Life At The End of The Narrow Road

Transcript

GRM 887
02/08/2004
Life at the End of the Narrow Road
Revelation 21:1-8
Gil Rugh

We’ve spent some time in recent weeks talking about future things. Really started back in Matthew 24-25, events related to the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth. And we talked about some of the resurrections and judgments that lie before the human race, both God’s people and the unredeemed. And we last looked into Revelation 20 and saw the Great White Throne and the appointment to endless suffering of the lost, and I just don’t want to leave it on that note. About a year ago we talked about heaven and it’s good to talk about it every year or so. So I want to at least end our consideration of future things with a reminder of what God says about the glory that awaits us as believers.

There can be no greater contrast beyond what we can really imagine than the contrast between those who have become recipients of God’s wonderful salvation through faith in His Son and those who have not. And that’s the division among all mankind from the beginning of time, from the days of Adam and Eve right down until the climax and end of human history as we know it. All humanity, every single person who is ever born, fits into one of two categories. Either they are part of the redeemed or they are part of the cursed. They are part of that group which will spend eternity in the glories of heaven or they are part of that group that will spend eternity in the torment of hell. It is difficult for us with our finite mind to grasp and conceive of such reality. But it’s important that they be on our minds, that we realize that every person we talk to is in this position, that no one can be saved and escape the torments of hell and eternal separation from God except by hearing and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our part in that is so simple and yet so difficult to simply share that message with those we come in contact with. We can’t make them believe, we can’t do anything to them that will get them saved, so to speak, but we can present the gospel to them, we can as Paul said, beg them to be reconciled. But that becomes a transaction between God and them. But for those of us who are redeemed the destiny is glorious.

We’ve come through a narrow gate traveling a narrow way that ends in life. So it doesn’t end in death, it ends in life. Even when a believer passes through death that’s not the end because there will be a time when death’s effects will be overcome, we’ll receive glorified bodies, we’ll be in God’s presence for eternity. The unbeliever will have the effects of physical death overcome, but he will live in a state of death, because remember death is separation. Physical death is separation of a person from their body, spiritual death is separation of a person from God. Eternal death or the second death as we saw in Revelation 20:14, this is the second death, the lake of fire. That’s separation from God for eternity in hell. For the believer death ends in life because our spirit will be reunited with our body and we enjoy a permanent, unending relationship with God through all eternity. Again, the concept our finite minds do not grasp. I’ve sometimes sit in some of my studies and try to think, now there was a beginning of this world, this earth. What did God do for the hundreds of billions of trillions… how do I measure? I don’t know. There is never a time when He wasn’t. He has no beginning. You know, I can only think about that so long and I start to get a headache. I say, I can’t conceive of such a thing. My mind with its finiteness thinks of a beginning and an end. It might have been a long ago beginning, but it had to be a beginning. But with God there never was a beginning. With all of us there has been a beginning, but you understand there will be no end, no end for anyone, redeemed or unredeemed. But for the redeemed it’s eternal glory.

And the book of Revelation unfolds sequentially, as we’ve mentioned. And we move through primarily from chapter 6 to 19, that time of seven years, leading up to the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth to establish His kingdom. Chapter 19 was that glorious coming, and the opening part of chapter 20 talked about the first phase of that kingdom which has begun. The kingdom is eternal, the first measurable part of that kingdom is 1000 years in duration. We noted that will complete God’s program in dealing with sin, demonstrates the awfulness of man’s sinful condition, that even in a perfect environment and a perfect world with a perfect king, at heart he is depraved and vile, the enemy of God who is opposed to God. And when given a choice at the end of 1000 years they choose Satan and have a desire to dethrone Christ. They are destroyed. The Great White Throne was set up, all the wicked are consigned to hell. Verse 15 of chapter 20 ended, “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” The book of life contains the names of those who have received the salvation that God has provided and have come to believe in Him and His grace and the provision He has made for them in His Son Jesus Christ.

But that’s not the end of the story. What a change from verse 15 of chapter 20 to the first verse of chapter 21, as we continue to move along. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” Remember in chapter 20 verse 11, earth and heaven fled away from the presence of the one on the throne. But now there is a new heaven and a new earth. This was promised and prophesied. Isaiah the prophet, we won’t take time to go back there right now, but in Isaiah 65:17 and Isaiah 66:22 promised a new heavens and a new earth which will be characterized by righteousness, will be untainted, unmarked by sin in any way. All the remnants of sin, all the evidences of sin, that’s all been wiped away. We have a new heavens and a new earth. God’s program and plan in dealing with sin is over. There is discussion if you read different commentators on this passage. Does this mean the old heavens and old earth are remade? Are these totally new made from nothing as God brings them into existence? Either way the point is the same. This is a new heavens and a new earth with all remnants of sin removed and gone and destroyed. If it’s not the old heavens and earth remade, the new heavens and the new earth do have a connection with the old heavens and the old earth. Sin is not the connection, but there are going to be things like the New Jerusalem here, the identification of Jews and Gentiles, the distinction of the nations, kings being represented, and so on, as we’ll see as we walk through this.

One of the major differences between the new heavens and the new earth is there is no longer any sea in the new earth. And I’m sure you’d be interested to know why no sea, and I would be interested to know, too. I’ve read a variety of possibilities and explanations, but the fact is the Bible just doesn’t say. Some connect it with the fact that the water covered the earth and then the destruction in the days of Noah representing judgment, and that’s all removed now. The sea, and we have a water-based economy, so to speak I guess, might refer to it. But we don’t live in the sea and we are created for the land and so the sea becomes a non-habitable part of the earth for us. It will be removed, so every part of the new earth will be friendly to us, will be habitable for us. But beyond that we are not told why the sea is not part of the new earth. That’s something for you to jot down if you would like to have things when you study. I have to pursue this further. And I’ll get my 40 favorite commentaries on Revelation and I’m going to see what each one says. Then I’m going to go to my prophetic books and I’m going to look up “sea” and I’m going to find out what they say about the sea. Then when I get this all searched out and come to a definitive conclusion, I’m going to ask Gil if I could come and explain to him what he doesn’t understand about the sea and the lack of the sea in the new earth. Write it to me and send it so we don’t have to… I’ll be interested, I am open to that.

But let’s move on. We do know there is no sea, so we have a world that is habitable in its entirety. Where the focus is here now is the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. There’s a connection here. We have a New Jerusalem, but that does connect it in name to the old Jerusalem. It’s called the holy city, New Jerusalem. The old Jerusalem was called the holy city, Isaiah 52:1 refers to it as the holy city. Matthew 4:5 and 27:53 refer to Jerusalem as the holy city. So there is a connection and reminder of this city and its importance. But now as we move into what we might call the eternal phase of this kingdom that God has promised, there is a New Jerusalem, new holy city. Back in chapter 3 of Revelation it was promised to the overcomer in the churches in Revelation 3:12 that they would share in the New Jerusalem. “He who overcomes,” chapter 3 verse 12, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God,” and we’ll mention this in a moment as we move along. He will not go out from it anymore, I will write on him the name of My God, the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and My new name.’ And we belong there as the overcomers.

That city will become the temple of God which we will not leave. That will be the residence of church saints through eternity. I take it, it will be the residence of glorified saints throughout eternity. That would include resurrected, glorified Israel. Now I think from some of the descriptions that go on here and in light of the promises of the Old Testament, my understanding would be that there will be two groups go through eternity. There will be those who were saved in the tribulation, went into the kingdom when Christ established it in physical bodies. They had children, I would take it some of those may well have been saved during the millenium, many will be lost because they didn’t believe. But at the end of the millenium there will be a group of people who are still in physical bodies who have come to the end of the 1000 year phase. My understanding would be they’ll undergo a change there, remove the sin nature and so on, but I expect that they will probably go through all eternity in those physical bodies. Now you have to sort out what is Rugh speculation here and what is scripture. I’ll draw some attention to some things as we move along. Much of the way, as I’ve mentioned on other occasions, the world would have been if sin never entered in. If Adam and Eve had never eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but had eaten of the tree of life, they would have been confirmed in holiness. But they had already been told to reproduce and multiply and fill the earth, and they would have just gone on through eternity in that state. So I tend to think that’s the way the kingdom will go on, and that’s why we see nations coming up to the New Jerusalem and so on, as we’ll see as we move a little further through Revelation.

So come back to Revelation chapter 21. The New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, so it’s been created by God. It is the dwelling place, I take it, it is part of that fulfillment where Jesus gave in John 14 [verse 2], “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places, if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” He’s prepared the New Jerusalem as the dwelling for the saints. It’s made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. In chapter 19 verse 7, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. And it was given to the bride to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints,” noted there the picture is of the church which is the bride of Christ. And this city is also described as the bride of Christ because it is the dwelling place of His bride. So the city where the bride dwells is described with the glory of the bride. And that fits the promise given that we read in Revelation 3:12, that this will be the dwelling place of the overcomers. And who is he that overcomes, but he that believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, as I John 5 [verse 5] says. We’re talking about the church saints dwelling in this city.

Look down in chapter 21 verse 9, the end of the verse, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He goes on to describe the glorious city, the New Jerusalem. In chapter 22 verse 17, “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come,” they invite people to partake of the water of life. So you can see the church as the bride of Christ involved in its ministry today in inviting people to come to salvation in Christ. You can also speak of the beauty of the bride in the righteousnesses that we are clothed with following the Bema seat, our judgment before Christ. You can describe the beauty of the bride and the brilliance of the city that is prepared to be the dwelling place of the bride of Christ. We don’t have time to go into a distinction tonight, but I believe the Old Testament indicates that Israel is the wife of Jehovah and the church is the bride of Christ. And there is a distinction. Israel, glorified Israel, will be part of this new city as well. But the focus here is on the role of the bride, the church, has in connection with this city.

Verse 3, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is among men.” Remember the promise of the overcomer in chapter 3 verse 12, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God,” and he’ll never leave. Well, the tabernacle of God, the place of the manifestation of His glory is among men, He will dwell among them, they shall be His people and God Himself will be among them. You know what the New Jerusalem really is? It’s the holy of holies. We see this described along the way here. And you remember in the Old Testament tabernacle and then in the temple you have the holy of holies, the inner sanctum where the glory of God and His presence with His people was manifested. Now we have this city being a holy of holies because God Himself now dwells here. And remember the restrictions in the Old Testament system on access to the holy of holies, only for the high priest once a year. But in the glories of eternity you know where we will dwell? We will dwell in the very presence of God. So really heaven is now on earth because this is where God resides. Now God is omnipresent, He is everywhere, but this is the place where God chooses to manifest the fullness of the glory of His presence. He does that now in what we call heaven. But at this point the tabernacle of God is among men and He will dwell among them, God Himself will be among them. So if you will, the holy of holies is moved from heaven itself to earth as the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place for the people of God.

Back in chapter 13 of Revelation verse 6, and this has to do with that seven year period preceding the return of Christ to establish His kingdom and the antichrist who opposes God. He blasphemes for 42 months, the last 3½ year period of that seven year period. Then note verse 6, “he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” So you see the tabernacle in heaven associated with the dwelling place of the saints, the presence of God.

Chapter 15 of Revelation verse 5, “After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened.” You remember when Moses constructed the tabernacle on earth, he did it according to the pattern given him from heaven. And so that tabernacle, which is the reality of the true presence of God and the full manifestation of the glory of His presence of which that Old Testament tabernacle and temple just was a glimpse. Here will be the fullness of the glory of the presence of God on His throne. That tabernacle seen in heaven earlier in Revelation now is brought to the earth. So basically we have moved heaven to earth, because what is heaven? It is the place where God has chosen to manifest the fullness of the glory of His presence and His person. That will now be the New Jerusalem that has come down from heaven to earth. Ezekiel 37:27 anticipated this time as well. We won’t take time to go back there

Look in verse 4 back in Revelation 21, a tremendous verse, one thing believers ought to have their mind filled with. We memorize scripture, great passage to memorize would be Revelation 21 and the first part of 22, because you know what? That’s what we’re going to have for our destiny, that’s where we will live forever, this is our dwelling place. When things get difficult and hard, painful and unpleasant, I ought to close my eyes and go through Revelation 21 into 22. That puts it into perspective, because what does verse 4 say? “God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eye; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” All those things associated with sin, the suffering, the sorrow that sin has brought into the world. They’re done, they’re gone, they’re never to be experienced again. What a blessing to know the most painful time, the most sorrowful time, the most unpleasant things, I have to remind myself that some day this will just be gone. It will be nothing, it is a momentary, light affliction that cannot be compared with the eternal weight of glory that God has prepared for us, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 4 [verse 17]. So He’s going to wipe it all away, they’re done with, and no longer will be any pain of any kind, no tears, no sorrow. Hard to imagine. But what about loved ones who aren’t there? You know that’s all gone. Some things I can’t conceive of, I don’t understand because I’m so involved with what goes on here. But there will be a time, all the sorrow, all the pain, everything is gone. It’s just glory and eternal joy in His presence.

The former things are passed away, they are the things associated with the old heavens and earth. Job said in [Job 5:7], “man is born for trouble as sparks fly upward.” Sooner or later the trouble comes. Don’t want to be pessimistic but you know how the book of Ecclesiastes ends? Enjoy the good days because the bad days are coming, just part of human life. Even a long life gets attended by sorrow, the loss of loved ones, physical difficulties, and on it goes. I mean, there is just no way to escape it in this life. But verse 4, ought to be one of your favorite verses of scripture, shouldn’t it? I mean, it just reminds me that it’ll be gone. Don’t worry about it too much, don’t fret over it too long, because there will come a day when it’s all going to be wiped away.

“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ ” And I love this next statement. You know, we’ve gone into a realm here that, you know, first reaction is I just can’t imagine this could be all true. “And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.” You know, it looks like John, [knocking sound], keep writing, put this down in black and white, these are words that are faithful and true. You can take it to the bank, just as surely as you can look at the person sitting next to you, verse 4 is going to happen. The promises of the first 4 verses are going to happen. There will be a new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will pass away and all the unpleasantness associated with it will be gone. These words are faithful and true.

Back up to chapter 19 verse 9, “Then He said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” ’ And He said, ‘These are true words of God.’ ” Chapter 22 verse 6, “And He said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true’; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.” “These words are faithful and true.” I feel sad for people who don’t understand the book of Revelation, don’t appreciate it. What a blessing. Verse 7, “Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” One book we want to be sure we understand and build into our lives is the book of the Revelation. Because we want the fullness of the blessing that is promised. “These words are faithful and true,” it’s going to happen as God has said.

Chapter 21 verse 6, “Then He said to me ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” It’s the sovereign God who is the guarantor of these things. “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” There is no one before Him, there is no one after Him. He is everything, so His word is final. What a great encouragement. Men mock the Word of God, men scorn it, men have persecuted those who try to share it with them, but be sure that Word is settled, it will take place. He is the Alpha and Omega, first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. As we would say, A to Z, another way to say includes everything, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

‘I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” What an amazing offer. We’ve been through as we come through Revelation something of the terrible judgment God promises to pour out on the unregenerate person. But here is a promise of life, and it’s free. Nobody could say I couldn’t afford it, I couldn’t earn it. “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” You know, the only reason a person does not partake of the water of life, he doesn’t want to. He says, no. Here is the water of life, it will refresh your soul and make you new, it’s free. Come drink of it. No. But the offer is there. This is the God who cannot lie, the one who said His words are faithful and true. He says, “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”

You have to go back to Isaiah 55:1. You are aware the book of Revelation does not directly quote the Old Testament. But there are hundreds of illusions to the Old Testament, and in Isaiah 55:1, this God has been the same gracious God down through history. In the days of Isaiah hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, and through Isaiah the prophet, Isaiah 55:1, he says, “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” What are we talking about? Verse 6, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Come, partake of the water of life, it’s free.

Wouldn’t you think it would be just the opposite of what Jesus said. You would think that it is a broad gate and a broad way that leads to heaven and many are going in there. Why? Because it’s free. But no, it’s a broad gate and a broad way that goes to destruction, and many are going in there. But it’s a narrow gate and a narrow way that leads to life and few there are that find it. Why? Men and women are unwilling to turn from their sin, cast themselves on the mercy of God and drink of the water He provides. They will have it on their terms. But there is no bargaining here, we have nothing to bargain. The best of our righteousnesses are as polluted rags before God, we are told. There is no argument, there is no discussion. But God is so gracious. I will give the water of life freely.

Look at chapter 22 verse 17. You know, this is the ministry that the Spirit of God has today and the church of Jesus Christ has today. “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come. And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” That’s what we as God’s people are to be about today, offering people the water of life, saying come to Christ. Come to Him, believe in Him, receive from Him the gift of life. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s what the ministry of the church is. What has the church been doing down through the centuries of time? Inviting people to come. Come. What do we hear in the testimonies of baptism tonight? People who heard the message of Christ and responded to the invitation to partake of the water of life, to believe in the Son of God.

Back up to Revelation 7:17, Revelation 7:17. Look at verse 16, this is part of the promise given to those of us who will share eternity in God’s presence. That includes those who have suffered terribly for their testimony for Christ and have been martyred for their faith. “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” You know, we partake of the water of life in His salvation, and you know, that becomes an unending source of life for us. We’ll see that provision later in the book of Revelation, although probably not this evening.

Look at verse 7 back in chapter 21, “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” The seven churches of Revelation, each one had a promise to the overcomer. We read just one of those in chapter 3 verse 12. But there are seven letters addressed to seven churches. Each one of those letters closes with a promise: to him who overcomes I will do this. Now we are told here, he who overcomes will inherit these things. What are these things? The new heaven and the new earth, and all the promises associated with them. I mean, can you believe what we received in the package of our salvation? We paddle around so occupied and concerned about the things of this life that will someday, as we saw when we looked into Peter, be burned up. But he who overcomes will inherit these things.

Turn back to 1 John. I referred to this verse, but I want you to see it. I John 5, just before the book of Revelation you have a little book of Jude and then the epistles of John, just a little bit in front of Revelation. 1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world -- even our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Those are the overcomers, the recipients of the seven promises given to the seven churches. And those contained multiple promises, if you will. Who is an overcomer, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. We have overcome the world, this is the victory that has overcome the world.

Sometimes it seems like Christians are such a small entity, trampled down and we fight so hard to have our power, to have our influence, to have our say, to be someone in the world. But we have overcome the world, our faith. Sometimes the theology and the practice don’t mix. People preaching sermons, trying to explain to Christians how they can become overcomers in areas of sin. We need to come to I John 5 and understand what an overcomer is. The job is done, the victory is ours. We don’t need somebody to try to explain to me how to overcome temptation, how to overcome anger, how to overcome depression, how to overcome… I need to come and find out how to become an overcomer in Jesus Christ. And when I become an overcomer I become the heir of everything God has promised to those who are His children. That’s the inheritance we have, the new heavens and the new earth, the New Jerusalem, to dwell in the very presence of God’s splendor for eternity. That defies description almost.

Come back to Revelation 21 [verse 7], “I will be his God and he will be My son.” What more could we want? Who am I? He is my God, I am His child, I am His son, He is my Father. Who do you belong to? What are your roots? Well, they’re not good, they go back to Adam. But that’s not what counts. Do you know what counts? He is my Father, He is my God, I am His son. The very splendor of the glory of His presence is mine. That’s where I will dwell for eternity. Should this not overwhelm me in such a way that the things of this life seem nothing? That I’ll be His Son, He’ll be my God.

But we’re not quite done. You must understand the contrast and we’ll close with that because we don’t have time to go further. My anticipation was to go through chapter 22 verse 7. How can I be preaching for so long and not have any better sense of where I am going to get than I do? [Verse 8], “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” You know, it’s terribly important that we not sentimentalize this, that we read the glories of the new heavens and the new earth, the splendor of the new Jerusalem and we think, oh yeah, I’m sure this is going to be for just about everyone. I don’t want to think of hell and I don’t want to think… And you know, into this beautiful scene and tremendous promises there is this jarring reminder.

The words of God are faithful and true, the water of life is free, you can become a child of the living God and an heir of all His promises and they will be yours for eternity. But make no mistake, for those who do not partake of the water of life, the Word of God is just as faithful and true. They will spend eternity “in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” I mean, could it be any more stark than that? Could the contrast be any greater? You know, the kind of people we are talking about—the cowardly and unbelieving, those who for whatever reason thought the price was too great, they were afraid what will family think, what will friends think, what will happen to me if I become a believer. And they are afraid, they are unbelieving, they are abominable, murderers. You’ll note the mixture here. Murderers deserve to be… Immoral persons… Where does that leave our society? In marriage the bed is undefiled; adulterers and fornicators God will judge, they won’t be in heaven. Does that mean a believer could never commit an act of immorality? No, a believer can sin, but a believer can’t live a life of sin. Take it from the Word of God, immoral persons will not be part of the new Jerusalem. That’s what God says, the God who cannot lie, the God who is faithful and true. This is His Word, this is not mine. Sorcerers, idolaters, all liars. Liars? Are they in the same category as murderers and immoral people? Yes, they’re not going to be there. Where will they be? “Their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” What can you say? Could God be any clearer? Could God be any more gracious?

Verse 6, “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes,” by believing in my Son, “will inherit these things,” the new heavens, the new earth, the new Jerusalem, they will all be his, “and I will be his God and he will be My son.” But for everyone else there is torment beyond description. Just like the glories that are described here go beyond almost description. They are described but, you know, they expand our mind to the point I can only conceive of so much of this. Well, be sure the splendors of heaven will be far more than our finite minds were able to grasp. So it will be with the second death. What a contrast! I think, are there people in this city who haven’t heard of Christ, we rub shoulders with, we meet, we talk to? But you know, I don’t know if they’d want to hear the message. We heard testimonies tonight of hostility toward the message. Aren’t those people glad that the people didn’t stop sharing just because maybe they didn’t want to hear?

What an opportunity, what a destiny we have as God’s children. The description goes on and we’ll pick up that description. We have a glorious future, puts life in perspective and the wonder of our salvation is a greater salvation than we can even conceive of with these finite minds.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the greatness of Your love for us, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. We who were hostile toward You, engaged in evil deeds, consumed with ourselves and our selfishness, the pursuit of our lusts. And yet in mercy and grace You brought us to the water of life. You provided for us that which we could not provide for ourselves. Lord, we rejoice that that water of life is a free gift. Lord, I pray for any who might be here even this evening who have yet to partake of the water of life, that this might be a day of salvation for them. I pray for our family, our friends, those we work with, those we have conflicts with. Lord, I pray our testimony will be strong and bold and clear and loving in these days, that many might come to know the Savior, pass from death to life. May we live with our hearts and minds filled with the glory that You have prepared for those that love Christ. We pray in His name. Amen.