This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to day five of our look together through Revelation chapter 21. We're
looking at verses 18 to 27 today and completing the description that we began
yesterday. We began looking at the New Jerusalem.

In this New Jerusalem we are told through what John saw of what heaven is going
to be like, what we're looking forward to in eternity with him. We look together
at the 12 names that were on the gates. We looked at the 12 foundation stones
with the 12 apostles' names on those.

We look together at the incredible thing that God's going to do in all of
eternity as you and I look forward to the perfection of what he's doing, all the
12s that are in the measurements of that city. There's even perfection, there's
even glory to look forward to in the construction materials that are used. This
is what we're most often used to when we think about heaven, these next few
verses that I'm going to read.

The construction materials are talked about in verses 18 to 21. The wall was
made of jasper and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of
the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.

The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the
fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth bernal, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysophase, the eleventh jascent,
and the twelfth amethyst. Oh, that's a lot of stones for me to read. Then in
verse 21, the 12 gates were 12 pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.

The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. There it
is in verse 21, streets of gold. There it is, the pearly gates.

In fact, that's wrong. If you read clearly what the scripture says, they're not
pearly gates. They are pearl gates.

They are made of one pearl. And there it is, the 12 stones of this foundation.
What was that all about?

Why did we get the names of every one of those stones, jasper and sapphire? I
had to read them all. Why did we get all of those names?

These are the same 12 stones that were found in the breastplate of the high
priest of God, the one who went in before the people of God to offer sacrifices
for their sins, the one who represented before God, the people of God. And here
we have in this new Jerusalem, those same 12 stones, but they're on the
foundation now. They're not one man.

They're not one representative of God. They're the foundation of everything that
happens there. Now it's interesting, these 12 stones are named, but they're
basically in reverse order of the 12 stones that are named when they're named on
the breastplate in the Old Testament.

It's showing that God is doing things differently. He has a new way of doing
things and it's showing that the very foundation of this place of God, of this
presence of God is going to be built into the new Jerusalem and what we're going
to experience. Now that's a surprise in the new Jerusalem.

There's another surprise besides the construction materials. One of the
surprises in the new Jerusalem is what will not be there. What will not be there
is a temple, no temple building.

I did not see a temple in the city because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are its temple. You see, in Jerusalem, a temple was needed, a place where they
could go and experience God's presence. But in the new Jerusalem, there will be
no temple needed because God's presence is experienced anywhere and everywhere.

God himself is the temple. God's presence is throughout this new Jerusalem, this
new heaven, this new earth. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

I love the way that's expressed in the next verses. The construction materials
we talked about, the 12 foundation stones, we see the fact there's going to be
no temple building and then we see in verses 23 to 27 that its light is going to
be the Lord. Listen to these verses.

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God
gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light and
the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its
gates ever be shut, for there will never be any night there.

There will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought
into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is
shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book
of life.

" So the new Jerusalem does not need a sun or a moon because God himself
provides all the light that is needed. Think of the picture of that. Think of
the glory of that.

Jesus is the light of the world and Jesus will light up all of eternity. Now, as
you read verse 24, "The nations are going to walk by its light, the kings of the
earth. " This is not saying that there will be nations in this new Jerusalem.

This is not saying that there will be kings above Jesus. This is saying that all
the nations, that all the rulers and leaders of this world will be brought into
this and the most glorious things of this earth will be brought into this glory
to become even more glorious because it won't be our glory that's seen there. It
will be the glory of Jesus that's seen for all of eternity.

Think about this, this new heaven and this new earth. As I read this
description, I think of these three things. It is a place that is dripping with
value.

It is a place that is drenched in light and it is a place that is draped in
beauty. It is dripping with value. The gates are one single pearl.

The streets are gold. It is dripping with value because there's nothing more
valuable in my life than the presence of God and that is what I look forward to.
That is the value that should drive my life today.

It is drenched in light. But that light is not from the sun or the moon or any
man-made light. It is the light of who God is.

The character of God lights up all of eternity. So I bring that into my life
today. It is draped in beauty.

This is a picture of beauty as you see these beautiful gemstones that are part
of this foundation. As you see the fact that there will be no night ever there.
Nothing impure will ever enter it.

It is draped in beauty. That is what I look forward to. That is what you look
forward to.

Draping with value. Drenched in light. Draped with beauty.

How can I bring that into my life today? How can I bring what this is? Because
you may not see those values in your life today.

You may not see that light in your life today. You may be going through a very
dark time. You may not see beauty in your life today.

How do I bring that into my life today? Philippians chapter 3 verse 20. But we
are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives and we are eagerly
waiting for him to return as our savior.

You don't have to wait to be a citizen of this place. You already are. You may
feel like you are a citizen of this earth and in one sense you are responsible
to the country that you live in as a citizen.

But your true citizenship, according to Paul in Philippians 3 verse 20, your
true citizenship is already here in heaven in this place. This is already in one
sense your home where your citizenship is. And how do I look forward to this
citizenship?

How do I look forward to this value, this light, this beauty? I eagerly wait. I
eagerly wait for him to return as my savior.

I look forward to that day. And how do I eagerly wait? I eagerly wait through
the way that I serve Jesus today.

I don't wait by sitting in a chair and hoping he's going to return today and if
he doesn't return today I'm going to sit in this chair and become disappointed
by the end of the day. That's not eagerly waiting. That's not anticipating.

That's being impatient. How do I eagerly wait? I eagerly wait by living out who
he is in my life today.

That's in service for Christ. That's in my relationship with Christ. That's in
my eternal joy.

That's what I'm waiting for. In eternity we're going to serve him forever. So
how can you serve him today?

That's how you eagerly wait. In eternity we're going to see him face to face. So
how do you live out your relationship with him today?

How do you talk to him through the difficulties of life today? That's how you
eagerly wait. In eternity we're going to reign with him forever in joy.

So how do I ask him to experience that joy in my life that's above and beyond
circumstances today? As we take some moments to pray together let's take this
prayer time to eagerly wait together. Jesus we are going to serve you forever so
we ask you how can we serve you today?

Who can we love? How can we pray? Who can we serve?

Looking forward to that day, Lord we're going to see you someday face to face.
How can I look forward to that? Even right now in the way that I think about
you, you're right here right now with me in whatever I'm doing.

I may not feel it right now. Right now I see through a mirror dimly but then I
will see face to face. How can I bring that truth into my heart, my life today?

Jesus help me. Help me to know that you're here right now. One day Jesus I am
going to reign with you.

As far above and beyond of my thinking that is, it's going to happen because you
promised it. So how can I experience that eternal joy today? Recognizing that
you're in control even when I feel like circumstances are out of my control.

Give me your joy that's above circumstances I pray today. Jesus I pray this in
your name, Amen. Next week join us we're going to finish our study of the book
of Revelation and I got to tell you the end is worth waiting for.