Faith in Focus is a weekly reflection on what God has been teaching me throughout the week regarding my faith. Whether it’s personal interactions, reading, or the Sunday sermon, God speaks through it all, and I hope this helps you focus on His mission.
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Sermon Reflection
Revelation 21 doesn’t give Christians an escape plan from this world. It gives us a vision of where history is headed. God dwelling with his people, creation restored, chaos defeated, and everything made new. If that’s where we’re going, it should change what we do with today.
Based on the sermon by Jonathan Land, Connection Church Sioux Falls, August 30, 2026.
The End Is Already Changing How We Live
There’s something strange about preaching the end of the world to people who’re still trying to figure out what to do with Tuesday.
We have bills to pay, dishes to wash, jobs to work, relationships to navigate, church ministries to serve in, and schedules that seem to fill themselves faster than we can empty them. The future can feel distant when the present is this demanding.
Yet as we transition from our Summer in the Psalms and prepare to return to our walk through Corinthians, Jonathan Land took us somewhere that, at first glance, seems like a strange detour.
He took us to the end.
More specifically, Revelation 21.
The reason’s simple. If we know where the story ends, it should change how we live today.
Jonathan described Revelation 21 as part of our churches DNA, one of the convictions that should shape who we are as a church. That language makes sense because Revelation 21 isn’t merely a picture of what happens someday. It’s a picture of what Christians are ultimately living toward.
John sees a new heaven and a new earth. He sees the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Most importantly, he hears the announcement that God will dwell with his people. Revelation 21:1-5 makes the destination unmistakable: death, mourning, crying, and pain don’t get the final word. God does.
This is where the end begins to transform the present.
Christian hope isn’t wishful thinking about escaping everything that’s difficult. It’s confidence that Jesus Christ will ultimately make all things new. The resurrection of Jesus isn’t an isolated miracle disconnected from the future. It’s the firstfruits of the resurrection we’re promised, and the guarantee that death itself will eventually be defeated. See 1 Corinthians 15:20-26.
The end tells us what our present suffering is moving toward.
The World Behind the Text
Revelation 21 also feels remarkably familiar if we remember where the Bible started.
Genesis opens with creation, a garden, a river, the tree of life, and humanity living in the presence of God. Genesis 3 introduces sin, death, exile, and separation. Revelation closes the biblical story by bringing several of those images back into view. Revelation 21 introduces the restored creation, and Revelation 22 brings back the river and tree of life.
The Bible doesn’t end by abandoning creation. It ends with creation renewed.
There’s another detail in Revelation 21 that immediately caught my attention, “the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1).
The sea carries different meanings throughout Scripture, so we should be careful not to reduce every reference to one symbolic definition. Yet in Revelation, the sea is repeatedly associated with imagery of threat, turmoil, and opposition to God. One scholarly treatment of Revelation’s use of the sea notes that it functions in the book as an image associated with chaos and evil, culminating in its removal in Revelation 21:1.
That makes the image powerful. The unknown is gone.
The uncontrollable is gone. The threat is gone.
Not because humanity finally figured out how to control everything, but because God has brought his creation under his perfect rule.
Walking the Passage
Perhaps the most important statement in the chapter comes from the one seated on the throne, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
Jonathan emphasized the significance of “I am.” Not simply “I will.” God isn’t describing a distant possibility that He might eventually get around to accomplishing. He’s the God who’s making all things new.
There’s a small interpretive distinction worth making here. The ESV actually reads “I am making,” which presents God’s action as active and certain, but the verse doesn’t mean that the complete renewal described in Revelation 21 has already arrived. Revelation itself still points forward to the consummation of God’s work.
The promise is future, but the God making the promise is already at work.
And that includes us.
Revelation 21:24 speaks about the nations walking by the light of the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:26 says that the glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Revelation 22:2 speaks of the healing of the nations.
For those of us who are Gentiles, there’s something breathtaking here. We’re not an afterthought in the story of redemption. God’s promises to Abraham always anticipated blessing reaching the nations, and the New Testament repeatedly identifies the gospel as extending to Jew and Gentile alike. See Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:7-9; Ephesians 2:11-22.
So yes, there’s something deeply encouraging about realizing that the people of South Dakota aren’t somehow outside the scope of God’s redemptive plan.
The gospel crossed oceans, languages, cultures, and centuries to reach people who never could have claimed Abraham’s ancestry.
Christ has made a way for the nations to come home.
A Fair Counter-Reading
Revelation 21 contains several images that can create confusion if we read them too literally or too quickly.
There’s no temple in the city. There’s no sun or moon providing its light. At first glance, that might sound like God has eliminated things that were previously good.
But John gives us the explanation himself.
“There is no temple in it, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22).
The point isn’t that the temple was bad. The point is that the reality to which the temple pointed is now fully present.
Likewise, John says the city has no need of the sun or moon because “the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).
The sun isn’t evil. The moon isn’t evil. The temple wasn’t evil.
They were simply never God.
And when God himself dwells openly among his people, even the best gifts of creation are no longer ultimate or required.
Paul makes a similar point in 1 Corinthians 15:28, when he describes the final ordering of all things under Christ so that God may be all in all.
The future isn’t less because good things disappear. It’s greater because nothing competes with the presence and glory of God.
The Turn
So what do we do with all of this?
Jonathan gave us three pieces of homework: Let Go. Let In. Give Away.
They sound simple. They aren’t.
Let go of something. For some of us, this might mean learning to say no.
We live as though every opportunity is an obligation. Every request becomes our responsibility. Every open space on the calendar feels like something that needs to be filled.
But rest isn’t evil.
Jesus himself withdrew to pray. Scripture gives us rhythms of work and rest. The fact that something is good doesn’t mean we’re called to do it endlessly.
If Revelation 21 reminds us that God is ultimately in control, perhaps we can release our desperate need to control everything ourselves.
Say no to something. Leave some margin.
Trust that the world will continue turning without your constant involvement.
Let someone else into your time.
Or, as Jonathan suggested, let someone else into your table.
There’s something deeply Christian about a table.
Food becomes fellowship. A meal becomes an opportunity to know someone. A stranger becomes a friend. A conversation becomes a doorway for the gospel.
Jesus repeatedly used meals as places of relationship and ministry. The early church devoted themselves to fellowship and breaking bread together, according to Acts 2:42-47.
Maybe letting someone in looks as ordinary as inviting someone over for dinner. Maybe it means making room for the person who always seems to eat alone. Maybe it means allowing someone into your schedule when your instinct is to protect every available minute.
If the future is a city where God dwells with his people, perhaps our present should become a little more hospitable.
Finally, give something away.
Your time. Your money.
Your attention. Your resources.
We often talk about generosity as though it begins when we have enough to spare. Scripture presents generosity differently. We give because everything we have ultimately belongs to God.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 connects generosity with God’s provision, while Jesus repeatedly challenges his followers to loosen their grip on earthly possessions. See also Matthew 6:19-21.
Giving something away can mean surrendering a budget item so that someone else can be helped.
It can mean giving up one evening each week to serve someone.
It can mean opening your home.
It can mean paying for someone else’s meal.
It can mean giving your attention to someone who can’t give you anything in return.
These things may feel small, but small acts of faithfulness make sense when we remember where history is headed.
Carry It Into the Week
The end should motivate the present.
Not because we’re trying to earn our place in the New Jerusalem.
Jesus has already accomplished what we could never accomplish for ourselves. Salvation is grace. Our obedience is the response to that grace.
We let go because Christ is trustworthy.
We let people in because Christ has welcomed us.
We give away because Christ has already given himself for us.
The Christian life isn’t preparation for earning a place in God’s future kingdom. It’s learning to live today as citizens of the kingdom Christ has secured.
Revelation 21 gives us the destination.
God dwelling with his people.
Death defeated.
Pain gone.
Chaos gone.
Creation renewed.
Christ reigning.
And everything made new.
So what are you doing with today?
What needs to be released?
Who needs to be invited in?
What can you give away?
Maybe preparing for the future doesn’t mean staring at the sky and waiting for the end.
Maybe it means living differently because we know how the story ends.
Let go.
Let in.
Give away.
The King is making all things new.
And that future is already giving us reasons to live differently today.
Song of the Week: That’s Enough - Brandon Heath
Brandon Heath is up for Song of the Week with “That’s Enough,” a song dedicated to helping us remember one of the simplest, yet sometimes hardest, truths of our faith in that God is good, and that’s enough. There’s something incredibly refreshing about the simplicity of that message. We live in a world that constantly tells us we need more. More money, more success, more relationships, more experiences, more recognition. We can spend so much time chasing the next thing that we forget to appreciate what’s already right in front of us.
What I love most about this song is the imagery Brandon uses throughout it. He walks through different pieces of life, from family and drinking to secrets and the things we carry quietly inside ourselves. It feels incredibly human. There’s no attempt to pretend that life’s always clean, easy, or put together. Sometimes we know exactly where we’re going, and sometimes we have absolutely no idea. Sometimes we’re celebrating on the mountaintop, and other times we’re desperately trying to find our way through a deep valley.
Yet the circumstances don’t change the truth.
We’re here. We’re loved. God is good. That’s enough.
That’s such a powerful reminder because our circumstances can change in an instant. The mountain can become a valley. The things we thought would make us happy can leave us disappointed. The people we thought would always be there can leave. Our plans can fall apart. Our confidence can disappear. But God doesn’t suddenly become less good because life becomes more difficult.
There’s also something comforting about the song’s willingness to acknowledge that we don’t have to have everything figured out. Faith isn’t pretending that everything is okay when it’s not. Sometimes faith is simply holding onto what we know when we can’t understand what’s happening. We may not have the answers, but we can still know who God is.
And perhaps that’s why “That’s Enough” resonates with me so much. It takes me back to the basics. Before we worry about what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve lost, what tomorrow might bring, or whether we have enough, there’s a God who’s present with us. A God who loves us. A God who’s good.
Whether you’re standing on a mountain today or walking through the deepest valley, those truths remain. You’re here. You’re loved. God is good.
And that’s enough.
Week in Reflection
My apologies for missing last week. Time and energy simply got away from me. Life’s been moving at a pretty fast pace lately, and by the time I had a moment to breathe, I found myself with very little left in the tank. But if I’m being completely honest with myself, I was given a portion of time last week where I could have sat down and completed a post. I had the opportunity. I had the time. What I lacked was the discipline to use that time for what I had committed to doing. Instead, my sinfulness led me to take that time and spend it on lesser, unproductive things.
Now, I want to be careful with that statement because taking time for yourself isn’t inherently sinful. Rest is important. Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds and took time to pray and be alone with the Father. After an especially busy week, I genuinely believe the time I took to myself was needed to recover some of the energy I had spent. There’s nothing wrong with recognizing that we are tired and allowing ourselves a moment to breathe. The problem comes when rest turns into avoidance, when recreation becomes an excuse for neglecting responsibilities, or when the things we want to do consistently take priority over the things God has called us to do.
And that’s where I have to own my part in missing last week’s post. I can make excuses, point to how busy the week was, or simply say that I was tired. Some of those things would even be true. But they wouldn’t tell the whole story. I had an opportunity to write, and I chose something else. That’s something I need to recognize rather than justify.
At the same time, I’m reminded of just how much grace God has already shown me through this series. This is week 42 of Faith in Focus, and last week was only the second time I’ve missed a posting. Forty two weeks of consistently sitting down, reflecting, writing, and sharing what God has been teaching me is something I never could have accomplished through my own strength. That consistency is a testimony to God’s provision more than it’s a testimony to my own discipline. I’m incredibly thankful that He has continued to give me the desire, the words, and the opportunities to keep this series going.
Do I feel bad about missing last week? Yes. I do. But I also don’t want that guilt to become something that keeps me from moving forward. There’s grace in my shortcomings. There’s grace when I fail to live up to the standards I set for myself. And there’s grace in knowing that God does not stop being faithful simply because I’m occasionally unfaithful. My failure to post last week didn’t change God’s character, His goodness, or His patience with me. Instead, it gives me another opportunity to recognize where I fell short, repent, receive His grace, and keep moving.
More importantly, this has reminded me that I cannot allow Faith in Focus to become something I push aside whenever life gets busy. There will always be something competing for my attention. Photography contracts will come up. Concerts will need to be covered. Articles will need to be written. Photos will need to be edited. There will always be another responsibility, another deadline, another distraction, and another thing that feels urgent. But none of those things would exist in my life without God first giving me the ability, opportunity, and calling to pursue them.
There would be no photography side of things without God. There would be no Faith in Focus without God. There would be no words for these posts, no opportunities to serve, and no reason behind any of it without Him. So I need to make sure I never allow the things God has blessed me with to become more important than God Himself.
That’s the lesson I’m taking from missing last week. I don’t need to beat myself up over it, but I do need to learn from it. Rest when I need rest. Work when I need to work. Be disciplined when discipline is required. And above all else, keep my priorities where they belong.
God comes first. Always.
And always remember, God loves you, and so do I.
Connection Church in Sioux Falls is a gospel-centered community committed to helping people follow Jesus through authentic relationships, biblical teaching, and everyday mission. Rooted in historic Christian belief and aligned with gospel renewal movements, the church exists to see lives transformed by Jesus. Learn more: https://siouxfallsconnection.com/who-we-are
