Act 6: Kingdom Come | God's Big Story | Mark Tumney

Devotional

Day 1: The City With No Graves

John sees a new heaven and earth where God wipes every tear. The sea—a symbol of chaos—is gone. A radiant city descends, lit by God’s presence. Death and pain vanish as Jesus declares, “I am making everything new!” [35:14]

This vision answers humanity’s deepest ache. Broken relationships, grief, and decay began in Eden but find healing here. God doesn’t abandon creation—He renews it, restoring what sin destroyed. Jesus’ resurrection guarantees this future.

You face brokenness daily: strained relationships, chronic pain, or grief. Yet this ending reshapes today’s struggles. What if you lived this week as someone who knows death loses? Where can you plant hope in a weary place?

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…”
(Revelation 21:1, 4, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one situation where His “making new” changes your perspective today.
Challenge: Write “No graves here” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly.

Day 2: Leaves for the Nations’ Healing

A river flows from God’s throne, flanked by trees bearing monthly fruit. Their leaves heal the nations—no more war, racism, or division. The curse lifts as people from every tribe worship together. [36:25]

Jesus’ sacrifice tore down dividing walls. The cross reconciles enemies into one family. These leaves symbolize complete restoration—physical, emotional, and relational healing flowing from Christ’s victory.

You’ve tasted brokenness: a friendship fractured, inner shame, or societal strife. Jesus invites you to partner in healing. Who needs reconciliation? What bitterness have you nursed that He wants to uproot?

“On each side of the river stood the tree of life… and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
(Revelation 22:2, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one relationship where you’ve withheld forgiveness. Ask for courage to pursue peace.
Challenge: Text someone you’ve avoided: “Can we talk? I value us.”

Day 3: No More Hidden Faces

Moses once begged to see God’s face but was shielded. Now, Revelation’s saints see Him directly—no fear, no hiding. Their foreheads bear His name, claiming them as family. [38:35]

Sin made us cover our faces like Adam. Jesus’ blood removes shame, restoring unhindered access. Seeing God’s face isn’t about visuals—it’s intimacy. We’re known completely yet loved eternally.

You hide behind busyness, humor, or isolation. What mask do you wear to avoid being seen? What if you trusted Jesus with your rawest struggle today?

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.”
(Revelation 22:4, NIV)

Prayer: Tell Jesus one truth you’ve been afraid to admit about yourself.
Challenge: Share a vulnerable prayer request with a trusted friend this afternoon.

Day 4: Books Opened, Wounds Healed

A white throne appears. Books record every act, but the Lamb’s book holds names of those He redeemed. Justice comes—not to punish believers, but to answer their cries for wrongs made right. [53:49]

Judgment terrifies only those rejecting Christ. For His people, it’s hope: God sees your pain, your betrayals, your unseen sacrifices. Nothing is wasted. Every tear is counted.

You’ve harbored anger toward someone who hurt you. What if you released vengeance to God today? How would trusting His justice free you?

“The dead were judged according to what they had done… Anyone’s name not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:12,15, NIV)

Prayer: Name one hurt you’ve carried. Ask Jesus to bear its weight instead.
Challenge: Destroy a memento of a past wound (e.g., delete an angry text draft).

Day 5: Overcomers at the Tree

Jesus promises the tree of life to “the one who overcomes.” Not the perfect, but the faithful—those trusting Him through divorce, cancer, or doubt. Their victory lies in clinging to the King. [52:07]

Overcoming isn’t gritting teeth but gripping grace. Like a child holding a parent’s hand in a storm, your grip may tremble, but His doesn’t. The story’s end is secure.

What hardship tempts you to quit? How would this week change if you saw yourself as an overcomer, not a victim?

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.”
(Revelation 2:7, NIV)

Prayer: Whisper “Jesus, I hold on” three times. Picture Him strengthening your grip.
Challenge: Write “Overcomer” on your wrist. Thank Him for endurance each time you see it.

Sermon Summary

The service invites believers to surrender every part of their lives to Christ, presenting baptism and membership as public acts of giving oneself to the Lord. Scripture unfolds as a six-act drama: creation, the fall, Israel, Jesus, the church, and the return. Each act clarifies God’s work—how sin fractured four core relationships (with God, with others, within the self, and with creation) and how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection begin the long repair. The present age belongs to the church, called to embody and announce the kingdom while awaiting the final act when Christ returns and makes all things new.

Revelation 21–22 paints the return as concrete hope: a new heaven and new earth where God dwells permanently among his people, death and pain end, the river of life flows, and the tree of life brings healing to the nations. This vision answers the ache of loss and the injustice of the present by promising final restoration and communion with God face to face. Judgment appears as part of that restoration—God will set wrongs right, and justice will not be overlooked. Yet rescue precedes verdict: Christ took the sentence meant for humanity so that those who receive him enter the renewed creation rather than condemnation.

Knowing the story’s end changes how believers live now. Confidence in the outcome eases fear in grief, loss, and suffering and calls Christians to “overcome” by faithful endurance, not perfection. The message presses for active response: surrender personal kingdoms to Christ, live as a reconciled people in anticipation of the new world, support those publicly committing through baptism and membership, and keep faith steady amid hardship. The liturgy closes by baptizing new members and inviting the congregation into ongoing mutual care, urging all to participate in the unfolding story until the final reunion when every broken thing becomes whole.

Key Takeaways

1. Give your whole self to God Surrender goes beyond finances; it means offering identity, time, and allegiance. Baptism and membership symbolize dying to self-rule and rising to live under Christ’s kingship. This discipleship calls for daily choices that align love, work, and relationships under God’s reign. [26:16]
2. Know the Bible’s six-act story Viewing Scripture as a unified six-act narrative reframes isolated passages into a coherent promise. That shape—creation, fall, Israel, Jesus, church, return—helps believers see trials as a middle act, not the ending. Remembering the arc steadies faith and grounds hope in a trustworthy conclusion. [30:11]
3. God restores four broken relationships Redemption moves systematically: it restores relationship with God, heals conflicts among people, renews the inner life, and renews creation itself. The vision of one diverse people reconciled removes hostility without erasing difference and offers deep inner healing from shame. Expect renewal that transforms social, personal, and ecological wounds. [37:37]
4. Judgment affirms justice and hope Judgment does not merely punish; it guarantees that God notices every wrong and will right it. For those who trust Christ, judgment becomes vindication and closure rather than final separation. This reassurance fuels persistence in suffering and shapes compassionate longing for the day all things are made right. [53:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:56] - Baptism and giving of self
[30:11] - Six-Act overview of Scripture
[31:11] - Creation through Jesus (Acts 1–4)
[33:02] - The Church: Act Five
[35:14] - The Return: Revelation 21 reading
[36:25] - River of life and tree of life
[37:37] - Healing the four relationships
[47:01] - Assurance: Knowing the end
[53:27] - Judgment as restoration
[57:00] - Call to surrender and membership
[62:23] - Baptism, membership, and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

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.”

Observation Questions

What four relationships were fractured by sin and restored through Jesus, according to the sermon? [37:37]
How does Revelation 21:3-4 describe God’s presence and its impact on humanity’s suffering?
What does baptism symbolize, and how does it connect to surrendering personal "kingdoms" to Christ? [26:16]
What imagery does Revelation 22:1-2 use to depict healing and restoration in the new creation?

Interpretation Questions

Why is it significant that the new creation in Revelation 21 is described as a city coming down to earth rather than believers "flying away" to heaven? [44:55]
How does knowing the "end of the story" (God’s ultimate restoration) change the way believers face grief, injustice, or personal failure? [48:15]
The sermon says judgment is "good news" because it guarantees justice. How does this perspective differ from common fears about judgment? [54:32]
What does it mean to "overcome" in the context of Revelation 2:7, and how does this relate to daily faithfulness rather than perfection? [52:07]

Application Questions

What area of your life (identity, time, relationships, etc.) feels hardest to surrender fully to Christ’s kingship? What practical step could you take this week to align that area with His reign? [26:16]
When have you felt the "ache of loss" or injustice that Revelation’s vision of restoration answers? How might holding onto this hope shape your prayers or actions in that situation? [34:17]
The sermon emphasizes that healing broken relationships starts with reconciliation in the church. Is there a relationship in your life (family, friend, coworker) where you need to pursue peace or forgiveness? What would it look like to take one step toward that this week? [39:50]
How can you encourage someone in your life who is struggling to "overcome" a difficult season? What specific words, actions, or reminders of God’s promises could you offer them? [52:20]
Baptism and membership are public acts of belonging to Christ’s body. How can you intentionally support others in your church family this month—whether through prayer, practical help, or celebration? [01:02:23]
The sermon warns against clinging to personal "kingdoms" (control, comfort, success). What "kingdom" are you most tempted to build for yourself, and how can you daily surrender it to Jesus? [57:00]

Sermon Clips

34s

#SurrenderToTheKing

“``And so the question for us is have we surrendered our kingdoms? Have we bowed our knee to Jesus as the king? Are we following him? Are we part of this people that God is leading not only to be further healed, but to share this healing with the world, and are we living as overcomers knowing in this act five that act six is coming? Because if we do, then there's no fear. There's just joy.”

33s

#GodMakesItRight

“Too often when people are hurt, it seems like nothing's happening. Where justice is not done, it seems to go unanswered. When things are taken, broken, and lost, and not restored, but what judgment says is God says there will be a time. He sees it all, nothing is overlooked, and on that day, everything that is wrong will be made right. And evil will not have the final word. What is broken will not be allowed to continue this way forever.”

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Act 6: Kingdom Come | God's Big Story | Mark Tumney | 4.19.26