"Grace Reigns in the Final Triumph: The Fulfillment of God's Covenant"

Ezekiel 43:1-7 NIV

Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. 

Revelation 21:1-4, 10, 21:22-22:5 NIV

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

[I highly recommend that you read the previous post in this blog, which is also about Revelation 21:10 and 21:22-22:5, before you read this sermon manuscript. The study of revelation is never easy to understand if you are not intimate with the first 65 books of the Bible. The more you understand the relationship between John and the scriptures of which he relies so heavily for imagery and theological themes, the better you will be able to interpret what John is saying to his reader then and now.]

Sermon: "Grace Reigns in the Final Triumph: The Fulfillment of God's Covenant and the Eternal Communion"

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we gather to meditate on a glorious truth—God's grace is the ultimate and victorious force in all of history. Revelation unveils the final chapter of God's redemptive story—a story that begins with creation, moves through covenant promises, and culminates in the glorious New Jerusalem, where grace reigns forever.

As Reformed believers, we hold that God's sovereign grace is the foundation of all that has been, all that is, and all that will be. It is by His grace that we are saved, sustained, and ultimately brought into eternal communion with Him. Today, let us fix our eyes on the victorious Christ and the promise of eternal life in the fullness of God's grace.

I. The Final Judgment: God's Justice and Grace Perfected

Revelation 20-22 paints a sobering yet hopeful picture—the final judgment. Here, God's justice is revealed in its fullness. But let us remember this is not a scene of despair for the believer. No, it is the triumphant culmination where God's righteous justice and His boundless grace meet.

God, in His sovereignty, has graciously provided a way through Christ for sinners to be redeemed—through faith in His finished work. His patience in delaying judgment is an expression of His grace, giving all time to repent and believe (2 Peter 3:9). The final judgment is not a contradiction of grace but its consummation; justice and mercy are united in the cross of Christ.

As we await this day, let us live with confidence—not in our own righteousness, but in the grace of God that covers us. We can face the final judgment knowing that Christ has secured our salvation and that God's grace has been poured out in abundance (Romans 5:20-21).

Judgement is not something we should fear or fret. We live in the Grace of God and our salvation is assured in the new covenant in which we live. For those who love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, and mind, and who love our neighbor as ourselves, we should look forward to what John is speaking of in revelation. May we live in the anticipation of God's righteous judgment with humility and assurance, trusting that His grace is sufficient to cover all our sins.

II. The Fulfillment of All Covenants: God's Faithfulness from Genesis to Revelation

From the very beginning, God made covenants—unbreakable promises rooted in His grace—as seen in the Noahic covenant, the Abrahamic promise, the Sinai covenant, and also with David and Solomon. Finally, Jesus comes to fulfill the Law and those covenants (Matthew 5:17). Then He institutes the new covenant in Christ, in which we live and serve (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36, Hebrews 9:15, Luke 22:20, Mark 14:24, Mathew 26:28). One common theme of every covenant God instituted is that each covenant points to God's unwavering faithfulness.

Revelation confirms that these promises are fulfilled in Christ. He is the fulfillment of God's covenant to bless all nations (Genesis 12:3).[1] In Christ there is no Jew or Gentile as Paul writes in Galatians 3:7-8.[2] The embodiment of God's law written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33), and the surety of eternal life in the new heavens and new earth.

This imagery in John’s vision demonstrates to all that have studied the scriptures, (the Law, the Prophets, the wisdom books) that God's grace is the thread weaving through the entire tapestry of Scripture. His promises are, as Paul writes, “Yes in Christ” and “Amen by us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20). God’s faithfulness is not based on our performance but on His sovereign grace. The Good news of Jesus Christ is just this, in God's covenant faithfulness, we are promised to be with God in the New City of John’s vison. So, trust that God’s promises are secure and that His grace sustained you yesterday, it will sustain you today and it will all the days to come. Like the old Allstate slogan, “You’re in good hands.”

III. The Promise of Christ: Our Savior and Eternal Bridegroom

In Revelation 21:1-4, John describes the glorious new heaven and earth—the dwelling place of God's people. And who is at the center? Christ, our Lord and Savior, the eternal Bridegroom who has loved us and given Himself for us.

The grace that brought Christ into our world is the same grace that will bring us into His eternal presence. His sacrifice secures our place in the New Jerusalem, where pain, death, and sorrow are no more. It is His grace that transforms our longing into certainty—certainty of eternal communion with God.

Understand this imagery, Jesus is not only our Savior but our Bridegroom who promises to take us to Himself. Our salvation in not transactional, it is intimate, it is personal. This is the ultimate fulfillment of God's gracious plan—to dwell face to face with His people forever. We can live daily in the light of Christ’s grace, eagerly awaiting the day of eternal joy and union with Him. This hope is what shapes our life, our worship, and our service. The more intimate we become with Christ, the more confident we become when we serve our fellow human beings in His name.

IV. The New Jerusalem: The Ultimate Expression of Grace and Glory

Revelation 21-22 paints a picture of the New Jerusalem—God’s dwelling place with His people. It is a city of pure gold, where God’s glory illuminates all, and tears, pain, and death are forever gone. This is the climax of God's grace—a grace that covers all and will ultimately eradicate all evil and suffering. This is the fulfillment of the covenant promises as it refers to original sin.

This is our hope: to dwell in the fullness of God's grace and glory for eternity. The promise of the New Jerusalem beckons us to persevere in faith, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. After the judgement of nations, those who are found righteous will be with God in the New Jerusalem. In God’s company, in God’s perpetual light. There will be no darkness, literal and spiritual. There will be no sin!

Prepare your heart for this eternal fellowship by living in obedience, worship, and hope. Let the promise of the New Jerusalem motivate you to faithful living. Because the reward is greater than the promise and the salvation we have already experienced in Christ. John is giving us an insight to the greatest payoff of any story ever told. World cannot express, imagery cannot, and familiar themes of culture cannot relate to John’s readers, then or now. Because as wonderful as you think heaven will be, John is telling us it will be more.

Conclusion--The Good News!

Beloved, the grand story of Scripture is a story of grace—unmerited, unbreakable, and victorious. From creation, through covenant, to the final consummation, God's grace is the thread that holds all things together. Revelation reveals that God's grace will ultimately reign in the full and eternal victory of Christ.

Let us, therefore, rest confidently in this promise. Let us live with hope and perseverance, knowing that the final chapter is written by the victorious Lamb of God. And let us eagerly look forward to the day when we will dwell forever in the New Jerusalem—face to face with our Savior, bathed in the eternal light of His grace.

I urge you: examine your life today. Are you trusting fully in God's grace? Have you embraced Christ as your Savior, as your Bridegroom? Are you living in the hope of the eternal city that God has prepared?

John’s revelation tells his reader then that today is the day of salvation. It is still telling us this right now! He is saying, “Turn from your sins and rest in the grace that God freely offers through Jesus Christ. Live in eager expectation—striving to walk in obedience, proclaiming His Gospel, and eagerly awaiting your eternal home.”

Let us press on, confident that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will carry us into eternity, where we will dwell forever in the glorious presence of our God.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.

Works Cited

A Fortaste of the New Creation [Online] = An in depth look at the New Jerusalem of John's Revelation.  / auth. Jones, M.Div. Rev. Rob // douglaspc.org. - MAy 2025. - May 2025. - https://www.douglaspc.org/post/a-foretaste-of-the-new-creation.

NIV Study Bible [Book]. - Grand rapids, MI : Zondervan, 2011.

NRSVue // NRSVue Holy Bible with Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament. - Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2022.

The Westminster Study Bible [Book] / ed. Powery Emerson B. [et al.]. - Louisville, KY : Westminster John Knox Press, 2024.

[1] “Nations” does not pertain to a certain people within arbitrary borders drawn on a map. The term, nation, refers to the ethnicities of people, both the Hebrew people and the tribes of gentiles that surround them. In Christ the idea of salvation is expanded beyond the Hebrew people to all the gentile world. Therefore, God will judge everyone before the new heaven and the new earth are presented in creation.

[2] Paul writes to the church in Galatia, “…all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:7-8)