All Things New
When the Books Are Opened • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Reading from God’s Word
Reading from God’s Word
1 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.”
Introduction
Introduction
From my earliest of days, I have been familiar with this verse. Many of us could quote it from memory:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
We’ve spent all of 2025 working on understanding this passage — as a way of life.
We’ve talked about the rule of Christ in our hearts.
We’ve talked about repentance, discipleship, worship, holiness, and mission.
We’ve talked about:
the character of the kingdom
the priorities of the kingdom
relationships inside the kingdom
and the work God gives His people for the sake of the kingdom.
And along the way, we were challenged.
We have been called to live a life where the kingdom comes before everything else.
During November, we’ve moved into the final section of the story — the moment when the kingdom reaches it completion.
One day the books will be opened and every life will stand before God and nothing will be hidden.
For the son or daughter of God, we trust that Heaven has recorded our faithfulness - the beautiful promise that God sees every act of love and service done in His name.
Today, we turn to Revelation 21 - one of the last chapters in the long story of God’s reign - and see what we’ve been aiming for all year.
Here we see the kingdom, not in its beginning, but in its fulfillment.
We see the new heavens and the new earth.
We see God dwelling with His people.
We see every tear wiped away, every sorrow healed, every wound mended, and every loss answered.
This is why we seek the kingdom.
This is why we endure.
This is why we let go of the world and hold onto Christ.
Because the kingdom we pursue by faith today will be the kingdom we inherit forever.
Revelation 21-22 is the finish line.
The moment when every promise God has made finds its full beauty.
The world as we know it passes away.
The curse is gone.
Death is defeated.
Evil is erased.
And the people of God are home.
So today, let’s lift our eyes beyond the pressures of this moment - and fix them on the future God has promised.
Let’s turn our hearts now to the hope we cling to - when the King says, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
God Makes All Things New
God Makes All Things New
Let’s look at our text in Revelation once more:
1 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.
A complete renewal. Something totally new.
The world as we know it, broken, cursed, scarred by sin, will be replaced with a creation that is whole, pure, and filled with the glory of God.
We live in a world that groans.
19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope
21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.
23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Every time we’ve fought temptation
Every time we’ve put God first
Every time we’ve denied ourselves or carried a cross, we are showing our hope isn’t here — it’s in the world to come.
Let’s go back to Revelation 21. Here’s v. 2:
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.
See the kingdom language here … covenant language.
This is the end of the story God began in Genesis.
Sin drove us out of God’s presence in the garden.
The kingdom of God has been restoring that relationship piece by piece.
But here, in this moment, the kingdom reaches it final destination.
God dwells with His people.
No separation.
No distance
No barriers.
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.
This is the ultimate reward for those seeking His righteousness.
This is what holiness is preparing us for.
This is what worship is shaping us for.
This is what every act of obedience has been pointing toward.
And this is why kingdom people don’t cling to the world:
What we see now is temporary.
What God is bringing is eternal.
What we suffer now is painful.
What God promises is perfect.
So, when life feels heavy - when doing the right thing costs you something - when it seems easier to settle fo the world instead of seeking the kingdom - remember what’s coming.
God Wipes Away Every Tear
God Wipes Away Every Tear
Now, verse 4:
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
These may be the most comforting words in Scripture.
Every wound, every sorrow, every heartbreak you’ve carried through this life will be answered by the hand of God Himself.
One day, the world we know, filled with grief, fear, sickness, frustration, and loss - will be replaced with a world where pain has no home.
John continues:
4 Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
Think about what this saying.
Everything that makes life difficult, everything that steals joy, everything that sin has broken, will be gone forever.
No more funerals.
No more broken marriages.
No more prodigal children.
No more fear about the future.
No more anxiety.
No more regrets.
No more loneliness.
No more goodbyes.
This is why Paul calls the resurrection our “blessed hope.”
13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Here, Paul has just said, that grace trains us to live godly lives while we wait on the moment when resurrection life, glory, and final salvation all come together.
The blessed hope is the return of Christ + the resurrection of the dead + the eternal victory of God’s people.
So, when you are seeking the kingdom, you are not wasting your life.
You are preparing for a ay when everything broken is made whole, and everything sad goes away.
This is the hope that sustains God’s people.
God Finishes What He Started
God Finishes What He Started
Now, verse 5.
5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.”
No wishful thinking here.
This is the certain work of a King who always keeps His word.
Look again at the verse:
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.”
God wants it written down because he wants it trusted.
God wants us to know the kingdom will reach its perfect end.
He wants us to live courageously because we know where the story is heading.
All year, we’ve talked aobut seeking the kingdom and His righteousness.
That calling only makes sense if the King intends to finish what He began.
Everything we do in Christ is anchored in hope: God is bringing His Kingdom to completion.
Think about what this means:
The story of redemption is not unfinished - God will complete it.
The battle against sin is not pointless - God will conquer it.
The wounds you carry are not permanent - God will heal them.
The kingdom you’ve prayed for is not imaginary - God will reveal it.
When God says I am making all things new, he is tellling us that nothing in this world, no evil, no suffering, no injustice, no spiritual opposition, can derail his plan.
The kingdom will not fail, because God cannot fail.
And this is where righteousness fits in.
The life we seek now is preparing us for the life we will receive then.
Kingdom character is not just the expectation of the present - it is the clothing of the age t ocome.
God finishes His work in a people who have learned to love His ways.
So, if you feel like your story is messy - when your efforts seem small, when it seems like God is taking long to answer remember:
God never leaves His work half-done.
He started transforming your heart
He is shaping you through His word
He is walking with you through the storms.
And one day He will bring you into a world where everything broken is made whole.
The king finishes what He starts.
The King Returns for His People
The King Returns for His People
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The return of Jesus is the climactic moment when everything the kingdom stands for becomes visible.
We have sought a King we cannot see.
One day we will see Him face-to-face.
Paul describes three great events:
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout
The shout is the announcement of the King’s arrival.
The world ignored Him the first time He came. No one will ignore Him the second.
16 and the dead in Christ will rise first.
The resurrection — “the dead in Christ will rise first.”
Every grave where a believer rests will open.
Every saint who has died will stand.
Every faithful servant who finished their race will rise in glory.
17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
The gathering — “we who are still alive… will be caught up together with them… to meet the Lord in the air.”
No distance will remain between the King and His people.
No separation.
No loss.
No fear.
The family of God will be whole and home forever.
17 and so we will always be with the Lord.
That is the final promise.
Not streets of gold.
Not angelic glory.
Being with the Lord.
This is the heartbeat of the kingdom — God dwelling with His people without interruption, without sin, without grief.
And Paul ends with a command:
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The return of Christ is not meant to terrify the faithful.
It is meant to strengthen them.
It is meant to help us persevere.
It is meant to remind us that
righteousness is worth it,
holiness is worth it,
obedience is worth it, love is worth it — because the King is coming.
This is the ultimate fulfillment of “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
When you seek the kingdom now, you are preparing for the moment the kingdom arrives in full.
When you pursue righteousness now, you are clothing yourself for the age to come.
When you live for the King now, you are preparing to meet Him with joy then.
As We Close
As We Close
So… back to where we began:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Revelation 21 and 1 Thessalonians 4 lift our eyes to the finish line.
The kingdom we’ve been pursuing is not a dream — it is a promise.
The righteousness we’ve been learning to love is not wasted — it is preparing us for the world to come.
The King we have followed by faith is the King we will soon see by sight.
God will make all things new.
He will wipe away every tear.
He will finish what He started.
‘He will raise His people.
‘He will gather His church.
He will dwell with us forever.
Every sacrifice you made this year…
every decision to put God first…
every sin you repented of…
every act of service done quietly…
every prayer spoken in faith…
every step you took toward righteousness…
every time you chose the kingdom over the world… — none of it is forgotten, and none of it is in vain.
So don’t grow weary.
Don’t lose heart.
Don’t let the world distract you from what matters most.
Keep seeking.
Keep trusting.
Keep living for the King.
Because one day — sooner than we think — the voice will shout, the trumpet will sound, the dead will rise, and all things will be made new.
And the people who sought the kingdom in this life will rejoice when the kingdom arrives in the next.
