The End That Makes Everything Right | Chip Stallings | September 6, 2026

Sep 06, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The New Creation: No More Brokenness, Only Wholeness

When brokenness feels overwhelming, God’s promise isn’t a temporary patch but a complete renewal. Just as a parent reassures a child with a shattered toy, God declares over His creation, “I will fix it.” The old heavens and earth—marked by decay, pain, and separation—will vanish. In their place, a flawless reality emerges where darkness, tears, and death are erased. Every scar of sin will be replaced by radiant wholeness. This isn’t mere improvement; it’s total transformation. Trust the One who finishes what He starts. [43:40]

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. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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. (Revelation 21:1-4, CSB)

Reflection: What brokenness in your life or world feels beyond repair? How might God’s promise of a new creation reshape your longing for His restoration?

Day 2: The Radiant City: Where God’s Glory Replaces Every Shadow

The New Jerusalem isn’t a distant metaphor but a tangible home for the redeemed. Its gates bear the names of tribes; its foundations honor apostles. Yet its true splendor isn’t in jewels or scale, but in God’s unveiled presence. No temple stands here—the Lord Himself is the sanctuary. No sun or moon shines—His glory banishes every shadow. This city isn’t for spectators but for those washed in Christ’s blood. To dwell here is to live bathed in light that heals, transforms, and satisfies. [47:32]

I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:22-23, CSB)

Reflection: Where do you settle for dim substitutes of God’s presence? How might you lean into His light today, anticipating life in a city lit by His face?

Day 3: From Groaning to Glory: The Death of Death Itself

Creation’s groaning isn’t endless. The curse that entered Eden—sorrow, decay, mortality—meets its executioner. God doesn’t minimize pain; He obliterates its roots. Tears aren’t merely dried; their sources are erased. Death isn’t delayed; it’s dismantled. This reversal isn’t sentimental but cosmic: the One who said, “It is finished” on the cross now declares, “I am making everything new.” Every ache you carry testifies to a future where ache cannot exist. [59:26]

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. Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” (Revelation 21:4-5, CSB)

Reflection: What grief or burden feels heaviest today? How does the certainty of death’s demise anchor your hope when answers feel distant?

Day 4: The River of Life: Reversing Eden’s Curse Forever

The tree of life, barred after Adam’s sin, now flourishes eternally. Its leaves heal nations; its fruit sustains all. A crystal river flows from God’s throne, undoing Eden’s drought of separation. What humanity forfeited through rebellion, Christ restores through redemption. This isn’t nostalgia for a lost garden but the fulfillment of a promise: the Gardener who walked with Adam in the cool of the day now invites us to feast forever. [01:05:32]

Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. (Revelation 22:1-2, CSB)

Reflection: Where have you tasted the “river of life” recently? How might you pursue healing—for yourself or others—knowing Christ’s restoration is both present and coming?

Day 5: Eyes on Heaven, Hands at Work: Staying Ready for the Reunion

Jesus’ repeated cry—“I am coming soon”—isn’t a passive warning but a rallying call. Readiness isn’t staring at the sky but joining the Spirit and Bride’s chorus: “Come!” It’s laboring so others drink living water. It’s worshiping the Giver, not the gifts. Like John, we fix our eyes on the returning King while kneeling to serve the broken. Anticipation fuels mission; longing fuels love. The story ends not with escape, but with homecoming. [01:22:42]

“Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:12-13,17, CSB)

Reflection: What practical step—prayer, service, or invitation—can you take today to echo the Spirit’s “Come!” in a world still waiting for dawn?

Sermon Summary

John brings the big story of the Bible to its proper ending in Revelation 21 and 22. God, who created all things good in Genesis, promises that He will make all things new when Christ returns. The brokenness seen in the world, in relationships, in bodies, and in hearts does not have the final word. God sees the finished work when His children can only see the breaking, and He says, “I know it’s broken, but I’ll fix it.”

The new heaven and new earth will not be a slightly improved version of the old creation. God will fully remove sin, death, darkness, decay, grief, crying, and pain. The old things will pass away, and the new creation will be holy through and through. The death of death will finally come because every product of the fall will be gone forever.

The New Jerusalem will come down from God as a bride adorned for her husband. Its greatness will not be found mainly in its massive size, its jewels, or its countless redeemed citizens. God’s glory will be the most important thing in the city. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb will be its temple, and the Lamb will be its lamp. God Himself will dwell with redeemed people, not because holiness has been lowered, but because Jesus’ substitutionary atonement has made unrighteous men and women new.

The new Eden will display the full reversal of the curse. The river of life will flow from the throne, the tree of life will bear fruit, and the curse will be no more. Moses and John clasp hands across the centuries, showing one united testimony to the truth of Scripture. The Eden lost through sin will be surpassed by an eternal Eden secured by grace.

Jesus’ repeated words, “I am coming soon,” call for a ready response. Worship must go to God alone, not to the created thing or even the communicator of God’s truth. The words of prophecy must be kept without adding to them, taking away from them, obsessing over them, or disregarding them. Readiness means eyes fixed on heaven and hands engaged in the Great Commission. Revelation is not the main thing. Jesus is the main thing, the story behind every story, and His return is not merely an event to anticipate but a reunion with the Savior who will be with His people forever.

Key Takeaways

1. God will fix what sin broke. God does not deny the reality of present pain, sorrow, and decay. God names the brokenness clearly while also declaring that it is not permanent. The promise of a new creation gives courage to live faithfully in the space between the breaking and the fixing. [41:32]
2. God’s glory is the city’s center. The New Jerusalem does not need a temple, sun, or moon because God and the Lamb are fully present. God’s glory is never a decorative feature added onto life; it becomes the most important thing in the room. True worship begins when hearts stop treating personal preference as the centerpiece. [52:13]
3. Jesus makes redeemed people fit. God does not relax His holiness so sinful people can enter His presence. Jesus bears sin, gives His righteousness, and transforms those who repent and believe. The eternal city is populated by redeemed people, not people who arrived there by moral perfection. [61:22]
4. The curse will be reversed completely. The tree of life and river of life show that God restores what sin stole in Eden. Grace does more than return humanity to a previous condition; grace brings God’s people into permanent fellowship with Him. The new Eden stands as a real display of a Father who takes His children from death to life. [66:47]
5. Readiness joins worship and mission. Jesus’ soon return is meant to produce peace, not lazy speculation or anxiety. Readiness keeps eyes on heaven while hands serve the Great Commission in the present. The longing, “Come, Lord Jesus,” strengthens faithful obedience rather than replacing it.

## [82:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[33:48] - Honoring Servant Leaders
[36:39] - The Big Story of the Bible
[39:54] - Living Between Breaking and Fixing
[43:12] - A New Heaven and New Earth
[47:32] - The New Jerusalem
[52:13] - God’s Glory Is the Greatest Thing
[58:45] - God Dwells With Redeemed People
[65:13] - A New Eden and the Reversed Curse
[70:40] - Jesus Is Coming Soon
[73:42] - Worship God Alone
[80:01] - Keep the Words of Prophecy
[82:42] - Stay Ready for Christ’s Return
[85:32] - Jesus Is the Story Behind Every Story
[88:53] - The Call to Respond

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Revelation 21:1-5
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. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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. 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.”
[43:12] [58:54]

Revelation 22:1-5
Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.
[01:05:26]

Revelation 21:22-23
I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
[52:13] [01:00:50]

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
[45:52]

Observation questions

What old things does Revelation 21:4 specifically say will be gone in the new creation?
What details in Revelation 22:1-5 connect the New Jerusalem to Eden, especially the river, the tree of life, and the removal of the curse? [01:07:32]
According to Revelation 21:22-23, what takes the place of both the temple and the sun or moon in the New Jerusalem? [52:24]
What contrast is made between people who are morally perfect and people who have been redeemed by Jesus? [01:01:43]

Interpretation questions

God says, “I am making everything new,” rather than merely making things a little better. What does this reveal about the depth of sin’s damage and the completeness of God’s promised restoration? [44:38]
Revelation says that God Himself will dwell with His people. Why is Jesus’ substitutionary death necessary for sinful people to be able to live in the presence of a holy God? [01:02:06]
The greatest feature of the New Jerusalem is God’s glory, not its size, beauty, or number of citizens. How does this reshape what believers should most look forward to about eternity? [52:01]
Jesus repeatedly says, “I am coming soon.” How can that promise produce peace and faithful action instead of fear, endless speculation, or spiritual laziness? [01:24:25]

Application questions

Where do you most clearly see brokenness right now—in your body, relationships, family, work, heart, or the world? How does God’s promise, “I know it’s broken, but I’ll fix it,” give you courage to keep trusting Him? [01:09:47]
God’s glory will be the center of the New Jerusalem. What tends to become the center of your life instead—comfort, preferences, control, approval, success, or something else? What would it look like this week for God’s glory to be the most important thing in the room? [01:18:46]
Redeemed people enter God’s city because Jesus took the place of the unrighteous, not because they earned their way there. When are you tempted to trust your own goodness rather than the finished work of Christ? [01:03:22]
The new Eden shows that grace takes God’s people from death to life and removes the curse forever. What part of your story most reminds you that you have received grace you did not deserve? [01:08:32]
Worship belongs to God alone, yet it is easy to give ultimate attention to created things, influential people, or even personal preferences. What are some subtle ways this temptation can show up in your daily life or in church life? [01:14:38]
Keeping the words of prophecy means neither adding to them, taking away from them, obsessing over them, nor disregarding them. Which of those dangers are you most likely to drift toward, and what could help you receive God’s Word with humility and obedience? [01:21:42]
Staying ready for Christ’s return means keeping your eyes on heaven and your hands engaged in the Great Commission. Who is one person you can intentionally pray for, encourage, serve, or speak to about Jesus this week? [01:23:26]

Sermon Clips

33s

#newInChrist

“God has not lowered his holiness to let us in. He has maintained his standard. But the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus is that good that it takes us, sinful man and sinful woman, sinful boy, sinful girl, and elevates us, transforms us, and changes where all things that are old are passed away. Behold, all these things have become new in Christ Jesus.”

34s

#studyForPeace

“Our study of the future things should not give us greater anxiety. It should give us greater peace. See, we don't have to worry. What do we do? We simply worship. We don't add or subtract from the prophecy. We rest in what God has revealed, and we don't get lazy about when Jesus will return. We don't let what may perceive to be a delay cause apathy. We stay ready by working hard to fulfill the great commission.”

47s

#tasteOfGlory

“We experience god's glory. We experience a little bit of those promises that will ultimately be completely fulfilled as he makes all things right, but he gives us that taste of what is to come. You need that. I need that. See, that is what we were created to fully experience. Our hearts are not alive until we experience the glory of Jesus Christ in that way. We're transported to a new place. We're still physically in the same place. Their hearts are experiencing a bit of that new heaven and that new earth and this new Jerusalem.”

60s

#learningLeadsToWorship

“Look, worshiping god should always be the response to seeing God more clearly. Through your devotion time with God, as you're reading the Bible and asking God to search your heart and you're he's showing you new things through the Holy Spirit, through our corporate worship time in here, or maybe even in our Sunday school classes or in the groups that meet throughout the week. And Wednesday night in our recharge classes or whatever it is. You're gaining new clarity around the greatness of who god is. It should not cause us to become more prideful that we're learning something. It should cause us to become more worshipful because we are learning something about our great God. If what you are learning is not leading to worship, then you're not coming at it from the right place.”

82s

#gloryChangesEverything

“The greatest thing about the New Jerusalem is not the citizens of the New Jerusalem or the jewels present in the New Jerusalem. The greatest thing about the new Jerusalem is seen in verses twenty one and twenty two. Sorry, twenty two and twenty three. Here we see the very presence of the glory of God is experienced in every aspect the city. You see, when God's glory engages a person or a place, it will always be the most important thing. There is nothing that is more powerful and life changing, career altering, family altering, destination altering than to be able to have just a small amount of experiencing the glory of god.”

44s

#stayReadyComeLord

“What else do we do with this? We stay ready. Three different times, and I encourage you to circle those. Right? Three different times. these final few verses, Jesus tells us that he is coming soon or he is coming quickly. What should our response be to this? Well, verse 17 shows us that the spirit, the bride of Christ, both say, come. Each of us who hear these words should say, come. We echo verse 20. It says, amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

37s

#accessToNewEden

“But by reversing this divine curse because of what the son Jesus has done for us, he gives us a new Eden that is a picture, that is a real display of his grace, that which we don't deserve, that has taken us from death to life. The new Eden was separated, and man was separated from for the old Eden because of sin and brokenness. And now because of what Jesus has done, we now have access to the New Eden.”

42s

#worshipAfterSermon

“The most effective and passionate worship should be what happens after a sermon because you're seeing god more clearly. Our hearts are being recalibrated by the word of god, by the spirit of god. And we're understanding who god is more clearly, and we're broken before the presence of god. He is searching our heart and showing us that there's any wicked way in us. He's showing us new aspects of his character that maybe we had an idea about, but now we're understanding more clearly about who he is. And the culmination of all these things together should lead to this response that is just praise God. Praise God.”

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