The Trellis and the Vine: Week 6 Now and Not Yet
Revelation 21:1-5
21 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. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
Hebrews 12:28
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,
Matthew 6:33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God[a] and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
2 Corinthians 13:5
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.
Hosea 6:1-3
6 Come, let’s return to the Lord. For he has torn us, and he will heal us; he has wounded us, and he will bind up our wounds. 2 He will revive us after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up so we can live in his presence. 3 Let’s strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land.
Summary
Welcome back to Community Group, this marks our 6th week in our series The Trellis And The Vine. This week’s sermon was entitled Now and Not Yet. Our key scripture is Revelation21:1-5. The who in this passage is: God, John and God’s People. The when is: future reality. The where is: promised eternity, and the how is: the finished work of Christ and all for the Glory of our God.
The question we will be asking this week is: how do we live in a NOW and NOT YET reality? And how do the disciplines of a rule of life prepare us for the NOT YET? We need to not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good, we need to make sure that we don’t forget our reality on earth right now. The reality of reading Revelations leaves people confused or even paranoid with the apocalyptic language and prophetic literature.
As we look at our passage, verse 1 is a picture of uncertainty and unexplorable depth and darkness. Heaven is the certainty of the immeasurable riches of God. This is not necessarily saying there will no “physical sea” but the weight of the uncertainty is made certain through faith and ultimate fulfillment of Jesus. Verse 2 speaks of the marriage supper of the lamb. There is a task today but there’s a party being prepared for us tomorrow. In verse 3, we live with a now and not yet mindset when we remember that God has dwelt among us. In verse 4 we don’t hold onto empty promises. Even in the darkest of days and valley of shadows that suffering has an expiration date. And in verse 5 we see all that is broken and all that shouldn’t be is going to be made new.
Our first point this week was, Live a Life of Expressive Gratitude. There is no way we can practice a rule of life that puts Jesus at the center of everything and not be a thankful person. When we read “Dwell on these things,” it speaks of the peace of God is a promise from God when we practice the things of God. Ungrateful Christians are too caught up in the now that they’re not thinking of the not yet or they’re not thinking of the not yet and forget about the now.
Our second point was, Continually Examine my life. Practicing a rule of life is about examining our life from what it is, to what we hope it to be in relationship to Jesus. We love to talk about our priorities. Plural amount of priorities is a misconception. · There can be lots of important things but there can only be one priority. Many have made Jesus A priority rather than THE priority. The whole focus of the rule of life is living an ordered life with Jesus as the priority not within a list of important things. Living an ordered life gives us a hope for the future as we live right now.
Our final point was Live with our Eyes on Eternity. This is what separates believers who manage to keep Jesus at the center of everything. A rule of life, putting Jesus at the center of everything is about keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Most believers are simply unaware of the promises of God. We know what John 10.10 says or what Jeremiah 29.11 says. But we don’t know what these promises mean. The practices (disciplines) keep us aware of the presence of God which leads us to the promise of God. If we don’t embrace the practices of God, we won’t be able to discern the promises of God.
Optional quote: “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversation of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on earth precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither.” - C.S. Lewis
Let’s be a church that looks out for the next generation. Let’s learn to live in the now and the not yet!
Thanks for joining us this week, I look forward to seeing you again next week.
Questions
Do you spend time thinking of the not yet? Share
How do you express your gratitude to the Lord? Share
Do you get caught up in the here and now? Share
How are you using the hear now to prepare for the not yet? Share
When was the last time you looked at the health of your priorities? Do they need to change? Share
Announcement
CG Leaders, my plan this year is to have a Shepherd or myself visit your Community Group. The goal of our visit is not to check up on you, it is to come alongside you and encourage you. You may be getting a call, email, or text from myself or Meichelle asking for current meeting date, time and location. I look forward to spending time with you and your group. Because of this #2 (below) is very important.
If you are a CG leader, PLEASE make sure you are a part of the WhatsApp group!
Shepherd Couples:
Herb and Maggie Cuellar
Ismael & Ashley Ledezma
Ozie and Maritza Hernandez
Randy & Yvette Pena
Will and Elizabeth Stewart
Jon and Libby White
You will be hearing from them in the near future!
Pastor Isauro Medina
Cell: (956) 984-9380
Meichelle Vasques
Cell: (956) 566-4762
