"From First Things to New Things"
Revelation 21:1-7
11/26/06
As we read through this text from the book of
Revelation today we notice the word new is used four times:
theres the new heaven and the new earth, the new Jerusalem, and the
making of all things new that the Lord will do. These new things
stand in contrast to the first things that came before them: the
first heaven and the first earth, and (though its not mentioned
specifically) the first Jerusalem, along with all the first things that
will have passed away.
Many of us like new things, especially around the
holidays - new computers, new television sets, new computer games, new
clothes, new toys. But there are a lot of old things that we
treasure as well, and wed be sad if we lost them - things like old
photographs, old coin collections, old keepsakes given to us by loved
ones, old memories. And so when we hear Jesus saying how Hes
going to make all things new, we get a little uneasy and worry about
losing some of the old things that were so fond of. In effect,
were saying that it would be rather mean and unfair of Jesus to take
these old things away from us. Sure, wed like new things, but we
want to keep a lot of the old things, too.
Unfortunately, one of the old things that we are
particularly fond us is our sin. Oh, not all sin, of course; just
the ones we especially enjoy and would like to hold onto. We tend
to like these sins so much, that when asked what heaven will be like,
we often describe it in terms of the gratification of our lusts.
Heaven is where youll have anything and everything you want.
Heaven is where youll get your own mansion, where all your dreams will
come true, where youll have 70 virgins, where youll be able to fly, and
where youll never have to work again. All these desires, though
not necessarily sin in and of themselves, betray what our hearts truly
treasure - things that we have put before Jesus, things that need to be
repented of. Yes, we include them in the confession of our
sins. We readily admit that our idols are among the first things,
the old things that must be gotten rid of. But confessing them
and actually letting go of them are two different things. Like an
old, worn-out, dirty security blanket that a child refuses to part
with, so our pet sins are such treasured possessions that we cannot
think of giving them up in order to receive the new things that Jesus
would give us.
But look at the fate of these first things:
they all pass away. If youre a worshipper of the heavens, the
Apostle Peter writes that its all going to pass away with a roar and be
burned up with intense heat. If you worship the earth and the
things in it, he says the same thing is going to happen to them - they
will be destroyed with fire. If you find your security in the old
Jerusalem, that too is going to be destroyed. For the Jews this
means that holding onto the form of O.T. Judaism without the substance
of Jesus is worthless. The worship of the Jews is done in vain
apart from faith in Christ. He fulfilled the Scriptures and has
done away with the foreshadows. The realities are found in
Him. For the Gentiles this means that all worship of false gods
is also in vain. There is salvation in no one and nothing else
but in the name of Jesus, the one true God, the only one through whom
people can come to the Father. And so all the first things, the
old things, are going to pass away; they will not remain on the day of
Gods judgment and neither will those who trust in them. If our
hearts do not treasure the new things of Christ and His Word, but
rather the old things of idolatry and sin, then like those old things,
we too will pass away into eternal destruction on the day when those
things are destroyed.
But Jesus has already endured that day for
you. He took the old things of your sin and the worship of your
false gods upon Himself and suffered the judgment of Gods wrath upon
those things in your place on the cross. There Jesus was doing
away with the first things, so that He could give you new things in
their place. In place of your sin He gives you His
righteousness. In place of death He gives you life. In
place of Gods wrath He gives you Gods favor. In place of the
worship of false gods He gives you the divine service of the true
God. In place of fear He gives you peace. In place of
slavery under the devil He gives you freedom under your heavenly
Father. And the new things keep on coming. His mercies are
new to you every morning. His forgiveness is new to you every
day. Baptism has new effects on you on a daily basis, drowning
the old man, raising the new. The Lords body and blood work
together to give you new life in Christ, the eating and drinking of
whom ensures your bodily resurrection from the dead on the Last
Day. And with His Word He continues to give you new hope and
direct your attention to the day when He will make all things new,
bring you into the new Jerusalem, where He will dwell with you face to
face forever, and cause all tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain to
pass out of existence all together.
In the meantime the Lord would continue to take the
first things, or the old things, away from you, in order to give you
the new things that will be yours forever. Because we like the
old things so might, we often put up a fight for them, holding onto
those things as tightly as we can. This is why it often hurts so
much when the Lord finally pries them loose from our grip. Yes,
He gives us many things in this life to enjoy, but He would have none
of them take His place. Instead of letting you go on hungering
and thirsting for the things of this world, the Lord would have you
hunger and thirst for Him, His kingdom, and His righteousness, and then
He promises to add to you all the things that you need for this body
and life. Whats more, He promises to give you to drink of the
waters of life without cost. This is the living water that flows
from Him, the water of the Spirit, who gives you new life as He flows
through the Word of God, through your Baptism, through the Gospel of
the forgiveness of sins, and through the Lords Supper, delivering to
you all the new things that Jesus won for you through His life, death,
and resurrection. And once youve gotten a taste of the new
things, the old things will begin to pale in comparison.
Jesus says, He who overcomes shall inherit these
things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. That is, he
who perseveres in the faith and does not cling to the first things or
the old things will inherit the new things, and Jesus will be his God
and he will be the Lords son. When a parent takes something away
from a child and replaces it with something new, something better, the
constant that doesnt change is the relationship between the parent and
the child. Though the Lord takes old things away from you to give
you new things, He doesnt take Himself or His love from you.
Jesus and His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation will never be
taken from you. The Name that God gave you at your Baptism He
will never take away from you. The Father will never be taken
away from you. The Holy Spirit who took up residence in you at
your Baptism will never be taken away from you. These are the
gifts of your inheritance in Jesus Christ. They are the new
things that are yours right now through faith in Him. Though all
temporal things might be taken from you, these gifts will not.
And new gifts are coming. We anticipate those
new gifts every time we celebrate the Lords Supper. Even the
Lords Supper is going to be made new. When Jesus had eaten and
drunk with His disciples on that night before His crucifixion, He said
to them concerning the wine, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine
from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers
kingdom. Even the Lords Supper itself is a foretaste of a new
feast to come that well celebrate with Jesus in heaven. Even the
Lords Supper itself is drawing us into the new creation that is the
eternal inheritance of all who believe in Jesus.
The first things are passing away; the new things
are coming and are even now being delivered to you through Gods Word
and Sacraments. The first heaven and the first earth, originally
created good by God have been corrupted by sin. Theyre going to
be destroyed and recreated, never to be infected with sin again.
The first Jerusalem was also good; there in the temple God had promised
to be with His people, delivering His gifts to them through the O.T.
sacrificial system. But Jesus has brought in the new temple (the
temple of His flesh) and the new worship (the delivery of His gifts
through His Word and Sacraments). No more need for the old
system. No more need for the sacrifice of animals; Jesus has been
sacrificed on the cross, and His blood atones for sins once for
all. Sins are part of the old, first things, not created by God
but corruptions of His creation. They too along with their
effects have been done away with by Jesus and are passing away.
The new creation is coming - new heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem, new
bodies, new age, but all are given to us by our Savior, Jesus who is
the same yesterday, today, and forever. Receive Him anew again
today as He comes to you in the Name of the Lord with abundant
salvation, pardon, and peace. Amen.