VII. The Sermon: All Things New – Reverend Kyle McClellan, Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church. The Sermon Passage: Revelation 21:1-5

Last week we saw the unbelief of Doubting Thomas regarding the resurrection.

Key question: If the resurrection has great implications for me individually as a follower of Christ, what are the implications for all of creation? It is incomplete to see these implications for just one piece of this. It is like saying, “I had a great game but the team lost again with a new record of 0-10.”. This is backwards.

We are all selfish. That is why it is good to be reminded that things are going on outside of me, myself, and I.

The Big Idea: The Bible tells the story of God’s creation, humanity’s fall and God’s restoration of all things through the resurrected Christ.

I. Read your Bible as one book.

A. Creation (Genesis 1-2).
We are made complete in Gods image and given the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion ov the earth. This is a call for us to build culture.

B. Fall (Genesis 3).
Sin has not just impacted our vertical lationship with God. It impacts our relationships in marriage, each other, our work, and within ourselves. Read on through Genesis 4 and beyond and see just how messed up everything is I’m relationships and all things. After our parents sinned in the garden, they hid from God and no longer walked with him in beauty in the cool of the day.

C. Redemption (Revelation 21:1-5).
In Revelation 21:3-4, However, God is walking again with us the cool of the day like with Adam and Eve!

Genesis one and two are to be recovered and GREAT news!

Bioethicists and scientist today believe we can genetically engineer ourselves. We would no longer be carnivores. Secondly, we would only be 5’9″. Their belief is that we are a parasite to our environment.

This is not what Genesis one teaches. Though often we are not very good stewards of creation, we have indeed been given The role as vice regents of creation for God.

Consumerism is one of the great idols of our culture. It makes it all about me and us. However, when we see this creation story and redemption of it, it places us into a much larger narrative of all human history. It is libations to know there is a greater plan in the universe and that I am not the gat story!

II. Know HOW Jesus’ resurrection plays into the story

(1 Corinthians 15:20-26).

How is it that we can be certain that revelation 21 is going to happen even when an see people andeventually myself dying around me?

The conjunction BUT used in this Corinthian passage, is our hope! Indeed Christ HAS been raised from the dead. The first fruits of the harvest are representative of the whole. It is really saying that we give you, God, all of the harvest which is represented by this offering of the first cuts.

In the same way a man, Adam, death came, so life in Christ comes in a second man, Christ!

Why do we know that creation will be restored? Because Jesus is no longer in the grave! God has already resurrected Christ from the dead as the first fruit! We will follow as the rest of the harvest! As assuredly as God resurrected Jesus from the dead, so he will make all things new!

In some ways, that is what we are saying today with communion. Psalm 75 is the cup of Gods wrath stored up against us. As we read through johns account of Jesus’ last days, there are two cups mentioned: one is the cup of wrath and one is the cup of the new covenant. The new covenant cup also helps us look forward to the feast of the marriage supper of the lamb where the will be cups of wine of blessing!

Which cup do you want? Revelation 20 talks about the great white throne judgment where the cup of wrath will be pured out on all who have not partaken of the cup in Christ of the new covenant. Which cup will you drink?

The passages:

Revelation 21
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

1 Corinthians 15
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.