Please turn to Revelation 21. And we will read verses 1-8. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw a holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be to them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And he also said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. To the one who conquers will have this heritage. and I will be his God, and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. The Bible breaks all mankind into two groups. There are those who are children of God, and there are those who are children of wrath. There are those who are sheep, and those who are goats. In this passage in Revelation, we have those who are inside of the city, the New Jerusalem, and we have those who are outside of the gates. Those who are in Christ have thirsted for righteousness and conquered the world, the flesh, and the devil through their faith in the only Lamb of God who sits upon the throne. And they shall reign with Him for all of eternity. But to those who did not thirst, those who were content and satisfied with the world's offerings, shall spend eternity cut off from the grace of God, fully united with His wrath, in a place that is described as perpetual torment for all of eternity. This distinction between these two groups, the saved and the lost, is only in their relationship to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The One who came to take away the sins of the world. And those sins, the sins of the world are accounted for either through the atoning work of the Lamb's blood, through His death on the cross, or through the righteous God's judgment upon sinners, which shall manifest itself for all of eternity. Jesus will remove sin from His creation. And it's in your best interest that your sins are accounted for through His work on the cross. Eternity is just a breath away from each one of us. Through secular science and philosophy, men have tried to argue that there will be no judgment. That there will be no God to set all things right. One of the greatest assumptions in philosophy in modern science is that things have always been the way that they are. But remember, our assumptions and our presuppositions are not scientific. They're starting points in a philosophical thought. So for example, a scientist will walk up to the Grand Canyon, they will look to the bottom, they will see a river flowing, and then they will infer that this river has been flowing the exact same way for millions of years. But how is that assumption scientific? How can we know that everything has been going at the exact same pace that it has been for millions of years? Sometimes if you say this with a British accent, it makes you sound a lot more intelligent. But this is a far shot from being scientific. See, at one point this canyon is 18 miles wide. Imagine that, an 18 mile wide river. This canyon is a mile deep. Really? A river flowed for millions of years. And now we have this giant hole. I mean, should we have these everywhere? This is the philosophical idea known as uniformitarianism. Things have always been this way. Things are always going to be the same. See, something just blew up millions of years ago, and things just continue slowly and gradually to be as they are now. See, this idea comforts men because it allows them freedom from their sinfulness. We don't have to worry about a judgment Because there's not a God who's involved in this world. We don't have to worry about what happens after we die, because everything has always been the way that it is. This was the religion of the Sadducees. The idea that we should eat, we should drink, and we should be merry, because tomorrow we're going to die. Nothing lies beyond the grave. Now Peter deals with this idea of uniformitarianism in 2 Peter 3 verses 3-7. Where he writes, scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following after their own sinful desires. They will say, where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlooked the fact that the heavens existed long ago. And the earth was formed out of water, through water by God. And that by means of these, the world had existed that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word of heaven and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly." So there's two things that Peter points out that contradict this idea of uniformitarianism. First is the creation, and the second is the flood. People try to sound intelligent by arguing for the Big Bang, but in the end, they still have to account for the stuff that went bang. See, everything didn't just come from nothing. And the idea that something just blew up and everything appeared and became as it is, is contrary to basic logic. All the while, they're assuming that there's no supernatural force that made anything or that controls anything. Peter argues that the existence of everything is common grace, knowledge that God made everything. And as he says, this is something that men deliberately overlook. Secondly, Peter says that the flood is the event that contradicts uniformitarianism. A scientist will argue that water flowing over millions of years would have gradually carved into the earth and created the Grand Canyon. But at the same time, water bursting upward under extreme heat and pressure could have caused the same catastrophic event in much, much less time. Nothing stops water. Water is the source of life on this planet. And it's also one of the most destructive forces in nature. Earth is replete with this evidence that there has been a catastrophic flood. The events of creation and the flood are important because they argue that things have not always been the way that they are. The creation itself proves that there is a Creator. And this flood foreshadows the ultimate judgment that stands over creation. See, these two points in history prove the existence of a Creator, and they prove the existence that the Creator has a certainty in judgment. The existence of a Creator and judgment have been argued for thousands of years, but in the end, when Jesus returns, every person will be faced with this fact. There is a Creator, And He will judge the world. No single person, no matter what his or her beliefs, will escape the Creator's judgment and recreation. And I'm calling you to recognize this reality as an unbeliever. And as a Christian, I'm calling you to remember this reality in times of difficulty. This life is just a vapor. It's not going to last. Every time someone dies, we are reminded of this fact. Life is temporal. There is a God who is at work in this world. And one day, everyone who has ever lived will be judged by this God. And they will be separated into two groups. John writes in Revelation 21.5. It's our first verse in the passage. And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I'm making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He is going to make all things new. Isaiah talks about this time, of this new heaven and the new earth. He asks the question, Shall a land be born in a day? Shall a nation be brought forth in a moment? Just as the Israelites inherited a land with houses that they did not build and vineyards that they did not plant, such is what the Lord has planned for us. He has an eternal abode waiting for His children. He's seated on the throne. This is the sovereign of the universe. The One who brought all things into existence the first time is now recreating everything that had fallen. No longer shall His people suffer. and struggle in difficulty with the consequences of sin. No longer will a father receive a call in the middle of the night. No longer will parents grieve over the death of a child. No longer will God's people fight against sin. While the world around them joyfully is drinking it down. See, things will all be made new. The struggle with sin ends in this new creation. The battle was won on the cross. And it's going to be consummated when all things are made new. World War II is often used as an example to convey this point. See, the Allies won a decisive battle against the Germans on D-Day. That was June 6, 1944. That was the day when they tore through the enemy lines and solidified a standing and they broke through the German defenses. The Allies defeated the Germans in these two treacherous days of war. However, the victory didn't officially come to the end until almost a year later on V-Day. That's Victory Day. May 6, 1945. When Jesus died on the cross, He defeated the world, the flesh, and the devil. Sin was defeated. This is the Christian D-Day. However, the war continues Although Jesus has won the decisive victory, until all things are made new, a time when the sheep and the goats are going to be separated and the creation is going to be destroyed and remade, that is the Christian V-Day. Everything will be pure and holy. Everything will be done in righteousness. The curse of God will no longer exist upon this creation. but it is a greater joy that sin itself is no longer going to exist. Just as it says in verse 4, the things of the past will no longer be remembered. Pain, sorrow, death, sickness, these things shall no longer be. God's making all things new in believers right now. He's making all things new in believers through the new birth. He made them a new creation in Christ because the old one passed away, as Paul states in 2 Corinthians. This is the fulfillment of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31. He gave them a new name. Instead of being sons of Adam, they were sons of God. God had their minds on a new city, the new Jerusalem, instead of the Babylon that they were told to come out from. They were given a new spirit. Instead of having a heart of stone, God gave them a heart of flesh. This is the Lord seated on the throne. And if you are in Christ, you reign with Him. John is told to write these things down. This is John writing down the actual words of God. We don't have many direct quotations of God in the Bible. He's declaring that everything is made new. This is the culmination of all things. But the question I have is, do you worship this One who was on the throne? Is He making you new? Those outside the gates were not being made new because they were not made new in this life. John continues in Revelation 21. And He said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, to the thirsty I give from the spring of the water of life without payment. It is done. It is finished. Remember, right before Christ died on the cross, He said, it is finished. At that point, from a judicial requirement, sin was paid. There was nothing left to add. This is all of the work on the cross coming to fruition in history. He defeated sin judicially, and now He's cleansing His creation of sin. Just like Joshua was told to cleanse the land, Jesus is the more perfect Joshua. And He is going to completely cleanse the land. The temple will be clean and pure, and the new heaven and the new earth. Jesus is the One who was and is and is to come. See, He contrasts with this earthly beast that we read about. The beast. who was and was not. The beast and those who took His mark, they're defeated. They lost their stronghold on God's creation. Jesus, the Eternal One, who was and is and is to come, the One who brought all things into existence, is bringing all things to fulfillment. The One who started everything is going to bring an end to everything. Just like He who began a good work in you is going to bring it to a completion until the end. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega of all history. Jesus is the beginning and the end of everything in creation. Like the scroll in Revelation chapter 5, which was written on the front and the back. He is the author of all history. Only He is the one who could open the scroll. On the Cosby show back in the 1980s, Dr. Huxtable would tell his son Theo, I brought you into this world and I can take you out. Now, of course, he was just kidding. See, but Jesus isn't kidding. Jesus brought you into this world and He is going to take you out. He is the Alpha. You had your beginning because God gave you life and you will have your ending when God takes your life away. He is the Omega for everyone. He will judge everyone. Every soul that has ever lived will find the end of their life before Him. Rich and poor, weak and strong, wise and foolish, intelligent and ignorant. Everyone shall stand before Him and give an account of all of their works. Those who are in Christ will be saved because the blood of Christ served as a propitiation of God's wrath over their soul. And those who are not in Christ will be crushed by the wrath of God that has been building up over their heads greater and greater from the first point that they sinned. There is no escape from God in creation. Jonah tried and he ended up in the sea. There is no escape. You will not be able to explain your sins away on the day of judgment. Everyone in creation is going to be separated into two groups. Those who thirsted and drank from the water that Jesus gave, and those who refused, and rather chose to hewn cisterns that hold no water. They will be separated by their thirst. Those who thirsted shall drink from the water of life that He provides, and those who don't shall not drink. They shall drink the fire of His wrath, And that is your choice. You can freely drink from the water that Jesus offers. Or you can feast for an eternity upon His judgment. To the thirst of the Lord says in verse 6, He gives the water of life without payment. That is all that is required of this water. All that is required. is that you thirst. Like the Israelites who walked in the wilderness, and they became thirsty, and they were granted water from the rock. However, they found some water that was sour at Marah. They could not drink it. This water is like the water of this world, worldly and full of fleshly desires. The water that the world offers is tainted. It will not satisfy. In fact, it will destroy you. The Israelites could not drink the water because it was tainted. Drinking it would have gotten them sick, and ultimately it would have led to their death. Likewise, all who are thirsty, God calls you to drink. Those who are hungry, come and eat and drink. Isaiah writes in Isaiah 55, 1-2, Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And he who has no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money, without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread? Why do you labor for that which will not satisfy? Why spend your money on something that is worthless, something that will destroy your soul? No, Jesus calls you to drink from the water that is free. It wasn't free for Him. It cost Him His life. But it is free for you if only you thirst. If only you will drink. What is the cost? Nothing. What is the requirement? Thirst. Jesus says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. So what if you're not thirsty? What if you like drinking sour water? The water of Jesus is not for you. Why would you drink the bitter water of the sinful world when you can have the water that flows from the one that is the river of life? You can't buy this water. You can't add to it what you already have. This water is only for those who thirst. And do you thirst? Do you desire Christ? See, I'm not asking you if you want to go to heaven. Everyone wants to do that. But why would you want to go to heaven when in your life you have no desire for the central person who is seated on the throne in heaven? Jesus offered this water to the woman at the well. Jesus called her to repentance. Jesus called her to flee from her adultery and to drink the water that He offers. And He says this in John chapter 4, verses 13 through 14, everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water that I give, that I give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I give will become in him a spring of water, welling up for eternal life. See, the water of this world will not satisfy. I think the woman at the well recognized this. All of her chasing after the things of the world left her empty. Well, maybe this relationship wasn't satisfying. Perhaps another will be and another and another. Here she stood at a well by herself at the very hottest point of the day, and she met the well of life, Jesus Christ, and she thirsted. She desired more than what the world had to offer. She saw her sin face to face and sought redemption in the only one through which it could be received. What I want to ask is to those who have never thirsted for Him on earth, is why do you anticipate drinking from this water for all of eternity? See, there's a river that flows from the throne of God that all can drink from. There's secret manna that Jesus offers to the church of Pergamum, which is offered to all who are hungry and desire it. There's the tree of life from which our father Adam was cut off, that offers fruit every month. See, this all points in these symbols that God's going to fully sustain His people. See, but it's not for those who do not hunger and thirst after righteousness. Why do you picture yourself partaking of this beauty when you haven't found righteousness beautiful in this life? Why do you picture yourself amongst God's people when you have despised them for so much of your life. You dread coming to church, although the writer of Hebrews says, do not forsake the assembling of the believers. You despise the people in the service. So let me get this right. You love God. You claim you have a relationship with him, but you hate his bride, which is the church. You hate his children, that is everyone in church. This is very common. Someone will say, I love God, but I hate church because the church is full of hypocrites. And it's ironic that the existence of hypocrites is only a justification for skipping church. I don't ever hear people say, I don't ever go to the bank because it's full of hypocrites. They don't say, I'm not going to the grocery store because there's hypocrites there. You go to work every day. Is it free from hypocrites? Or is the truth just a little more obvious? You actually despise the things of God. You don't enjoy singing praises to Him. You don't enjoy the study of His Word. You don't enjoy time with Him. And you'll find every excuse possible to justify yourself before others on account of your church attendance. But my question, pray tell, is this. What do you expect to do for eternity in heaven? You despise worshiping God? You despise His Word? You despise His people? But when we read of eternity that God has for us, the worship of God and the bride is the central focus. See, you would hate the heaven that I described. You would hate the heaven and the things that are done in heaven because you hate those things now. You hate these things because you hate God. Paul Washer once said, everyone wants to go to heaven, but the problem is they don't want God to be there when they arrive. Do you thirst? Do you desire to drink the water that Jesus speaks of? Those who would drink of this water of life will abide with him for eternity. Those who do not thirst shall not dwell with him. They will be cast out. John continues in Revelation 21. The one who conquers will have this heritage. And I will be his God and he will be my son. Those who hunger and thirst find their satisfaction in Christ. And they will inherit all the blessings of the new heaven and the new earth because they are sons and daughters of God. They have become joint heirs through their adoption as sons. Maybe some of you received an inheritance from your parents. It was left for you because you were their child. But this is nothing compared to this inheritance. This is an inheritance from the One who created the world. This is God. He owns everything. And He's leaving you an inheritance that is greater than you can fathom. An inheritance from the One who brought all things into existence. Peter writes in 1 Peter 1 through 4, Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you. These are the conquerors that John writes of in verse 7. Those who conquer, conquer on account of the work of Jesus Christ. He did all of the work that was necessary in this battle. He, through His death on the cross, accomplished everything that was required. Those who conquer, conquer through their faith in Christ. These are not people who mustered up enough strength. They're not people who tried really hard, people who tried to follow the right list of principles. These are people who conquered because of their relationship to the One who did the conquering. Just as we had two groups earlier, those who thirst and those who don't, here we have two more groups. We have those who conquer and those who are conquered. as it says in Revelation 12-11, and they have conquered Him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even until death. Those who overcame didn't overcome by their own efforts and accomplishments, but rather through the work of the Lamb of God who accomplished it all through His death on the cross. And those who were conquered by sin through the world, the flesh and the devil are conquered because they did not trust upon the only Lamb of God. It doesn't matter about your social standing in life. What matters is where you stand in Christ. Shortly after the book of Revelation was written, Rome began to use Christians in coliseums for entertainment for the masses. Nero and his insanity would tie Christians to poles and burn them alive in the middle of dinner parties. These Christians would lose everything on account of their profession in Christ. Family dismantled. House destroyed. Possessions stolen. And now, all that they have left is their body, and that even that is being taken away, fed to wild animals in front of a cheering audience, burned alive to light a party for aristocrats. But they were conquerors. Yes, those Christians immolated, consumed by beasts, having absolutely no worldly possessions, they were actually the victors. They trusted in Jesus, not fearing the one who can only destroy the body. Once the lion killed them, the pain was over. Once they were martyred, it was truly finished. No longer would they ever feel pain again. All that they truly had was safe in Christ. Meanwhile, the Caesars, the Tetrarchs of the day, they look like victors. They sat in posh houses, they drank the best wine, they stayed in the luxurious abodes, and they sat on thrones that overlooked the death of others. See, but these were the conquered ones. The comfort and the ease with which they sinned demonstrated the depth of their slavery. Once they died, estranged from their Creator, never again would they have enjoyment and pleasure. The common grace was then cut off. They were conquered by their sin. They were enslaved. They thought they were victors, but they were deceived. All that they plundered further set their doom. The leaders didn't recognize that they were persecuting children of the King. Caesar thought he was the King. But oh, who made Caesar? Who through common grace blessed Caesar? Caesar knew he didn't make himself. He knew that he was not a god. He knew that he was a man. He knew that he made mistakes and that he sinned. And this man was attacking the children of the Creator of the universe. You don't mess with God's children, because there is a debt to pay. The ones who look like conquerors were really the ones who were conquered. Those who stand outside the gates in verse 8 are the conquered. They didn't thirst for Christ. They didn't conquer sin through the blood of the Lamb. Sin conquered them. The Lord told Cain, sin is crouching at your door, and its desire is for you. Those who don't conquer through the blood of the Lamb will be conquered by it. The Lamb will save you by His blood, or He will crush you by His wrath. There's no middle ground. There is no purgatory for the sinner. The Christian shall conquer the world, the flesh, and the devil. Remember, John says in 1 John 5.5, Who is it that overcomes the world except he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? See, through faith in Jesus Christ, you overcome the world. The flesh will have no sway, because your old body will die and a new one will be resurrected. To which Paul writes, O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? What power did Caesar really have over the Christians? They knew that the most that he could do was kill them. They knew the promises that God had given to those who conquer. And John writes of these in the beginning of Revelation. Jesus says that those who conquer are going to have many eternal blessings. He says they will eat from the tree of life. They will have access to this life-giving tree which man was cut off from in the garden. On account of that, man died. This life-giving tree which it says gives fruit month to month, it's always producing fruit. The new heaven and the new earth are not a place where you float around ethereally. It is the place where you dwell in a resurrected body that is continually sustained by the Creator. Those who conquer will not be hurt by the second death. They will stay within the walls of this city with their beloved Father on account of the blood of the Lamb that is on their lives. The pain for them has now ended in their death. They will not be cast outside with the unclean. Those who conquer will receive a hidden manna, that is Christ, the manna that came down from heaven. They will be clothed in white and their name will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. They're clothed in white and that is Christ's righteousness. Jesus says they will be made a pillar in God's temple and inscribed with a new name. They're eternally placed in the temple of God. And this further brings an understanding to the new Jerusalem. MacArthur points out that it was common for famous people in the Greek and Roman temples to have pillars named after them. See, but this isn't a pagan temple. This is a temple of the living God, which is comprised of God and his people. And that which God did through his people and their lives will be on display for all to see. Just imagine how awesome it'll be to learn about all that God had been doing throughout the history of redemption. All of the great sinners whose lives were changed. All of the times that Christ made himself sufficient to his people. We have an eternity to learn about the depth of God's love for his people. Jesus says that those who conquer will sit on His throne and rule over the nations. As He says in Luke 22, 28-30, you are those who have stayed with Me in My trials and I assigned to you. My Father has assigned to Me a kingdom that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Those who conquer have this heritage. It was common for kings to give their sons certain authority and power in their kingdom. See, this is what God's doing. You are in His family through adoption. But those who are not will be illegitimate children who have no inheritance. Those who inherit are children of God. Those who are not God's children are children of wrath. They will be like Reuben, and they'll be denied an inheritance because of their sins. Are you one of the ones who conquer? Have you trusted in the work of Jesus Christ alone and repented of sin? Are you fighting sin? Or have you just given up? Is fighting sin just something you did for a season, but now you've fallen away on account of the cares of the world? See, there's two people in this passage. There are the conquerors, and there are the conquered. The ones who dwell in the city conquered through the work of Jesus Christ. But those outside were defeated by sin. Sin crept at their door and desired them. And they succumbed to its power, and they continued in its slavery. They suppressed the truth about God, and they worshiped an idol. Remember, the conquerors may not look like conquerors in life. if you don't have a biblical worldview. Jesus says in Luke 21, 7 through 19, you have been hated for my name's sake, but not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. And he says it again in Matthew 10, 21 through 22. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child. The children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated for my name's sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. See, we currently live in a historical anomaly right now in the United States. Christians have not always been given freedom of expression and worship that we enjoy. See, Christians normally endure great persecution. In North Korea, a Christian and three generations of their family can be imprisoned in a concentration camp just for having a Bible. Camps where starving North Koreans receive less food than they normally would. Camps which almost always result in the prisoner's death. Currently, Christians are under extreme persecution in the Middle East, suffering regular persecution and attack from Muslims with little or no justice provided by the governments that the West has promoted. Democracy has not worked out well for the Christians in the Middle East. While our brothers and sisters are suffering overseas, some here in America are preaching on how you can have your best life now. And if you follow their books and their preaching, you will have just that. You will have your best life now. You will not have your best life in eternity. This is the theology that puts man in the center. And this theology does not help you when you stand before lions. It doesn't help you when the authorities are sending a bulldozer over your house. This theology doesn't help you when you're losing your job on account of your Christian profession. And lastly, this theology doesn't help you to flee from sin. It places your immediate joy and comfort in the center of your theology. It requires that you completely ignore the lives of the apostles, the prophets, the majority of church history, and even much of Paul's writings. For he says as conquerors, we're to share in Christ's suffering. He says that in Romans 8, 16, and 17. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided that we suffer with Him in order that we may be glorified with Him. William Tyndale, an English scholar, spent his life translating the Bible into the English tongue. It was once recorded that Tyndale told a fellow priest, if God spare my life, I shall call a plowboy to know the Scriptures better than you do. Tyndale spent his life translating the Bible into common English. But the state church was not interested in distributing the Scriptures. First, they sought to burn them. Second, they tried to buy them, which of course only gave them more money to print more Bibles. And lastly, they went after Tyndale. First, they went through academic censure. And ultimately, they went at him through burning him at the stake. His final words were recorded. He said, Lord, open the eyes of the king. And the Lord blessed this prayer. Two years later, Henry VIII ordered that Tyndale's translation be published in every parish in England. Comfort, ease, pleasure. If your faith in Christ is contingent on these, how are you any different than the world? The idea of having your best life is carnality with Christian packaging. At first glance, this looks Christian, but when you dig to the center, you end up worshiping the God of self. However, there are those who have their best life now. And in verse 8, we read about people who did not store up treasure in heaven. Revelation 21.8, but for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, As for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." This passage simultaneously shows one people who are in eternal bliss and another people who are in eternal torment. This is the list of those who didn't conquer. Why are there two groups of people? Why are there some who are inside the gates of splendor and others who are outside in agony? When God created man, He made man different from everything else in creation. Because man was made in God's image. And this isn't God's image visually, but rather in character. We are called to display the character of God We are called to reflect God's image, and we are called to reflect God's glory through our actions. God made Adam and gave him certain commands to follow. The Lord told the Israelites, you are to be holy as I am holy. See, this is something specific that he writes to humans that he doesn't write to other creatures. He doesn't tell animals that they need to be holy. They weren't made in God's image. And that's the root consequence of sin. We were made in God's image, but when we sin, we do not properly reflect God's image. Only those who are in Christ are conquerors. Those who have washed their robes in the blood of Christ can reflect God's image by His grace. These sins in verse 8 do not reflect God's image. God's not just making rules. He's called us to be His image bearers. So why? Why do we have these rules? Why does God condemn people for doing these sins? Let's take a common one. Lying is listed as one of these condemning sins. Why lying? Is it really wrong to lie? I mean, after all, they're just words. I remember once Ravi Zacharias was being interviewed by a journalist. And she asked him if lying was always a sin, and he responded, Do you want me to tell the truth, or can I just tell a lie? See, lying is wrong because God is a God of truth. Paul writes that it is impossible for God to lie. When you lie, you're not reflecting God's image. Even people who claim lying is right get very angry when they're lied to. And that is evidence in itself that we know lying is wrong. Another sin is sorcery. It comes from a Greek word, pharmakos, from which we get our word pharmacy. And we have in this idea someone who is a sorcerer, someone who's in the business of casting spells, someone who desires to manipulate God's created order outside of God. See, but casting spells is not the only meaning of this word. A definition that sets a little closer to home is the idea of giving someone a mind-altering substance, a substance that alters someone's purpose A substance that alters someone's perception of reality for the purpose of enjoyment. And if God were like the gods of the Greeks, this wouldn't be sinful. Greek gods would get drunk and pass out, while other gods would play tricks on them in their sleep. See, these are pictures of God that have a greater reflection of their depraved hearts than they do of the Almighty. See, but abusing drugs is not a reflection of God's image. To the contrary, Paul writes, do not be drunk with wine, but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. Sexual immorality is listed as one of these sins. Why is this a sin? Why are sexually immoral people outside of the gates? Some would say that the Christian God just wants things to be boring. But anyone with a healthy marriage knows that that is absurd. But why is this sinful? Is it just to make rules? See, marriage between a man and a woman is a visual picture of the relationship between God and His people. And we've seen this imagery throughout the prophets and throughout the writings of Paul. And we lastly see this in the bride of God who is descending from heaven. This is the picture that should be displayed as it was displayed in the garden with Adam and Eve. The opposite of which is immorality. Which is demonstrated between Hosea and Gomer. An unchaste bride. When you commit immorality, you're not displaying God's image. Instead, you're reflecting idolatry. The cowardly and the faithless. Those who desire their own self-preservation or even convenience in life. and turn away from the narrow path. Those who so came to the pressure of the beast, choosing self-preservation over godliness. You see, these are the opposite of those who conquer. Jesus Christ did not seek after self-preservation on the cross. He said, greater love has no man than he lay down his life for his brothers. Murderers. Those who like Cain take the life of another in a desire to control or to seek comfort God made you, and you are destroying what God made. Jesus takes us even farther. Jesus says if you hate someone, that you're guilty of murder. And I like to use the example that Adolf Hitler wrote the book Mein Kampf long before he had the Holocaust. You see, what happens is when you hate someone, you're basically saying the world would be better if you just didn't exist. You've basically already murdered them in your mind. And it's God that looks at the heart. God gave life. It's not yours to take. It's not yours to hate someone else and desire they did not exist. Because God put them in existence for His purpose. God is the Alpha and the Omega. God brings people into this world, and God will take them out. When you murder, you're not reflecting God's image. You're trying to be God. Idolatry is in the detestable. Those who worship the creation rather than the Creator. Those who create a God which resembles their own depraved hearts and minds, instead of the Creator. Those who seek after that which God hates. God seeks His glory because He is God. And many live their lives freely in these sins. And they claim that they know Jesus. They cling to a verbal profession where their lives live in total contradiction. John writes of this in how we can know that we're in Christ. He writes in 1 John 2 verses 3-6. And by this we know that we've come to know Him if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, I know Him, but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word in him, truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in Him. Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." See, none of these sins grant life. There's no life in idolatry. You have to worship the Creator, not the creation. There's no life in sexual immorality. No life in sorcery, or drunkenness, or drug abuse. See, these grant the opposite of life. They grant death. They pave a road to perdition. Hell is eternal because when you sin against an eternal God, there is an eternal consequence. The sufferings of a sinful person can never fulfill the consequences of sin. And that's why it's eternal. And furthermore, the Bible never depicts or describes people in hell as being repentant. Instead, those in eternal punishment are always described as gnashing their teeth. This is evidence of their anger towards God. And even think of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man never felt sorry for his sins. As he stood in torment, he only focused more on himself. So why would the eternal sufferings of a person never serve as a propitiation, but the one-time suffering of Jesus will? because Jesus was the eternal, sinless Son of God. The short sufferings of a sinless, eternal God are greater than the eternal sufferings of a sinful man. Verse 8 ends in the same place the book of Isaiah ends, with God's people dwelling with Him in perfect communion, and others cast outside the city. Both sets of people glorify God. And you will glorify God too, either through your glorification or through your destruction. See, this is a doctrine that's very offensive to the world. But it's offensive because people have a higher view of themselves than they should. What is amazing isn't that there are people outside of the city, eternally facing the wrath of God in hell. Instead, the amazing sight and the central point of the passage is the radiant bride of Christ who is the city. That's the amazing work of God. God took something that was worthless, something that was defiled, and He made it beautiful because she reflects the image of God through Jesus Christ. It's amazing that everyone isn't outside of the city and cut off from God. Standing in eternal torment, that's the miracle. This is serious. Life is not a joke, and eternity hangs in the precipice. Many jest and joke at the mention of judgment at hell, but there will be no laughing when you stand before the Creator. Where are you? Will you be with Jesus in the New Jerusalem, within the walls in perfect fellowship with God for all of eternity? Or will you be outside of the walls in eternal torment, A place where it says the worm never dies. Tim Keller was asked about this by a journalist. And they asked him, do you really believe that there's going to be a lake of fire where people are going to be tormented forever and there's going to be worms eating them and torment's never going to end? And he said, oh, no, no, that's symbolic. I think it's going to be a whole lot worse than that. But why would you choose an eternity of torment See, sometimes hell is described as being separation from God for eternity, but that's not the biblical picture. John describes hell's torments as being before the Lamb and His angels. Those in the city, He is their Savior. To those in the abyss, He is their enemy. Hell is being fully united with God's wrath. An eternity visualizing that which you have not. An eternity in desire never being satisfied, never being fulfilled. What sense does it make to throw your life away in idolatry? Why would you not want to worship the One who gave you life? Why would you worship the creation when you could worship the Creator and enjoy His creation for eternity? Paul says God is not far from each one of us. See, the Bible says that we should love our enemies. And that's what Jesus did. God showed His love towards us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died. All of us came into the world as enemies of God. All were born with the wrath of God over our heads. And all of us are now children of God, or children of wrath. You glorify God in your life either through the pardoning of your sins on account of the work of Jesus Christ, or through your judgment, at which time He will cast you into outer darkness for all of eternity. See, the only thing that saved the Hebrews in Egypt from the wrath of the angel of death was the blood of the lamb that was over their doorpost. It wasn't their money. It wasn't their intelligence, their social standing, their good deeds. All that mattered is whether or not the blood of the Lamb was over the doorpost of their house. See, and this foreshadows the great Passover. The time when God will judge everyone who has ever lived. The time when people will be placed into one of two categories. Those who are His and those who are not His. People often comfort themselves by saying, you know, I'm a good person. God wouldn't judge me. I mean, after all, I haven't killed anyone. See, but we commonly make this mistake in our premise. The Bible says none is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God. No one is good. People go to hell because they knowingly rebel against the God that they know exists. Don't rebel against God. Verse 8 does not have to be your destiny. Come to Jesus. Do you thirst? Jesus said come. If you trust in the work of Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness, if you trust in the work of Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, and you repent, you will be saved. Trust upon His work on the cross. Flee from idolatry. Repent and turn to Christ. and He will save you. Don't waste your life.