John opens Revelation 21 and says how it ends. The first heaven and earth pass away. A new heaven and a new earth appear. The holy city comes down like a bride. God tabernacles with men. He names it plain: no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain. The One on the throne speaks and says, behold, I make all things new, and stamps it with, these words are true and faithful. That promise answers the drone strikes, the epidemics, and the shaky ground underfoot. The book is not missing its last chapter. God wrote a good book and tells the ending.
Paul then puts the heart back where it belongs. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. The age loves “down here.” New hymnals thin out the songs of heaven, and Christians start acting like this world is all there is. But Jesus does not talk like that. In John 14 he says there are many mansions, and he goes to prepare a place, a literal place, and will receive his people to himself. He is coming back. The map is in the book.
A simple outline stands up out of the text. First, no more pain. Bodies hurt. Childbirth hurts. Kidney stones and a busted back hurt. Saints like Richard Wurmbrand knew torture and long nights, yet they looked for that country where pain is over and bodies are made right. Second, no more crying. Hearts have broken in quiet bedrooms, in hospital halls, in courtrooms. God sees every tear now and promises a land where tears are wiped away by his own hand. Third, no more sorrow. This earth groans. Families split. Children are taken. Wars scatter orphans. But the former things pass away. Fourth, no more death. No more hearses. No more little white boxes. No more empty chairs. Up there no one says goodbye.
Jesus’ promise stands and the Spirit’s comfort steadies. Treasures belong where rust and thieves cannot reach. A Dallas lady lived in hotel suites with wedding gifts still wrapped, and never had a home. Earth can do that to a soul. Christ does not. He purchases a home and furnishes it by his blood. The question lands simple and straight. If the heart stopped today, where is the soul? Whoever has turned from sin to the Lord Jesus Christ has this promise in hand and a place at the King’s table. Will you meet me at the fountain when the chorus breaks and the Father’s welcome sounds.
Key Takeaways
- 1. Set affections on things above [28:05] Setting the heart on heaven loosens earth’s grip. Attention shapes affection, and affection shapes allegiances. A lifted gaze makes Scripture easier to read and obedience easier to choose because the finish line is in view. Earth shrinks to proper size when the goal is God. [28:05]
- 2. Heaven is a real prepared place [37:21] Jesus promises many mansions and a prepared place, then ties that promise to his own return. A concrete hope births concrete holiness and courage, because real destinations command present decisions. Faith is not betting on fog; it is traveling by a map the Lord himself drew. [37:21]
- 3. Former things truly pass away [21:47] “Behold, I make all things new” is not poetry to soothe; it is a decree from the throne. Pain, tears, sorrow, and death are not permanent residents, they are evicted tenants. Hope grows teeth when it hears God say “write,” and believes these words are true and faithful. [21:47]
- 4. Hope steadies saints amid sorrow [47:22] Grief, injustice, and long nights are not the whole story. The promise of no more weeping and no more funerals gives ballast in present storms and guards against worldliness that numbs the soul. Real hope does not skip the valley; it walks it with a home already secured. [47:22]
Youtube Chapters
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [18:07] - Take the world, give me Jesus
- [19:13] - Turn from the news to Revelation
- [20:48] - Reading the new heaven and earth
- [21:35] - No more tears, death, sorrow, pain
- [24:16] - God’s book has a happy ending
- [27:04] - Why heaven songs are missing
- [28:05] - Set your affection above
- [31:06] - The place described in Revelation 21–22
- [33:03] - Outline: no pain, crying, sorrow, death
- [36:57] - “In my Father’s house are many mansions”
- [38:29] - Wurmbrand and the witness of pain
- [40:09] - A land with no more crying
- [42:36] - A world of sorrow and a sure hope
- [48:12] - No more death, no more goodbyes
- [52:56] - Waking up at Jesus’ feet
- [54:00] - The Dallas story and the true home
- [55:36] - No U-Haul behind a hearse
- [56:59] - Paul’s desire to depart
- [58:32] - Lay up treasures in heaven
- [59:33] - The gift of a furnished home
- [62:57] - Assurance, the Comforter, and the call
- [65:02] - Invitation: Just As I Am
- [66:27] - Closing and dismissal