Pulpit Reflections: All things new? Yes!

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"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”-- Revelation 21:2-5

Don’t you love that new truck smell? I know I do. It smells even better if you are able to pay it all off on the day you buy the truck, right? Well, this side of heaven, even that new truck smell can’t be perfect. It seems we pay and pay and pay in this world, and by the time we pay it off, it has went through three sets of tires, 35 oil changes and eight sets of wiper blades; and you know that new car smell has now become a combination of McDonald’s, Taco Johns, Dr. Pepper and gun powder. 

You remember don’t you? You went rattlesnake hunting and decided to shoot from inside the truck. Oh yes, I almost forgot about Walter. And that yearning for that new truck smell is all you can think about. 

For many people today, it seems even that new truck smell experience is just a hopeful dream. Most people today are struggling to make ends meet, to take care of their own struggles, or just to make it through the week, or even the day. 

That’s why faith in Jesus is so vital to our life. In the midst of this sinful, decaying passing-away world comes a promise only God himself can make. He will make all things new. And while that’s exactly the opposite of our experience, that’s the hope that makes life worth living, now and forever. 

Jesus Himself tells us that “In this world, you will have trouble. But, take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Jesus Himself warns us about putting away our trust into our riches, our power, our social position, because sinful people will always find a way to mess it up. 

Easter Sunday was not about wishful thinking in the face of this world’s reality. It was about a promise of “all things new” that only God could make and He made that promise through the life and death and the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Today is not the day, to yearn for that new truck smell, as wonderful as that can be for the moment. 

Today is the day for you and me to yearn for the reality of the promises of Jesus Christ that they might be the center of our lives by faith. He can and does make all things new. In Him, there is a new relationship with the God who loves you, forgives you, and makes you His own. That’s a reality that never wears off, never runs down, and even brings joy in the midst of the day-to-day grind of this life. 

 

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