The Destination
Passages: Isaiah 35:1-10 , Ezekiel 47:1-12 , Revelation 21:1-5
Preacher: Mark Kingston
We don’t have to look far to see the cracks in our world: grief, conflict, weariness, loneliness. Things break down. Hopes dry up. The Bible doesn’t hide from this. It names sin as the source of the brokenness.
But from the very beginning God started hinting that He wouldn’t leave things this way. He promised Abraham, and then many others, that blessing and restoration were coming. Last week we saw how Jesus declared the waiting was over: the time for the Kingdom of God to start breaking in had come! We see this clearly, in every healing, every deliverance, every act of kindness that flowed from Jesus.
Yet if we’re honest, it doesn’t look much like God’s Kingdom has taken over. There’s so much greed, violence, and suffering. So…has His plan stalled? The Bible insists it hasn’t. No matter how things might appear, the Bible insists that God is clear about the destination for his creation. On Sunday, we looked at three glimpses of what this destination will be like.
Glimpse #1: Isaiah’s vision is of a desert suddenly springing to life. Imagine dry sand suddenly bursting with blossoms, rivers carving through wasteland, the air filled with freshness and colour. Creation itself being renewed. And it doesn’t stop there: Isaiah says that people will be made whole again too: blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear, the lame will leap for joy. Life in its fullness, both in nature and in people. Places of barrenness will become places of joy.
Glimpse #2: Ezekiel’s vision begins with almost nothing: a trickle of water slipping out from the temple steps. Easy to miss, easy to dismiss. But as it flows, the water deepens: covering ankles, then knees, and waist, until it sweeps Ezekiel off his feet. And everywhere the river goes, life erupts! Fruit trees spring up along its banks. Even the Dead Sea, a place so salty nothing can live, is made fresh. Fish teem in its waters. The point is clear: there is no place too toxic, no heart too dry, no situation too far gone that God’s Spirit cannot restore.
Glimpse #3: John’s vision at the end of the Bible shows us where the river is ultimately heading. It runs through the heart of a garden-city, where creation is renewed and people are whole. On either side are trees that never wither, producing fruit every month. Their leaves are so full of life they bring healing for whole nations. God dwells with His people in joy, peace, and wholeness.
This is where history is going. Brokenness and division will not have the last word. God will. The destination is life with Him in His new creation: healed, whole, and finally at peace.
So how do we make sure we don’t miss it? Jesus’ invitation is simple: “Follow me.” Stay close. Notice how He lived, a listen for His Spirit nudging you…to pray, to visit, to give, to encourage. These nudges may seem small, but every Spirit-prompted act of kindness carries the river of God’s Kingdom further into the world. Bit by bit, person by person, the future God promised is already breaking in and we get to join Him in it!
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Noticing the cracks
Where do you see the cracks in life right now, either in your own world or in the wider world? How does it help to know the Bible speaks plainly about what is wrong?Isaiah’s picture of life
Isaiah talks about deserts bursting with flowers and broken bodies made whole. When you picture that, what comes up for you? What does it say about the sort of new life God wants to bring?Ezekiel’s river
Ezekiel sees a river so full of life it brings life to whatever it touches, even the Dead Sea. How does that image make you feel? Does it change how you think about places or people that seem beyond hope?John’s vision of wholeness
John’s vision shows everything made whole: bodies healed, relationships restored, nations at peace, God living with His people. When you imagine that, what longings or aches in you rise to the surface? How might you turn those aches and longings into a prayer?Joining the Kingdom now
These visions remind us that God is still bringing His Kingdom bit by bit, here and now….and He wants to use you to help Him do it! So - don’t miss out: stay close to Jesus and notice when He nudges you to get involved. Each nudge is a chance to join Him in bringing His Kingdom. How do you sense those nudges, and what has happened in the past when you’ve acted on them?
