New Heaven and Earth

 

Dear friends,

Finally, we are seeing some moderation in the daytime temperatures. Along the way, I recorded a little over an inch of rain. This delayed watering the garden and lawn for a few days. These are exciting days for the Lake Ericson community. Some properties are getting new construction projects and others are being remodeled and/or updated. Weekends see lots of youngsters practicing newly learned driving skills with the family golf cart or atv. Kayaking is another popular pastime.

 

Every day there is more unsettling news from our country and around the world. Every day, I remember that in and through all that’s going on, God is still on His throne, and nothing is taking Him by surprise. His Word tells us of these trials and we are not overwhelmed by what we see and hear.

 

In Genesis, we find that with Adam’s disobedience sin entered the world and God’s perfect creation was broken. God promised a Savior, but He also said mankind would experience hard times until at some point in the future He would return and set up a new kingdom with a new heavens and a new earth. In doing so, He would restore his perfect plan.

 

All the way through the Bible, there are prophecies pointing to the coming of the Lord Jesus, first as His coming as a baby and His earthly ministry Then, His death, burial and resurrection as the means of paying the sin debt of all who would believe.

 

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

It is important to remember that God loved the whole world, but only those who trust Christ as Savior will receive eternal life. There is promised to believers a new heaven and earth.

 

“But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

 

“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. (Revelation 21:1).

 

It is a promise, and God doesn’t break His promises. When the world seems out of control, those who believe have nothing to fear. He is still on His throne.

 

All for Him,

Pastor Jerry