Sermon Summary
Revelation 21 doesn’t end with God rescuing us out of a doomed world. It ends with God coming down to dwell among us, renewing all creation, and gathering people from every nation into one community. Like the Apollo 13 astronauts, whose lives were bound to their spacecraft, we’re bound to this world, and that means what we do here matters. We can’t build the New Jerusalem ourselves, but we can live now in light of the future God has promised, because this world isn’t going away; it’s being made new.
Reflection Questions
- How have you imagined heaven or the end of the story, and where did that picture come from? How does the image of God coming down to make a home among us challenge or comfort you?
- If God is renewing creation rather than replacing it, what in your daily life might look different: how you treat the earth, your neighbors, or yourself?
- Verse 5 says that God’s words are trustworthy and true. What’s something or someone you need help believing that God has not given up.
If you would like to learn more about how the Bible talks about Heaven and Earth: