Living Toward Renewal: God Is Making All Things New

This message calls believers to lift their eyes beyond seasonal goals and to live toward the story God is completing: a healed, renewed creation where God dwells with his people. Drawing from Revelation 21:1–5, the text centers on the divine declaration, “I am making everything new,” and insists that Christian hope is anchored in God’s faithful action—not optimistic wishfulness. Because Jesus rose from the dead, renewal is a guaranteed outcome; the same power that raised Christ promises to restore what sin has damaged. Rather than abandoning the world, God intends to heal and remake it, refusing to discard what he loves and committing himself to human restoration.

The passage reframes ultimate hope as presence more than place: the goal is God with his people, fully and without barrier. Throughout Scripture this has been the unfolding aim—God walking with humanity, incarnate in Christ, present by the Spirit—and Revelation points to its final fulfillment. That promise speaks tenderly to suffering: God will wipe away every tear, and mourning, death, and pain will lose their dominion. Yet the declaration is not only future tense; the language indicates that renewal has already begun. Signs of restoration are visible now whenever forgiveness is chosen, obedience is embraced, or faith is lived out.

Living toward this future shapes daily priorities. If believers are raised with Christ, their hearts and minds should be set on things above, producing hope-filled responses: grace where bitterness tempts, faithfulness where convenience lures, sacrificial love where selfishness could prevail. Practical implications include anchoring life in hope despite circumstances, praying daily for inner renewal, allowing actions to point others to Jesus, and trusting God to complete what he has started. The present reality is a tension between what God has already accomplished through Christ and the completion he will bring; the faithful life bears witness to that tension by displaying small previews of the renewed world to come. Ultimately, every life is invited to reflect the sure and active promise that God is at work making all things new, and to let that truth reframe how each day is lived and how others are pointed toward the hope of full restoration.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Hope anchored in God’s promise Hope is not a tentative wish but a confidence grounded in God’s authoritative word that he will make all things new. This certainty reshapes present fear into patient endurance and motivates choices that reflect a future healed by God’s faithfulness. It calls for devotion that trusts divine fidelity more than visible outcomes. [40:44]
• 2. Resurrection secures ultimate renewal Because Jesus rose, death does not have the final word; renewal is guaranteed by the same power that raised Christ. This truth reframes present suffering as temporary and provides a theological backbone for perseverance, not escapism. It also summons a life shaped by resurrected priorities—justice, mercy, and sacrificial love. [41:51]
• 3. God renews, not discards, creation God’s plan is restoration rather than replacement; he intends to heal what sin has marred instead of abandoning it. That reveals a steady, loving character who values the world and refuses to give up on human beings. It invites believers to steward, restore, and participate in God’s renewing work, not to withdraw from cultural or created responsibilities. [42:35]
• 4. Presence, not escape, is central The ultimate promise centers on God’s dwelling with people—presence more than geography—fulfilling the original intent of relationship with God. This reorients hope from merely leaving hardship to anticipating intimate communion with God, where barriers are removed and grief is ended. Living with this aim produces relational faithfulness now, as a foretaste of full presence. [45:21]
• 5. Renewal has already begun today The declaration’s present-tense phrasing signals that renewal is active now through forgiveness, transformed hearts, and acts of faithfulness. Believers live in the “already and not yet,” seeing daily signs of God’s work while awaiting consummation. This conviction calls for practical obedience: daily prayers for renewal, visible forgiveness, and lives that point others to the coming restoration. [49:56]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [35:21] - Kids Church Announcement
• [36:28] - Revision Series Recap
• [37:56] - What Story Are You Living Toward?
• [38:46] - Reading Revelation with Hope
• [39:58] - Revelation 21:1–5 Read Aloud
• [40:44] - “I Am Making Everything New”
• [41:51] - Resurrection and Renewal
• [45:21] - Presence Over Escape
• [47:37] - God Wipes Every Tear
• [49:56] - Renewal Already at Work
• [55:00] - Living as Previews of Renewal
• [57:38] - Practical Steps: Live Hope Daily
• [61:09] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Bible reading
Revelation 21:1–5 (ESV)
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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

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Observation questions

1. What specific things does God promise will be absent in the new creation described in Revelation 21:4?
2. According to the passage, who is speaking when the declaration “I am making all things new” is made, and what is the significance of that?
3. In the sermon, what is the difference between Christian hope and worldly optimism? [41:03]
4. What intimate action does God perform in verse 4, and what does this reveal about His character?

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Interpretation questions

1. Why is it significant that God says “I am making all things new” in the present tense, rather than “I will make all things new” in the future tense?
2. How does the resurrection of Jesus guarantee the future renewal of all things, as mentioned in the sermon? [41:51]
3. The ultimate hope is described as “presence more than place.” What does it mean for our hope to be centered on God’s presence rather than merely a better location? [45:21]
4. If God’s plan is renewal rather than replacement, what does that imply about how He views His creation and His people?

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Application questions

1. Where in your life have you lost hope that something can truly be renewed—a relationship, a personal struggle, or a situation that feels stuck? How can the promise that God is making all things new reshape your perspective? [55:55]
2. What would it look like this week to “set your mind on things above” in a practical way, especially in a situation where you’re tempted toward despair or earthly-mindedness?
3. The sermon mentioned that our lives can become “previews of renewal” when we choose forgiveness, love sacrificially, or act justly. Is there a specific relationship or context where you can offer a preview of God’s renewal through your actions this week? [55:16]
4. How can you incorporate the daily prayer, “Lord, renew my heart, renew my thinking, renew my priorities,” into your routine? What might need to change to make space for this? [58:13]
5. When people observe your life—your attitudes, words, and actions—what story do you think your life is currently pointing toward? What’s one step you can take to more clearly point others toward the hope of Christ’s renewal? [52:14]
6. In what area of your life is it most difficult to trust God with the future? How can you actively anchor your heart in His promise that He is faithful to complete what He has started? [59:48]
7. The sermon asked, “What story are you living toward?” How would you answer that question right now, and what might need to shift to align your daily life with the story of God’s renewal? [37:56]