The King Reigns Supreme – November 7, 2022

Read: Revelation 21:1-6

“‘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.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:4,5

The King Reigns Supreme

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When did you last get hurt? How bad was it? When was the last time you cried? How long did it take you to stop? Notice the question was not, “Have you ever been hurt?” That would be too easy because all of us have been hurt before. It could be physical pain or emotional pain. It could be guilt or sadness. There’s no end of bad things in this world. Every day we are surrounded by someone that makes you cry or something that causes pain or loss. Some days it is more obvious than others.

In our Bible reading today, God shows us a new picture. It is a picture of eternal life. But look carefully; it looks so different from the world we know, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have any of those bad things we just talked about. Eternal life with God isn’t just the absence of bad stuff. It’s also the presence of everything good. Like Jesus! Jesus is there on his throne. Picture him as your conquering king. He defeated our greatest enemies of sin and death. They are what cause us so many tears and pain. When we enter eternal life with Jesus, we will see with our eyes what we only know now by faith.

Yes, we still live in an old, tired world damaged by sin. Sometimes, it can look like Jesus really isn’t in control. That’s why God gives us something wonderful to believe and dream about like today’s Word of God. What we see and know by faith is far greater and better than anything we see now.

When you experience pain or sadness, trust that your King reigns supreme. His words are faithful and true. You have them written for you in the Bible, recorded for you that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. This life is completely new. It is completely perfect. One day we will see it. For now, we see it with eyes of faith: Our King reigns supreme.

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus, continue to rule over all things for my good in order to bring me to the new life you have promised in eternity. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Draw a picture or describe what you think heaven will look like.
• Discuss: Who will we get to see there?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• List at three bad things caused by sin in our world. Why won’t we need to worry about them in heaven?
• What is the job of an earthly king? What does Jesus do for us as our heavenly king?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Respond: “I can’t believe in a God who lets horrible things like natural disasters, sickness, and wars happen. Why would he allow these if he really loved us?”
• When we make promises, sometimes we can’t keep them. How do you know that God will keep his promise for eternal life in heaven?