If you worship with us on Sundays, you know, before we jump into studying the Bible, we always take a moment to pray. So, I want to give you an opportunity really quickly to ask God to speak to you. Would you pray that really quickly for yourself? Just say, "God, would you speak to me this morning?"
Then, I want to invite you to pray for the people around you, your family and friends and everyone else in the room, that God would speak to them. If you're a parent with kids in the room, why don't you pray out loud with them right now and pray for your kids that God would speak to them as well. Then, I want to ask you to pray for me. My name is TA. You can just ask God to speak through me to you.
Lord Jesus, we don't want to miss you this Christmas, so I pray that by the work of your Spirit in our lives, in our minds, and in our hearts we would see you, Jesus, very clearly and that it would change us today. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.
I want to show you a video of me on the morning of Christmas Day, 1983. What you need to know is I was 2 years old at the time. I was about to turn 3 in January. My brother and I were set to give my granddad some golf balls for Christmas. I was so excited for my granddad to receive these golf balls. Honestly, I couldn't keep my excitement in. You're going to see two clips. The first clip is a clip of me explaining to my mom what my granddad will need once he receives his golf balls, and the second clip will be me waiting for my granddad to actually open them, and I just can't keep my excitement in. Check this out.
[Video]
Golf balls! What every granddad has always been wanting. Here's the reality. I was so excited about the gift that I had to declare what it was before it had even been unwrapped. The reason I'm even telling you that is that today, right here on Christmas Eve, we're looking at the end of the Bible at Revelation 21, which is a picture of eternity. It is the climax of God's plans for all of creation. What you see in Revelation 21 is a glimpse of the gift that every person who has a relationship with Jesus Christ will unwrap one day.
Revelation 21 is basically God spoiling the surprise. What's the surprise? It's a new creation. That's the surprise. Now, the reason God is going ahead and letting us in on what the present is, what the gift is, is it's to our advantage. I'll explain it this way. There have been times over the years where I've tried to surprise my wife Kat. In her exact words, she says, "I would rather just know what it is so I can prepare myself." That's what God is doing. He's telling us what the gift is so we can get excited and we can begin to prepare ourselves for the new creation.
Now, you might be sitting there saying, "TA, it is Christmas Eve. This is when we focus on the birth of Jesus Christ, the incarnation. What does the incarnation have to do with the new creation?" That's very simple. It has everything to do with the gift of the new creation. There is no new creation without the incarnation. So, my goal this morning is two things. It's appreciation and anticipation. My hope is that you would experience a new level of appreciation for the incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ, and also that you would experience growing anticipation of the new creation, what awaits for us.
If you have a Bible, I want to invite you to turn with me to Revelation 21. If you're just visiting, what you need to know is that over the course of 2025, we, as a church family, have been reading through the entire Bible from cover to cover. Some people in this room are about to finish reading the entire Bible next week. If that's you, way to go. Thanks for hanging in on the Journey. That's why we're in Revelation today, because all throughout the year, the teachings on Sundays have tracked with the Bible reading plan through the Scriptures. So, we're in Revelation today.
If you have been reading through the Bible with us over the course of the year, I want you to think back to the very first Sunday in January where I brought out a puzzle. I said that the Bible can feel a lot like putting the puzzle pieces together. If you remember, we established that the storyline of the Scriptures can be summed up in four movements. There's creation, fall, redemption, and new creation.
Right here in Revelation 21, it's like we put the last puzzle piece into place, and we see the puzzle of Scripture has all come together in the new creation. What I want to show you today is how the incarnation has everything to do with the new creation. The first thing I want you to see in Revelation 21 is this.
1. Jesus came to earth so that one day heaven will come to earth. That's how the incarnation influences the new creation. Jesus came to earth so that one day heaven will come to earth. Watch God spoil the surprise. Revelation 21, starting in verse 1: "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 God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
This is great news. This is God spoiling the surprise. For everyone who knows Jesus Christ in a personal way, a day is coming where you will experience a new heaven and a new earth. What's the point? The point is a day is coming where God is going to so thoroughly cleanse this world of all sin and all brokenness that it will be thoroughly new. That will be the experience. It will be thoroughly new.
Now, I don't know if you noticed when we were reading, but it said the sea will be no more. What does that mean? Did God realize this first go-around that he's not a big fan of large bodies of water? Is that what's happening? God is like, "We have to do something about that. The next time we do this thing, we're done with the sea." No. In Hebrew thought, the sea was a reference to evil, chaos, and rebellion against God. What this is declaring is that a day is coming where God will say, "Enough!" and he's going to do away with all brokenness, all evil, and all rebellion against him.
I'll explain it this way. This might surprise some of you. When I was in high school, I was in the Select choir. You're like, "TA, I didn't know you could sing." Can I sing? Does this answer your question? No, I can't. I can't sing. The reason I got in was my brother had been in that choir, and I think they just had mercy on me. They were like, "Well, we can't let his brother in and not let him in." That's why I was in. I just mouthed the words. I never sang.
I remember we were at a choir competition. Not just a concert for the parents; this was a thing, a competition. We started singing this song, and at some point during the song, people stopped paying attention to the choir conductor, so different people started singing at the wrong time. When people started singing at the wrong time, you had altos, sopranos, tenors, tenor twos, baritones… You had different sections singing at the wrong times, which meant the wrong words were being sung at the wrong time.
When you have 80 to 90 people who are all singing at the wrong time, it's chaos. It sounded absolutely awful. You find yourself in it, and you're like, "This actually sounds very terrible. This is a competition, and we're clearly bombing right now." You could see it in the conductor's face. He was like, "Yeah, this isn't happening."
So, in the middle of the choir competition in front of judges, the conductor reached a moment where he just said, "Enough," and he stopped the song mid-song. He motioned "Stop," and he put an end to the chaos. He started the song over so the song could be sung as it was meant to be sung in sync with the conductor.
That's what God is going to do. A day is going to come where God is going to motion "Stop." For those who refuse to sing the song of creation in sync with the conductor, God will remove those people. A day is coming where all of creation will be synced up with the conductor. That's the picture here. Jesus came to earth so that one day heaven will come to earth.
John even pictures it as a bride coming down out of the sky. The picture there is only of beauty. It's the people of God and the place of God adorned in beauty. The fact that it's coming down from heaven to the ground is a picture that heaven will come to earth. A day is coming where there will be no distinction between heaven and earth, because heaven will have come to earth. That's why Jesus came. That's what we celebrate at Christmas.
At Christmas, we celebrate Jesus entering into this broken world. Jesus entered a broken world for his body to be broken and his blood to be shed to do away with the brokenness of this world. The reason that is important is one of the biggest reasons some people refuse to believe in God is because they look out in the world and see the evil and brokenness in the world. That might be the reason you don't believe in God.
Then there are other people here who feel like God is irrelevant and, honestly, humanity is the solution to a better world. Like, we all just need to live the best versions of ourselves and we ourselves will bring healing into the world. What you have to understand is that this world is broken because we're broken. People don't like to acknowledge that. People don't like to be told that they're broken. I don't like acknowledging "I am a broken human being."
If you ever question if you're broken, well, just think. If you're ever selfish, if you ever think of yourself before others, if you ever manipulate people or take advantage of people or control people, if you ever cheat or exaggerate the truth, here's what you need to understand: you're not part of the solution; you're part of the problem. I'm not part of the solution; I'm actually part of the problem.
Jesus came into the world to deal with the brokenness of the world, including our brokenness. Jesus died for our sins on the cross. He rose from the dead to conquer our sins so a day would come where the earth would be rid of all sin. Jesus came to earth so that one day heaven will come to earth.
2. Jesus lived with us for a short time so that one day we will live with God for all time. That's what we celebrate right here. This is how the incarnation impacts the new creation. Jesus lived with us for a short time so that one day we will live with God for all time. Watch how God continues to spoil the surprise in verse 3. "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.'"
If you aren't familiar with the Bible, the Bible is ultimately a story about the presence of God. If you look at what the main consequence was for Adam and Eve when they sinned in the garden of Eden, the greatest consequence was removal from the physical presence of God. What is the greatest joy and benefit of the new creation? It is restoration for humanity to the physical presence of God. The Bible is a story about the presence of God.
Now, I want to show you something interesting in verse 3. It says a loud voice from the throne said, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man." In the Greek, that word that has been translated as dwelling is literally tabernacle. So, the tabernacle of God is with man. It goes on and says, "He will dwell with them." God will tabernacle with his people.
The reason that is interesting and important is if you are familiar with the Bible, then you know in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel constructed a tabernacle, or a portable tent, that was to house the presence of God. Yet, there was always separation between the presence of God in the tent, the tabernacle, and the people of God, and that separation was always due to sin. That all changed when Jesus Christ was born.
Listen to what John 1:14 says about the incarnation. "And the Word…" That's a reference to Jesus. Jesus is the eternal Son of God who left heaven, came to earth, and took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. "And the Word became flesh…" Watch this. Watch the verb. "…and dwelt…" Tabernacled. Same verb. "…among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Don't miss this. If you're tuned out, tune back in for this amazing reality. Because we had been separated from the presence of God, God himself was present with us in the person of Jesus Christ to remove the barrier of sin so we could enjoy the presence of God without hindrance for all of eternity. That's why we said Jesus lived with us for a short time so that one day we will live with God for all time.
Listen to how Revelation 22 puts it. This is what will be true for every person in this room who knows Jesus Christ. It says, "They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads." Do you understand that? If you know Jesus Christ, a day is coming where you're actually going to see God face to face. No more walking by faith. You're going to see him. You're going to hear God's voice audibly.
Do you know what I look forward to? I look forward to hearing God laugh. Do you ever think about that? You're like, "God doesn't laugh." Of course God laughs. He created us in his image. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is laughter. Do you have anyone in your life who has a contagious laugh? All you have to do is hear them laugh. You don't even have to hear the joke. You just laugh. When my son Andrew laughs, I laugh. I don't even have to know what was said. I laugh. When my wife laughs, I laugh. It's contagious.
I have to believe that when all of humanity hears the laugh of God, we won't even have to hear the joke. We are going to be so full of joy and laughter. He has the most contagious laugh. I can't wait to behold the full extent of his power. We're going to see his power, and we are going to be mesmerized by it for all of eternity.
Have any kids in here ever seen a fireworks display? Yeah. Yeah, you have. I remember years ago, we were living in College Station, and some people were like, "You have to see the fireworks display in Kurten, Texas," just 40 minutes outside of College Station. I was like, "Okay. Is Kurten, Texas, a real place?" It was. So, a couple of my boys and I drove out to Kurten. They were like, "This is going to be an incredible fireworks display."
I'm sitting there, and I'm watching it. "This is good." About 20 minutes in, it feels like the finale. You know when it's the finale, because it's like whoever the operator is is just like, "Send it." Like, "Just light them up." It's like, "Everything must go." It felt like one of those moments. "Everything must go." I was like, "Okay. Great finale." Then it just kept going. For the next 20 to 30 minutes, it was just one continuous finale.
You know those times when you're watching fireworks shows where it makes even adults involuntarily make noise? Like, something fires off, and you're like, "Wow!" You're like, "Shoot! I just said that out loud. Now I sound weird." But you just can't help yourself. It just comes out of you. That's what's going to be our reality in heaven. No more walking by faith. We will behold God's power. For all of eternity, we're going to be like, "Wow! This is my God. I get to enjoy him forever."
Imagine feeling closer to God than at any point in history. Imagine feeling the hug of God. Even those of you who aren't physical touch people, like that guy in here who's like, "I haven't hugged anyone since '85…" Even you are going to be like, "God, yes, please. More of that." Just imagine experiencing a level of comfort, peace, security, rest, and refreshment that you didn't know existed.
David says in Psalm 16, "…in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Here's what you need to understand: To be with God for all time is to be fully satisfied for all time. It's to know fullness of joy for all time. It is to lack nothing for all time. That's really good news here at Christmastime.
The reason it's good news is because I know, for a lot of people here, there's a lot of joy and excitement around Christmas, but that's not the case for everyone. For some people, Christmas can steal your joy because Christmas highlights things you don't want highlighted. It highlights your loneliness. It might highlight your anxiety disorder or depression. It might highlight a battle you have with alcohol or the dysfunction in your marriage. It can highlight a strained relationship. It can highlight cancer or that a loved one is no longer here with you.
Here's what you need to know. A day is coming where joy won't be such a fight. Think about Christmas this way. Christmas is about God coming to fight for your joy himself, and that same God is going to come again to finish the fight for your joy forever. That's why verse 4 goes on and says, "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."
Death, pain, and heartache are all on the clock. They're all going out of business permanently. Jesus Christ was born to die to put death to death. Jesus Christ was born to suffer to end all suffering. That's what awaits. I think it's important to acknowledge that some people here want heaven without God. You look forward to heaven because you want to be reunited with loved ones or you just want to be done with the pain you experience in this world.
You need to understand what makes heaven, heaven is being with God. What makes hell, hell is separation from the presence of God. I love what Samuel Rutherford said. He was a seventeenth-century minister. He said, "O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want." Jesus lived with us for a short time so that one day we will live with God for all time.
3. Jesus paid so that eternity with God will be free. God spoils the story one more time. Look at verse 6. "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.'" Who are those who are thirsty? Those who are thirsty are those who want to experience heaven on earth. It's those who want to spend eternity with God.
If that's you, great news. Eternal life with God is a free gift. It is free. How could it be free? Because Jesus Christ was born to pay for our sin. That's how it can be free. Jesus Christ's death on the cross was payment for our sin. Jesus' resurrection was a declaration from God that the payment was accepted. It's the receipt. When Jesus Christ comes back, that's the delivery. The new creation is the delivery of everlasting life with God.
Eternal life with God is a free gift, but the free gift requires a response from everybody here. There's one of three ways you need to respond, and only you will know the right response for you. Some of you need to receive the gift of eternal life. How do you receive the gift of eternal life? You receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior.
Think about it this way. Many of you are returners. Over the next 24 hours, somebody is going to give you a gift, and before you even open it, you know you're going to return it. You're a returner. That's what you do. You're never satisfied. You're like, "You know what? I know I can do better. I'm taking this back. Where's the gift receipt? Thank you so much." You're going to return it. You're going to exchange it for something you want more.
The reality is so many people exchange the gift of Jesus Christ for something they think they want or need more. "I don't need Jesus. I have a good life." "I don't need Jesus. The important thing is that I'm just a spiritual person." "I don't need Jesus. I just need to live a life of love and just put love into the universe."
What you have to understand is Jesus is the one who came to earth so that one day heaven will come to earth. Jesus is the one who lived with us for a short time so that one day we will live with God for all time. Jesus is the one who paid so that eternity with God could be free. Receive Jesus. He's the gift. He is the way to experience eternal life with God. Some of you need to receive the gift.
Others of you just need to start enjoying the gift of eternal life. A couple of weeks ago, right here at Watermark, I shared that I received a Christmas gift three years ago. It was a sous vide, and I had never opened it or used it in three years. Well, I want to show you a picture. Look at that. Thank you. That's worth applauding for. After three years, I finally opened it, used it, and really enjoyed it. Do you know what I realized? It's really easy to take free gifts for granted. Why? Because you didn't have to pay for it.
What I need you to understand is just because eternal life with God is free, it doesn't mean it isn't costly. Eternal life was purchased by the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Let me just say this as clearly as possible. For some of you, it's time to go all in with Jesus. It's time. Jesus doesn't want to just be a part of your life; he wants to be the point and the passion of your life.
You might hear that and be like, "Okay, great; 2026 is my year." No. This year, 2025, can be your year with Jesus. Why would you wait a week? I just wonder if for so many of us, Jesus is looking at us like, "You're missing out on so much joy now. I want you to experience my presence now. I want you to experience my joy, my peace, my love, and the hope I can give you now. I want you to experience my leadership now." Enjoy his gift now.
Some of you need to share the gift of eternal life. I think about 2-, almost 3-year-old TA who just couldn't help but want his granddad to know the gift that was available to him. Is there someone in your life that you so badly want them to receive and enjoy the gift of eternal life with Jesus? Maybe you're going to see them tonight or sometime over the next week. Have you shared Jesus with them? Would you share Jesus with them? Will you pray for them over and over and over? Will you share with them again and again and again until they maybe finally receive it?
I just want to give you an opportunity to pray right now, if everyone will just close their eyes. Everyone should respond in one of three ways today. If you're here, and you need to receive the gift of eternal life, if you want to receive Jesus Christ for the first time, if this is your moment of just saying, "Look. I'm saying yes to Jesus Christ for the first time ever…"
I would encourage you right now to pray and say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life today? Thank you, Jesus, that you died on the cross for me. Thank you that you rose from the dead for me. Would you come into my life? Would you forgive me of my sins? Would you lead me in a new life?" Just tell him, "I give my life to you, Jesus."
Maybe it's time for some of you to start enjoying the gift. Maybe this is a moment where you just say, "Jesus, I'm ready to finally go all in with you. I don't want to wait another day. Today I want to go all in. I want all of you. I give you all of me." Maybe just go all in with him. Maybe there's someone in your life that you really, really, really want them to know Jesus. Would you pray for them even right now? Just ask God to give you the boldness and the courage to even share with them at some point this week.
Lord Jesus, would you just have your way? If there's anyone here who doesn't know you, I pray that right now they would respond to you. We thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of eternal life that is in you because you lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and rose victoriously for us. In Jesus' name, amen.
