The Restoring God
Scripture Reading: Revelation 21: 10, 22 & 22: 1 - 5 (NIV)
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Message: The Restoring God
The restoring God
The last chapter of the Bible tells the story of a God who restores everything that has gone wrong in this world
What a way to end the Bible - bringing hope in telling the story of a restoring God
This God, the same God as the creator God, is also the restoring God
That what has gone wrong when God allowed free will in creation, God will restore
In a beautiful way, God’s restoring work is part of God’s creation work
It is God not leaving us alone
It is God working to bring us, of our own free will, to peace
Peace in our relationship with God
Peace in our relationship with ourselves
Peace in our relationship with other human beings (close and far)
Peace in our relationship with creation
And boy, do we need peace! All of us!
We live in a broken world where we are part of the brokenness
We need the restoring God to do restoring things among us!
Where our faith is heading
Revelation 22 paints a picture of where our faith is heading
It tells us that all our efforts as believers are not in vain
It gives a view of the new city of Jerusalem, the symbol of God’s presence
It tells us that there is no temple in this city anymore, because the faith of those living in it will be united with God in God’s perfect presence
It shows us the river of life flowing everywhere through the city - giving life
Bringing a different fruit for every month of the year - everything we need at the right time
No curses anymore
Just people serving God on the throne without objections
God’s will be on their foreheads - symbolizing that they will know God fully
No more darkness - all light that is needed will come directly from God
And there will be no more oppression, for the only rule will be God reigning forever with the people of God
We are given this revelation today to give us hope
Our faith is not in vain
Our faith is part of this picture of a new Jerusalem being created
Our faith is part of God restoring creation to peace
Inspired to keep growing in our faith
Today, we can hold on to this picture that is shown to us in the last chapter of the Bible
The book of Revelation was given to us to give us hope and to encourage us
The picture of a new Jerusalem and the river of life flowing through it, lifts us up to keep at it in our faith
Look with me at the new Jerusalem and commit yourself to keep growing in your faith
God wants to inspire you today to be faithful and to keep at it
God wants you to know that all your efforts will not be in vain
Allow yourself to dream the dream of a new Jerusalem
Allow yourself to be inspired by the picture God is showing you
Allow yourself to keep growing in your faith
Take action to be part of God’s restorative work
Our God is the restoring God
So, let's take action to be part of God’s restorative work
Look around you, look closely at where you can be part of God’s restorative work
Pray that God will guide you through the Spirit to go where He is sending you
Respond to the nudges of the Spirit in your life and take action
This week, you will come across someone who needs your support
You will encounter someone who needs to be encouraged
You will see brokenness around you
Because you have seen the picture of the new Jerusalem, you will respond
Let’s go do the restoring work of the restoring God!
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