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Creekside Church, Sunday, February 22, 2026
All Things New
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 8:25 AM
Sunday 9:45 AM
Sunday 11:15 AM
Today we conclude our series on the Book of Revelation.
The importance of these final chapters cannot be understated because they provide our final hope.
Where is the story of everything going? How we answer that determines how we live today.
THE PROBLEM OF ESCAPE
Many belief systems view the physical world as a prison, a cycle of suffering, or a cosmic accident. They teach that the goal is to escape or become detached because the material realm isn't truly real.
Even in Christian circles, we often settle for an ending that sounds like an evacuation:
* One day we will all fly away.
* Heaven is my home.
* Jesus is my ticket.
If our only goal is to escape, it becomes difficult to find a reason to follow Jesus with our lives now. If we are saved by grace and just waiting for a ticket to a disembodied heaven, why live a sacrificial, obedient life today?
REVELATION 21: THE TRUE GOAL
In Revelation, we don't see humans flying away to a distant cloud; we see God coming down to live with us.
1. EVIL IS DESTROYED
Evil is not something to be "explained away" or merely understood. It is a real force that is finally defeated and destroyed.
2. NEW CREATION
REVELATION 21:1-5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them... He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain."
The city is measured as a cube, reminiscent of the Holy of Holies. It signifies that the entire world becomes the dwelling place of God.
3. EDEN UPGRADED
The end of the Bible mirrors the beginning but with an upgrade. We see the River of Life and the Tree of Life.
REVELATION 22:1-5
No longer will there be any curse... They will see his face... And they will reign for ever and ever.
God hands us the keys again. We return to our original purpose: reigning as image-bearers in a physical, redeemed reality.
A CITY, NOT A CLOUD
The New Jerusalem is shorthand for the intersection of God and humanity. A city is inherently social. It implies:
* CULTURE: Art, music, and language.
* COMMUNITY: Relationships and diversity.
* GOVERNANCE: Order, justice, and the healing of the nations.
The hope is not a disembodied evacuation. The hope is that the good world God created will be fully redeemed. Heaven and Earth will be integrated.
----------
HOW THIS REDEEMED HOPE CHANGES US
1. IT CHANGES OUR EVANGELISM
We aren't selling afterlife insurance or an escape from the world. We can affirm the goodness of this life—apple pie, gardening, sports, engineering—and tell people that God plans to remove only what ruins those things. Your future life is not disconnected from your current one.
2. IT CHANGES OUR VIEW OF WORK
Work was part of Eden before the fall, and it will be part of the New Creation.
3. IT CHANGES OUR VIEW OF OUR BODIES
We aren't looking to escape our bodies; we are looking for redeemed ones. Jesus’ resurrection is our model. In 1 Corinthians 15, we see that the resurrection body is physical—Jesus was hungry and ate fish. We long for renewal, not extinction.
4. IT CHANGES OUR OBEDIENCE
We don't just wait for the New Creation; we anticipate it. When Zacchaeus met Jesus (Luke 19), his immediate response was to right his wrongs and give to the poor. He was "anticipating" the Kingdom. We don't just "try to be good"; we live now the way things will be then.
----------
PRACTICAL NEW LANGUAGE
Try changing how you speak about the future to reflect this biblical hope:
* Use IN THE NEW CREATION instead of IN HEAVEN.
* Focus on REDEMPTION rather than ESCAPE.
* Remember that GOD IS MY HOME rather than HEAVEN IS MY HOME.
It is not about "going to heaven when I die." It is about being reborn now and resurrected later to be a true image-bearer of God.
----------
REVELATION 22:20
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The importance of these final chapters cannot be understated because they provide our final hope.
Where is the story of everything going? How we answer that determines how we live today.
THE PROBLEM OF ESCAPE
Many belief systems view the physical world as a prison, a cycle of suffering, or a cosmic accident. They teach that the goal is to escape or become detached because the material realm isn't truly real.
Even in Christian circles, we often settle for an ending that sounds like an evacuation:
* One day we will all fly away.
* Heaven is my home.
* Jesus is my ticket.
If our only goal is to escape, it becomes difficult to find a reason to follow Jesus with our lives now. If we are saved by grace and just waiting for a ticket to a disembodied heaven, why live a sacrificial, obedient life today?
REVELATION 21: THE TRUE GOAL
In Revelation, we don't see humans flying away to a distant cloud; we see God coming down to live with us.
1. EVIL IS DESTROYED
Evil is not something to be "explained away" or merely understood. It is a real force that is finally defeated and destroyed.
2. NEW CREATION
REVELATION 21:1-5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them... He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain."
The city is measured as a cube, reminiscent of the Holy of Holies. It signifies that the entire world becomes the dwelling place of God.
3. EDEN UPGRADED
The end of the Bible mirrors the beginning but with an upgrade. We see the River of Life and the Tree of Life.
REVELATION 22:1-5
No longer will there be any curse... They will see his face... And they will reign for ever and ever.
God hands us the keys again. We return to our original purpose: reigning as image-bearers in a physical, redeemed reality.
A CITY, NOT A CLOUD
The New Jerusalem is shorthand for the intersection of God and humanity. A city is inherently social. It implies:
* CULTURE: Art, music, and language.
* COMMUNITY: Relationships and diversity.
* GOVERNANCE: Order, justice, and the healing of the nations.
The hope is not a disembodied evacuation. The hope is that the good world God created will be fully redeemed. Heaven and Earth will be integrated.
----------
HOW THIS REDEEMED HOPE CHANGES US
1. IT CHANGES OUR EVANGELISM
We aren't selling afterlife insurance or an escape from the world. We can affirm the goodness of this life—apple pie, gardening, sports, engineering—and tell people that God plans to remove only what ruins those things. Your future life is not disconnected from your current one.
2. IT CHANGES OUR VIEW OF WORK
Work was part of Eden before the fall, and it will be part of the New Creation.
3. IT CHANGES OUR VIEW OF OUR BODIES
We aren't looking to escape our bodies; we are looking for redeemed ones. Jesus’ resurrection is our model. In 1 Corinthians 15, we see that the resurrection body is physical—Jesus was hungry and ate fish. We long for renewal, not extinction.
4. IT CHANGES OUR OBEDIENCE
We don't just wait for the New Creation; we anticipate it. When Zacchaeus met Jesus (Luke 19), his immediate response was to right his wrongs and give to the poor. He was "anticipating" the Kingdom. We don't just "try to be good"; we live now the way things will be then.
----------
PRACTICAL NEW LANGUAGE
Try changing how you speak about the future to reflect this biblical hope:
* Use IN THE NEW CREATION instead of IN HEAVEN.
* Focus on REDEMPTION rather than ESCAPE.
* Remember that GOD IS MY HOME rather than HEAVEN IS MY HOME.
It is not about "going to heaven when I die." It is about being reborn now and resurrected later to be a true image-bearer of God.
----------
REVELATION 22:20
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.