A New Heaven, New Earth: Live Courageous Faith

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the Sea of Chaos Finally Still

John’s vision of a sea-less earth isn’t about geography. The turbulent waters—symbolizing evil, confusion, and spiritual warfare—are eternally absent. No more hidden threats rising from the deep. No more cultural currents pulling hearts toward fear. The new creation’s shoreline stretches undisturbed, a physical reminder that every source of chaos has been swallowed by Christ’s victory. [34:13]

“And 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.”
(Revelation 21:1, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel the “sea’s turbulence” most acutely in your life? How might the promise of its eternal absence reshape your perspective today?

Day 2: The God Who Wipes Cheeks, Not Just Slates

Tears are not erased abstractly. The same hands that shaped galaxies will touch faces streaked with grief. This intimacy reverses Eden’s exile: God doesn’t just pardon—He draws near. Every tear tells a story He vows to redeem, not dismiss. The end of mourning begins with His presence, not just the absence of pain. [30:56]

“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.”
(Revelation 21:4, ESV)

Reflection: What sorrow feels too private to bring to God? How might His promise to personally wipe your tears soften that ache?

Day 3: Thirsty Souls at a Bottomless Spring

The woman at the well traded her jar for a fountain. Revelation’s “water of life” isn’t a metaphor—it’s the end of striving. No payment, no quotas. The new creation’s economy runs on grace, not scarcity. To thirst here is to drink deeply, not desperately. [45:55]

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”
(John 4:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: What “wells” have you returned to, hoping they’ll satisfy? How might Christ’s endless spring redirect your daily cravings?

Day 4: Courage Is Faith With Calluses

Cowards aren’t marked by fear but retreat. Conquerors aren’t fearless—they’re faithful. Joshua’s strength came not from confidence in his leadership but in God’s nearness. The new Jerusalem isn’t for the flawless but for those who, despite trembling, kept stepping toward the throne. [55:48]

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9, ESV)

Reflection: Where has safety become an idol? What one step of “forward faith” could you take this week, even if your knees shake?

Day 5: Princes in a Kingdom Without Thorns

Inheriting the new earth isn’t retirement—it’s reigning. Sons and daughters don’t strum harps; they steward galaxies. The courage to serve now—amid thorns and thistles—trains us to govern then. Your today’s faithfulness is apprenticeship for eternity’s vocation. [01:05:06]

“The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
(Revelation 21:7, ESV)

Reflection: How might viewing your current struggles as “royal training” change your endurance? What broken thing could you serve today as practice for eternity?

Sermon Summary

John opens Revelation 21 with three great sights: a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. The new heaven and new earth are not theory, myth, or symbol. The earth means dirt, soil, something physical, something real. God is going to do creation again, and this time the curse is gone.

The sea being no more means chaos is no more. The sea has been the place of turbulence, confusion, evil, and the beast. The world that now feels full of fighting opinions, temptation, and turmoil will not be like that forever. Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and the demons are gone, and the whole earth is no longer under the curse of sin.

Creation itself has been waiting for that day. Romans 8 says creation groans because the ground was cursed, not because the ground sinned, but because Adam sinned. The dirt has been waiting to know the freedom of glory. The new earth is creation finally set free.

John also sees the new Jerusalem coming down from God. Jerusalem was the place where God’s people went to worship, but this new city means a whole new relationship with God. God himself will dwell with man. God will draw near enough to put his hand on a tear-streaked cheek and wipe every tear away.

God says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” John is so overwhelmed that God has to remind him, “Write this down.” The glory is that stunning. The point is not gold streets first, or giant walls first, or impressive stones first. The real thirst of the heart is not opulence. The thirst is God himself.

Jesus is the living water who satisfies that thirst. The woman at the well needed more than another drink from a physical well. The people at the Feast of Booths needed more than a memory of the cloud in the wilderness. Jesus leads his people all the way home to the place where God dwells.

Revelation 21 also gives a warning. The cowardly and faithless do not inherit the kingdom. Faith steps forward toward God, even when the next place is scary. Cowardice pulls back into safety because it does not trust God.

Those who conquer receive the inheritance. The inheritance is not sitting on a cloud plucking a harp forever. The King gives his sons and daughters a place in his kingdom, a work to do, and a glory to serve under. God is preparing his people now for a world they cannot even imagine.

Key Takeaways

1. New creation is physical and free The new heaven and new earth are not a vague spiritual idea. God is remaking the real world, the dirt and soil, without the curse that has touched every day of life. The absence of the sea means the absence of chaos, evil, confusion, and the powers that have fed rebellion against God. [36:38]
2. God draws near to wipe tears The promise is not only that pain ends, but that God himself comes close. The hand of God on the cheek is a picture of nearness, comfort, and assurance beyond anything ordinary life has known. Heaven is not less personal than earth, but more personal, because God’s presence is no longer hidden behind clouds or symbols. [40:52]
3. Living water is God himself The deepest thirst is not for gold streets, massive walls, or the beauty of the city. The deepest thirst is to be near the God who makes all things new. Jesus does not merely give temporary relief like water from a well, but becomes the spring that never runs dry. [45:11]
4. Faith steps forward, fear pulls back Revelation sets conquering beside cowardice, and the difference is faith. Courage is not the absence of fear, because Joshua still needed to hear, “Be strong and courageous.” Courage trusts God enough to lean forward when comfort, safety, and self-protection are calling the soul backward. [57:19]
5. The inheritance is kingdom service The reward of the conqueror is not boredom dressed up with clouds and harps. The King gives his children a share in his kingdom, a place under his rule, and work that honors his glory. Present faithfulness matters because God is training his people now for a kingdom bigger than anything the mind can measure.

## [65:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:44] - A New Heaven And Earth
[32:29] - John Sees A Real New Beginning
[34:13] - No More Sea, No More Chaos
[37:03] - Creation Longs To Be Free
[39:11] - The New Jerusalem Comes Down
[40:07] - God Wipes Away Every Tear
[42:55] - God Makes All Things New
[44:31] - Thirsting For God’s Presence
[48:11] - Jesus Leads To Living Water
[49:14] - God Dwells With His People
[54:26] - The Warning Against Cowardice
[60:31] - Joshua And Courageous Faith
[62:34] - The Inheritance Of The Conquerors
[68:50] - Choosing Courage Today

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Revelation 21:1-8
“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.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’” [28:44] [30:12]

Romans 8:19-22
“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” [37:14]

John 4:13-14
“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

John 7:37-38
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’” [48:11]

Observation questions

In Revelation 21:1-8, what three things does John say he saw or heard at the start of the chapter, and what do those details show about what God is bringing? [32:29]
In Revelation 21, what specific things are said to be gone in the new creation, and what remains at the center of everything?
According to Romans 8:19-22, why is creation groaning, and what is creation waiting to be set free from? [37:14]
In Revelation 21:7-8, what contrast is made between “the one who conquers” and “the cowardly, the faithless”? [56:20]

Interpretation questions

Revelation 21 says “the sea was no more.” If the sea points to chaos, evil, confusion, and turmoil, how does that deepen the promise of the new earth beyond simply describing geography? [34:23]
Revelation 21 says God will dwell with his people and wipe away every tear. What does that suggest about how personal and near God’s presence will be in the age to come? [40:45]
Jesus offers living water in John 4 and John 7, and Revelation 21 promises the water of life without payment. What does that connection show about what the human heart is really thirsty for? [45:11]
Revelation 21 places the cowardly beside the faithless. How does that help explain why fear can become a spiritual issue, not just a personality trait? [57:19]

Application questions

The new creation is real, physical, and free from the curse. When daily life feels heavy, broken, or chaotic, what helps a person remember that this fallen world is not the final version of creation? [36:38]
God’s promise is not only that pain will end, but that God himself will draw near. When tears, grief, or disappointment show up in real life, is there a tendency to want relief from pain more than nearness to God? What does that look like personally? [40:52]
The deepest thirst of the heart is not for comfort, beauty, or success, but for God himself. What wells does a person keep going back to for satisfaction that leave them thirsty again? [46:28]
Courage looks like stepping forward in faith, while cowardice pulls back into safety. Where is there a temptation right now to retreat instead of trust God? [58:01]
Joshua had to trust God outside his comfort zone. What situation right now feels unfamiliar enough that it requires real faith instead of personal control? [01:01:30]
The inheritance of God’s people is not passive boredom but joyful service in the King’s kingdom. How could that future hope change the way a person thinks about ordinary faithfulness, work, sacrifice, and obedience today? [01:05:27]
Every day presents a choice to lean toward God or pull back. What would taking one concrete step of courageous faith this week actually look like? [01:08:50]

Sermon Clips

39s

#FaithOverFear

“Who inherits these things? People who just simply say, I believe you, God. I trust you, Jesus. I don't have all the answers, and I don't know what it all means. At times, I'm scared. At times, I fall. But I will get up, and I will lean towards you, and I will follow you, and I trust you because my faith is set in you.”

57s

#ChooseCourage

“Every day we choose to be courageous or to be cowardly. Every day we choose, I believe in you, God. I trust you, and I step forward. God may say, I'm gonna take you to a place you've never been, and you're overwhelmed by it. You're scared by it. You you I don't I don't know how to do that, God. I I don't know what to do with it. I'm not a you got the wrong person. And it's like God leans in and whispers, be strong and courageous. Trust me. I am going to manifest myself in a way where I will lead you and guide you, and you'll know I'm there. And you're gonna learn what it means to trust me because I'm getting you ready for a world you can't even imagine.”

43s

#LivingWaterPromise

“Jesus again says, I am the source of this living water. But just like you look to that cloud to lead you to a promised land, I'm telling you, you're not there yet. That he would tell his disciples, I go prepare a place for you. And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come back to receive you to myself. I'll come back and get you so that where I am, there you may be also. The cloud led them in the wilderness, and Jesus is the one that leads us all the way to this beautiful place of heaven to be with God forever. He satisfies our thirst because this is a place where God dwells.”

46s

#RoyalInheritance

“Look at what he says about those who conquer. And to the one who conquers, he will have this heritage. I will be his God. But notice this, the language changes. And he will be my Singular. Personal. It's not peoples anymore. It's not a nation. It's an individual. That that phrase, he will be my son, is messianic. In Jewish literature, that is messianic language. Here here's what God's saying. When I establish this kingdom, you are my princes and my princesses. I am the king and all of it is my domain.”

61s

#ConquerOrCower

“He calls them cowards. The first people mentioned are cowards. But as for the cowardly, why does he say that? Why does he use that? Well, first of all, the word for coward here or cowardly is a a Greek word of delios. And it is the only time it's used in the New Testament. It's right here. This is it. It means fearful, but it means fearful in the sense of pulling back or drawing back. It's fearful in the sense of we feel very threatened, and we're looking for a place of safety. We're looking for a retreat to come back to. Now you take that idea of cowardly, and you lay it next to what he says in the verse before, verse seven. The one who conquers will have this heritage. For John, there are just two types of people. Those who conquer and those who are cowards.”

39s

#KingdomAwaits

“Maybe you're here and you wonder, does God really care? He does. You wish you would show up? He has. Well, what does it mean? I don't know all the answers. Eye hasn't seen and ear hasn't heard all that's been prepared. But I know this. It'll be perfect. It'll be glorious. God is gonna be at the center of it. And everybody there who trusts him and follows him has a role to play, and it is our reward to be part of the kingdom.”

44s

#OneKingOneKingdom

“Father God, we think about that day. That day when there's just one king, just one kingdom, there is no more temptation, no more devil, no more sin, no more curse, no more fallen, no more brokenness, no more death, no more disease, no more mourning. All there is is you, your kingdom, and your glory, and we are there to serve you. So, God, remind us of that day. And that, God, today, we would make decisions in anticipation of that day. In Jesus' name. Amen.”

43s

#NewHeavenNewEarth

“And so what what John is telling us is he beheld these things. He physically saw these things. This is a grand new beginning of all things. And the first thing John wants us to get is this is a new physical beginning. When he talks about a new heaven and a new earth, this is not theoretical. This isn't mythological. This isn't symbolic language. He is talking about a literal heaven and a literal earth. Very physical. In fact, the word for earth here is a word that means dirt or soil. And so he's talking about something that is incredibly physical.”

40s

#CreationLongsForRestoration

“It even even the ground is looking for that. And it says, the hope of creation itself, it'll be set free from the bondage to corruption and obtain a freedom of the glory of the children of God. You and I know a little bit about what it means to be forgiven of our sins and set free. Creation wants to know what that's like. What's the freedom of salvation? What's the freedom to be without the curse? For we know that a whole creation has been groaning together in the pangs of childbirth until now. So when he says, I saw a new heaven and new earth, that's what he's telling us.”

56s

#FaithOrFaithless

“Conquering is about moving forward. Coward is about pulling back. Well, why does one person move forward and be conquering? And why does another person move back? John tells us the second thing, the faithless. The cowardly who are faithless. Now the word for faith here in Greek is pistis. It's a common word for faith, but in here it is apistis. So it has an a in front of it. An a in the Greek language makes it the opposite of whatever it is. We understand that because if I tell you something is necessary, you need it. But if I put the words u n in front of it and call it unnecessary, it changes the whole meaning. That's what the a does in the Greek language. Same thing. So we're talking about faith, and then we put an a in front of it. We mean those people who don't have faith. Those people who hear it translates as faithless or the unfaithful or those who don't have faith.”

51s

#NewJerusalemComing

“When Moses dies and Joshua becomes the new leader, God starts this pattern of looking at Joshua and telling him this over and over and over again. Be strong and courageous. I'm thinking, god, there's nobody stronger and more courageous in all of Israel than Joshua. What are you telling him be strong and look at him. He's not scared of the battle. He believes in God. He looked at the the giants. He said, come on. Let's go. We don't have a picture of Joshua pulling back, being scared, being afraid. Nothing like that. Why does God keep telling him be strong and courageous? Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Here's what I think. Joshua knows what it is to lead an army. He has no clue what it means to lead a nation.”

42s

#StepIntoTheKingdom

“Every day, you and I have to wrestle with the sin nature. Every day, you and I wrestle in a world that's still under the curse of the sin. Every day, you and I have a spiritual enemy who would love to cause us to trip, fall, stumble, do something that would embarrass the name of Christ. That's the world we live in, and we struggle to get it right. And sometimes the temptation is to say, let's just do what's safe, and we pull back.”

44s

#RecordRevelation

“Maybe you just come and recommit yourself to being about the father's business and about his kingdom, to not be cowardly, but to be courageous. Maybe you come and say, I don't know what it means to be a part of the kingdom, but I want to. I wanna know what it means that Jesus died for my sins. But as we sing, I'm gonna invite you to come forward. I'm gonna invite you to be courageous, not cowardly. Just to step out, maybe to recommit, or maybe to commit for the first time. But just to say, I'm gonna live my days. Being about the father's kingdom because one day, the father's kingdom is all that will remain.”

68s

#JoshuaTheCommander

“John is so overwhelmed. He has to be reminded. Go back to writing. It is that. And then he talks about thirst. That everyone who is thirsty will drink from this spring of water of life without payment. He's not talking about our physical thirst here. He's talking about our spiritual thirst, a desire to be with God. When I was young, I was mesmerized by the size of the new Jerusalem. I I was mesmerized by all the stones that make up the foundation. I was mesmerized by streets that were made out of gold, by all these things that that that the Bible describes about heaven. And we're gonna talk about them all, and they're all valuable and important. And they are stunning, but they are secondary to the presence of God. And our thirst is not to be impressed by opulence. Our thirst is to be near God who draws near and wipes every tear away from his our eyes and said, I've made everything new, and I want you to be a part of this.”

70s

#BeyondOurImagination

“God was still leading them. That he hadn't given up. That he hadn't quit. That there still was a promised land to get to. When Solomon builds the temple, the cloud fills the temple. And it's at Shekinah glory, which means God has taken up residency in this new temple in Jerusalem, and people can come here and worship God and meet with God and hear from God, and that that was his presence there. But here's the amazing thing. We keep living on this planet trying to figure out how we can get the God of heaven to show up here. And John says, you're missing it because he's gonna create you a whole new world. And you're not staying here. You're going where he is. And you're gonna be with him. And you are going to dwell with him. And you are going to see him face to face. No more clouds. No more fires. You're gonna enter into this relationship where God draws so near to you. He can wipe away the tear on your eye or in your cheek and know him.”

35s

#ComfortInHisPresence

“``In the midst of our grief, in the midst of the pain of death, and the struggles, those are comforting words. They are the words that tell us, it will not always be like this. One day it will be different. Think about this. What's it mean that God draws near enough to wipe away your tears? The hand of God on your cheek in comfort and assurance. That's the relationship he's describing.”

58s

#NoMoreChaos

“And and so you and I, we live in a world that is in constant turmoil. We live in a world that is in constant confusion. We live in a world full of fighting opinions and personalities. And we're oftentimes confused about which way to go or what to listen to or or what to do. We live in turbulence. And and there is a seedbed that it comes out of. But but when there is no more sea, there is no more chaos. There's no more confusion. There's no more turbulence. And the very things that feed that, that come out of the sea and cause that to happen are no more. We've already seen the devil's been thrown into hell. The beast, the false prophet are in hell. The demons are in hell. They're they're not here anymore. And so this new earth physically is no longer under the curse of sin.”

41s

#LongingForShekinah

“Maybe you live your life and go, I'm in such trouble. I'm in such turmoil. I'm in such confusion. I just wish God would show up and do something. Just do something that lets me know he's there. Just do something that tells me what the next step is. Just do something that brings hope or comfort. And what you're craving is something like a Shekinah. I wish I had that because then I would know. That was what it was for the children of Israel. They saw that cloud and they knew God was with them.”

50s

#SeaOfChaosGone

“The the Greek word here would be to abide, but that's not what a Jewish mind would think of. A Jewish mind would think of a Hebrew word, which means to dwell or to abide or to live. But they would also think about where else they see that word in the Old Testament. The word Shekinah becomes the root for a word Shekinah. And Shekinah comes to represent the glory of God. That when the cloud came down, when the fire was there at night, that was the Shekinah glory of God. And here's what it meant. That in a very physical way, God left heaven and came down to earth and manifested himself in some way so that people could see it. And they could know God's presence was there.”

49s

#CourageNotComfort

“Now we think about the planet we have right now. All of that will be over. A new planet takes its place, a new earth as it were. But notice that what he says, there's a new heaven and new earth, but there is no more sea. Three fourths of our planet, approximately, is covered by oceans or seas, by waters like that. So three fourths of what we know is no longer there. Why is it important we have no sea? The sea in in this prophetic literature is always the place of a chaos and disturbance and evil and confusion and things like that. The turbulence of the sea represents a turbulence of of humanity. But in the biblical ideas, it's also the seabed where evil comes out of.”

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A New Heaven, New Earth: Live Courageous Faith

Devotional

Day 1: When the Sea of Chaos Finally Still

Day 2: The God Who Wipes Cheeks, Not Just Slates

Day 3: Thirsty Souls at a Bottomless Spring

Day 4: Courage Is Faith With Calluses

Day 5: Princes in a Kingdom Without Thorns

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

A New Heaven, New Earth: Live Courageous Faith

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