This Week\’s Sunday School Lesson, \”Our New Eternal Home\”, 11/20/2016

 

OUR NEW ETERNAL HOME

 

Revelation 22:1-7

 

THE WATER OF LIFE

1. \”Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.\”
2. There are several ways of interpreting this verse, but I prefer Jamieson Fausset and  Brown\’s.

1. The crystal clear water of life could represent the full Gospel grace flowing from  the throne of God.

1. While we now receive God\’s Grace daily, it is hindered by the sin that exist in  our lives.

1. It is my belief, that we now receive only a small portion of the blessings that God  has stored for us because of our unbelief and disobedience.

1. Since we are influence by the flesh, our lives are more difficult than it could be   because we are not completely right before God.

1. The river of the water of life could also represent the Holy Spirit.
2. Learning to yield to the guidance and the direction of the Holy Spirit is a continuous   spiritual growth process.

1. In the New city of Jerusalem, we will be completed consumed in the spirit.
2. The river may represent an infinite abundance of life.
3. Life in the New Jerusalem will be everlasting.
4. The phrase \”clear as crystal\” may be the infinite righteousness of God that all the   redeemed will possess.

 

THE TREE OF LIFE

V:2. \” Down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.\”

1. In the New Jerusalem, there will be only one path and that is the path of righteousness.
2. This path/ street has its\’ beginning at the throne of God.
3. It is in the center because God will be the center of our eternal existence.
4. The constant flowing river of life has on each side a tree of life.
5. In the Garden of Eden, there was a tree of life which Adam was prevented from  eating after his sin.

1. I suggest that if Adam had eaten from the tree of life after his sin, that  there would be no chance of redemption for man.

1. The tree of life may represent the eternal life that all believers written in the  Lamb\’s book of Life will receive.

1. The promise of eternal life is received when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior.
2. Believers are living in the hope of eternal life in the eternal Jerusalem.
3. God\’s plan of redemption will be the complete and permanent state of purity in   His New Jerusalem.

1. We must keep in mind that the New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ is the   spirits of all God\’s redeemed.

1. It is only by God\’s Grace that we are His redeemed.
2. Twelve is one of God divine numbers that is used through out the Bible.
3. There were twelve tribes of Israel.
4. Jesus chose 12 disciples.
5. There are 12 months in the year.
6. Twelve may represent the all sufficiency of the Lord.
7. Each believer in the church of Jesus Christ is equipped with gifts to produce    fruit.

5.We are expected to produce fruit through out our Christian

life.

1.   In heaven the fruit  will be produced by the Lord without any effort on our part.
2. The fruit from the tree could represent the infinite provisions of the Lord throughout   our eternal lives with Him.

1. According to the text, the leaves on the fruit tree are for healing.
2. We know in the eternal kingdom there will be no death, no sickness and no sorrow.
3. We know that our final state will be one of eternal blessings.
4. Therefore, I suggest that leaves represent the state of complete and perfect health   that will exist throughout eternity.

 

THE SERVANTS OF THE LAMB  

V:3. \” No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in    the city, and his servants will serve him.\”

1. After Adam sinned, human life was cursed and the ground of the earth was also  cursed.

1. Old things will pass away and a new sinless environment will exist in eternity.
2. The \”old\” are all the evil and evil consequences that result from man\’s sins.
3. Trials, tribulations, sorrows and death to name a few,
4. Hate, jealousy, envy, backbiting and all disobedient behavior.
5. In the presence of God, there will be no sin or any capability to sin.
6. In this present Church Age, all sin is covered by the blood of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:18-19
7. There is no righteousness in us, but all righteousness is imputed to us by our   faith in Jesus.

1. Jesus now sits a the right hand of the Father making continuous intercessions for us.
2. In the New Jerusalem there will be no atoning of sin, because it will not exist.
3. Those who enter the New Jerusalem will have been washed by the lambs blood in eternal purity.

1. We will be like angels, serving God with continuous non stop praise and worship.         Matt 12:25

 

THE FACE OF GOD

V:4. \” They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.\”

1. Presently, no man has seen God at anytime.
2. In the New Jerusalem, all God\’s saints will see His face.
3. We will see God in all His Glory.
4. The Good News is, God takes ownership of all believers.
5. We will be His brand, because we will have His name on our forehead.
6. The labels inside our clothes identifies the maker.
7. In the New Jerusalem the maker of us is God the Father.

 

THE LIGHT OF THE LORD

V:5. \” There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.\”

1. This New Jerusalem will be nothing like our current earth.
2. In God creative process described in Genesis, God created the sun to rule the day and the moon and the stars to rule the night.

1. When I think about this, it appears that Go made an allowance for man to corrupt himself.

1. In God\’s creative plan was man\’s corruption and man\’s redemption.
2. The night is the time when the righteous man rest.
3. The night is the time when the sinful man carry out his evil plans.
4. Since there will be no sun and no moon, then all the planets will have been    destroyed.

1. The new heaven and the new earth will have it light from God Himself.
2. Since God\’s light will be universal in the new heaven and the new earth, there will not be any rotation like our current planetary system.

1. Jesus is the light of world and will be the light in the new heaven and the   new earth.

1. The new heaven and the new earth will be permanent and we will reign with   the Lord forever.

 

THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD

V:6. \” The angel said to me, \”These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.\”

1. Throughout the Bible, God uses angels as His messengers.
2. From time to time, God uses his angels to reveal parts of His plan of redemption  to us.

1. The Word from the Lord through men and through angels are true.
2. The Word of the Lord is the authority and never changes.
3. You can count on the Word to be true.
4. There are seventeen books of prophecy in the Old Testament.
5. God is the Lord of all of the prophets and directed their writings.
6. Their spirits were tuned to God\’s Spirit.
7. The Prophets proclaim the Word of God to His people.
8. God\’s revelation was revealed to us through His prophets.
9. This establishes the authority of the Old Testament.
10. In this Book of Revelation, God revealed more of the details about the  end times that were first revealed in the Old Testament.

1. The Book of Revelation is final book of the Bible written by Saint John.
2. God revealed to John the final details of His New Heaven and New earth.
3. The word \”soon\” must be taken in the context that a day is as a thousands years   to the Lord.

1. Soon could be today or thousands of years from now.
2. What we do know is these events will take place and we must be ready to    meet the Lord at any moment.

 

THE PROMISE OF A SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

V:7 \”Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in   this book.\”

1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.
2. Since the Word of God is true, we must accept it by faith.
3. Our human minds cannot understand the thoughts of a infinite God.
4. We must accept the Word of God as true.
5. We have the evidence in our lives that the Word of God is true.
6. We must act on God\’s Word out of obedience.
7. Our minds cannot conceive the beauty and the glory of the New Jerusalem.
8. We know because of Word, that we have a home in the New Jerusalem.
9. We know because we were chosen before the foundation of the World, that we are blessed.   1 Peter 1:20

 

THANK GOD FOR OUR ETERNAL HOME WITH HIM

 

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Parkway

Houston, Texas 77010

 

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