Transcription
We're coming now to the last question of this conference. And here's what happens when the themes of the anational conferences are being put together by the Ligonier staff. Two things remain constant. One is that they always make me give the last address. So, I'm the last of the speakers to have the opportunity to rest easy and put the butterflies away. The other thing that seems to be constant is that every time they give me that last message, it always has some escatological orientation that drives me to speak at least in part from the last couple of chapters of the book of Revelation. And that has remained the same for this year. And so since I have to answer the question, how can we be happy in heaven if we know that some of our friends, loved ones, family members are in hell? And so I would like to read two New Testament texts this morning in an effort to respond to that problem briefly. The first is from chapter 21 of the book of Revelation beginning at verse one and reading through verse 8. And then the second text is found in the eth chapter of Romans which I will read momentarily. But first the word of God as it's found in the book of Revelation chapter 21.
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 the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from 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 with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. And 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." Also, he 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. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. But but as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable. As for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idoltors, and all liars. Their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
Before I read the passage from Romans, I'd like to comment first on this. They called it the shot heard around the world that triggered in part the Revolutionary War that brought the United States of America out of its colonial status to the status of an independent nation. After a war that endured for eight years, the citizens of Lexington, Massachusetts, have an ongoing dispute with the citizens of Concord, Massachusetts, as to in which of those villages that first shot was fired. But one of the most provocative events that precipitated that shot was an event that took place in the city of Boston that was called the Boston Massacre. The massacre that galvanized the likes of Samuel Adams, John Adams, and people beyond the city limits of Boston, reaching up to Ethan Allen in Vermont, reaching down to Patrick Henry, George Washington, and a host of others. the Boston Massacre, where British troops fired on unarmed citizens of the city and killed them in cold blood. Do you know how many people were killed by the British in the Boston Massacre? That was such a provocative act that made the Boston Tea Party pale into insignificance by comparison. 5,000 500 No. No. five people and we call it a massacre. Nothing compared to the execution of the inhabitants of Joshua's destruction of Jericho or of the complete destruction of the Canaanites in the Holy War that Dr. Thomas just so brilliantly interpreted for us.
Every Sunday that we come together into the presence of God. The author of Hebrews tells us that we are not coming again to a mountain that we can touch with our hands, but we are mounting into Mount Zion, into the heavenly city, into the presence of God, into the presence of Christ, into the presence of angels, into the presence of just men made perfect, into the presence of the general General Assembly on high and that spiritually we really do every time we come together in worship have a taste of heaven. But what was experienced in Jericho, in Ai, and the other cities of Canaan was a taste of hell. You want to talk about a massacre, forget about Jericho, look at the deluge, where God destroyed the entire human race save for one family. Because he said the desires of the hearts are only wicked continuously and everybody what was was doing what was right in their own eyes until God said my spirit will not strive with these people anymore. It wasn't just the wickedness of the Amorites. It was the wickedness of the entire world that God judged. Derek said a few moments ago, I hope you didn't miss it, that the final consummation of the reign of God over his creation must and will certainly involve separation. There will be an antithesis between those who are faithful and who receive their inheritance in the family of God, who will experience the inestimable joy and happiness of heaven. and those who will be outside the camp who will be consigned to the lake of fire. This story of the final triumph of Christ is a story of gates of pearls, streets of gold and fire and brimstone. Any attempt to water that down exposes us to the curse of God. But what does that have to do with my question? How can we be happy in heaven if we know that our loved ones are in that lake of fire?
Well, the first part of the answer to that question is found in the first part of the text that I just read in the book of Revelation. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them. They will be his people. And God himself will be with them as their God." And it seems like every year I get the verse four here. 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 God is making all things new. Now, how can you be happy in heaven if you know that your friends or relatives are in hell? The first thing we understand is that heaven is a place where God personally will wipe away our tears. And when he wipes them away, they never ever come back. expelled from the presence of the new Jerusalem. For the inhabitants thereof is death, disease, pain, and sorrow. For all who dwell therein will drink freely from the fountain of life.
In this message this afternoon, I'd like to recount two embarrassing incidents I experienced while in seminary that involved reactions to me of my beloved mentor and professor Dr. John Gersonner. You have to understand that when I was a student of Dr. Gersonner. [clears throat] Irritated him more than twice. I seem to have uh penchant for annoying my great professor. The first incident that I'll relate to you was this. We had been in chapel at the seminary which was a very liberal seminary. hostile to orthodoxy and certainly to reformed orthodoxy. And I listened reluctantly to one of the professors giving a sermon that disrespected and dishonored everything precious to those who love the reformed faith. And when the service was over, I walked out of the chapel with Dr. Gersonner. And Dr. Gersonner was headed to his car, which was not a car. It was a converted Volkswagen bus that had been converted into a library. And we were going towards the parking lot. And Dr. Gerson was taller than I was. And he would always move with dispatch with long strides. And I would have to kind of skip to keep up with him as he would move with this determinant resolution to his destination, which in this case was his converted little bus. And I casually remarked as we were walking together. I said, 'Wow, if John Calvin would have heard that sermon, he would have turned over in his grave and in mid stride, Gersner, planted his front foot, pivoted around, looked at me with a glare of death, and said to me, "What did you say?" And I said, "Well, you know, what did I say? I just said if G if Calvin would have heard that he had turned underground he said young man don't you know that nothing could possibly disturb the felicity that John Calvin is enjoying right now. You may be disturbed by that sermon, but it's certainly not going to detract from the joy everlasting into which the magisterial reformer has already entered. I said, "Okay, okay, okay." [laughter] [snorts] It was just a matter of speaking. I I understand what you're saying. You see, because Calvin was in that place where there's no more death, no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow.
But it was the other time that I really annoyed him. This time I was in class. It wasn't a lecture situation. It was a seminar. There were only about eight students and we were seated around the table with the professor and one of the students asked the question, Dr. Gersonner, how can I be happy in heaven if I am aware that one of my loved ones is in hell? And Gersner snapped around and looked at this man and he said, "Don't you know that when you're in heaven, you will be so sanctified that you will be able to see your own mother in hell and rejoice in that knowing that God's perfect justice is being carried out." And while the student who asked that question shrunk back in horror, his face turning white, I burst out laughing. I I stopped laughing and he looked at me. He says, "What's so funny?" I said, "Excuse me, Dr. Nurse." I said, [laughter] I said, "I can't believe you just said what you just said." I said, "Nobody talks like that." I mean, I'm thinking, "This guy's nuts. I'll be happy. I'll be so sanctified in heaven that I could look into the pit of hell, see my mother there, and be graced more ridiculous than that. But he got my attention. I had to think about it deeply and often. And with that incident in mind, I'd like to go to the second text. And I know it's in here. Chapter 8 of Paul's letters letter to the Romans, beginning with verse 23. Now, let me go back one earlier. We've already heard this verse. Verse 22.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. Not only the creation, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. If we're in this hope, we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope for who hopes for what he sees. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. And likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we don't know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. And then Paul expands on this and he says this. For those whom he forneew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brethrens. And those whom he predestined, he also called. Those whom he called, he also justified. Those whom he justified, he also glorified.
What I've just read to you is called in theology the golden chain of the ordo saludus the order of salvation that begins in eternity where God knows his elect from all eternity and he loves them from all eternity and those whom he fornows he predestinates and when we look at this text that's usually where We stop and then we have conferences and discussions and debates and arguments about predestination and we forget it about the end of predestination. The goal of predestination, the purpose of predestination, which Burke Parsons reminded us by looking at the high priestly prayer of Jesus, that the purpose of predestination is that we be conformed to the image image of Christ. We are elected in Christ for Christ to end up in conformity to Christ. And then he goes on to say, "And those whom he predestined, he also called, and those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified." How many lectures, how many discussions, how many times at these conferences have we focused our attention on the doctrine of justification? Luther called justification the article upon which the church stands or falls. Calvin called it the hinge upon which the door turns. Indeed, it is the article by which you stand or fall. But the end of the chain is not predestination. And the end of the golden chain is not effectual calling. And the end of the golden chain is not justification. What is it? Those whom he justified, he also glorified. When's the last time you heard a sermon on the doctrine of glorification? All the rest of the links of this chain we treat exhaustively for knowledge, providence, predestination, gracious calling, justification. And for all those as important as they are, we have to say so what until we get to the end of the chain which is glorification. [snorts]
Now there are three reasons and I don't want to be guilty of being glib but there are three reasons why we worry now about our future happiness if we discover when we arrive in heaven that friends and relatives even spouses are not there. The three reasons why we worry about that and worry about justification of holy war that we've just heard about is because we don't understand three things. The first one is we don't know who God is. And that's what Derek was saying. We really don't know what it means that God is holy. That is so foreign to our experience. so alien to our own existence that we have almost no grasp whatsoever about the character and the nature of God. In fact, we are so baffled by God's holiness that more often and than not we find it offensive. The second thing that we don't know is who we are. Again, Derek pointed out that what we fail to grasp about ourselves is the heinousness of sin. Sin is such a regular part of our experience, a part of our nature that we say well to [snorts] is human, to forgive is divine. as if because it is so human of us to sin that God is somehow obligated to forgive us. We don't know who we are. And the third thing we don't know is what this glorification means.
Now when we think about heaven, which is not often enough, what usually provokes your thinking about heaven? What are you looking forward to about heaven? I know when I think about heaven, I'm going to be I think about my legs will be won't be hurting anymore. I'm going to get a new body. I'm not going to need a hearing aid. I'm not going to need glasses. I'm not going to have to take pills every day. All the aches and pains that are a part of growing older will go away. I'm going to have a new body and it's one that God will fashion. It's not going to be made out of titanium that causes me to be stopped every time by security when I try to go to the airport and get on an airplane. Isn't that what you think about how great heaven will be because all the pain will be gone? All the death will be gone. All the tears will be gone. And we think about all the things that won't be there. There's not going to be any sea threatening us with destruction. There not going to be any tears there. No death, no temple, no sun, no artificial lights because God and the lamb in their radiance will illumine the presence of heaven. I can't wait to see all of that thing. But you want to know what the most conspicuous thing that will be absent from heaven is sin. Can you imagine being in a place where there is no sin? We've never been to that place.
In the high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed about glorification. He prayed about the fathers being glorified, being exalted, being honored, being treated according to who he is with his cabode, his glory. And he even prayed for himself that he might have the glory that he had with the father from the beginning restored to him after his earthly humiliation. But it's not just God who will be glorified. It's not just Jesus who will be glorified. But the final chapter of our redemption will be our own glorification, not our exaltation. We won't be glorified in the sense that we'll be elevated to the level of deity. No, no, no, no, no. What glorification refers to here in the golden chain is the finalization and consummation of our sanctification. Again, the moment we are born again, the moment the Holy Spirit dwells in our souls, from that moment forward for the rest of our lives, God is at work within us, shaping us, molding us, conforming us to the image of Christ. But that work is not finished. until we step across the veil and then the sanctification is perfected.
I used to do a little illustration in the classroom in seminary and I would have three actors on my stage in the front of the room. I would select one student to represent Jesus. Come on up here, Campbell. Come on, run up the stairs. Or you can come right up here if you can jump. I know you can jump. I have at least two grandsons that I know will be able to jump. You be Jesus. Okay, this is your finest hour, man. This is This is my grandson, RC Sproul. Robert Campbell, right? Okay. [applause] Hey, guy, come on up and help me out, will you? Come up over the steps over here. >> Uh, you can just come on up here. You're I don't know why I chose you for this role, but uh Mr. Rizzo here is going to play the part of Hitler. >> Good role, huh? You stand over here. Now, this is Hitler. Okay. And this is Jesus. Steve, come on. Help me out. The student is not above his master. Now, I called Steve up because he's such a holy guy. He's such a righteous man. He has such a passion for God that his sanctification is in an advanced state. [laughter] But I'm not going to let him represent himself. I'm going to let him represent the Apostle Paul because I believe that apart from Jesus, the most godly man that ever walked on the earth was Paul. All right. Now we have a continuum here, a spectrum between Jesus on this side and Hitler over here. And we have to imagine this continuum. And on that continuum, where do we put Paul? Paul, the most sanctified man, being conformed to the image of Christ by the Holy Ghost, coming into maturity, getting closer to his Lord and the fullness of his sanctification [laughter] over here, Buster. Right there. Now, stay here for a second. And what I want you to visualize here is the gap, the chasm that separates the righteousness of Christ from the most righteous person or the most wicked person. All the advances in sanctification that our apostle Paul here has experienced makes his difference between himself and Jesus and himself and Hitler. That difference comparatively is negligible. There is still this huge cavern, this huge abyss of difference between sinless Jesus and un glorified Paul. Right? Amen. >> Now, when you have your glorification, when you're justified, God counts you as being over here, right? >> Amen. >> And when you're glorified, the real separation takes place and you are conformed without sin to your savior. But until your glorification, you guys can go sit down now. Thank you very much. [applause]
What I'm trying to do here is to dramatize our predicament until our glorification, our concerns and our sympathies rest much more with h wicked human beings than they do for the glory of God and for the exaltation of Christ. And what Gersonner was trying to communicate to me that day in the classroom, which I thought was so absurd, was that once sin is removed from my w my life, and once I get to that state where I love the Lord my God with all of my heart and all of my soul in undiluted affection, my compassion, my love, my concern will be much more for the vindication of God's holiness than it will be for a corrupt fallen kinsman of mine according to the flesh. Do you get it? See, that's so hard to imagine because what is so hard for you to imagine and so hard for me to imagine is to be free of sin. You know, I hate the doctrine of hell in many ways. I can't stand the thought of anybody's being in hell, even Hitler, because I am so Hitleresque. monstrous, monstrous sinners. I can relate to the Holy One of Israel is the alien. That's why we're brought up short when God plunges the world into a flood, institutes the ban at Jericho, swallows up Kora and his co-rebellions, strikes Aza down when he touches the ark of the covenant, consumes the son of Aaron because they play around in worship. ship or immediately lets his judgment fall upon Ananas and Safara. And we look at these people who are like us. We say, "Oh, poor Ananas. Poor Safara. Poor Oza. Poor Naabu." Because if the holiness of God is compromised, if it's desecrated, it's no skin off our nose. But God said through Moses to Aaron, do you remember what the Lord said? I will be regarded as holy by anyone who comes near to me and I must be honored among the whole congregation. And if it means that my friends, if it means my family must be sacrificed for the righteousness of God, for the manifestation of his holiness, for the glory of his righteousness. Though I can't stomach the thought of it now, this word tells me that the day will come where I will be so concerned about the glory of God and of Jesus that I will be able to rejoice in his judgment. We're not there yet, folks. But that is our destiny.
Let's pray. Our father and our God, through your word, inform us as to who you are. and consequently as to who we are. So that we may see your holiness for what it is and our unholiness for what it is. And that we can rejoice that in the new heaven and the new earth all sin will be under the ban. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. [applause] >> [music] [music] >> I [music] Yeah. >> [music] >> Yeah. [music] Yeah. [music] Yeah. I Yeah. [music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> I I [music] [music] >> [music] >> You I Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.