Some years ago, an American tourist was traveling in Poland, and was able to visit the house of a well-known religious teacher. He was astonished to see that the teacher’s home was only a simple room filled with books, plus a table and a cot. The tourist asked, "Sir, where is all your furniture?" "Where is yours?" the teacher asked. "Mine?" asked the puzzled American, "But I’m only a visitor here. I’m only passing through." "So am I," the teacher replied.

This is an important truth for all of us to keep in mind. When our Lord gave the Apostle John this revelation, this brief vision of what heaven has in store for us, He was reminding us all that a New Home, something better, awaits us. "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." When we keep this in mind, we will live our lives like that religious teacher, with the mindset that this earth isn’t our home. It is interesting, but we are just visiting here! Our true home is heaven.

How can we be sure of that? How do we know that something so good is waiting for us, since we have often been so bad? Verse 2 says, "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." You and I are that bride. We have been beautifully dressed up in garments that make us look pleasing to God. Garments so perfect that a God who has commanded us to "be perfect as I am perfect" will look at us and see only perfection.

But we didn’t always look that way! Not even close! No, you and I have been living according to The Old Order of Things. The Old Order is where we are born sinful, we grow up disobeying our parents and being selfish. We go to school and learn that God isn’t important, material things are, sex outside of marriage is fine, we hurt others with our angry thoughts, words, and deeds, we get a job to make money, and then are asked to pay taxes to a government that we don’t want to, so we cheat on that, we get married maybe, and raise kids whom we also teach that it is alright to be hostile or indifferent to God. We constantly complain because we are never happy, and then we die. In this Old Order, God doesn’t see us as a beautiful bride. We look horrible. And just as we didn’t want anything to do with Him, he won’t want anything to do with us. So He sends us to hell. Forever.

That is what would happen if we didn’t have a loving God. But instead God had a different plan. He didn’t want us to "pass away" like that. He didn’t want us to suffer what we deserved. So He decided to have his Son suffer that for us. And that is what Jesus did – He gave his life so that we wouldn’t have to. And when Jesus "passed away" in his horrible death on the cross, that Old Order of Things also "passed away!" No longer would you and I ever have to live like that or suffer the consequences for the fact that we often do live like that! Because now, God sees us dressed beautifully as a bride prepared for her wedding. This is our New Condition. Because of his Son, He doesn’t hold against us that we have been living in that Old Order of Things. And now He welcomes all of his forgiven children into heaven! John Newton, who wrote "Amazing Grace," put it well when he said, "When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: The first wonder will be to see many there whom I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see; but the third and greatest wonder of all will be to find myself there."

Because of this, we now have a New Relationship with God. Verse 3 says, "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 their God." We are now God’s people, and He is living with us. The Old Order of Things has Passed Away! That isn’t just a statement. That is really an attitude by which we Christians live our lives. That "old order" which left us condemned passed away when Jesus passed away. So why would we want to continue to return to that "old way" of doing things?

But we do all the time, don’t we? Someone starts getting on your case at work or at home, and instead of showing patience and love, the temper flares out! There’s the "Old Order" back in the driver’s seat! The whole family is gathered for dinner, and there is time with them afterward. You have the chance for a family devotion…but no, that new sleazy sit-com is on! Another victory for the "Old Order of Things"! You are in the middle of an argument with the one you love the most, started because that person hurt you deeply. You have the chance to lovingly forgive them now with your words and actions, but instead, you give in to that deep down urge to lay into them with the Law and expose all their other faults! The "Old Order of Things" rules!

Why does it rule? The Old Order of Things has passed away! Live your life with that attitude. Remind yourself of that constantly! When someone is tempting you, when those lustful, covetous thoughts start entering your heart, when your anger begins to boil, when you hear the Devil knocking at your door, scream at the top of your lungs (to yourself), "The Old Order of Things has Passed Away!" Then take the course of action that will show your thanks to God instead. This is a constant battle you will go through. Remember that our text is a revelation of when this new relationship with God will be perfect in heaven! Only then will we be completely free from the Old Order.

When we continue to struggle with the ways of our old order, we are given a lot of comfort and happiness when we are shown a picture of how wonderful things will be in our New Life with God. Verse 4 says, "He will wipe 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." What a picture of happiness we are given knowing that God will wipe each and every tear from our eyes! Every single thing on this earth which ever brought us pain or sorrow in the Old Order of Things will be removed as personally as if God individually wiped each of those tears away.

All of the reasons that frustrate you, make you sad, bring you despair, and lead you astray as you dwell in the Old Order of Things will pass away once and for all when God finally brings us to our true home! He wants you to be with Him there so much that He has forgiven you for the fact that you still find yourself living in the old order of things even though you know better! He had his Son pay for that instead. Because He removed all of that rebellion from your record, you now look as beautiful to Him as a bride does to her husband. More so, you look perfect! The Old Order of Things has Passed Away!

Verse 5 gives us a New Confidence that we can trust for sure that this is true! "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." This promise that we all have something new to look forward to because our old sinful order of life has passed away is true. We can be assured of that. All of God’s promises have always come true! With that assurance, we can live our lives with confidence, even when our life becomes difficult around us. We have a rock-solid truth that we are standing on as Christians. The truth that we are only visitors here, and that our true home is in heaven.

Some time ago, a veteran missionary was returning home to the U.S. after many years in the field. Aboard a ship bound for New York Harbor, a fellow passenger, an agnostic who did not believe in God, challenged him by pointing out what a waste of time it was to devote a person’s life to missionary service. He pointed out that no one on the ship was paying any attention to the missionary, which should be proof that they also considered his efforts wasted. The servant of God responded, "I’m not home yet." The agnostic assumed that the missionary was referring to a large crowd that would meet the ship, so he scoffed at the man again when they boarded off the ship – there was not one single person to welcome the missionary home! Once again, the missionary replied to that man, "I’m not home yet." A lonely train ride lay ahead as he made his way from New York City to his small Midwestern hometown. As he finally reached his destination, the missionary could no longer fight back the tears as the train pulled off. Once again, there was no one to welcome him, and he stood there alone. It was then that the Holy Spirit comforted him by reminding this faithful servant that "You’re not home yet." Amen.

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