All Things New, Part 1
This Week our Sermon is called: “The Big Story”
My struggle in preparation was to know where to begin. Questions about the end of this life and the end of this age need to fit into God’s big story. Sadly, it’s often not His story we are working with, but a story told by modern folk religion and the failed ideas of the immanent return of Jesus that became popular in the 1970s. We need to begin by reclaiming the story of the Bible - the Hope of “New Creation.”
Creation 10 (Genesis) - BY Daniel Heller
Anchor Texts:
Genesis 2:4-9 NIV - The Trees of the Garden
Isaiah 11:1-9 NIV - The Branch From Jesse
2 Peter 3:8-13 NIV The Unravelling of the Old Order
Questions to Ponder:
Are questions and studies about death, Heaven, and the New Creation a waste of time for us? What would you say to someone who says - there are more important and practical things to talk about?
What views about Heaven and New Creation did you grow up with? How would you describe your belief about these things today?
What does it change about our ideas of stewardship of creation if we realize we are learning and living patterns today that can be carried over into the New Creation?
Read Genesis 1:26-28, how do these verses help us understand out basic duties as human beings both now and in the new creation? Remember, these verses were given before the “fall” of Genesis 3.
Do you think humans will be capable of sinning in the New Creation? Why or why not? Second, will sin still have the potential of happening in the New Creation?
The Theme in Song:
There are many beautiful songs that speak to the hope of New Creation. One of my favourite is Stuart Townend’s Creation Sings. The song tells the story of Creations declaration of God’s glory both now and in the age to come.
The Theme for Kids:
This video is a pretty good summary of the New Creation for kids to be able to understand… as much as it’s possible to understand a perfect world! We all need to use our imaginations, and listen carefully with our hearts and our minds to truly begin to see the glory God is calling us to. But it’s not just about the future, we’re to live as sign posts of the New Creation today!