Where Is Your Identity Rooted?

Consummation in the Returning King. 

Rev 21:1-8

21:1 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. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 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. 4 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."

5 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."

6 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. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 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."

Rev 22:17

17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

NIV

At the one hundred year anniversary of the arrival of missionaries to the Congo, a large celebration was planned.  In commemoration of the lasting impact of the work of the original missionaries, speakers were invited to address the gathering.  Special music, a festive meal, and other activities were planned as a memorial to this important occasion. 
 

As the story goes, an aged native came forward and introduced himself to the crowd as the last person alive who was privy to a terrible secret.  The old man confessed that one hundred years earlier, when the missionaries first came, the natives didn’t know whether to believe the message they carried. So, in order to test their sincerity, they devised a plan. 

 

Have you ever read the back of the book to see how it ends? I don't know about y'all but there have been times when I have wanted to cut to the end of the book or the end of a movie. I wanted to see if I was right in the case of a “who done it.” Or in the case of a movie to see what happens to the main character or characters. It makes me think about the serials they use to show at the movie theaters or Batman and Robin. In the case of Batman and Robin they would be tied up or about to be blown up and … “If you want to what will happen to the dynamic duo tune in next week, same bat channel – same bat time.”

Praise God, He has not left us hanging. God has told us the end of His story. Knowledge of our destination helps us understand who we are in Christ and how we should live in the meantime. That Christ is coming back to claim the Church - His bride - should help us determine how we live.

Oh yea, now back to the story. Slowly, secretly, systematically, they began to poison the missionaries. Then they watched intently as mothers said goodbye to children, as husbands said good-bye to wives, as friends and colleagues said good-bye to one another.  The old man explained that it was only as they saw how these missionaries died, that the truth of their message was confirmed.  As a result, many of the people believed and embraced the Gospel message.

Knowing the end of the story changes how you look at things. Watching a recorded athletic contest is always different than watching it live. An avid sports fan watching a live game shouts passionately at the television, but remains subdued when watching after the event has already taken place. Your viewing experience is impacted even more if you accidentally caught the final score of the game. When you watch a live game a crucial interception in the fourth quarter feels like a nail in the coffin. But if you know that your team wins with a last-second field goal that interception means less. Knowing the end of the story changes everything.

It is the same way in life. Knowing the end of our story affects how we live in the present. It even goes so far as to shape our identity.

1. Our destination shapes our present identity - 21:1-8

The fact that God has told us the end of the story impacts how we view ourselves in the present. As Paul Tripp (pastor and author) writes, "You don't have to figure everything out. You do need to know and trust the One who does understand, and who knows exactly what He is doing . . . God will not quit until every bit of his work is complete in each of his children."

The beautiful picture in Revelation 21:1-8 is already ours. The curse is as sure as lifted. The promise is attached to the name of Christ Jesus. When He says, "It is done!" it is a promise you can bank on today. Your identity is changed. You no longer have to be one of the ones who "grieve without hope," because you have hope. We know the end of the story. We know that the tears we cry today will eventually be wiped away. Knowing your destination takes a little of the sting out of the pain that you feel from the curse of sin. The curse does not have the last word. Christ Jesus does. And His word is, "I am making all things new". You are the one whom Christ Jesus is making new.

  

Is your identity rooted in Christ Jesus' future for you? Are you trying to figure everything out, or are you simply trusting in the One who holds your future? "For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

2. Our destination shapes our present actions - 22:17

The illustration about watching a recorded game could be misleading. God has already determined the end, and He will not fail to bring us there. Because of this you might logically conclude that because the outcome is already determined you can sit back and watch the game unfold. While it is true that we cannot thwart God's plan, it is also true that God's plan includes human responsibility.

Far from a cold fatalism Revelation ends with a plea to action. The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." Though this could be taken as an invitation for hearers of the word to come to Christ Jesus, it is more likely a cry for Christ Jesus to return and set things right. Part of your present action is to pray that the Lord would come speedily. 

It is an encouragement to be prepared for His return, to long for His coming as bride waits for her bridegroom. It is also a call for those that are "thirsty." It is a call to "come" and "take the water of life without price."

The end of the story should motivate your response in the present. The only fitting response to knowing God's story is to take hold of His generous grace. Do you cry out "Come, Lord Jesus"? Are you living for the present world or for that which is to come? How does your destination shape your present action?

Conclusion:

Everyone longs for what God promises in the end of His story. Even those that we would consider the farthest from God were created to long for these promises. The problem is that apart from grace none of us are able to seize these promises through our own efforts. So we try to find satisfaction in the things that we can grab onto ourselves.

But nothing you can obtain in this life can sustain you. Nothing you can earn satisfies the longing God has placed in you. Only God's grace is powerful enough to bind you to the One who can fulfill. As C.S. Lewis has said, "If our deepest desires cannot be satisfied in this world, then we must have been made for another world."

Everyone longs for what is promised in Revelation 21. The only way that it becomes yours is when you come thirsty to Christ Jesus and drink the water of life.