Luke 20:27-38 and Revelation 7:9-17 THE NEW LIFE
It costs more now, to fill up your car with gas. Gasoline is more expensive now, than it was a year ago. But has that really slowed you down? Has that stopped you from going places and doing things? For many, if not most, the answer is no – you need to keep on moving, keep on driving. You need that fuel, and so you keep buying it, even if it’s more expensive than last year.
Your soul needs fuel too. If you’re a believer in Christ, then you have a soul that needs to be filled up on a regular basis. What is the fuel that God has provided for your soul? It’s the Word of God, the promises of God. And the good news is, that the cost of filling up your soul with the promises of God hasn’t changed in 2000 years – God’s Word is still free, and will always be free. And what you receive from God’s Word for your soul will take you much farther than a tank of gas.
One of the promises that Christians have been filling up on over the centuries is the promise of the new life that is to come. The Bible is very clear that for you as a Christian, there is a whole other life, a brand new life, that is waiting for you after you die. A person might say, “I don’t want to think about that right now. I’m too busy thinking about the life I have to live right now.”
But the thing is, once you understand what is in your future, it helps you better deal with your life right now. For example, if you know that you are going to receive a big bonus check from your work tomorrow, you’re not as concerned about that unexpected bill that you received today. If you’re flying to the Caribbean tomorrow, you’re not as irritated by the cold weather that we are having today. As a Christian, if you know that there’s a brand new, much more wonderful, and much more beautiful life waiting for you in the future, it helps you now as you go through the ups and downs of your life today.
But what will that new life be like? This morning, God is going to fill up your soul with his promises. Jesus is going to describe to you what you have to look forward to in your future. It is my prayer that as you ponder these things, you will find encouragement and comfort that you can use in your life today.
In our Gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus was answering questions. There was a group of people, during Jesus’ day, that didn’t believe in a life to come. Once you die, that’s it. They tried to trick Jesus with a question about marriage and how that relates to the resurrection. What I want to focus on is Jesus’ answer in verse 34, where Jesus says, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.” That’s what happens in this life, Jesus was saying. But look at what happens in your future life – “But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age, and in the resurrection from the dead, will neither marry nor be given in marriage.” Jesus tells us here that there will be no marriage in heaven. If you’re married now, you’ll be able to recognize your spouse in heaven. But you won’t be married in heaven.
Why not? Jesus gives us a little insight in the next verse: “They can no longer die, for they are like the angels.” In the life to come, there won’t be any death. One of the main purposes of marriage was to provide a way to populate the earth, because people keep dying. But you won’t die in the life to come. You’ll be like an angel that way. You’ll be an eternal creature that doesn’t age and doesn’t die. That’s one reason there won’t be any marriage in heaven. Another reason, according to Jesus, is that, in the life to come, you’ll have a perfect relationship with God: “They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” You will be a child of God in the full sense of the word. Your relationship with God will be perfect – so fulfilling, so satisfying, so joyful – that the earthly relationship of marriage won’t be necessary. In a sense, God will be your spouse, God will be your companion – you’ll never feel a sense of loneliness, because you will be in the presence of God, and that will never end.
Have you ever been surprised by something, because it was better than you had imagined it to be? Maybe you go on a vacation, and the weather there is beautiful, and you say, “The weather here is more beautiful than I had ever imagined.” Or maybe you head out west, and visit the mountains, and as you hike up to the top, you look around at the view and smell the mountain air and say to yourself, “This is more beautiful than I had ever imagined.” You’ll say the same thing in the life to come. Being with God, being an eternal creature – this is better than I had ever imagined it would be.
As you live your life here, your body will get older and will wear out. Eventually, your body will temporarily shut down, or die, as they say in the hospitals. But from God’s point of view, you won’t really die. Your body will shut down, but you will continue to live on as a soul, a spirit, and you’ll be alive in heaven. And then, on Judgment Day, Christ will raise up your worn-out body from the dead, and change it into something much better than the body you’re living in right now. And then you’ll be alive again, body and soul, and that’s how you’ll be forever, enjoying the presence of God like you had never experienced here in this life. And everything will be much better than what you had expected.
Will that really happen to you? Look at verse 35: “Those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age…” Are you worthy enough to take part in that age? In the new life? Are you worthy enough to have God bless you this way? Your conscience says, “No, you are too sinful. Look at what you’ve done in your life. There’s no way that someone as sinful as you could ever enjoy that new life in heaven.” The Devil would agree. The Devil would say to God, “You can’t let so-in-so enjoy eternal life. Look at the thoughts this person has had. Look at the secret sins this person has done. This person isn’t worthy enough to take part in that new life to come.” That’s what the Devil would say.
But that’s not what Jesus would say. How does a person become worthy? We see a group of “worthy” people in the book of Revelation, chapter 7. Verse 9, talks about a great multitude in heaven. Verse 13, the question is asked, “These in white robes, who are they?” And then the answer, verse 14: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation,” (the Bible describes the time that we live in right now as the great tribulation) – and then the most important phrase: “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” That’s what makes people worthy – they washed their robes in the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood that he shed on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind – that’s what makes people worthy.
Have you washed your robe and made it white in the blood of the Lamb? Your robe is your life – have you washed your life in the blood of Jesus Christ? How does a person do that? Take your robe, your life – take all the sins that are in your life, all the things you’ve said or done, that you’re ashamed of – take your sins and give them to Jesus. Let him die for them on the cross. Confess your sins to God, and then rejoice, because Jesus has taken your sins away by shedding his blood for you on the cross. When you do this, when you trust that your sins have all been taken away by the blood of Christ, then you have washed your robe in the blood of the Lamb. Then, because of Jesus, you are worthy enough to take part in the new life to come.
Look at how Revelation describes this new life: a great multitude. We’re so used to worshiping as a small group. It won’t be that way in the life to come. A multitude of people will be there. And they will be from every nation, tribe, people and language – a very ethnically diverse group of people. Here we’re all white. But not in heaven. Heaven will be a very colorful place.
You’ll be wearing a white robe. In the Bible, the white robe symbolizes the purity of your soul, now that all your sins have been taken away. You’ll be holy in the eyes of God, a real and genuine saint, forgiven and purified by the blood of Christ. And you’ll be worshiping God, saying things and singing things like, “Salvation belong to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Angels will be there, praising God with you.
And you’ll be holding palm branches, it says here. Why is that, you might wonder. Palm branches, in the Bible, are what people would wave during a victory celebration. A few weeks ago, thousands of people enjoyed a massive victory celebration in Boston, celebrating the World Series victory by the Red Sox. That celebration will pale in comparison to the victory celebration in heaven. You will be celebrating the victory that Christ won over sin and death by his sacrifice and resurrection.
And the phrase, “All good things must come to an end” won’t apply to your celebration in the life to come. Verse 15 says, “They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple.” You’ll never get tired of worshiping God. “And he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.” And as you enjoy being in the presence of God, you’ll never get hungry, you’ll never get thirsty. For those who lived in the hot desert back then, it was promised that they would never have to put up with scorching heat. Look at this final description of the life to come: “The Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
That is your future. You don’t have to say to yourself, “I hope that happens,” or “Maybe that will happen,” or “Wouldn’t it be nice if that happened?” You can honestly say to yourself, “This will happen. This is my tomorrow. This is my future.” And so when good things happen to you in this life, rejoice, and thank God for those good things. But remember that better things are coming. And when bad things happen to you in this life, it’s natural to feel disappointed, and maybe even a little depressed. But remember that there is a new life that is coming. You have something wonderful waiting for you in your future. May that give you peace and joy as you live your life right now. Amen.
