City Life Starter

Written by Efe Abbe

The Word

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Revelation 21:1-7 NLT

6 In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.

7 The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. 8 The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.

9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.

Isaiah 11:6-9 NLT

Reflection

We’ve spent the last five weeks studying God’s holiness, how we humans fall short of His holiness, and God’s work in Jesus to restore our holiness. The big question left for to ponder is: to what end? As finite beings, the routines of our lives and history can feel like drudgery, leaving almost no room for us to have sustained pondering on the grand scheme of life.

But the word grand doesn’t even begin to convey God’s wrapping up of this current age to usher in the indescribable future He has for us and all His creation. Reread Revelation 7 and notice verse 3. There’s a loud shout from God’s throne as if to say “wake up and pay attention, this is why holiness matters!”

“Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Nothing separating humans and God! Meaning that if we have trusted Jesus to set us right with God, there will be no longer anything in us that cannot stand in God’s holy presence. No sin, no sorrow, and no death – we will be holy and whole. And this isn’t just for us humans who have trusted Jesus, all of creation will be restored for “nothing will hurt or destroy in all [God’s] holy mountain” forever, amen (Isaiah 11:9).

Application

The most important question of life is: Am I taking the holiness of God seriously enough to receive His gift of a holy and whole life in Jesus, His only Son – beginning now and for eternity?

God has loved us more than words can describe, that He sacrificed Jesus to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to be part of His new holy creation.

For us in Christ, this means we keep trusting God everyday, by His Spirit to live set apart lives now until Jesus returns.

If you aren’t yet trusting Jesus for God’s gift of a holy and whole new life, what’s stopping you? Remember, nothing else matters as much as this question.

Prayer

Dear Holy God and Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die for our sins so we could experience Your holiness now and forever. Thank You for giving us what we could never earn, forgiveness and right relationship with You now and for eternity because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Thank You that Jesus is returning and we along with all creation will be made new, holy, and whole. Amen