~ January 25, 2015 ~
Brush Away the Tears
Revelation 21:1-7
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
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.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
INTRODUCTION:
**I am interested in The Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes...
**In The Revelation 21:4 was not the first time God’s word says that He will wipe away our tears.
**Look at Isaiah 25:8-9 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.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (We be transformed from tears to thrills!)
**God’s people are being rejected, rebuked, ridiculed, and ravaged.
**Oh but one day – God’s going to take His great big handkerchief of grace and do some wiping!!
1. He’ll wipe away the Troublemakers!
2. He’ll wipe away the Terrorists!
3. He’ll wipe away the Tears!
**One preacher said, He’ll wipe away tears of Death, tears of Despair, tears of Discouragement, and tears of Disease!
**In this life, we find ourselves brushing away the tears again and again; however, when we stand before the Lord as His children, on that day HE will brush away our tears permanently!!
**When God brushes away the tears, the tears do not come back!! Thank God!!
**I want us to take this one verse and do three things with it!
BODY – BRUSH AWAY THE TEARS
I. RECEIVE THIS VERSE
**This verse gives me . . .
A. STRENGTH FOR MY JOURNEY
I Kings 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
**The man of God in I Kings 19:7 needed a touch from the Lord because the journey was too great! I need that touch from God from time to time.
**I praise God that the words, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes . . .” touches me now and strengthens me when the journey proves to be too great for me! I feel His touch in this verse!!
**It strengthens me because I KNOW I WILL FEEL HIS TOUCH that brushes away all my tears!! He must touch me to brush the tears away!!
**His touch is filled with His COMPASSION and His CARE!! That is what keeps me going in this journey!!
B. SIGHT FOR MY JESUS
I Corinthians 13:12 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
**Now I can only Jesus by faith, but when God wipes away my tears, I will see my Jesus - I will see . . .
1. His Holy Sacredness Clearly!
**Will never know how Holy and Sacred He is until we see Him face to face in clear view without tears in our eyes!
2. His Heavenly Splendor Clarified!
**Right now by faith I dimly see Jesus and I imagine His Holy Sacred Heavenly Splendor; oh, but there is coming a day when He brushes away my tears and I will look at him face to face!! Then I will know fully all His holiness!!
C. SUBSTANCE FOR MY JOY
Luke 10:20 rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
**When we know our names are written in heaven, we can know beyond all doubt that God will brush away our tears!!
**He will brush away those tears that represent Trails, Tests, and Troubles!!
**With one stroke, one swipe, one swoosh, all tears, all trials, all tests, and all troubles will be gone!!
**I have this joyous assurance because my name is written in heaven!!
II. RECITE THIS VERSE
When we recite this verse it will:
A. ENCOURAGE OUR HEARTS
Job 22:21 21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
**This verse should encourage our hearts because it says . .
1. God Has A Plan
**His plan is to brush away our tears!
2. God Has A Policy
**His policy is no tears in heaven!
3. God Has A Purpose
**The word purpose means intention.
**Brushing away our tears means that it is God’s Desire and God’s Determination!
B. EXEMPLIFY OUR HOPE
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
**My hope is in God Here and in God Hereafter!!
**My hope is knowing that God will wipe away . . .
1. Tears that Represent Pain
**Physical, Mental, and Emotional Painful Tears will be brushed away forever!!
2. Tears that Represent Problems
**Tears that represent Family Problems, Financial Problems, and Fatal Problems will be wiped away!!
C. EXPLAINS OUR HAPPINESS
**In Acts 16:25 Paul and Silas prayed and praised despite being in a prison full of tears. No telling how many tears had been shed in that prison before they got there!
**The next time you find yourself in tears, you can do more than Paul and Silas. You can Pray, you can Praise, and then you can Proclaim “God shall wipe all tears from their eyes . . .” and find happiness despite the prison!!
III. REMEMBER THIS VERSE
We should remember this verse the next time that we are:
A. SITTING IN A CLINIC
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Without Hope in this Life
2. Without Help in this Life
B. STANDING IN A CEMETERY
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Filled with Mourning
2. Flooded with Memories
C. STRUGGLING IN A CONFLICT
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Facing Struggles
2. Fighting Satan
D. SOBBING IN A CALAMITY
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Your Soul is Devastated
2. Your Situation is Disastrous
The Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes...
CLOSE:
1. Here we brush away the tears concerning sorrow, sickness, suffering, silent souls, and sin; however, we often find the tears keep coming back.
2. Oh but when we stand before the Lord, He will brush away the tears and there’ll be no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more silenced souls, and no more sin. And, the tears will never ever come back again!!
3. Kyla Rowland wrote a great line in a gospel song years ago that said, “I’ve never had a prayer He could not answer, and I’ve never shed a tear He could not dry.”
4. He will not only Brush Away the Tears we’ve shed that day, but God will Brush Away EVERY tear we’ve ever shed!
5. Today, it is okay to come to altar and give Him all the tears and pour them out before the Lord and cast your cares upon Him. Give Him all your tears today and He will eventually brush them all away!!
**Will you come and pray, praise, and go away proclaiming “God shall wipe all tears from my eyes!!”
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
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.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
INTRODUCTION:
**I am interested in The Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes...
**In The Revelation 21:4 was not the first time God’s word says that He will wipe away our tears.
**Look at Isaiah 25:8-9 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.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (We be transformed from tears to thrills!)
**God’s people are being rejected, rebuked, ridiculed, and ravaged.
**Oh but one day – God’s going to take His great big handkerchief of grace and do some wiping!!
1. He’ll wipe away the Troublemakers!
2. He’ll wipe away the Terrorists!
3. He’ll wipe away the Tears!
**One preacher said, He’ll wipe away tears of Death, tears of Despair, tears of Discouragement, and tears of Disease!
**In this life, we find ourselves brushing away the tears again and again; however, when we stand before the Lord as His children, on that day HE will brush away our tears permanently!!
**When God brushes away the tears, the tears do not come back!! Thank God!!
**I want us to take this one verse and do three things with it!
BODY – BRUSH AWAY THE TEARS
I. RECEIVE THIS VERSE
**This verse gives me . . .
A. STRENGTH FOR MY JOURNEY
I Kings 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
**The man of God in I Kings 19:7 needed a touch from the Lord because the journey was too great! I need that touch from God from time to time.
**I praise God that the words, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes . . .” touches me now and strengthens me when the journey proves to be too great for me! I feel His touch in this verse!!
**It strengthens me because I KNOW I WILL FEEL HIS TOUCH that brushes away all my tears!! He must touch me to brush the tears away!!
**His touch is filled with His COMPASSION and His CARE!! That is what keeps me going in this journey!!
B. SIGHT FOR MY JESUS
I Corinthians 13:12 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
**Now I can only Jesus by faith, but when God wipes away my tears, I will see my Jesus - I will see . . .
1. His Holy Sacredness Clearly!
**Will never know how Holy and Sacred He is until we see Him face to face in clear view without tears in our eyes!
2. His Heavenly Splendor Clarified!
**Right now by faith I dimly see Jesus and I imagine His Holy Sacred Heavenly Splendor; oh, but there is coming a day when He brushes away my tears and I will look at him face to face!! Then I will know fully all His holiness!!
C. SUBSTANCE FOR MY JOY
Luke 10:20 rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
**When we know our names are written in heaven, we can know beyond all doubt that God will brush away our tears!!
**He will brush away those tears that represent Trails, Tests, and Troubles!!
**With one stroke, one swipe, one swoosh, all tears, all trials, all tests, and all troubles will be gone!!
**I have this joyous assurance because my name is written in heaven!!
II. RECITE THIS VERSE
When we recite this verse it will:
A. ENCOURAGE OUR HEARTS
Job 22:21 21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
**This verse should encourage our hearts because it says . .
1. God Has A Plan
**His plan is to brush away our tears!
2. God Has A Policy
**His policy is no tears in heaven!
3. God Has A Purpose
**The word purpose means intention.
**Brushing away our tears means that it is God’s Desire and God’s Determination!
B. EXEMPLIFY OUR HOPE
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
**My hope is in God Here and in God Hereafter!!
**My hope is knowing that God will wipe away . . .
1. Tears that Represent Pain
**Physical, Mental, and Emotional Painful Tears will be brushed away forever!!
2. Tears that Represent Problems
**Tears that represent Family Problems, Financial Problems, and Fatal Problems will be wiped away!!
C. EXPLAINS OUR HAPPINESS
**In Acts 16:25 Paul and Silas prayed and praised despite being in a prison full of tears. No telling how many tears had been shed in that prison before they got there!
**The next time you find yourself in tears, you can do more than Paul and Silas. You can Pray, you can Praise, and then you can Proclaim “God shall wipe all tears from their eyes . . .” and find happiness despite the prison!!
III. REMEMBER THIS VERSE
We should remember this verse the next time that we are:
A. SITTING IN A CLINIC
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Without Hope in this Life
2. Without Help in this Life
B. STANDING IN A CEMETERY
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Filled with Mourning
2. Flooded with Memories
C. STRUGGLING IN A CONFLICT
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Facing Struggles
2. Fighting Satan
D. SOBBING IN A CALAMITY
Remember this verse when you’re in tears and . . .
1. Your Soul is Devastated
2. Your Situation is Disastrous
The Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes...
CLOSE:
1. Here we brush away the tears concerning sorrow, sickness, suffering, silent souls, and sin; however, we often find the tears keep coming back.
2. Oh but when we stand before the Lord, He will brush away the tears and there’ll be no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more silenced souls, and no more sin. And, the tears will never ever come back again!!
3. Kyla Rowland wrote a great line in a gospel song years ago that said, “I’ve never had a prayer He could not answer, and I’ve never shed a tear He could not dry.”
4. He will not only Brush Away the Tears we’ve shed that day, but God will Brush Away EVERY tear we’ve ever shed!
5. Today, it is okay to come to altar and give Him all the tears and pour them out before the Lord and cast your cares upon Him. Give Him all your tears today and He will eventually brush them all away!!
**Will you come and pray, praise, and go away proclaiming “God shall wipe all tears from my eyes!!”
