Week 3: May 18-24, 2025 — MADE NEW
Scripture: Revelation 21
Jesus makes all things new.
*Please Note: In an effort to align with each week's Gospel readings, we began with Week 3 of a 5-week series. This video is for Week 5 of the series, but for our Small Groups, it is Week 3.
Daily Devotionals
Sunday, May 18, 2025
This is the final week of our series “Brand New.” We love the brand new because it fills us with hope. One might say that there are three different kinds of hope.
There is casual hope for the small things in life. Often, we love brand-new things because we find casual hope in them. When casual hopes fail, we are disappointed but we move on.
Then, there are precious hopes. Precious hopes run far deeper and involve a greater investment of our lives. We have precious hopes for our family, our friendships, and our work. When we lose precious hopes or suffer setbacks with them, it can be heartbreaking.
Finally, there is ultimate hope. Our ultimate hope is the hope that can get us through all the difficulties and challenges of life. It is vitally important that we set our hearts on the right ultimate hope and not confuse precious hopes with casual hopes.
Pray today that you will set your heart on the right ultimate hope.
Monday, May 19, 2025
Then I, John saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ~ Revelation 21:1
In the book of Revelation, God reveals to John what will happen at the end of time. John sees that God will establish a new heaven or skies and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth are gone. They will pass away. They will not be destroyed but will be superseded by something better.
John also notes that there will be no more sea. In the book of Revelation, the sea stands as a metaphor of what separates a holy God from sinful humanity. In saying that the sea is no more, John means that God and his people will no longer be separated. They will be connected in relationship.
Thank God today that he is removing every obstacle between you and him. Thank God that, in the brand-new heaven and earth, nothing will separate you from God.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Then I, John saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
~ Revelation 21:1-2
John sees a new heaven and a new earth. The old pass away as a new heaven and a new earth emerge. In the end, we don’t go to heaven when we die. Heaven comes to us as heaven and earth unite like a bride and groom on their wedding day. The world ends with the marriage of heaven and earth.
This is what the New Testament is all about. Heaven comes to earth when Jesus the Son of God becomes a tiny baby. Heaven comes to earth when Jesus dies on the cross and the veil between heaven and earth is torn. Heaven comes to earth when the Holy Spirit descends upon the Church at Pentecost. Heaven comes to earth through all these ways that are amazing but also incomplete. At the end of time, heaven will come down to earth completely.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God.” ~ Revelation 21:2-3
John hears a loud voice, a booming voice of authority, to authenticate the vision. When heaven comes down to earth, God will make his dwelling fully and completely on earth. God will dwell in full and complete relationship with his people.
Our ultimate hope rests in the fact that God will dwell fully and completely with us at the end of time. We will be unified with God and his people under the goodness and authority of God.
Thank God today that he is bringing about a unity among his people at the end of time.
Thursday, May 22, 2025
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God.” He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away. ~ Revelation 21:3-4
At the end of time, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning or wailing or pain. There will be no sadness or death in the new heaven and the new earth that God is creating. All of that will pass away with the old order.
There will be no more pain or sorrow in the new earth God is creating because it will be free from sin and disobedience of God’s will. All our sorrows and pain will be turned to joy when God renews both heaven and earth. This is our ultimate hope.
Take a moment to imagine the world with no more death or goodbyes or wailing or pain. This is where the world is moving. Thank God that he is creating such a world.
Friday, May 23, 2025
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away. The One who sat on the throne said, “Behold I make all things new.” And he said “Write for these words are faithful and true.” ~ Revelation 21:4-5
John sees a world in which there is no crying or pain. Then he sees Jesus sitting on the throne, the seat of power and authority. From this position, Jesus says he makes all things new. To say that Jesus makes all things new, he means all things.
Jesus is already making all things new now, but this will not be completed until the end of time. At the end of time, when heaven and earth are ultimately and finally joined, nothing that was precious to you in this life will be lost. All will be given back to you at the end of time. Jesus, who makes all things new, will give back to you whatever you have lost.
Everything you love will be restored when Jesus totally and completely rules over all creation and makes all things new. Thank Jesus today that he makes all things brand new.
Saturday, May 24, 2025 (Psalm 100)
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOADABLE PDF OF THIS WEEK'S DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Questions and Topics for Discussion
- Who are some people you know are stuck in the past? Why are people tempted to stay there?
- On a scale of 1-5, how much do you trust and believe God to bring about a new thing in your life? Why do you answer as you do?
- Why are we tempted to think God only worked in the past but won’t work in the present?
- Read aloud Isaiah 43:19. “See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the wilderness I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”
Where do you want a new thing to happen but need God to make a way in the wilderness or a river in the desert? - What one lesson have you learned or change have you made as a result of this series?
Week 2: May 11-17, 2025 — NEW HEART
Scripture: Acts 13:14, 43-52
Through the resurrection, God gives us a new heart. He takes away the heart of stone, a heart of jealousy and anger and gives us a heart of flesh. In this message we will look at how to have a new heart.
*Please Note: In an effort to align with each week's Gospel readings, we began with Week 3 of a 5-week series. This video is for Week 4 of the series, but for our Small Groups, it is Week 2.
Daily Devotionals
Sunday, May 11, 2025
God wants to make us brand new. Second Corinthians says this:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
This week we are looking at the how God wants to give us a brand new heart. We become brand new as we allow God to change and transform our hearts that are open to his word. So in the course of the week we will look at how to have hearts that are open and receptive to God’s word and will.
It is also an appropriate topic for Mother’s Day. As we celebrate the love and care given to us by our mothers. Today, pray for your mother and thank God that she was open to giving you life and love.
Monday, May 12, 2025
On the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. ~ Acts 13:44-45
Paul and Barnabas begin a brand new adventure to spread the Gospel to the world. They bring the message of God’s great love. They go to Cypress and then to Antioch. At Antioch everyone gathers to hear this brand new preacher. They are excited to hear them. However, the Jewish leaders instead are filled with jealousy in their hearts that people are listening to Paul and so they don’t really give him a hearing.
Jealousy, anger, greed, guilt and other negative attitudes of the heart can keep us from hearing what God wants to say to us. This is why we must guard our heart from these attitudes.
Pray today for the grace to guard your heart from unhealthy attitudes that keep you from hearing God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify any unhealthy attitudes that have taken hold of your heart.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’” The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. ~ Act 13:46-48a
After the Jewish leaders reject Paul and Barnabas, they move out of the synagogue and go to speak in places where they Gentiles gather. They speak to the Gentiles who are delighted to hear the word of God and give God glory for the message of the Gospel.
Both the Gentiles and Jewish leaders hear the same message. The Gentiles receive the message while the Jewish leaders reject it. The difference was the condition of their hearts. Joy and gratitude come when we decide to open our hearts to God’s word.
Pray today for a heart that is open to God’s word and free of jealousy or other negative attitudes of the heart.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
And I will give them a new heart and a new spirit I will put within them. From their bodies I will remove the hearts of stone, and give them a heart of flesh, so they walk according to their statutes, taking care to keep my ordinances. Thus they will be my people, and I will be their God. ~ Ezekiel 11:19-20
God tells the prophet Ezekiel that he wants to give his people a new heart. He will remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. A heart of flesh will allow people to walk in God’s commands of statues. A heart of flesh will allow people to call God their God and see themselves as his people.
A heart of flesh allows us to fulfill God’s commands and walking his statutes. Walking in God’s statutes means following God’s command to love him and love others. It means seeing God as our God and looking to him for the ultimate meaning and purpose in our lives.
Ask God to take away your heart of stone that keeps you from loving others. Pray for a heart of flesh that allows you to love others.
Thursday, May 15, 2025 (Psalm 51:11-12)
Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my iniquities.
A clean heart create for me O God; renew within me a steaddfast spirit.
In Psalm 51, David asks God to forgive him of his grave sins. He prays that God will blot out his transgressions and wipe out all his sins. However, that is not all that he prays for. He prays for a clean heart. He prays for a heart that is pure.
Take a moment to review the last 24 hours. Where have you had a heart of stone? Ask God for his mercy and forgiveness. Then ask God to give you a clean and pure heart that loves him and others.
Friday, May 16, 2025
I will sprinkle clean water over you to make you clean; from all your impurities and from all you idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put with in you. I remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
~ Ezekiel 36:26
This is the third time in the book of Ezekiel that God promise to give his people a new heart. Here he says that he will cleanse his people with water. The cleanings of water will give his people a new heart and new spirit. The cleansing will remove the heart of stone and give his people a heart of flesh.
At our Baptism, God gives us a heart of flesh. Our role is to live in the reality of this gift. Every time we bless ourselves with holy water we can remind ourselves that God has cleansed us and gives us a heart of flesh – a heart open to loving him and loving others.
Thank God today that he gave you a heart of flesh at your Baptism. When you go to church this Sunday, bless yourself with the holy water and ask God to take away your stony heart.
Saturday, May 17, 2025
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOADABLE PDF OF THIS WEEK'S DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Questions and Topics for Discussion
- The heart was defined as our executive center. What are your thoughts on that definition of the heart?
- Different maladies or problems in our heart were mentioned, which one do you feel like you need to root out?
- Read aloud Ezekiel 36:26 When are the situations that you can have a heart of stone? Why does that ultimately not work for us?
- What would it look for God to give you a new heart? What would it be like to have a heart of flesh?
- What would it look over the next 24 hours for you to do God’s will and not your will?
Week 1: May 4-10, 2025 — NEW SPIRIT
Scripture: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
The resurrection gives us a new spirit. We no longer have to have a spirit of fear but can have a spirit of courage and bravery. In this message we will look at the story of Peter and the change in him.
He went from having a spirit of fear to a spirit of courage and love for God. Ultimately,
we are always choosing between a spirit of fear or a spirit of love.
WEEK 1 VIDEO* FATHER'S HOMILY - WEEK 1
*Please Note: In an effort to align with each week's Gospel readings, we are beginning with Week 3 of a 5-week series. When you watch this video, it will be referenced as "Week 3", but for our Small Groups, it is Week 1.
Daily Devotionals
Sunday, May 4, 2025
This week, we are looking at becoming a new creation by getting a new spirit. In Ezekiel 36:26a, God says, “I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you.”
We are spiritual creatures. Our spirit is always being influenced or driven by the spiritual world. Fundamentally, there are only of two kinds of spirits: a spirit obedient to God and a spirit that is not. The spirit obedient to God moves where God wills. The Scriptures say this is the spirit God wants to give us.
Where the Spirit of God is, there is freedom. There is a freedom to live as God’s sons and daughters. We have a freedom to do the good we want to do in our hearts. The spirit that is obedient to God brings power. The Spirit of God brings love and peace and self-control.
Pray this week for a spirit that is obedient to God.
Monday, May 5, 2025
Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had Him killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.” ~ Acts 5:29-31
Peter and the other apostles are brought before the Sanhedrin, the very group that conspired to have Jesus crucified. They tell Peter and the apostles that they must stop speaking about Jesus. Peter, who had denied knowing Jesus out of fear just a couple of months earlier, now tells the Sanhedrin that he will not stop speaking. He says that he must obey God, rather than men.
When we make obedience to God our priority, we have greater freedom. When we live in obedience to God’s spirit, we can have the courage to live for a purpose that is greater than ourselves.
Pray today for the desire to please and obey God rather than men.
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had Him killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.” ~ Acts 5:29-32
We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey Him.
Peter stands up to the Sanhedrin and tells them that the apostles must obey God rather than men. They have been witnesses to what God has done and they must keep sharing what they have seen. The Holy Spirit and His power also bear witness that Jesus rose from the dead. Then Peter notes that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God.
The apostles received the Spirit because they obeyed in a very simple way: Jesus told them to wait to receive the Holy Spirit. Our obedience to God can begin in small ways. When we feel God’s Spirit pushing us to do a small good deed or just to slow down and pay attention to someone or just to be still, we are inviting more of God’s Spirit into our lives.
Take a moment to just be still. Pray for the grace to move with the Holy Spirit in small ways today.
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
“But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” ~ Romans 8:9-10
Paul writes to the Romans that we are not in the flesh. “The flesh” does not mean the body; but, rather, “the flesh” means the spirit that is opposed to God and His will or does not care about God’s will. The flesh wants its own way and is focused on itself. Instead, we are in God’s Spirit.
We have the Holy Spirit living within us. Since the Holy Spirit lives within us, we are alive and in right relationship with God. We have the ability to follow God and honor Him with our lives. We have the ability to obey God — we just need to yield to God’s spirit.
Pray for the grace to live according to God’s will and Spirit and not according to the flesh.
Thursday, May 8, 2025
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” ~ Romans 8:14-15
We did not receive a spirit of slavery. Slavery leads to fear. We have received a spirit of adoption. In our baptism, God adopts us into His family. This means that we can call God “Abba,” an Arabic word that means “daddy.”
When, in our spirit and in the depths of our being, we know that God is our Father and that He loves us, we can live with confidence. There is no need to live in fear because the almighty maker of heaven and earth finds value and worth in us.
Take a moment to cry out to God. Call Him Father. Ask for the grace for this truth to sink in deep into your spirit.
Friday, May 9, 2025
“The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
~ Romans 8:16-17
The Holy Spirit bears witness or reminds us that we are God’s children. Since we are God’s children, we are heirs of His kingdom. We receive all that God owns, which is everything! We will receive this reward if we obey God as Jesus did. Sometimes obedience brings suffering — but, on the other end of our obedience is glory.
Obedience to God may not always seem easy or attractive. We must strive to remember that glory or rewards are on the other side of this obedience.
Pray for the grace to see the rewards that come from obeying the will of God.
Saturday, May 10, 2025 (Psalm 116)
“How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good He has done for me?
“The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?
“My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all His people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His faithful ones.
How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?
“O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid; You have loosed my bonds.
To You will I offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good He has done for me?”
CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOADABLE PDF OF THIS WEEK'S DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Questions and Topics for Discussion
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What stood out to you, touched you or surprised you in this week’s Daily Devotions?
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Describe someone you know that has a joyful, peaceful and/or generous spirit. What traits do you see in them?
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Describe someone you know that has a negative, fearful spirit. What traits do you see in them?
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It is said that our spirit integrates all other parts of our body, mind, and heart; the spirit then guides us towards a way of seeing life, toward a way of making decisions and interacting with others.
What are some words (positive or negative) that describe your spirit?
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Our flesh and our spirit are constantly battling.
Describe how your flesh and spirit battle each other in a particular situation. Who wins? How often?
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Read Galatians 5:22-23: “In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Which of these fruits of the spirit do you need or want the most? How will you work on that this week?