From Garden to Glory

The Lord longs to dwell with a holy people set apart for himself, like a groom desires his bride for himself alone, pure and spotless. But to those of us brave enough to be completely honest with ourselves, words like holy, pure, and spotless don’t seem to fit us. And we probably feel that way because it’s true. Our need is great. We don’t need to try harder or to be better. We need a Savior. We need one who stands worthy before God on his own merit; one whose heart, words, and deeds are pure; one whose devotion is perfect. There is such a one and his name is Jesus. And here is the good news: we are justified (declared guilt-free) by his faithfulness, not by our own. Who may ascend and dwell with a holy God? Those who trust in Jesus.

They should have pointed people to Jesus the Messiah, as John the Baptist was doing, but instead they shut the door to the kingdom in people’s faces. God’s purpose for them was that they would be the seeing leading the blind, but instead, they became the blind leading the blind and fought the chief aim of God — to be the ruling King of a people set apart for himself. Yet, there were those religious leaders who did receive Jesus and saw the purpose of God come forth in their lives as a treasure chest filled with priceless valuables both new and old. As a follower of Jesus, what is your treasury filled with? God has purpose for you; he has not left your storeroom empty. Maybe it’s time to unlock that vault and see what the Lord brings forth.

God’s eternal purpose for his people has begun on earth in the church. He is preparing an imperfect people (that includes you and me) and fitting us together (yes, at times this is painful). Together, we are growing into his holy temple, footed on the firm foundation of the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ. The Lord will build his church. I remember a preacher once saying, “You’d better start liking the person sitting next to you; you’ll be with them forever in heaven.” This is somewhat specious. For one thing, sin, the root of people’s failings and our impatience, will be eradicated. You and the person next to you will be without sin! We shall be like Jesus, a reflection of perfection. Our citizenship will be consummated, our family membership solidified before our eyes, and our God will dwell with us forever. We do well to remember this now.

Thomas Goodwin, puritan theologian and preacher, on contemplating our scripture for today, daringly writes, “It is as if he (Jesus) had said, ‘I cannot live without you, I shall never be quiet ‘til I have you where I am, that so [sic] we may never part again.’” 4 These words, rightly understood, express the heart of a groom longing for his bride to be. When Christ ascended, he returned to glory to prepare a place for us that he might share with us what he shared with the Father for eternity past — intimate, face-to-face fellowship unhindered by the pain of separation we now experience. No more loss, no more corruption. No more tears. On that day, we will finally be home.

We all struggle on our journey from point A to point B, from the temporary to the forever. The mountains we ascend to our destination can seem great, but the Lord has promised to cover us and to be our shade on this pilgrimage. “Now” is not forever. I believe that’s why the announcement made in Revelation 21:3 was not an email, a quiet rumor, or a soft-spoken declaration. It was loud, it was bold, a real attention grabber, as if to say, “THIS IS IT! All your struggles and faith battles, all the pain suffered in life’s temporary tent are over. Done. This is here to stay. The mix of sweetness with sorrow is a thing of the past. Complete safety and security with pure joy is here to stay. The battle is over; the war has been won. Welcome home.”