Sermons 2025

Text: Revelation 21:1-7

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

My dear beloved flock, the text for our meditation this morning is the Epistle Lesson of the Revelation according to Saint John, the twenty-first chapter verses one through seven. 

Boys and Girls, How are you doing this morning? I pray that you are doing well today. Have you ever heard of a move titled Aladdin? It was one of my favorite movies when I was your age. It is about a boy that does not have a family. He does not have a mom or dad. Aladdin’s life is broken and he wants a new life. He does everything he can to find a whole new world , to find someone who loves him. When something is old and broken what do you do with it? You would throw it away, right? It is broken. It does not work anymore. You toss it away and get something new. In our text for today, we see what God does with old things. We see that God does not throw them in the trash. Instead, He makes them new again. How does God do that? Ponder this question, as you hear the rest of the sermon. You may go back to your seats and those who love you. 

Old has passed away, New has come 

In our reading, Saint John sees the old earth and heaven dissolves and pass away. They are no longer there. They are replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. Does this mean that everything we see here and now will be completely and totally destroyed? That there will be no more buildings, no more plants or animals? That everything will look like something out of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, void of anything living and full of emptiness everywhere you look? 

No, God does not utterly destroy the world. Rather, everything will be restored to perfection again. The voice of the Father, sitting on the throne declares, “Behold I am making all things new!” then He says, “It is done!”  

All things are made new again, here and now. This can be hard for our minds to understand. Everywhere we look at this present moment we see death and pain. There are still wars ,killings, and the shedding of innocent blood. There are still arguments, hatred, and anger in thought, word, and deed. We still struggle against our sinful flesh, the temptations of the devil, and the pressures of this sin-filled world. Yet, in the midst of this chaos and death, the voice of the Father says, “I am making all things new.” How can everything already be made new? 

New in and through JC 

It is made new because of the One who is making all things new. Notice the tense of the Father’s statement. This statement is in the present tense, “I am making everything new.” This is the consummation of God’s work of renewal and redemption, on the Last Day. Yet, already seen here and now in our present time. 

Everything has been made new because of the work of the everlasting Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What did Jesus do? He came down out of heaven for us. What does Saint John see? He sees the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven! Our restoration is not a matter of us ascending to God, but of God descending to us! God entered His creation, took on our flesh, that through His perfect life, death, and resurrection, the crown jewel of creation, humanity itself, might be restored. With the crown jewel restored, all creation follows as well.

The voice says “It is done!” John must have been reminded of a word he had heard years earlier: “It is finished.” That’s what Jesus said on the cross, as he was hanging there, dying for the sins of the world. Because Jesus shed his blood and  died for your sins and mine, our debt has been paid. The goal has been reached, and the deal has been sealed, with something more precious and more valuable than gold, the blood of the Lamb. Jesus’ “It is finished” on the cross guarantees the “It is done” of  the new Jerusalem. The proof is in the resurrection of Christ, when he conquered the grave and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. “Because he lives, we shall live also.”  

Jesus takes upon Himself all of the anger, guilt, and much more of our sins. Instead of destroying us as we deserve, He removes them from us by giving us His perfect righteousness. In Christ we are perfectly restored in a right relationship with the Father here and now. Our relationship with God is made perfect once again because of the shedding of Christ’s blood. Thus, why there is no longer any sea, not a reference to physical water but in terms of chaos and separation from God. There is no more separation. He is our God and we are His Sons and Daughters because of Jesus’ death and resurrection from the dead.  

Sons and Daughters of God forever! 

Jesus has made us new creations in the waters of Holy Baptism. There, God has washed us in the blood of the Lamb and made us His dear children, now and forever. At this present moment, we suffer and endure. We suffer because of our sins as well as the sins of those around us, still living in a sinful world. Yet, we endure, steadfast in repentance, constantly turning towards God in contrition, seeking His grace and mercy.

We endure our pain and suffering, not because we enjoy them, but because we know the end result. Because of Jesus Christ, there will be a whole new world. A new heaven and a new earth. What exactly that will look like, I do not know. What I do know is what we have seen in our text for today. The holy city, the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven on the Last day. We will be made new. A holy people, a new you, one that will never have to worry about sin or death ever again. The Triune God will be your Emmanuel, God with you forever. 

Until that blessed day arrives, hold fast to the faith that you have been given. Your sins are forgiven in Christ. You have been made new. Until the day when we see the consummation of all things, stand firm in the faith because

Christ has Risen!
He has risen Indeed! Alleluia!

May the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.