New Heaven, New Earth – The Necessity of Hope

Preached at the Vietnamese Lunar New Year of Nham Dan, this sermon is anchored in Revelation 21:1-5 and Isaiah 65:17-25. The pastor introduces the book of Revelation not merely as prophecy about the end times, but as a letter of encouragement to early believers suffering intense persecution under the Roman Empire — imprisoned, beaten, and martyred. The teaching about heaven served as their living hope, enabling them to endure suffering and forgive their enemies.

The pastor focuses on the phrase 'the sea was no more' (Revelation 21:1). In the ancient Jewish worldview, the sea was not a place of rest or food supply, but a symbol of danger, chaos, and threat. The beast rising from the sea in Revelation 13:1 is linked to Satan and evil. Therefore, 'no more sea' means no more danger, no more evil, no more demonic power, and no more separation between nations and peoples. The pastor lists seven absences in heaven according to Revelation 21–22: the sea, death, mourning, crying, pain, night, and the curse.

The second part of the sermon examines the Greek word 'kainos' in the phrase 'Behold, I make all things new' (Revelation 21:5). The pastor distinguishes between 'neos' — new in terms of time — and 'kainos' — new in terms of quality and value regardless of how long something has existed. He illustrates this with Leonardo da Vinci's painting Salvator Mundi, gold, diamonds, and lasting marital love. Heaven is a place where everything grows more precious, fresh, and blessed over time, never fading or diminishing.

The pastor emphasizes that hope in the future shapes the believer's attitude and actions in the present. He uses two illustrations: a prisoner who knows his family is faithful will have greater will to live than one who has been abandoned; and a worker promised a large reward will work more joyfully than one promised little. Without hope in heaven, people cannot explain injustice, evil, or the meaning of small daily acts. But if God is real and will reward every good deed, then every action carries eternal significance.

The sermon closes with a call for the congregation to fix their eyes on 'what is unseen' rather than clinging to 'what is seen' which is perishing, based on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Believers do not only rejoice in the earthly spring that will pass away, but know with certainty that an eternal spring awaits them in the New Heaven and New Earth. God promises to personally wipe away every tear and make all things new — this is the sure foundation of hope for every believer in the new year.