The title of my message tonight is NO TEARS – NO EXCEPTIONS! Our text will be Revelation 21:4
Every saved sinner has learned by the effectual teaching of God the Holy Spirit what Jonah learned in the whale's belly. Every sinner who has experienced God's omnipotent, saving operations of grace gladly confesses with Jonah, "Salvation is of the LORD!" For believing men and women, that blessed fact of grace, that universal declaration of Holy Scripture cannot be stated too fully, too frequently, or too emphatically.
Salvation is, in its entirety, the work of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. That is the foundation upon which we build all our doctrine. That is the hermeneutic principle upon which we interpret Scripture, because it is the hermeneutic principle laid down in Scripture.
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. No part of salvation can be, in any measure, attributed to the will, worth, or works of man. The language of Inspiration could not be more emphatically clear in this regard (2 Tim. 1:9-10; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 11:6).
Be sure you understand this – Salvation involves all that is required to bring a sinner from the ruins of the fall into the glory of heaven. There is no aspect of salvation, no part of the package, neither on this side of eternity nor on the other, which depends upon or is in any way, or to any degree, determined by man.
GOD'S ELECTION of some to salvation is the election of grace.
DIVINE PREDESTINATION is "to the praise of the glory of his grace."
OUR REDEMPTION by the precious blood of Christ, that redemption which purchased and secured for us the forgiveness of all sin forever, was effectually accomplished for us "according to the riches of his grace."
We are "JUSTIFIED freely by his grace."
We were BORN AGAIN by the power of God's grace. Our faith in Christ is the gift and operation of the grace of God. We are sanctified by that same free grace.
If we PERSEVERE unto the end, it will be by that grace of God which keeps us in grace and faith, being sealed by his Holy Spirit, "unto the redemption of the purchased possession," – that is to say , "until the day of our resurrection.
When, at last, we stand before our God and Savior in heaven, we shall possess all the glory of our HEAVENLY INHERITANCE forever, as "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ," by free grace alone.
When our great God and Savior says, "Time shall be no more," when he makes all things new, when he presents us before the presence of the glory of God, holy, unblamable, and unreprovable, without any trace of sin upon us, when he, when he who made all things for himself brings forth the Headstone and puts it in the place of everlasting pre-eminence and glory before heaven, earth and hell, we will shout with Zerubbabel, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts…crying, Grace, grace unto it!"
Because this great and glorious thing we call salvation is all of grace, from start to finish, we are assured that it shall be equally, fully, and perfectly possessed by all who are the heirs of it. So thorough, so complete, so full is God's salvation that when it is finished, there will be absolutely no regrets, no sorrows, and no tears in eternity for God's elect. Difficult as that may be for us to grasp, it is plainly revealed in Holy Scripture.
Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
Isaiah 25:8 "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it."
After asserting that our Lord Jesus Christ will, at his second advent, "swallow up death in victory," the prophet Isaiah gives us this great and glorious promise – "And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it."
Let's compare these two texts for just a minute. In Revelation 21:4, we are told that "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
Now, notice the very slight, but very significant difference in the way the two texts (speaking of the same promise) are worded. Isaiah tells us that God will wipe away "tears from off all faces." He promises us that God will wipe tears from the faces of all who possess eternal life with Christ in everlasting glory. But in Revelation 21:4, the apostle John tells us that "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
By divine inspiration, he gives an added touch of grace. He tells us that our God is not only going to wipe tears from the eyes of all his people, but also that "God shall wipe away ALL TEARS from their eyes!"
Put the two texts together and you have the glorious promise of God in the gospel to every believing sinner. It is just this – WHEN OUR GREAT AND GLORIOUS GOD IS FINISHED WITH ALL THINGS, HE WILL HAVE SO THOROUGHLY AND COMPLETELY SAVED ALL HIS PEOPLE FROM ALL THE EVIL CONSEQUENCES OF SIN FOREVER THAT THERE WILL NEVER BE A TEAR IN OUR EYES AGAIN!
Who can grasp the fulness of this promise? It is too great, too broad, too incomprehensible for our mortal brains. Yet, it is gloriously true! Our great God shall, in heaven's glory, remove us from all sin, remove all sin from us, and remove us from all the evil consequences of sin. He will remove us from every cause of grief. He will bring us at last into the perfection of complete salvation and every desire of our hearts will be completely gratified.
Proposition: God's salvation is so perfect and complete that when he is finished, we will not even have the slightest tinge of sorrow for anything.
I. OUR TEXT IMPLIES THAT THERE IS MUCH WEEPING IN THE WAY TO HEAVEN, AND THERE IS.
Faith in Christ brings deliverance from all curse and condemnation, but not from pain and sorrow.
A. There are many things which believers suffer in this world along with other men. Because the world is a world of sin, it is a world of sorrow.
B. There are many things that bring tears to our eyes about which the world knows nothing.
C. There are even some precious tears which we shed here that will be dried on the other side of Jordan.
II. EVEN NOW, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER DOES MUCH TO DRY OUR TEARS.
The believer's life is not a morbid, sorrow-filled existence. Not at all! But we do have our sorrows. Yet, even in the midst of sorrow our Lord gives us great comfort (Isa. 43:1-6).
Isaiah 43:1-6 "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (2) When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (3) For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. (4) Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. (5) Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; (6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth."
A. He gives us a measure of resignation to his will.
B. He teaches us to trust his providence. C. He reminds us of his gracious purpose. D. He causes us to remember his promises. E. He blesses us with the sense of his presence. F. He floods our hearts with the knowledge of his love (Eph. 3:19). G. He reminds us of the cause of our pain (Heb. 12:5-12).Hebrews 12:5-12 "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (8) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (9) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (12) Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;"
H. He causes our hearts to be fixed upon better things (Col. 3:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:15-18).
Colossians 3:1-3 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
2 Corinthians 4:17- 5:1 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal…. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
III. YET, IN HEAVEN'S GLORY OUR GOD WILL WIPE ALL TEARS FROM OUR EYES.
Impossible as it is for us to imagine, there is a time coming when we shall weep no more, when we shall have no cause to weep! Heaven is a place of sure, eternal, ever-increasing bliss; and the cause of that bliss is our God!
Heaven is a place of joy without sorrow, laughter without weeping, pleasantness without pain! In heaven there are no regrets, no remorseful tears, no second thoughts, no lost causes, no sorrows of any kind!
Listen carefully…
A. If God did not wipe away all tears from our eyes, there would be much weeping in heaven.
B. But God will wipe away all tears from our eyes.
C. Our great God shall, in heaven's glory, remove us from all sin, remove all sin from us, and remove us from all the evil consequences of sin.
He will remove us from every cause of grief. He will bring us at last into the perfection of complete salvation and every desire of our hearts will be completely gratified.
1. We will be like Christ.
2. Be will be with Christ.
3. We will see Christ.
4. We will love Christ perfectly.
5. We will serve Christ unceasingly.
6. We will worship Christ without sin.
7. We will rest in Christ completely.
8. We will enjoy Christ fully.
9. We will have Christ entirely.
Application: Will you be among the blessed company of the redeemed? Will you be with Christ in glory?
1. You will only enter into glory if you are worthy of heaven.
Revelation 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
2. You can only be made worthy by the merits of Christ.
3. If you are worthy of everlasting glory, you shall have all the glory of heaven itself, without degrees, perfectly.
4. Trust Christ and all the glory of Christ in heaven is yours!
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