decisions, Lord.
9:43
Affecting us all from week to week.
9:45
Be pleased.
9:45
We pray to grant them your blessing.
9:48
To raise up others who will also come to contribute in that way to our society locally.
9:55
We pray that you'd help us, Lord.
9:57
As we pray for those in our community who have specific talents and gifts to help us in different times of need.
10:05
Whether it be at times of bereavement.
10:08
Times of illness.
10:09
Through the expertise in the hospital.
10:13
The hospice.
10:14
The care homes.
10:15
And the clinics that we find.
10:16
Lord, bless them all.
10:18
We pray.
10:18
Make us thankful that we have access to such resources.
10:22
That are so lacking in so many parts of the world.
10:25
And even in parts of our own nation.
10:28
And bless our nation, Lord.
10:29
We pray at this time.
10:31
Be pleased to bless those in government over us.
10:33
Bless those of them who fear your name.
10:36
And who bear that testimony before their fellow members of parliament.
10:40
And members of the Scottish parliament.
10:43
Lord, we ask that you would continue to bestow wisdom on those who lead us in that way.
10:48
And bestow wisdom on us as a people as well.
10:52
That whenever elections come round.
10:53
That we may be led of your spirit.
10:56
To elect those who will honor your ways wherever possible.
10:59
Those who will be known as a people of integrity and trustworthiness.
11:06
And we ask, O Lord, that you would guide us as a people in that way.
11:09
And so remember the world in which we live.
11:12
In all its turmoil.
11:13
In all its distress.
11:14
Especially those places tonight that have famine and disaster.
11:19
And war to contend with.
11:21
Bless your people, especially in those areas of the world.
11:24
Grant to them, O Lord, your own steadfast love.
11:28
To be known from day to day for them.
11:30
Be with us now, we pray.
11:32
Hear us in this our prayer.
11:33
And pardon our many sins and cleanse us.
11:36
For Jesus' sake.
11:37
Amen.
11:40
Now we turn to sing some more verses.
11:43
This time we're singing in Psalm 106.
11:46
Scottish Psalter version on page 378.
11:49
We sing verses 1 to 5.
11:53
And the tune this time is St. David.
11:56
Give praise and thanks unto the Lord.
11:59
For bountiful is he.
12:01
His tender mercy doth endure unto eternity.
12:04
God's mighty works.
12:05
Who can express or show forth all his praise?
12:09
Blessed are they that judgment keep.
12:12
And justly do always.
12:15
Psalm 106.
12:16
The verses marked 1 to 5.
12:18
Give praise and thanks unto the Lord.
12:21
Amen.
12:48
His �일's tomb and turbulenceru.
12:49
As yet, the spiritual Lord.
12:49
Or are he nothing.
12:49
The nation,ики God's legendary King.
12:51
He inspired us that he said,
13:18
The judgment, the unjustly, do always.
13:30
Remember me, Lord, with love,
13:38
which love to my God's name,
13:46
with thy salvation, O my God,
13:55
who blessed me from here.
14:02
But I, thy chosen, who may see,
14:11
and in their joy rejoice,
14:19
and may with thy inheritance
14:27
fly on with cheerful voice.
14:35
Now we're going to read from God's Word two passages,
14:41
firstly in the Old Testament,
14:43
in the prophecy of Ezekiel,
14:45
and then we'll read from the last chapter of the Bible,
14:48
Revelation chapter 22,
14:50
a few verses at the beginning of that chapter.
14:53
First of all from Ezekiel,
14:55
and chapter 47,
14:58
reading verses 1 to 5.
15:00
It's on page 888 or thereabouts,
15:05
if you're using the church Bibles.
15:13
Then he took me back to the door of the temple,
15:16
and behold, water was issuing from below
15:18
the threshold of the temple towards the east,
15:22
for the temple faced east.
15:24
The water was flowing down from below
15:26
the south end of the threshold of the temple,
15:29
south of the altar.
15:31
Then he brought me out by way of the north gate,
15:34
and led me round on the outside
15:36
to the outer gate that faces towards the east.
15:40
And behold, the water was trickling out
15:42
on the south side.
15:44
Going on eastwards with a measuring line in his hand,
15:47
the man measured a thousand cubits,
15:50
and then led me through the water,
15:52
and it was ankle deep.
15:53
And he measured a thousand,
15:56
and led me through the water,
15:57
and it was knee deep.
15:59
Again he measured a thousand,
16:01
and led me through the water,
16:03
and it was waist deep.
16:06
Again he measured a thousand,
16:08
and it was a river that I could not pass through,
16:11
for the water had risen.
16:13
It was deep enough to swim in,
16:16
a river that could not be passed through.
16:19
And he said to me,
16:20
Son of man,
16:21
have you seen this?
16:24
And if we turn now to the book of Revelation,
16:28
and the revelation of John chapter 22,
16:31
we'll read the first five verses there as well.
16:34
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,
16:50
brightest crystal,
16:52
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
16:54
through the middle of the street of the city.
16:57
Also on either side of the river,
16:59
the tree of life,
17:01
with its twelve kinds of fruit,
17:03
yielding its fruit each month.
17:06
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
17:09
No longer will there be anything accursed,
17:12
but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,
17:15
and his servants will worship him.
17:18
They will see his face,
17:20
and his name will be on their foreheads.
17:23
And night will be no more.
17:25
They will need no light of lamp or sun,
17:27
for the Lord God will be their light,
17:31
and they will reign forever and ever.
17:35
We pray that God will bless to us
17:37
those two readings of his word this evening.
17:41
Let's turn to read and sing again in Psalm 36.
17:46
Psalm 36, and the Sing Psalms version on page 44.
17:50
The tune this time is Free Church,
17:54
and we're singing verses 5 to 10.
17:57
Psalm 37, and the Sing Psalms version on page 44.
17:58
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
18:03
Your faithfulness is wonderful, extending to the sky.
18:07
Your righteousness is very great,
18:09
like mountains high and steep.
18:11
Your justice is like ocean depths,
18:14
both man and beast you keep.
18:16
How precious is your steadfast love,
18:18
what confidence it brings.
18:21
Both high and low find shelter
18:23
in the shadow of your wings.
18:25
They feast within your house,
18:27
and drink from streams of your delight.
18:30
For with you is the source of life.
18:33
In your light we see light.
18:35
To those who know you as their God,
18:38
your steadfast love impart.
18:40
Maintain your righteousness
18:42
to those of pure and upright heart.
18:45
So verses 5 to 10, to God's praise,
18:50
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord.
18:52
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord,
19:07
it reaches heaven high.
19:14
Your faithfulness is wonderful,
19:22
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
19:26
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
19:30
Your righteousness is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
19:45
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
19:48
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
19:54
Your være with whom it hands�� mira demasiado through the Lord.
19:59
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
19:59
My shoulders of the above the world, it reaches heaven high.
20:01
It reaches heaven high.
20:04
Her easant self- tailored awarding to the Lord.
20:05
O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
20:07
Your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
20:10
Bl zeg-low high.
20:12
If your steadfast love is great, O Lord, it reaches heaven high.
20:15
O Lord, it reaches heaven清 the lion of earth to the 결국,
20:17
all ye're delighted high.
20:17
ye are blessed by the RIGHT now.
20:18
Almostatherine high.
20:19
O cry and o'er find shelter in the shadow of pure peace.
20:36
The peace within you have standing from streams of beauty light.
20:53
For when you reach the source of light, make your light please see light.
21:10
To those who know you must have gone, your steadfast love impart.
21:26
Continue righteousness to those of pure and of bright heart.
21:45
Now for a short time together this evening, let's turn to Revelation chapter 22.
21:50
Looking at these five verses that we read earlier from the beginning of the chapter, verses 1 to 5.
22:01
We're all familiar, I'm sure, with the work of war artists.
22:06
Sometimes they're commissioned by their country in a time of war.
22:10
Sometimes they just choose themselves to go to where there is conflict in order to depict what they see.
22:17
And sometimes that, of course, is used for propaganda purposes.
22:21
But very often you can find a war artist conveying a sense of the horror of war,
22:28
sometimes more effectively than just taking a photograph of it.
22:32
Because the war artist can, as an artist, can actually instill in their presentation of their work
22:41
something of emotion, something of the scale of things.
22:46
Things which really you cannot capture in a photograph by itself.
22:51
And down through the years, war artists have gone to war.
22:54
We think especially of the two great wars, the Second World, First World and Second World War
22:59
and other wars that their own nation have been involved with.
23:03
And have captured, in terms of paintings and drawings, something of what they witnessed there
23:10
and tried to convey a sense of what that was like in that terrible time of war.
23:17
We could really compare the book of Revelation to a series of paintings by war artists, if you like.
23:25
Because the book is really about a war between the Lamb, who is Jesus on one side, along with his people,
23:32
and his enemies on the other hand.
23:35
They're described in various ways through the book of the Revelation.
23:38
And the whole of the book of the Revelation is pretty much to do with that conflict,
23:42
with that warfare between the Lord and his followers,
23:46
and those who actually follow what's sometimes called the beast or the dragon,
23:50
representatives of evil and of opposition to God down through the centuries.
23:57
When you come to chapter 19, for example, you'll find that there's a representation there
24:03
of the final great battle and of the triumph of Jesus from verse 11 onwards.
24:09
He saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse.
24:12
The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True,
24:15
and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
24:18
And you can see all the way through these verses that follow on from that,
24:22
an account of how he is portrayed, his might, his prowess, his ability, his final victory.
24:31
And so in verse 16, on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,
24:36
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
24:40
And so that fits in with the other portraits that we've called them,
24:44
these depictions of this conflict as you go through the book of the Revelation.
24:50
And looking at it like that, I think, helps us to sometimes get to grips with the teaching of the book,
24:55
which at some points is not easy,
24:58
but it tells us, it keeps us in mind of the one common strand or theme that runs through it,
25:05
this great conflict between the Lord and his enemies.
25:08
And then you come to chapter 21, where you have a painting there in words of the New Jerusalem,
25:14
leading into chapter 22 we're looking at tonight,
25:17
which you might say is the lasting peace that Jesus, by his conquest of evil and of sin,
25:24
has brought about for his people actually to share with him.
25:29
Now in the study Bible I use at home, I came across this comment,
25:33
and it's as follows,
25:35
the book of Revelation is designed not only to inform and assure Christians about God's final purposes,
25:43
but to increase their longing for God and the realization of his purpose.
25:49
The certainty of that consummation, that final victory,
25:54
comforts saints during times of temptation and persecution.
25:58
In other words, when you look at a passage like this passage in Revelation 22,
26:03
bringing you into the final state of things,
26:06
the peace of God's people that they enjoy together with the Lord,
26:11
what that is really for is for now.
26:14
It's not just projecting us forward to get some sort of glimpse into how things will be finally.
26:21
The whole of that teaching of Revelation is for the present situation of God's people
26:27
as they go through this life.
26:29
So that as they come and confront various difficulties themselves,
26:34
as they share in meeting the opposition that the enemies of the gospel in every generation actually throw at them,
26:41
here is the book of the Revelation that God gave to John and is now in the Scriptures,
26:46
so that we will find our comfort, our assurance, our certainty of final victory
26:53
when we come to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
26:58
And as we'll see, we share in that great victory that is his,
27:02
that is already achieved by his death and resurrection and exaltation to glory.
27:07
So all the time through the book of the Revelation,
27:11
as much as any other book in the Bible,
27:14
God is saying to us, this is for now.
27:17
This is for your present conflict.
27:20
This is to assure your heart that in Jesus Christ and on his side,
27:25
you are certain of victory, however tough, however challenging,
27:29
however stressful, however difficulty,
27:31
the way towards the final victory might be.
27:34
With Christ on your side and you on his side,
27:39
that is your assurance tonight.
27:41
And maybe you're here tonight feeling a bit downcast,
27:45
the challenges that you're facing,
27:47
things you maybe never really seem to get on top of,
27:50
the stresses of life as you go through life,
27:53
both for young people and older people like ourselves.
27:56
But here is God saying, I have given you this book
27:59
so that in looking through this book at the victory of Jesus and his people,
28:05
you can say of yourself as you find yourself amongst them,
28:08
this is actually my privilege and my portion,
28:13
that I belong to these people
28:14
and that he is my king and my lord
28:18
as he is king of kings and lord of lords.
28:22
So let's look at this passage briefly.
28:25
I'm first of all going to look at what I'm going to call the New Eden
28:29
because features of this passage remind us very much of a passage,
28:35
for example, like Genesis,
28:36
describing the creation at the beginning of things
28:40
where God created heavens and the earth
28:42
and ourselves, mankind as well.
28:46
Genesis 2, for example, verses 7 to 10
28:49
very much form a background or the imagery there
28:52
is very similar to this final chapter in Revelation.
28:55
Let me just read what it says there,
28:57
verse 7, chapter 2 of Genesis,
29:00
where then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground
29:04
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life
29:07
and the man became a living creature.
29:10
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east
29:13
and there he put the man whom he had formed.
29:15
And out of the ground the Lord made to spring every tree
29:19
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
29:22
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden
29:25
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
29:28
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden
29:31
and there it divided and became four rivers.
29:36
And you can see the similarity there in the description
29:38
with what you find here in Revelation chapter 22.
29:42
But three things in this chapter 22, this passage,
29:47
three things in regard to the new Eden that we're calling it.
29:51
It's, of course, different in the sense that Eden was,
29:54
as we'll see, something that man enjoyed,
29:56
mankind enjoyed only for a while
29:58
and then they were closed out from it
30:00
because of their own sin and rebellion against God.
30:04
Let's leave that for a moment.
30:05
But the three things that dominate the scene
30:07
are, first of all, the throne,
30:09
and then the river,
30:11
and thirdly, the tree in the midst of the garden.
30:16
First thing that dominates it is the throne of God,
30:20
the water of life,
30:22
this river that flowed with the water of life,
30:25
bright as crystal,
30:27
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
30:32
Christ on his throne, God on his throne.
30:35
And that is the source of this river,
30:37
this water of life.
30:38
But it's the scene,
30:40
in the scene,
30:40
it's the throne that essentially dominates the whole scene.
30:43
And if you go back to chapter 4,
30:45
of course, that's, as you know,
30:47
a chapter that deals with the throne in heaven
30:50
that John saw at that point
30:52
in the beginning of this revelation
30:54
that God gave him.
30:56
Behold, he says,
30:57
I saw a door open in heaven,
31:00
and the first voice which I heard said,
31:03
Come up and I will show you what must take place.
31:05
And I behold,
31:06
I was in the Spirit,
31:07
and behold,
31:08
a throne stood in heaven.
31:11
And he who sat there
31:12
had the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian.
31:15
And so on the description there.
31:17
There's the immensity of this throne,
31:19
the greatness of this throne of God,
31:21
this rule of God,
31:23
this sovereign control of God,
31:25
this God who rules over all things that take place,
31:28
whether they are evil or whether they are good.
31:31
But God, in his own sovereign oversight of everything,
31:35
is absolutely in charge.
31:37
We need to always remember that.
31:39
And you go back to chapter 20 as well,
31:41
where you find the defeat of Satan,
31:43
and then followed by the great white throne of judgment.
31:47
I saw a great white throne,
31:48
and him who sat on it,
31:50
or was seated on it,
31:51
from his presence,
31:53
earth and sky fled away,
31:55
and no place was found for them.
31:56
We're worshiping tonight this God.
31:59
We're worshiping this God,
32:01
as one put it in the Old Testament.
32:03
The heavens of heavens cannot contain you,
32:06
let alone, said Solomon,
32:07
this temple that I have built.
32:10
And it's the immensity of God,
32:11
the greatness of God,
32:13
the majesty of God,
32:14
the glory of God,
32:16
that fills this Bible from beginning to end.
32:19
It is the central feature of this Bible.
32:21
It is foundational to everything else that you read of,
32:25
and come to know through this Bible.
32:27
Every other single topic has to come back in some way or other to be related to
32:31
this throne of God,
32:33
this majesty of God,
32:35
this rule of God,
32:36
this greatness of God.
32:39
The throne that's in heaven.
32:42
You know,
32:42
you think of the grace of God,
32:45
the favor of God,
32:47
the love of God.
32:48
And we may think of these at times as,
32:52
as if they were kind of thin or flimsy things.
32:57
Some people in the world certainly would think of them as we're,
33:00
we're not really thinking properly if we give them the place that the Bible itself gives them.
33:05
But you see,
33:06
the grace of God is sovereign grace,
33:09
is royal grace.
33:10
The favor of God is a favor that is immense,
33:14
because it's God's favor.
33:15
The power of God is the power of the sovereign throne.
33:20
The authority of this throne is the authority of God,
33:24
whose authority covers all things.
33:26
Here's the throne at the midst of it,
33:28
in the midst of it showing us the immensity of God,
33:31
the greatness of God.
33:32
And that's why we bow in his presence.
33:35
And that's why we say this is the main feature of this Bible.
33:39
There is nothing more important than we realize that this grace,
33:46
this salvation is,
33:47
is royal,
33:48
it's sovereign,
33:49
it's kingly,
33:50
it's divine.
33:52
And you know,
33:53
one of the greatest marks of being a Christian
33:55
is that you accept in your heart,
33:59
that you accept in your mind,
34:01
that you accept in your conscience,
34:03
that you accept with your will,
34:05
this rule of God,
34:08
that you accept that God rules.
34:12
And that's why it's such a humbling and immensely rewarding thing
34:16
to come to hear of a Christian saying,
34:19
at the time of great distress or loss,
34:22
the Lord knows what he's doing.
34:25
The Lord is in charge.
34:28
He's in control of my life.
34:30
The throne.
34:33
The throne of God.
34:35
The throne in heaven.
34:37
The rule of God.
34:39
The majesty of God.
34:41
The greatness of God.
34:43
That's the first feature
34:44
in this wonderful painting of heaven for us in these words.
34:50
The second thing is the river.
34:52
I saw, he said,
34:54
the river of life,
34:55
the angel showed me,
34:56
the river of the water of life,
34:59
bright as crystal,
35:01
flowing from the throne of God.
35:04
Isn't that a wonderful emphasis?
35:05
When you think about the throne
35:07
and its immensity,
35:09
you maybe think of it,
35:10
some people might think of it
35:11
as really quite detached from human life
35:13
and from human needs,
35:15
but it's the very, very opposite.
35:17
The water of life that comes to course through
35:20
the life of God's people,
35:21
the life of his church,
35:22
the life of heaven itself.
35:24
Where does it begin?
35:25
Where does it source?
35:27
It's the throne.
35:29
The throne is the source of the water of life,
35:32
the source of salvation.
35:34
It is from God.
35:36
It is freely on his part provided for us.
35:42
You remember John in his gospel
35:43
that he spoke very often,
35:47
wrote very often of salvation
35:49
in terms of water.
35:51
That wonderful chapter four
35:53
where Jesus dealt with the women of Samaria.
35:56
She had come to draw water
35:58
and she met Jesus at the well
36:02
and in conversation,
36:05
it's a magnificent conversation,
36:06
isn't it?
36:07
That great interview.
36:08
She hadn't expected such a thing when she came,
36:11
but this is what she met with.
36:12
And he took her first of all to the water of that well,
36:15
that natural water.
36:17
Whoever, he says,
36:18
drinks of this water
36:19
shall thirst again.
36:21
But the water that I shall give him
36:23
shall be in him,
36:25
a well of water springing up
36:27
into everlasting life.
36:29
You see, it's not just that water comes,
36:31
the water of life comes,
36:33
eternal life comes from the throne of God,
36:36
but it flows into our lives.
36:38
It flows into the life of his people.
36:40
It fills their soul.
36:42
It dominates their thinking.
36:44
It fills their vision of eternity.
36:47
There's water of life which flowed from the throne.
36:51
And if you go to John chapter 7,
36:54
you'll know the passage,
36:55
I'm sure yourselves very well.
36:57
John chapter 7, verses 37 to 39.
37:02
On the last day of the feast,
37:04
the great day,
37:05
Jesus stood up and cried out,
37:07
If anyone thirsts,
37:09
let him come to me and drink.
37:11
Whoever believes in me,
37:12
as the scripture said,
37:14
out of his heart will flow
37:16
rivers of living water.
37:19
Now this he said about the spirit
37:20
the Holy Spirit,
37:22
whom those who believed in him
37:24
were to receive.
37:25
For as yet the spirit had not been given
37:27
because Jesus was not yet glorified.
37:30
And that's anticipating
37:31
the day of Pentecost
37:33
and everything that happened
37:33
subsequent to that in history,
37:35
the history of the church
37:36
with the power of the Holy Spirit
37:38
and the direction of the Holy Spirit.
37:40
Well, there it is in John 7,
37:42
they're portrayed as water flowing
37:45
from those who believe
37:47
as well as into those who believe
37:48
because God doesn't actually
37:50
bestow salvation on us
37:52
in a way that just keeps it
37:54
entirely to ourselves.
37:55
The influence of that
37:57
and the influence of that life
37:58
reaches outward.
38:00
The Holy Spirit,
38:01
the heart of a human being
38:04
who's been saved,
38:06
a Christian, a believer,
38:08
the Holy Spirit in the life
38:09
of that person
38:10
communicates things
38:11
to others beyond themselves.
38:12
And here is a reminder to us
38:17
that from this throne
38:19
in the middle of heaven itself,
38:21
this water of life,
38:23
brightest crystal,
38:24
flows as the source of life.
38:26
And you see what it's saying?
38:27
It flows through the middle
38:29
of the street of the city,
38:32
also on either side of the river,
38:33
the tree of life.
38:35
It flows through
38:37
the streets of the city,
38:41
through the middle
38:41
of the street of the city.
38:44
And again,
38:44
this is one of the main features
38:46
of this wonderful painting,
38:47
as we're calling it,
38:49
of heaven,
38:49
of the final state,
38:50
that you have this water of life
38:53
flowing constantly,
38:54
freely,
38:55
and it's coming
38:56
through every single part
38:58
of the city,
38:59
the main street of the city,
39:01
to make its way
39:02
through the whole city.
39:03
In other words,
39:04
that is such a wonderful portrayal
39:08
of how heaven itself
39:11
is just vibrant,
39:15
constantly vibrant,
39:17
perfectly vibrant with life.
39:21
Life in its abundance.
39:24
Life in its fullness.
39:26
Life supplied by God
39:28
from his throne.
39:30
The eternal life
39:31
that God
39:33
has provided
39:34
for his people.
39:37
And isn't it a reminder
39:38
as well,
39:39
as the woman of Samaria said,
39:41
or found out,
39:42
she left her water pot
39:44
and she hurried
39:45
to tell the people
39:46
of her own town
39:48
what she had discovered,
39:49
what had come her way
39:50
in meeting with Christ.
39:52
Why did she leave
39:54
her water pot?
39:55
There are all kinds
39:55
of fancy interpretations
39:56
of that
39:57
and what that represented
39:58
and what that might
39:59
have been a symbol of.
40:00
Well,
40:01
whatever you say about that,
40:02
she left it for this reason
40:04
among many others perhaps,
40:05
but she left it for this reason.
40:07
She had actually found Jesus
40:09
and she was so excited
40:10
she forgot the primary reason
40:12
she had come to that well
40:14
to draw ordinary water
40:17
because she had found
40:17
the water of life.
40:19
And she went back
40:20
and told her own people.
40:23
That's the Spirit of God
40:25
as that Spirit of God
40:27
works in the lives
40:28
of His people.
40:30
What do you want to do
40:31
when God has brought you
40:33
to see Himself
40:35
and to see that salvation
40:36
and to accept Jesus
40:37
and to know that a change
40:39
has taken place in your life?
40:41
You want to share that.
40:43
You want to tell people about it
40:45
in whatever way you go about it.
40:46
Some people are very shy about it.
40:48
They find it very difficult.
40:50
Others don't have that difficulty.
40:51
But in one way or another,
40:54
those who have come
40:55
to trust in Christ
40:56
and know something
40:57
of this water of life,
40:59
they communicate
41:00
the reality of that
41:02
to the world
41:02
in which they live.
41:05
And it's the burden
41:05
of your heart tonight
41:06
as a Christian, isn't it?
41:09
That those who see your life
41:11
will actually know something
41:13
of the beauty of God
41:15
being revealed in His life,
41:16
in His eternal life
41:18
that He's given you
41:19
through the life that you live.
41:22
So there's the throne
41:24
and there's the river
41:24
and there's also the tree
41:26
on either side of the river,
41:31
the tree of life
41:32
with its twelve kinds of fruit
41:35
yielding its fruit every month.
41:38
Now in Eden, of course,
41:39
as we see it in the book of Genesis,
41:43
the tree of life
41:44
was situated in the middle
41:46
of the garden
41:46
along with the tree
41:47
of the knowledge
41:48
of good and evil.
41:49
They had access to
41:51
the tree of life.
41:52
There's nothing to indicate
41:53
that they couldn't have partaken
41:55
of the fruit of the tree of life,
41:57
although the fruit of the other one,
41:58
of course, was prohibited.
42:01
The tree of life represented
42:03
life in the highest form
42:05
for man at that stage.
42:08
Now, of course,
42:09
through the sin
42:09
that Adam and Eve
42:13
perpetrated
42:13
as the head of the human race
42:15
at that time,
42:16
as Adam was,
42:17
Eden was closed to them.
42:21
Eden was actually then
42:22
shut out from.
42:23
They were shut out from it,
42:26
reminding us
42:26
that there is a curse
42:27
attending sin against God.
42:31
That rebellion against God
42:32
meets with God Himself,
42:35
separating us from life.
42:38
But it's restored
42:41
in Jesus Christ.
42:43
That life
42:44
that we forfeited
42:45
in Adam
42:45
is restored
42:47
in the last Adam
42:48
in Jesus.
42:49
And that's why
42:50
He came into the world.
42:52
So that He would not
42:53
just undo
42:54
what Adam had done
42:57
in his sin against God,
42:58
but that He would actually
43:00
do something
43:01
which would mean
43:02
that never again
43:03
would God's people
43:04
be excluded
43:05
from life,
43:08
from the garden of life,
43:09
from the tree of life.
43:12
And you can see
43:13
in verse 14 here,
43:15
in the chapter here,
43:16
that there's a very
43:17
important reference
43:18
there as well.
43:19
Blessed are those
43:20
who wash their robes
43:22
so that they may have
43:28
the right
43:29
to the tree of life
43:31
and that they may enter
43:32
the city by the gates.
43:34
When Adam and Eve
43:35
were excluded
43:35
from Egypt
43:36
and the way was barred,
43:38
they had forfeited
43:39
the right of access
43:40
to that life
43:41
that the tree of life
43:42
represented.
43:43
God was shutting them
43:44
out from that.
43:46
But He didn't shut
43:47
us out permanently
43:48
from access to life.
43:51
Here is Revelation
43:52
telling us
43:53
not only do God's people
43:54
have access
43:55
to the tree of life
43:56
and will have that
43:57
permanently
43:58
and everlastingly
43:59
in heaven,
43:59
they have a right to it.
44:02
What do you mean
44:02
they have a right to it?
44:03
I hear you asking.
44:04
How can they actually
44:05
be shut out
44:06
because of their sin
44:07
and at the same time
44:08
come to have a right
44:09
in it again
44:10
to have access
44:11
to the tree of life?
44:12
Well, they have a right
44:13
in it because of
44:14
what Jesus has done
44:15
and who He is.
44:17
He gives them the right.
44:18
They have their right
44:19
in Him.
44:20
He has opened the way.
44:22
He is the Savior.
44:24
He is the one
44:25
who has brought us
44:26
this life.
44:27
And as He opens
44:29
the way to it,
44:30
so God is assuring us,
44:32
I give you the right
44:33
to the tree of life
44:34
when your trust is in Me,
44:38
when you live by faith in Me.
44:39
And you know,
44:40
that's something
44:40
surely that encourages you
44:42
tonight
44:43
amongst the many times
44:45
that we doubt,
44:46
the many times
44:47
that we have
44:48
things in our lives
44:49
and in our thinking,
44:50
in our mind,
44:51
where we think
44:52
perhaps less of ourselves
44:53
than really God
44:54
thinks of us
44:55
as His people.
44:57
God is reminding us,
44:59
you have rights
45:00
that I have given you.
45:02
You have the right
45:02
of being My children.
45:05
You have the right
45:05
of adoption,
45:06
being heirs
45:07
with an inheritance.
45:09
You have a right
45:09
to that inheritance.
45:11
You have a right
45:11
to the tree of life.
45:14
You have a right to it
45:15
because the Savior Himself
45:16
has opened
45:17
and given you
45:18
that right.
45:19
And in Him,
45:21
nobody is going to
45:22
take that right
45:22
away from you.
45:24
The devil can actually
45:25
tempt you
45:26
and you can actually
45:27
have many times
45:29
of doubt
45:29
and of difficulty
45:30
and of struggle
45:31
in your Christian life.
45:33
But one thing
45:34
that cannot be taken
45:35
from you
45:35
is the right
45:36
to the tree of life,
45:38
the right that God
45:39
gives His people
45:39
to the life
45:40
that He has bought
45:41
for them in Jesus
45:42
at such great cost.
45:45
But they may have
45:46
a right to the tree of life
45:47
and may go through
45:49
to enjoy that
45:51
for themselves.
45:52
And you see,
45:53
the supply from the tree
45:55
on each side of the river,
45:57
the tree of life
45:58
with its twelve kinds
45:59
of fruit yielding
46:01
its fruit each month.
46:02
The leaves of the tree
46:03
were for the healing
46:04
of the nations.
46:06
The nations,
46:06
as they are brought,
46:07
people from all nations
46:09
to come to know the Lord.
46:11
Heaven is going
46:12
to be populated
46:13
by multitudes,
46:16
by multitudes.
46:17
And they're from all parts
46:20
of the world,
46:21
all backgrounds,
46:23
all races,
46:24
all singing
46:26
the same song,
46:27
all joining
46:29
in the victory
46:29
of Jesus.
46:31
No rivalries,
46:32
no conflicts,
46:35
no war times,
46:37
no divisions,
46:39
no jealousies.
46:40
all that's gone.
46:44
All that's left
46:45
in this world.
46:48
It's all about
46:49
peace
46:50
and life
46:52
and harmony
46:54
and sharing together
46:56
in the wonder of heaven.
46:59
And so the tree of life,
47:01
and it's a reminder
47:02
that it yields its fruit
47:04
every month
47:05
as you see in that
47:06
a reference to
47:07
the constancy
47:08
of the supply.
47:10
It's really a way
47:11
of saying,
47:12
well, you can't say
47:13
as time goes by
47:14
in heaven
47:15
or in eternity,
47:15
but let's just use
47:16
the phrase
47:17
as time goes by,
47:18
as you spend
47:20
eternity
47:20
in eternity,
47:22
there's a constant
47:23
supply of life
47:25
and will be
47:25
and it will go on
47:26
forever.
47:28
Because as chapter 7
47:29
puts it,
47:29
the Lamb who is in the
47:30
midst of the throne
47:31
shall be their pastor
47:33
and shall lead them
47:34
to living waters
47:36
of life.
47:37
And God shall wipe
47:39
away every tear
47:40
from their eyes.
47:42
What a prospect.
47:44
What a vision
47:45
of the future
47:46
for God's people
47:47
in heaven
47:48
to use in the present
47:49
as we said
47:50
at the beginning
47:50
to take for your comfort,
47:53
for your assurance
47:54
if you're a Christian
47:56
tonight.
47:58
And that's why
47:58
this is such a wonderful
48:00
feature of the New Eden,
48:01
the throne,
48:02
the river,
48:03
the tree.
48:05
Therefore use now
48:06
in our thinking.
48:08
Let's think secondly
48:09
though of fellowship
48:10
with God.
48:11
I'll need to be
48:12
briefer with this.
48:14
Fellowship with God
48:15
and really there's
48:16
two things in that
48:17
fellowship with God
48:18
that these verses
48:19
bring out for us.
48:19
First of all,
48:20
there's access
48:21
to God
48:22
all the time.
48:24
You see it's speaking
48:25
here of the face
48:25
of God
48:26
where it says
48:28
his servants,
48:29
his servants,
48:31
there's no more curse
48:32
and therefore
48:32
his servants
48:33
will worship him.
48:34
They will see his face
48:35
and his name
48:36
will be in their foreheads.
48:38
Now seeing the face
48:39
of God,
48:39
the face of God
48:40
is often in the Bible
48:41
a description
48:43
of the favor of God.
48:45
When God's face
48:45
shines upon people
48:47
that's a way of saying
48:48
they have his favor.
48:50
When God's face
48:51
is frowned
48:52
against others
48:53
that's a sign
48:54
of his wrath
48:55
or his anger
48:55
or his displeasure.
48:57
But here is
48:57
the face of God.
48:59
They see the face of God.
49:00
Through Jesus Christ
49:01
they are aware
49:02
of God's presence
49:04
as never before.
49:06
And as they see
49:07
the face of God
49:08
they see
49:08
that wonderful acceptance
49:10
that they have.
49:11
We could go through
49:12
some passages
49:12
tonight in Ephesians
49:14
chapter 2
49:15
which speaks of them
49:16
being again
49:17
out with
49:18
the life
49:20
that God has
49:22
for his people
49:22
until they come
49:23
to know
49:25
the Lord Jesus Christ
49:26
himself.
49:26
You know the chapter
49:27
very well.
49:27
Ephesians 2
49:28
and verse 12
49:30
Remember
49:31
that you were
49:32
at that time
49:33
separated from Christ
49:35
alienated from
49:37
the commonwealth
49:38
of Israel
49:38
strangers to the
49:40
covenants of promise
49:41
having no hope
49:43
and without God
49:44
in the world.
49:47
That's the description.
49:49
Just as the description
49:51
was outside
49:52
of the gates
49:54
of Eden.
49:54
without God
49:56
without hope
49:57
in the world.
50:00
And what's next?
50:01
Christ.
50:03
But
50:04
now in Christ
50:06
Jesus
50:06
you who were
50:08
once far off
50:09
have been brought
50:09
near
50:10
by the blood
50:11
of Christ
50:12
for he himself
50:13
is our peace.
50:14
Now he's talking
50:15
there about peace
50:15
between Jew and Gentile
50:17
but it's true
50:17
on that other level
50:18
as well
50:19
that for us
50:20
as one time
50:21
outside of the
50:22
possession of life
50:23
of the peace
50:24
that we have now
50:24
with God
50:25
as Christians
50:26
but now
50:29
he says
50:29
it's no longer
50:30
how it was
50:31
it's now a different
50:33
situation altogether
50:34
you have
50:34
this peace
50:35
because he is our peace.
50:38
As you go through
50:38
the Bible
50:39
as you go through
50:40
the New Testament
50:41
especially
50:42
it's not just
50:43
the New Testament
50:44
you find in the Old Testament
50:45
too
50:45
these great words
50:46
of context
50:47
but
50:47
God
50:49
but
50:51
God
50:51
but
50:52
now
50:53
you see
50:53
he's talking
50:54
about the total
50:54
change
50:55
that grace
50:56
has brought about
50:57
that God
50:57
has brought about
50:58
that salvation
50:59
is
51:00
think of Psalm 130
51:02
Lord if you were
51:03
to mark our
51:04
iniquity against us
51:05
Lord who could
51:06
stand
51:07
but there is
51:08
forgiveness
51:09
with you
51:10
instead of
51:11
marking our
51:11
iniquity
51:12
placing it on
51:13
a record
51:13
and leaving it
51:14
there
51:15
for our
51:15
condemnation
51:16
forever
51:17
there is
51:18
he says
51:18
forgiveness
51:18
with you
51:19
there's loving
51:19
kindness
51:20
with you
51:21
there's grace
51:21
with you
51:22
and here you find
51:24
in this passage
51:25
in Revelation
51:26
that
51:27
they shall see
51:29
his face
51:29
and his name
51:30
will be
51:31
in their foreheads
51:33
what does that mean
51:34
it means
51:36
they have the mark
51:37
of ownership
51:37
upon them
51:38
possibly going back
51:39
to
51:40
Paul's own days
51:41
when there would be
51:42
the practice
51:43
for slaves
51:44
to be branded
51:45
with a mark
51:45
to show who
51:46
they belong to
51:47
not saying that
51:48
that was
51:48
commendable
51:49
these were the days
51:51
they were living
51:52
in
51:52
but
51:53
if you are
51:55
marked
51:55
as a slave
51:56
in whatever way
51:57
that mark
51:58
that branding
51:59
showed who
52:00
you belong to
52:01
and in a
52:03
spiritual fashion
52:03
the Lord's people
52:05
are marked out
52:06
by himself
52:07
and if you go to
52:09
1 Corinthians
52:09
chapter 6
52:10
verses 19
52:12
to 20
52:13
he says
52:13
you have been
52:14
bought with a price
52:16
therefore you are
52:17
not your own
52:18
you belong to
52:20
God
52:21
what was the price
52:23
of purchase
52:24
for us
52:25
as sinful
52:26
undeserving
52:27
human beings
52:28
the blood of
52:29
Christ
52:30
the death
52:30
of Christ
52:31
and when you
52:32
come to place
52:33
your faith
52:34
in Christ
52:35
in that Christ
52:36
who died
52:36
and rose again
52:37
and now sits
52:38
on the throne
52:38
you are actually
52:40
then marked
52:40
by God
52:41
you are marked
52:42
as his
52:43
and you can say
52:44
you are under
52:45
his ownership
52:46
and that's not
52:47
an ominous thing
52:48
although there's
52:50
a side to it
52:50
that we remind
52:52
ourselves of
52:52
every day
52:53
where we say
52:54
to ourselves
52:55
well we are
52:56
actually the
52:56
children of God
52:57
so our behaviour
52:58
in the world
52:59
is important
53:00
as the late
53:02
Queen Mother
53:03
once said
53:04
at one time
53:05
when the royal
53:06
family were
53:06
arriving at
53:07
D-side
53:08
and coming off
53:08
the train
53:09
and Queen Elizabeth
53:12
II's children
53:13
were then quite
53:13
young
53:14
and the Queen
53:15
Mother
53:16
as she was
53:16
then
53:16
was heard
53:17
to say
53:18
by those
53:19
standing nearby
53:20
now remember
53:20
children
53:21
royal children
53:23
royal manners
53:25
royal children
53:27
royal manners
53:29
you are not
53:30
your own
53:30
the apostle
53:31
said
53:31
you've been
53:32
bought
53:32
with a price
53:33
therefore
53:34
honour God
53:35
glorify God
53:37
in your body
53:38
and spirit
53:38
which are God's
53:40
there his name
53:42
will be on
53:44
their foreheads
53:45
they will be
53:46
known as the
53:47
people of God
53:47
they will know
53:48
themselves
53:48
as the people
53:50
of God
53:51
and there will
53:51
be no doubts
53:52
in heaven
53:53
as to who
53:53
they are
53:54
and who
53:54
they belong
53:55
to
53:55
and you know
53:57
one of the
53:57
wonderful things
53:58
is they will
53:58
know themselves
53:59
not just
54:01
fully known
54:02
by God
54:03
and that
54:04
that is the
54:05
case
54:05
but also
54:07
fully loved
54:08
one of the
54:10
great human
54:11
requirements
54:12
is to know
54:13
that you are
54:13
loved
54:14
there are millions
54:15
of people in the
54:16
world tonight
54:16
who can't say
54:18
I know that I am
54:19
loved and it's
54:20
precious to me
54:21
because they have
54:22
no source of love
54:23
even on human
54:24
in a human way
54:25
they don't know
54:27
of anybody who
54:27
loves them
54:28
they're desperate
54:29
they're struggling
54:32
with life itself
54:34
but in Jesus
54:36
you know who's
54:37
loved you
54:38
and in heaven
54:40
you will know
54:41
that you have
54:41
been loved
54:42
and are loved
54:43
and will be
54:43
loved
54:44
for all eternity
54:45
and the comfort
54:47
of that in heaven
54:48
is indescribably
54:49
great
54:50
and it's that
54:52
which you look
54:52
forward to
54:53
through faith
54:54
in Christ
54:55
and they shall
54:56
reign
54:56
forever and
54:58
ever
54:58
in other words
55:00
they will share
55:00
in that victory
55:02
of Jesus
55:03
they will not be
55:05
on the same
55:05
level as him
55:06
he is the king
55:07
of kings
55:08
and lord
55:08
of lords
55:09
but they share
55:11
in his victory
55:12
just like you see
55:13
in a royal family
55:15
privileges
55:16
whatever you might
55:17
say of that
55:17
that's not our
55:18
business
55:18
but where you have
55:19
a royal family
55:20
and members
55:22
of that family
55:23
they share
55:23
in those privileges
55:24
they share
55:26
in essentially
55:27
what the reign
55:28
of that king
55:29
or queen
55:29
is about
55:30
and very much
55:32
more so
55:33
is the case
55:34
with heaven
55:35
because all
55:36
those who come
55:37
to be brought
55:40
to heaven
55:40
by the grace
55:41
of God
55:41
they shall reign
55:44
with Christ
55:44
forever and
55:46
ever
55:46
they will share
55:48
in the victory
55:49
of Jesus
55:50
endlessly
55:53
throughout
55:54
eternity
55:54
what a prospect
55:56
that is
55:57
there's nothing
55:59
like that
56:00
in this world
56:01
the longest
56:02
reign in this
56:03
world
56:04
will come
56:04
to an end
56:05
sharing
56:07
with a monarch
56:08
in his
56:09
or her
56:09
kingship
56:11
or queenship
56:11
or reign
56:12
will itself
56:13
come to an end
56:14
the moment
56:14
they pass on
56:15
but this is
56:18
a reign
56:19
unlike any
56:20
other reign
56:21
the lamb
56:23
in the midst
56:24
of the throne
56:24
reigns forever
56:26
and they reign
56:27
and shall reign
56:28
forever and
56:29
ever with them
56:30
and so tonight
56:33
here is the
56:35
question
56:35
for ourselves
56:37
tonight
56:37
who
56:38
is our life
56:39
ruled by
56:40
where is
56:43
our confidence
56:43
on what
56:46
and in whom
56:47
is our trust
56:48
what is our
56:52
relation
56:52
with this
56:53
throne of
56:54
God
56:54
what are we
56:56
made of this
56:57
throne of God
56:57
revealed to us
56:58
in the Bible
56:59
where does the
57:01
throne of God
57:01
feature in your
57:02
own life
57:03
and in my
57:04
life
57:04
is it the
57:08
case with you
57:09
that you've
57:10
come to share
57:11
in the victory
57:13
of Christ
57:14
through your
57:15
trusting in
57:16
him
57:16
and accepting
57:18
of him
57:19
and giving
57:20
yourself to
57:21
him
57:21
by the grace
57:22
of God
57:23
or to put it
57:24
in Jesus'
57:24
own words
57:25
where is
57:27
your treasure
57:28
let me just
57:30
remind you of
57:30
what he said
57:31
in the
57:32
Sermon on the
57:32
Mount
57:32
do not lay
57:33
up for
57:34
yourselves
57:34
treasures
57:34
on earth
57:35
where moth
57:36
and rust
57:36
destroy
57:37
and where
57:37
thieves
57:38
break in
57:38
and steal
57:39
but lay
57:40
up for
57:40
yourselves
57:41
treasures
57:41
in heaven
57:42
where neither
57:43
moth nor rust
57:44
destroys
57:44
and where
57:46
thieves do not
57:46
break in
57:47
and steal
57:47
for where
57:49
your treasure
57:50
is
57:50
there will
57:52
your heart
57:52
be also
57:53
where is
57:55
your heart
57:56
where is
57:57
your treasure
57:58
is it in
58:00
this world
58:00
well if so
58:02
that's where
58:02
your heart
58:03
is
58:03
is your
58:05
treasure in
58:05
the Lord
58:06
himself
58:06
in heaven
58:07
if so
58:09
that's where
58:10
your heart
58:11
is
58:11
and it's
58:13
not what
58:13
you want
58:14
to lay
58:15
up for
58:15
yourself
58:16
treasures
58:17
in heaven
58:19
may God
58:20
bless
58:20
his word
58:21
to us
58:22
now we're
58:25
going to
58:26
conclude by
58:26
singing
58:27
psalm 72
58:28
psalm 72
58:31
in the
58:32
Scottish
58:32
Psalter
58:33
that's on
58:33
page
58:34
314
58:35
to
58:36
June
58:37
Effingham
58:37
singing
58:40
from the
58:41
middle of
58:41
verse 16
58:42
the final
58:42
four verses
58:43
page
58:44
314
58:45
the city
58:46
shall be
58:47
flourishing
58:47
her citizens
58:49
abound
58:49
in number
58:50
shall
58:50
like to
58:51
the grass
58:52
that grows
58:53
upon the
58:54
ground
58:54
there's a
58:54
prophecy
58:55
of the
58:56
final state
58:57
of things
58:57
for God's
58:58
people
58:58
what the
58:59
city of
58:59
heaven
58:59
will actually
59:00
be like
59:01
and then
59:02
his name
59:03
the name
59:03
of the
59:03
Lord
59:04
forever
59:05
shall
59:05
endure
59:05
last like
59:07
the sun
59:07
it shall
59:08
men
59:09
shall be
59:09
blessed
59:10
in him
59:10
and blessed
59:12
all nations
59:13
shall him
59:14
call
59:14
these four
59:15
verses
59:15
the city
59:15
shall be
59:16
flourishing
59:17
shall he
59:28
shall be
59:30
уки
59:31
our citizens
59:34
And now I shall die to the rest that rose upon the ground.
59:55
His name forever shall endure, last like the sun it shall.
1:00:12
Men shall be blessed in Him, our blessed, all nations shall dim call.
1:00:29
Now blessed be the Lord our God, the God of Israel.
1:00:46
For He alone, the wondrous works in glory have excelled.
1:01:04
And blessed be His glorious name to all eternity.
1:01:20
The whole earth is glory filled. Amen. So let it be.
1:01:40
I'll go to the door to my left after the benediction.
1:01:43
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father,
1:01:47
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore. Amen.