Hope Community Church
January 4 2026

      • Psalm 8ESV

      • Revelation 21:1–8ESV

  • Introduction:

    Sing Softly:
    We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday!
    Refrain: Oh, deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome someday!
    ———————————————————————————————
    The world for the Christian is a hostile place. It always has been. The world, its systems, its people , and beliefs presents unique challenges for those who believe in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
    Here, then, are four characteristics of the world we live in: it is a deceived world, a dangerous world, a defiled world, and a divided world.
    Warren W. Wiersbe
    Based on my general knowledge, Warren Wiersbe’s four characteristics of the world offer a helpful framework for understanding contemporary spiritual challenges:
    A Deceived World — Satan operates as the “father of lies” (John 8:44, and deception pervades modern culture through false philosophies, distorted media narratives, and ideologies that contradict biblical truth. People are deceived about identity, purpose, morality, and what constitutes genuine fulfillment. Social media amplifies this deception by presenting curated falsehoods as reality.
    John 8:44 ESV
    44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
    A Dangerous World — The world actively opposes God’s kingdom and threatens Christian faith through persecution, violence, and systemic hostility. This danger manifests in physical persecution in some regions, but also in spiritual warfare—temptations, moral compromise, and cultural pressures designed to undermine believers’ convictions and witness.
    A Defiled World — Sin has corrupted creation and human systems. Corruption appears in sexual immorality, greed, pride, and the exploitation embedded in economic and political structures. The world normalizes what Scripture calls sinful, presenting defiled values as enlightened progress.
    A Divided World — Humanity remains fractured along lines of ethnicity, class, ideology, and religion. Rather than unity in Christ, the world promotes tribalism, nationalism, and competing worldviews that pit people against one another. Even churches become divided by cultural allegiances rather than centered on Christ.
    Each characteristic reveals why Christians must maintain spiritual vigilance and remain “in the world but not of it” (John 17:16.
    John 17:16 ESV
    16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
    And here we are today for some of us, trying to live in this world on human effort—our plans, our goals, our discipline, our willpower, separated from God, wrapped in selfishness, filled with pride and arrogance.
    This plays in Satan’s hands. Were fighting a system fueled by a spiritual adversary.
    Emmaus Journal Volume 5 Destroying Our Illusions: What the Bible Says About the World

    Behind all that is tangible — the worldly affairs, the worldly goods, the endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures, which stir our desire and seduce us from God — there is something intangible. The world system is a planned and organized system, and the Apostles reveal to us the mind behind that system

    1 John 5:19 ESV
    19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
    2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV
    4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
    The Enemy, is the mastermind behind these systems that drive people away from the Gospel and Keep us wrapped up and busy, seduce us away from God.
    This must change if we are to be obedient to the great commission of Matthew 28:18-20. You want the Greater Miracle of the 5000 as stated by the preacher last week, we need to be obedient to Jesus until the day we see Him face to face…
    we need a change of heart. We don’t just need new habits… we need new life. Our problem is not just that life needs adjusting; we need transformation that we ourselves cannot accomplish.
    Romans 12:2 ESV
    2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
    If were going to walk in victory, If were going to overcome and embrace t he heritage for all conquerers as stated in Rev 21.1-4, …We need to stop making these man-made resolutions that end in futility sometimes and be resolute that this world is not our home , We shall overcome hatred, racism, classism, feminism, narcissism, and every kind of skism that drives us away from Jesus .
    Our text today will be our engine to drive us through this year….
    Rev 21.1-8 reads as such, we will be focusing on v5 manly..Read slowly with passion. Have musician play with reverence build up as the text is being read.
    Who are you trusting? Whose voice shapes your future?” Because new beginnings don’t start with human ambition; they begin with a sovereign God, a speaking God, and a commanding God.
    And that leads us to our journey in this passage today:

    Point 1: The One Who Sits on the Throne

    Revelation 21:5 ESV
    5 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.”
    The Venezuela leader was literally removed off his throne by this government yesterday. A move that was motivated by money, greed, power. The removal of one dictator for another dictator…as stated by several news outlets which states that the U.S. will run the country…
    Things like this happen in our world all the time, but saints of God, you never, ever have to worry that some foreign dictator will take God off his throne in Glory…
    The text tells us
    Revelation 21:5 ESV
    5 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.”
    The phrase “the One who sits on the throne” describes God in a continuous, settled position of rule. It doesn’t picture God briefly sitting down, but permanently reigning. The language emphasizes stability—God is firmly seated, not shifting or threatened.
    This expression became a recognized way of speaking about God as ruler and judge. The wording makes clear that God is not merely near the throne or associated with it—He is seated on it. His authority is not symbolic or temporary; it is real, established, and ongoing.
    Psalm 24:1 KJV 1900
    1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.
    Psalm 89:11 ESV
    11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
    1 Corinthians 10:26 ESV
    26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”
    This text does not begin with us—it begins with the throne. It doesn’t ask, “What will you do this year?” It asks, “Who is ruling your life?
    He will not force Himself on the throne of your heart, you have to let Him in. Don’t let the devil rob you of your inheritance, your right as a son or daughter of God, We need to live by faith and trust In the One who sits on the throne…
    What’s His name Jesus
    What’s His name Jesus
    What’s His name Jesus who sits upon the throne
    We shall overcome because He’s on the throne….When hell hounds are on your trail, point to the throne where He sits and give him glory because He has power over sickness, money, corrupt leaders, power over cancer, power over you and me.
    All hail King Jesus! All hail Emmanuel! All hail King Jesus! All hail Emmanuel!He reigns forever He reigns forever He reigns forever and evermore

    Point Two: The One Who Speaks from the Throne

    Revelation 21:5 ESV
    5 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.”
    When God speaks in Revelation 21:5, He is not introducing something new—He is explaining what has just been revealed. His declaration, “Behold, I am making all things new,” interprets the entire vision of Revelation 21:1–4.
    John has already seen:
    a new heaven and a new earth,
    the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God,
    and has heard the announcement that God will dwell with His people.
    Because God is present, the former things pass away:
    death is gone,
    mourning is ended,
    crying and pain are no more.
    When the One on the throne finally speaks, His words confirm the scope of the vision. He is declaring that everything John has seen—the renewed creation, the restored city, God’s intimate presence with humanity, and the removal of suffering—is part of one unified act of renewal. This is not partial change; it is comprehensive transformation.
    God’s voice validates the vision. His speech turns what John sees into what God guarantees. And His declaration echoes His ancient promises, reaching back to the hope spoken in Isaiah of a new heaven and a new earth. What was promised long ago is now affirmed by the voice of the One who sits on the throne.
    In other words, when God speaks from the throne, He is saying:
    What you see is what I am doing.
    What I promised is what I am fulfilling.
    And what has passed away will never return.
    When God speaks, everyone should listen:
    We overcome in verse 7 not because of our strength, but because the One on the throne has spoken. When God says, “I am making all things new,” He is declaring the end before we ever reach it.
    Verse 7 is certain because verse 5 has already settled the outcome:
    “The one who conquers will inherit these things.”
    Our perseverance rests on God’s promise, not our performance. Because God has spoken, renewal is guaranteed—and because renewal is guaranteed, overcoming is possible.
    We don’t overcome to make God’s word true.
    We overcome because God’s word is already true.
    Matthew 24:35 ESV
    35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
    Mark 13:31 ESV
    31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
    Luke 21:33 ESV
    33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
    We shall overcome because He is seated on the throne and He speaks from the Throne, but we shall overcome because He is the One who:

    Point Three: The One Who Commands Obedience

    Revelation 21:5 ESV
    5 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.”
    When God says, “Write this down,” He is issuing a command, not a suggestion.
    Revelation 1:11 ESV
    11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
    The language is imperative—urgent, direct, and authoritative. John is not invited to reflect, edit, or delay; he is ordered to record what God has said.
    This command follows a familiar pattern in Revelation. From the beginning of the book, John receives direct instructions to write what he sees. The message is clear: what God reveals must be preserved and proclaimed.
    Then God gives the reason for the command:
    “For these words are trustworthy and true.”
    The word “for” explains the urgency. John must write because these words carry absolute reliability. They are not symbolic hopes or inspirational ideas—they are divine certainties. God commands obedience because His words are unchanging, dependable, and final.
    By using a command instead of softer language, the text stresses the gravity of the message. God’s promises about renewal, His presence with His people, and the end of suffering are non-negotiable truths. They are meant to be written, remembered, and obeyed.
    In other words, the One who sits on the throne does not merely reveal truth—He commands our response. And obedience is not optional when the words spoken are trustworthy and true.
    That is why listening to God is not enough.
    His word demands obedience.
    We Thank John the Revelator for his obedience to Jesus….Why?
    The Lord Jesus knew that in 2025, we would need a word from the Lord…
    Vikie Winans sang it best..
    We don’t need another political uprising We don’t need another conqueror on the scene What we need is a special word, that will bond within our hearts And give us direction from above
    We need a word from the Lord A word from the Lord Just one word from the Lord Will move all the doubts
    And cause the sun to shine And give peace of mind Speak Lord, speak

    Close

    When God declares in verse 6, “It is done,” He is announcing the completion of His purposes. History is not drifting toward chaos—it is moving toward fulfillment. Everything God intended, from redemption to renewal, is finished, not in judgment alone, but in new creation.
    God then anchors this promise in His identity:
    “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”
    This means God has governed every moment of history from start to finish. Even in seasons of suffering, persecution, and evil, God has never lost control. What He began, He has now brought to completion.
    And finally, God speaks to human longing:
    “To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”
    The thirsty are those who endured, who waited, who remained faithful. God Himself becomes their reward. He offers full satisfaction—freely, permanently, and without cost.
    So the close of the vision is clear:
    God’s work is complete.
    God’s rule is eternal.
    And God alone satisfies the deepest thirst of His people.
    That is the hope that carries us forward—and the reason we can trust Him completely.
    From Israel Houlton and New Breed
    You are Alpha and Omega, We worship You, our Lord You are worthy to be praised (Sing it again) You are Alpha and Omega We worship You, our Lord You are worthy to be praised (We give You all the glory)

      • Revelation 21:1–8ESV

      • John 8:44ESV

      • John 17:16ESV

      • 1 John 5:19ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 4:4ESV

      • Romans 12:2ESV

      • Revelation 21:5ESV

      • Psalm 24:1ESV

      • Psalm 89:11ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 10:26ESV

      • Revelation 21:5ESV

      • Matthew 24:35ESV

      • Mark 13:31ESV

      • Luke 21:33ESV

      • Revelation 21:5ESV

      • Revelation 1:11ESV

Hope Community Church
hopeccchurch@hopecchurch.org
(443) 759-9277
http://hopecchurch.org
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