Reading: Revelation 21
It is good to occasionally remind ourselves of the things from which we believers are saved. This morning I have chosen one letter in the alphabet, the letter D, and have gone through the dictionary noting some (not all) of the things - starting with that letter D - from which Christ does and will save those who believe in him. Bear in mind there are many other letters in the alphabet which we could use to compile similar lists. But here is a short list from the letter D.
Despair, degradation, desolation, disobedience, discouragement, disgrace, derision, doubt, delusion, discontent, discord, depression, devils, desperation, drunkenness, drug abuse, damnation, destruction and DEATH.
All these conditions and many others cause sorrow and tears in this present world: but they will cease when Yeshua the Saviour (Jesus Christ) takes up permanent residence with His redeemed followers on the earth made new.
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Revelation 21:1-8 |
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, 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. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." |
As can be expected there are many aspects of salvation not on the list of conditions or circumstances I've just quoted.
There is:
Besides the present joy and other benefits of salvation, believers have much to look forward to as 'heirs of salvation.' In this sermon we will consider a few things an heir of salvation will receive in the soon-coming Kingdom of God. In this present age most believers suffer in one way or the other. Many Christians suffer greatly: but in the ages to come the full measure of our salvation through Jesus will become apparent as the trials and troubles of this present day are replaced by eternal bliss prepared for the heirs of salvation. This is the reason why holy angels are sent by God to minister to our needs.
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Hebrews 1:14 |
"Are they (the angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation?" |
One unimaginable prospect about salvation is that we believers shall become like God. Not that we are all going to look exactly like Him (same height, same features, same appearance etc.) but we will be like Him in many other ways:
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1 John 3:1-3 |
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." |
What will it mean to be like Him? You will agree that at the moment this is an impossible concept to fully appreciate. Nevertheless we can be absolutely certain that our salvation will include things like:
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Isaiah 65:17-22 |
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying ... And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands." |
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Matthew 10:41-42 |
"He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." |
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1 Corinthians 2:9 |
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." |
It is to this eternal state of bliss that Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel invites you. Can anything be more generous, more gracious and more desirable? I think not. The divine invitation is recorded in the very last few verses of the Bible. I quote:
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Revelation 22:17 |
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." |
Can you afford to neglect or reject so generous an offer of salvation? I'm sure you can not: and I pray you will not.
Go down the streets of any city in any country and put these questions to a dozen people. The answers will surprise you. Ask them:
I can assure you the results of such an experiment will amaze you. Many people will be unwilling or unable to answer such questions. And of those who do you will hear something like this:
How very few will answer like this:
There is another group, and perhaps you are one of them. They are those who believe in God but who do not have ready answers to such questions. Many are too poor, too weak, too burdened down with life's problems to have given much thought to personal aims or the after life. What can I say to them - to you? I will quote the Bible to you: because it contains a message of enormous worth for all of us.
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James 2:5 |
"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" |
In other words, the Almighty God of the Universe has promised the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor of this world who love Him. You will agree that it is an enormous reward for such little outlay. Can you be rich in faith and learn to love God? I'm sure you can. Like an infant in the womb, faith starts very, very small. But it grows and grows as it feeds on the Word of God. Will you do that? Will you take that first step towards the Kingdom of Heaven? It's up to you.
I began this sermon with a few comments about the letter D. I will end with a question containing two words which begin with the letter D, decide and dedicate. Here is the question:
Potential Heir of the Kingdom, will you decide to dedicate your life to God?
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