Revelation 19:6-9 [NLTse]
6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself. 8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”
Revelation 21:1-5 [NLTse]
21 Then I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth, for the old Heaven and the old Earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the One sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then He said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
Why? What? How? Now!
Sermon
Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic who was paralyzed in a diving accident as a teenager, talks about her wedding day. She says, “I felt awkward as my girlfriends strained to shift my paralyzed body into a cumbersome wedding gown. No amount of corseting and binding my body gave me a perfect shape. The dress just didn’t fit well. Then, as I was wheeling into the church, I glanced down and noticed that I’d accidentally run over the hem of my dress, leaving a greasy tire mark. My paralyzed hands couldn’t hold the bouquet of daisies that lay off-center on my lap. And my chair, though decorated for the wedding, was still a big, clunky gray machine with belts, gears, and ball bearings. I certainly didn’t feel like the picture-perfect bride in a bridal magazine.
I inched my chair closer to the last pew to catch a glimpse of Ken in front. There he was, standing tall and stately in his formal attire. I saw him looking for me, craning his neck to look up the aisle. My face flushed, and I suddenly couldn’t wait to be with him. I had seen my beloved. The love in Ken’s face had washed away all my feelings of unworthiness. I was his pure and perfect bride.
In a moment we are going to be celebrating the Lord’s Supper: Communion. We can often think of this Sacrament in connection with the past: With the Last Supper the Lord Jesus celebrated with His followers the night He would later be arrested, leading up to His crucifixion and sacrifice, or perhaps even with the Passover Supper the Jews celebrated to remember the Exodus and being saved from the Angel of Death there.
But the Lord’s Supper connects our life in Christ to the future, as well. 1 Corinthians 11:26 says, “When you eat and drink you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes back.” And we read, at the end of the book of The Revelation, of a wedding feast celebrating the long-awaited marriage of the Lamb of God and His beautiful bride, the Church.
Those who have accountant-type gifts and love to track such things report that no promise is talked about across the pages of the New Testament more frequently than that Jesus Christ will return at the end of Time to save His Church out of the world and establish a new Heavens and a new Earth where God’s righteousness is the way of the nations, welcome, and “at home”.
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.
John 14:1-3 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in My Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.
Acts 3:19-21 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and He will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For He must remain in Heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through His holy prophets.
Philippians 3:20 But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 …you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from Heaven—Jesus, Whom God raised from the dead. He is the One Who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Titus 2:12-13 …We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
Hebrews 9:28 …Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.
James 5:7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return.
2 Peter 3:3-4 …in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?
1 John 2:28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame.
Revelation 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing My reward with Me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
The Prophet Hosea sums it up so well (2:16-20) When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call Me ‘my Husband’ instead of ‘my master.’ O Israel, I will wipe the many names of [that false “master”] Baal from your lips, and you will never mention them again. On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. I will make you My Wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you Mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord.
Jesus will return for us and consummate our engagement, and there will be such a dinner party that History has never known! And He will live with us: Not through the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He lives with us now, but in His person: Face to face! And the Bible tells us that with Him there will be no more death or even mourning, no more crying, not even any pain! Things won’t be the way they are now. Everything will be new!
I don’t know about you but I can’t imagine what that will be like. Because that would mean no more misunderstandings. (Since they result in sorrow.) That would mean no more illness. (Because they cause pain.) What would it be like if nobody ever said or did anything hurtful any longer? (Since hurtful words and actions so often result in crying.) No more loved ones dying, nor being afraid of what our lives might be like without them! No more “innocents” being killed or dying. What would a society – a world – be like without anger, without greed, without laziness, without pride, without wanting what others have, without resentment, without gluttony, extravagance, and waste? All the deepest longing of our heart’s satisfied.
What a supper that will be! Finally, we’ll be truly “full”. No more emptiness ever again.
The Lord’s Supper – this ordinary bread, this ordinary cup – is a preview of the eternal bliss that awaits every Christian. And the Lord’s Supper is God’s proof that He loves us unconditionally and is committed to getting us from here to there…