This sermon by Pastor Dave Ripper of Crossway Christian Church explores the Christian hope for a future, restored creation. Ripper contrasts a materialistic worldview with the biblical vision of a world made new by God. He frames the current world as a "shattered reality" that awaits redemption.
Ripper opens by sharing a viral video of a bear chasing a cyclist, illustrating a world where nature is out of harmony. He references scientist Carl Sagan's famous creed, "The cosmos is all there is," as an example of a worldview without transcendence. The sermon's core text is Isaiah 65:17-25, which describes God creating "new heavens and a new earth." Ripper makes five specific observations about this promised future from the Isaiah passage. First, rejoicing will permanently replace all weeping and sorrow. Second, life will flourish without the fear of death, as death is "swallowed up." Third, human work will become meaningful, lasting, and free from futility. Fourth, communion with God will be immediate and intimate, with no more sense of distance. Fifth, all creation will exist in peace and harmony, symbolized by the wolf and lamb grazing together. Ripper illustrates these points by asking the congregation to recall personal memories of financial strain, marital breakdown, cancer diagnoses, and professional humiliation. He contrasts the recent tragedy of children drowning at a flooded Texas summer camp with the safety of a New Hampshire camp, highlighting the world's brokenness. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to live faithfully now in light of this future hope, citing Isaiah's calls for justice and humility. Ripper shares a poignant personal story about his brother-in-law, a missionary who died suddenly after preaching a sermon with the final exhortation, "Make your life count."
A profound insight is that eternity is not a passive vacation but will involve fulfilling, beloved labor. Ripper surprisingly notes that in the new creation, "the serpent, the one who shattered all of reality, he will feast on dust." The vision is meant to create active participants in God's renewal, not passive dreamers. The tone is pastoral, empathetic, and deeply personal, blending theological teaching with vivid, relatable imagery. Ripper's style is expository, walking through scripture while inviting emotional engagement through guided recollection. This episode will deeply resonate with Christians seeking hope and a theological framework for suffering within a broken world. Listeners preferring purely academic or doctrinal discourse, or those uncomfortable with evangelical sermon structure, may find it less engaging.
