A tough sermon

I knew preaching last Sunday would be tough. Part would be OK.  Rev. 21:1-7 describes the ultimate picture of what lies ahead for this world and us. Its description is glorious: a new heaven and a new earth, with God in the midst and no more death, mourning, pain because the old has passed away and the new has come. Sometimes used at funeral services its a wonderful picture.  But move onto verse 8 - shock and horror! How often do we hear about the 'fiery lake of burning sulphur' and God's judgement! I confessed on Sunday that in an earlier sermon I only used v1-7 with its upbeat theme of those who will be overcomers as they stayed true to Jesus.  Linking the encouragements given overcomers in local churches in chapter 2 (and to us today) with the final picture of a new heaven and new earth where again overcomers (21:7) are encouraged to see their inheritance - ultimate glory with heaven and earth transformed as God is in the midst - sounds out such a positive picture.

However, verse 8 is necessary to see the whole of  God's Project Big Picture which shows him not only as the God of Love and Mercy but also of Justice.  And you cannot have justice without judgment or mercy without justice.  Everyone is accountable to God (2 Cor. 5:10) but those who reject him to destroy his creation and its relationships face dire judgement.  How uncomfortable this message is.  How rarely do we talk about. 

I recounted how C.S. Lewis as an atheist rejected God because the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had he got this idea of just and unjust. He wrote: 'What was I comparing the universe with when I called it unjust. If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show find myself in such violent reactions against it.   Of course I could have said my idea of justice was a private idea but if I did my argument against God collapsed.  Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist – in other words that the whole of reality was senseless - I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality – the idea of justice was full of sense.   Atheism is too simple. If whole universe has no meaning we should never have found it that is has no meaning'.  Later he put it this way: 'There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’  and those to whom God says in the end ‘Thy will be done’….. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell.'

Sometimes being faithful to God's word requires all the verses in a text! Tough! (Anyone wanting to follow this up can find the sermon on Histon Baptist Church website under resources!)