Jesus Brings Completion

Text: Revelation 21:1-7 Speaker: Pastor Matthew Ude Festival: Confirmation Passages: Revelation 21:1-7

Revelation 21:1-7

For the three of you, today marks an end. It is the end of meeting with me every Wednesday night, the end of sermon summaries, the end of reciting memory work. Today marks the end of one thing but is it complete? There is a difference between an end and a completion. Catechism has ended but is it complete? Every passage memorized perfectly, every worksheet down to the best of your ability, every doctrine and bible passage pondered in your heart.

So much of those things that we call done, are done simply because the time has run out, not because the task has been completed. Today marks the end but not the completion.

In our text Jesus is called the beginning and the end. The word TELOS which is translated end does not mean end it means completion. The word TELOS does not speak of a certain amount of time but the completion of an action. Jesus does not like us humans bring things to an end He brings them to completion.

That is what we hear in our text as well. Not the end, but the completion, all things are new, our salvation is complete,

1 Peter 1:9 receiving the completion of your faith– the salvation of your souls.

Today is a human end but not a completion, we pray that the Lord Jesus Christ may bring you through the years ahead not to another end but to the completion of your faith.

In order to bring us to that completion Jesus has also give us promises, gifts, which are also as complete as our salvation.

Austin you have chosen as your promise complete service:

1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

With this promise you and your fellow confirmands are Koedaesh-La-Jah, that is dedicated to the Lord. Vowing to serve the Lord means to do His will, to keep His law.

Jesus did not destroy the law. He did not bring it to an end. He brought it to completion. What you have is not an empty Law which can be ignored and put on a back shelf, but a law that is complete.

Romans 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Matthew 5:17   “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

This law demands absolute service perfect service because it is absolute and perfect.

Remember the example of Moses, who served the Lord faithfully through 40 years in the wilderness, except that once he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Because of this one mistake he was denied entrance to the promised land and died in the wilderness. He saw that which was promised but did not receive it.

This is the law which you have asked to serve, it will not tolerate even a single mistake.

Jesus has not ended this law but he has completed it. The force of the law is not diminished. Its power is not less. Ihts demands are not gone, but it has been completed and it’s wrath is not directed at you.

In computer class in high school, they taught us the importance of wearing an anti-static wristband when working with computer components. This is so that any static charge does not discharge into the computer, which could ruin the components.

Christ has fulfilled the Law. The power of the Law is not diminished but the charge of the Law is redirected away from you and unto Christ. The Law is yours so that you may serve the Lord, but without fear. The Law cannot destroy you,

What does out text say:

Revelation 21:7   7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things

As one dedicated to serve the Lord, you shall overcome, because the Law is fulfilled in Christ. The Lord has given you His complete service.

Madelyn you have chosen as your promise complete strength:

Philippians 4:13   I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Our text says that Jesus is the “alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.” Just as the English word end does not really convey the full meaning of the Greek TELOS, so also the English word beginning is not quite right. Jesus is the ARCHAE. This means the origin or the source.

Jesus is your source of strength.

John 15:5 NKJ He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Jesus has promised you not some strength but complete strength for all things.

Yet the strength which we speak about here is not the might of this world. Nor is it meant for the great deeds of this world. When Paul says all things it is evident that he means all things of God.

When a child at the beach says to his Dad, “I will build a castle.”

What material does he intend to use? It is a sandcastle that he is going to build. It is so obvious that it is a sandcastle that he does not even need to say it.

When Paul speaks about strength to do all things, it is so obvious that “all things” means all things according to God’s will that he does not even need to say it.

Never make the mistake of using this passage for personal glory, or selfish gain. If you use it in that manner, you will find it empty. Like Sampson who had strength but used it only for his own desires and lost it all.

Since you have chosen a promise of strength and power use it for the work of the Lord.

Jesus is your source, if you remain in Him, by hearing His word and using His sacraments. You will have strength to do great and mighty things. Things that are not mighty in the eyes of the world but of God.

The mighty things of God might be flying around the world to preach in the jungle but there are greater works that that right here. Forgiving rather than living in resentment. Serving others rather than serving yourself. Contentment rather than dissatisfaction. Above all the strength to honestly confess your sins and receive Jesus forgiveness rather than always insisting it is someone else’s fault. Through Christ you have strength to do these mighty works.

Jesus’ promise of strength is complete strength enough even to do all this and more. Jesus gives you complete strength to do perfect things.

 Savanah you have chosen as your promise complete patience

Isaiah 40:31   But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

An eight year old boy once received a kite as his birthday present.

“Wait till we can help you put it together,” his parents told him.

But the day came when the weather was perfect for kites and the boy could not wait any longer. Trying to put it together himself he broke it. In his desire to have the kite he broke it.

It is so often our impatience, our desire to have it now, that breaks our life.

In our text the new Jerusalem comes down from God, prepared by God as a bide.

In ancient Judah the bride was prepared for her marriage by her family. Today maybe her family, maybe her bridesmaids, maybe the bride herself does the preparing. But the church of God is prepared neither by the family nor by herself but by the hand of God. God has prepared her for the day of salvation.

If we were to adorn our own life, with what would we adorn it? When we try to put together out own life we break it. When we wait on the Lord He adorns our life as the bide of Christ. He gives to us the forgiveness of sins and washes us in the blood of Christ.

His patience with us is complete, calling us again and again to repentance, washing away our sins day after day. Wait with patience on the Lord time and He will adorn you with white robes of righteousness.

Jesus has made all things new. You are made new by His blood. He will bring you to His completion. Amen