Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  May 26, 2019

When God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt, he did so by sending 10 plagues upon the people of Egypt. Do you remember the plagues? The water turned to blood. The land was infested with frogs. Then came the gnats and flies. After that the livestock died. Then painful boils afflicted the people. Hailstones rained down from heaven destroying crops and animals and killing people. Then locusts wiped out whatever the hail didn’t touch. Then darkness covered the land for three days. And finally the plague that killed all of the firstborn. If you had to choose just one of those plagues to endure, which one would you pick? While none of them are appealing, they are plagues after all, doesn’t the darkness seem like the most harmless? How bad could that really be? Maybe initially that’s what we would choose, until you think about the previous eight plagues. The cumulative effect of those plagues left the Egyptians physically and emotionally beaten down and had completely stripped the land of food. Now comes the darkness. They are stuck in their homes unable to see anything. They’re paralyzed by the darkness, paralyzed by fear. Three straight days of hunger and fear with nothing but their own thoughts. It was worse than anything they had experienced before!

To be honest, when I asked myself that question, I initially chose the darkness too. And the more I think about it, the more I’m bothered by it. Why was I so quick to embrace the darkness? Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, darkness is not pictured as a good thing. The Bible regularly uses pictures of darkness to describe ignorance or evil or even death. We use darkness in a very similar way. We describe evil things as dark. We talk about someone who is depressed or sad as being in a dark place. The darkest color is black and black is synonymous with mourning and death and sin.

That’s what makes our lesson today so important. Because the opposite of darkness is light. And that’s exactly how Jesus is Revealed to us today. Today we see Jesus as the Light of Heaven. May the Holy Spirit bless us as we ponder this picture and may we blessed with all the Light has to offer.

Today, we’re going to start the last two verses of our lesson. John writes: “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, because the glory of God has given it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” John is being shown the new Jerusalem. And as he looks he’s shocked that there is no temple. It surprised him that there was not a specific place to gather to be in God’s presence. God’s people have always had one. Whether the tabernacle in the wilderness or the temple in Jerusalem, God had always designated a place where his presence would dwell with his people. But not in heaven. Why?  “Because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” There will be no need for a specific place to find God’s presence. God’s presence will be everywhere. God’s visible presence with his people will turn the whole place into a temple. John goes on.

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God has given it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” Every single group of people who has ever lived has discovered the importance of the sun. Cultures worship the sun. From the beginning of time, they understood how important the light and heat from the sun was for them to survive and thrive. John hears that in heaven, the sun won’t be necessary. Why? Because the glory of God and the Lamb will provide everything in place of the sun.

What exactly does the Light of heaven provide? The Light of heaven provides life. Light is necessary for life as we know it. When you take the light away, you take away light’s life giving qualities. Think about what happens to plant when they don’t receive enough light. They eventually will die. Think about what happens when human beings are deprived of light. Serious physical and psychological damage can take place. Even on a smaller scale, the absence of the sun just generally makes people gloomy. And that’s just physical light. The Bible regularly describes this world as shrouded in darkness, spiritual darkness. That darkness exists because of sin. Living in spiritual darkness is the natural state of every single person born into this world. And if nothing changes, that darkness leads to eternal death. But something did change. God gave us his light. God gave us his light, not by taking us out of the darkness, but by entering into our darkness. God sent Jesus into the darkness of this world as the Light. Jesus was enveloped by the darkness of our death. He was oppressed by the darkness of our evil. He experienced the darkness of our ignorance. It was only fitting that the sun refused to shine as Jesus was forsaken by his Father as he paid for the world’s sins. Jesus went into the darkness, he because the darkness of his world so that we could be the light!

But that’s not the only blessing the Light of heaven provides. The Light of heaven also provides knowledge. Regularly we will speak of people who don’t know, who are ignorant as being in the dark. One of the great questions that this world has never answered on its own is “why do I exist?” The can’t find meaning for life. They search for answers like someone stumbling and groping in the dark. And that’s our condition too by nature. Our sins are so serious that they have placed us in the dark. They deprive us of the very substance of life. Like those Egyptians during the plague of darkness, we are helpless to do anything. But again, Jesus stepped in. What we would never discover on our own because of the darkness of our sin, Jesus has revealed to us. He has provided us with what we need to survive. He has shone his light on our hearts and has given us the knowledge of what he has done. He reveals that he is the way to heaven and he guides us on the path that leads to eternal life. And when we reach our heavenly home, our knowledge will be complete because Jesus will continue to be the Light of heaven.

Because of Jesus, the Light of heaven, What John sees now is true. “[The angel] carried me away in spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It has the glory of God. Its radiance is similar to a very precious stone, like crystal-clear jasper. It has a large, high wall. It has twelve gates. Twelve angels are at the gates, and twelve names are engraved on the gates, the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. Three gates are on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. The city’s wall also has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the Lamb’s twelve apostles.” John sees the Bride of Christ, the Church triumphant. He sees her shining with the glory of God. He sees her fully protected, completely safe. What John sees is us! We are the church. We are holy and glorious. We are radiant and shining like precious stones.

Where do you turn when it feels like the darkness of your sins are overwhelming you? When you watched that video that you know you shouldn’t, when you had more than just one too many, when you can’t let go of your anger and bitterness, where do you turn? Jesus shows us today to turn to him, the Light. He reminds us again that there is no darkness when we dwell in him. We are that beautiful bride. Our sins have been removed, forgiven and forgotten. Where do you turn when you encounter evil in this world? Where do you turn when tragedy strikes, when your job is lost, when the world is beating you down. You turn to Christ, the Light of heaven who reminds us again today that he has overcome the world. We are perfectly protected because of the Light of heaven.

May God help all of us to flee the darkness and bask in the Light of heaven. May God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.