When All Is Said And Done
Rev 21:1-8
(this message was inspired by a similar message by Lavon Boatner)
I was up late the other night, and happened to flip on the t.v. about midnight. I got to watching this movie. To be honest with you it was one of the poorly produced sci-fi movies.....I was up til 2:00 watching that movie. I wanted to see how it ended !
Joke: There was a Christian lady who lived next door to an atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear her. He thought to himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn’t she know there isn’t a God?"
Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying "Lady, why do you pray all the time? Don’t you know there is no God?" But she kept on praying.
One day, she ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to the Lord explaining her situation and thanking Him for what He was gonna do. As USUAL, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself, "Hmph! I’ll fix her." He went to the grocery store, bought a whole bunch of groceries, took them to her house, dropped them off on the front porch, rang the door bell and then hide in the bushes to see what she would do.
When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she began to praise the Lord with all her heart, jumping, singing and shoutin’ everywhere!
The atheist then jumped out of the bushes and told her, "You ol’ crazy lady, God didn’t buy you those groceries, I bought those groceries!"
At hearing this, she broke out and started running down the street, shouting and praising the Lord. When he finally caught her, he asked what her problem was...
She said, "I knew the Lord would provide me with some groceries, but I didn’t know he was gonna make the devil pay for them!"
When all is said, and done, the devil is really going to pay !
I. Satan Will Be Hushed ! Rev 20:10
Third grade, and Mrs Stevens
She made me hush ! Course it didn’t last !
The word "Satan" means "slanderer"
He is a slanderer, and accuser of both God and man. In the beginning he slanderered God’s word by raising questions about it (he’s still doing that today with just as much effectiveness).
He accused God of holding out on Adam and Eve ! Remember Job...he accused Job of only serving God because of the blessings God had bestowed upon him !
a. He will deceive no more !
Rev. 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever.
Satan is referred to by Christ as being the "father of lies" He was a liar from the beginning....making himself equal with God, and then being cast out of heaven, he deceived the man and woman that God had created. He brought about the fall of mankind through his lies, and deception !
Joke
The priest was preparing a man for his long day’s journey into night.
Whispering firmly, the priest said, "Denounce the devil! Let him know how little you think of his evil!"
The dying man said nothing.
The priest repeated his order. Still the dying man said nothing.
The priest asked, "Why do you refuse to denounce the devil and his evil?"
The dying man said, "Until I know where I’m heading, I don’t think I ought to aggravate anybody!"
b. He will divide no more !
In the very beginning Satan was sucessful at bringing division to the human race. He sucessfully divided Adam and Eve from God. He further brought pain upon the earth by bringing division among Cain and Abel ! Satan is still at work in our world today....creating confusion, and chaos....causing people to believe a lie, rather than the truth ! He divides homes...turning moms and dads against one another ! He alienates children from their parents, and siblings from each other ! He isolates people and causes them to feel all alone ! He causes them to think, and feel that no one cares, not even God !
c. He will destroy no more.
Remember the words of Christ John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly !
You have seen them, as have I. Lives ruined, destroyed because of Satan, and Sin. He’ll do the same if we’re not careful, and if we don’t stick close to the Lord !
Drugs, Alcohol, sexual promiscuity ! The world is filled with Satan’s lies and deception, but when all is said and done...God is going to shut him up !
When all is said and done................
II. Sorrow Will Be Halted ! V 4
a. No More Sobs !
God is going to wipe all tears from our eyes. He will erase them, blot them out ! There will not be the presence of sobbing, and tears because those things which have caused such will be gone !
b. No more suffering !
We see a daily dose of suffering in this world that we live in. Everyone experiences suffering.....some greater than others, but one of these days, when all is said, and done. There will be no more suffering. Can you imagine ?
c. No more separation !
Death is going to die !
III. Sickness Will Be Healed. V 4 22:2
There will be no more pain ! Sickness is part of living in these fallen bodies, and in this fallen, sin-cursed world. But one day when all is said, and done. The curse will be lifted, and there shall be no more pain.
The scourge of cancer will be removed. Those that are weak shall be strengthened. Those who have difficulty in walking, and those who have never walked will be whole. The blind shall see, the deaf shall hear, the mute shall talk ! Sickness will at long last shall find a total cure !
IV. Saints Will Be Home
Illust. First night in heaven.
a. We shall receive the promise of God.
John....In my Father’s house are many mansions.....
b. We shall rest in the presence of God.
V. 3 the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God !
c. We shall reside in the place of God.
I go to prepare a place for you !
When all is said, and done........
V. Sinners Will Be Hopeless.
Hopeless is such an awful word ! We are hopeless without Christ, and one day eternal hopelessness will be the condition of those who are without Christ !
a. no more opportunity to respond to sermons !
b. no more opportunity to repent of sins.
c. no more opportunity to receive the Savior.
