For many, the dropping of the lighted ball in Time Square is melodramatic. On the surface, everyone is going wild. Fireworks are bursting in the night sky. Confetti is raining down from heaven. Spilt beer is coating the streets. Riot police are poised for action. The unruly crowds are chanting, "Happy New Year!" But then the crowds disperse, the cleanup crews arrive, and we realize that yet another year has passed. It is 2006, and 2005 is no more! Another page has been turned. A chapter written. A step taken. But toward what? To what are we drawing closer?
In 1982 in my hometown of Herscher, Illinois they had a centennial celebration. During that celebration community leaders created a time capsule containing various remembrances from that time in history. The complete contents of the time capsule are known by only a few people. The time capsule was buried next to the community building where our church gathered for worship every Sunday. To this day there is a stone marker there with engraved instructions telling when the time capsule should be opened. It will be opened in the year 2082!
After church I would sometimes stand over that marker and I would think, "2000. What will life be like in the 2000’s, in 2010, in 2050, or in 2082? What will the future hold? I wonder if I will live to see that capsule opened?" Probably not unless I live to be 109 years old, or until I befriend a grave robber!
I’m sure that capsule contains some interesting secrets. And the time will come when its secrets will be revealed! But the capsule only contains men’s secrets. What secrets does God have in store for our future? What reasons might the Christian have for celebrating the passing of yet another year? To what are we one year closer?
Hope unveiled.
In 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV) the Bible says, " 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit."
Everything God has been doing since the beginning of creation has been about the future. As God created us in his image, as that image was shattered through Adam and Eve’s sinful choices, as God pronounced his curse on man as a consequence for our sins, as God covenanted (promised) to redeem man from the power of sin and death, as God sent his promised child, Jesus Christ into the world, as God’s one and only Son died on the cross and was raised from the grave on the third day, as God sent his church into the world to go and proclaim the good news, all of history up to this moment has been about the future. God has been working, his plan is being fulfilled in history, and he has been preparing something for us that is so incredible that no eye has seen it, no ear has heard it, and no mind has conceived of it.
And every passing year, every passing month, every passing week, every passing day, hour, minute, second, and even millisecond brings us that much closer! Forget about 2082. Forget about living to be 109 years old. The Christian lives forever!
As Dwight L. Moody, the world renowned evangelist and founder of Moody Bible Institute, approached the end of his life he told his congregation, "Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don't you believe a word of it!" Moody went on to explain that at that moment he would be more alive than he ever had been. "That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever."
On December 22, 1899, the newspapers proclaimed the death of Dwight L. Moody.
We all have a choice. We can believe what we read in the newspapers, or we can trust what we read in Bible. In the Bible God promises us a bright future!
Let’s begin the New Year by looking toward the future that God has prepared for us. Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
God wants us to set our hearts and minds on the future he has prepared for us. Let’s talk about that future for a few moments.
Resurrection bodies.
In the future our physical bodies will be resurrected from the grave. Every Easter we celebrate the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ’s body from the grave. In 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 we are told how after his death, Jesus physically appeared to Peter, then the twelve apostles, and then after that to more than five hundred believers, then to James, then to the apostles again, then to the apostle Paul. The earliest Christians didn’t just celebrate Christ’s resurrection. They celebrated God’s promise of their own resurrections. Just as Christ was raised from the grave, so also they would be raised from their graves.
A lot of people think that the mode in which a person is baptized is no big deal. Some have been sprinkled with water and some have had water poured on their heads. Later this morning Korey Yemm will be completely immersed underneath water. The early Christians were completely immersed because of how powerfully immersion proclaims the resurrection hope that they professed. They saw the waters of baptism as a watery grave in which they would be buried. But then trusting God, they would be raised to new life in Christ.
In Romans 6:3-4 (NIV) the apostle Paul writes, "Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
To be buried with Christ in the waters of baptism is to be raised with Christ Jesus in his resurrection. As it goes with Christ, so it goes with all who trust in his name.
In 1 Corinthians 15 there were people denying the physical resurrection of believers. In 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (NIV) he says, "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."
Later in 1 Corinthians 15:32 (NIV)he adds, “If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' " In other words, let us be hedonists, and live life like there's no tomorrow. Okay, someone get the apostle Paul’s inhaler quickly!
1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV) tells us, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection are inextricably linked! Like a seed planted in the dead of winter, we will be raised and clothed with a new, more glorious body. Our new body will not be like our existing body. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (NIV) Paul explains, "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. And Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 (NIV), "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The next time someone you love dies who is a believer, go and plant a tulip in the soil where their body lies. In the spring, a beautiful flower will emerge where only a lifeless seed had been sown. At the coming of Christ a beautiful resurrection body will be to given your loved one where only a lifeless body has been buried in a casket.
Rewarded obedience.
Now a second thing we can look forward to in the future is being rewarded. Notice the timeline. There will be a resurrection of the living, and then rewards. In 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 (NIV) Paul explains, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
One reason we don’t live by the hedonist philosophy of, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die", is our resurrection hope. Each of us will receive what we are due, whether good or bad. God will reward us according to our labor. Nothing we do in this life is in vain. God honors our faith, our investment of time, our tithes, our offerings, our sacrifices, our acts of obedience, and our works. Heaven will be terrific, and gaining rewards in heaven for loving Christ will be unimaginable!
Redeemed heaven and earth.
A third thing we can look forward to in the future is a new heaven and new earth. In his book Heaven Randy Alcorn takes on our misconceptions about heaven. For example, we assume heaven will be this non-earthy, unfamiliar, otherworldly, disembodied, foreign habitat in the sky. We assume that in heaven we will be leaving our favorite things behind, that there will be no time and space, that we will have nothing to do except float on the clouds, that there will be no learning or discovery, and there will be a loss of desire. We assume that heaven will just be one long, boring, never-ending church service.
But the Bible speaks of a new heaven and new earth. A place that will be strangely familiar, even earthly in some respects. A place where we will have resurrection bodies, that we will proudly call our home, where we will worship and serve God, rule the universe, and have purposeful work to accomplish and friends to enjoy. In eternity there will be learning and discovery. We will continually be fascinated by God’s glory and will never be bored. There will be a continuous fulfillment of desire. We will be surrounded by everything we desire and nothing that we do not desire.
I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to going fishing with Jesus. "Just tell me which side of the boat to cast, Jesus. Hey wait a minute. Who needs a boat? Let’s just walk on water." If you don’t like the weather, "Hey Jesus. Snap your fingers and calm the storm." And woodworking. I can’t wait to enter the master carpenter's shop!
In John 14:1-6 (NIV) Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' "
Dwelling with God!
Let’s pick up on this idea of a new heaven and new earth while mentioning a fourth thing we can look forward to in the future. We will be dwelling with God forever! In Revelation 21:1-8 (NIV) the apostle John writes, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' "
"He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. 'He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars— their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.' "
Picking up in Revelation 21:22-27 (NIV)the apostle John continues, "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 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 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."
And in Revelation 22:1-6 (NIV), "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 down 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. No 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. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There 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. The angel said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.' "
Let’s just make this simple. Do you want a resurrection body? Do you want rewards in heaven? Do you want to live forever in the new heaven and new earth? Do you want to dwell in God’s presence for eternity? Do you want one more chance to take fruit from the tree of life instead of from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Do you want to forever be free from the consequences and the curse of sin?
It all begins in this New Year with your baptism. It all begins with a simple decision to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, to be buried in the waters of baptism, and be raised to new life. This is a resurrection hope.
In 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV) the Bible says, " 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'--but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit."