God’s Word Concludes for the Churches

Transcript

GR 2062
12/16/2018
God’s Word Concludes for the Churches
Revelation 22:12-21
Gil Rugh

We are concluding our study of the Book of Revelation. We are in chapter 22 and someone shared with me this morning that we started this study two years ago in December, so we’ve tried to hurry along. Here we come and I think we’ll conclude the book today. What a rich study; it is the final word of God to His people. The Book of Revelation completes the revelation of God given in the Scriptures. It’s a rich book, it’s a book to pull things together and give us an understanding of how things will unfold. God waited until the very end with the last of the apostles, John. I want to remind you apostles like Paul and Peter have been dead for some 25 years when God gives this revelation to John.

As we talked about at our previous study, the main body of the letter ends at chapter 22 verse 5, and verses 6 to the end of the chapter really form a conclusion. What we might call an epilogue. The prologue or introduction to the book was found in the first eight verses of chapter 1 and it’s a smaller portion, those eight verses than these more extensive verses, but the content is about the same. We won’t go back there. We went back there in our previous study and noted some of the similarities and what He said in those opening verses to this book and now what He says in the conclusion. Just three major emphases that we noted were true in those opening eight verses in chapter 1 and in these concluding verses in chapter 22. There is an emphasis on the fact that this is a genuine word from God. This is God’s word. It came from Him through Christ, to an angel, to John, who had it confirmed to him with the indwelling Holy Spirit, so this is God’s word. We saw that in verse six of chapter 22. These words are faithful and true and it will be emphasized down through the passages, verses as we note them.

Secondly, there’s a continued repeated emphasis on the imminence of Christ’s return. By imminence, we mean it could happen at any time. It’s expressed in expressions like the end of verse six, “the things which must soon must take place.” That word “soon”, there’s the idea of “at any time.” We are to be living in expectation of the coming of Christ. That will come out quickly down when we get to verse 20, it says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” The point, of telling us about future events, and how all things will end, is to remind us we are to live in light of the coming of Christ and the culmination of all things. It will keep life in perspective for us as God’s people. And thirdly, there is a contrast between those who belong to God and those who do not. Between those who are believers and have experienced God’s salvation in redeeming grace, and those who have not. The Book of Revelation is very clear. God is a God of mercy and grace and salvation. He is a God of anger, wrath and judgment. He is God. He is the only God and He must be taken seriously.

We looked at verses 6 down to verse 12 in our previous study where we were reminded in verse 6 “these words are faithful and true” and Christ is coming quickly. Blessed is he” (verse 7) “who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book, who holds on to them who grasps them and lives in light of them. This book was given to be understood. It’s not enough to read it to hear it you must heed it. What is your response to it? Have you taken hold of it, believed it, and now, do you live your life in light of it? Down in verse 10, John was told, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book. . .” We compared that with Daniel chapter 12, the Old Testament prophet Daniel, some 500 years before Christ, was told at the end of his prophecy, “seal up the words of the prophecy of this book.” Daniel you’ll not be able to understand them. It will take further revelation. The Book of Revelation is the finality of what God has to say to us, so it is a book not sealed. It is a book to be understood, and we’ve talked about as we’ve moved through. Why is that important? This is a prophecy, it’s telling us what is to come, and the “time is near” verse 10 says, that repeated emphases on coming quickly. The time is near, these things must soon take place.

We say, “Well it’s been 2,000 years since John wrote that.” Yes, it has, and it still remains true. Now on God’s timetable it will happen and when it does happen, none of us as God’s people ought to say, “Oh, I wasn’t expecting Him.” He said, “He’s coming at any time so every day you live your life fulfilling what you should be doing as God’s slave, and if He comes this afternoon you can say, “Well I was eagerly anticipating it. I was about the work you gave me to do but I’m not surprised because I was expecting You might come today. If You don’t come today I’ll live tomorrow that way,” and you go to work and do your job, and fulfill your other responsibilities. You share the message of Christ and you’re about the work that God has committed to you, but always you have on your mind, Christ could come today. That’s the way we are to live, the unfolding of all these promises.

Verse 11 can be misunderstood if you’re not careful. “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; the one, who is filthy, still be filthy. The one who is righteous still practice righteousness and the one, who is holy, keep himself holy.” They’re given as commands and you have to keep it in the context. Remember, as John wrote this there were no verse divisions; there were no chapter divisions. The end of what we have is verse 10 “the time is near,” the beginning of verse 12, “behold, I am coming quickly. My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” That is a reminder. If you’re committed to remain in your sin, so be it. If that’s your condition, when Christ comes your time of opportunity will be past, so if you’re committed to that, remain committed to that. You know that once Christ comes, the door of opportunity will be closed. Peter wrote in his second letter chapter 3. “Why has not the Lord come?” Some people mock and say, all, you know all bible believers are always saying the Lord’s coming. He says, “the Lord’s not slow about His promises like some people think, but He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance,” so here’s another day.

Aren’t you glad that friends and family who haven’t trusted Christ have another day of opportunity? You hope that they won’t waste this day and miss the opportunity, so we’re to live with that expectation and awareness of the seriousness of it. That will come out again a couple of times before we’re done with chapter 22. The contrast between those who are still bound in their sin, and those who experience the righteousness of God through faith in Christ, so verse 12, “I am coming quickly. Listen, My reward is with me, to render to every man according to what he has done,” and everyone is to live in light of the fact, we will give an account to God. Believers and unbelievers, and as we’ve talked, as we’ve moved through Revelation, for the believer we will give an account and that will determine the rewards we receive. It doesn’t determine whether we’re saved because we’re saved by grace through faith in Christ. The unbeliever will be judged by what he’s done. Not to determine whether he’s done enough good to get to heaven because no one does, but to determine where in hell he will be sentenced, so judgment is before all of us and we ought not to lose sight of that.

Verse 13 the One who is speaking, Christ has interjected here directly, “Behold, I am coming quickly . . .” and then He says in verse 13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Those three pairs just indicate He is the eternal God. Remember there is one God eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is one of those verses where the Deity of Christ is clearly declared. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and last letters of the Greek alphabet like we would say from A to Z, in the English alphabet. I am Alpha and Omega. Another way to say that is I am the first and the last. Another way to say it I am the beginning and the end.

You know we talk about the eternal God and only God is eternal. We receive eternal life in the sense of everlasting life. As created beings, we have had a beginning. We will have no end but only God has existed forever. He had no beginning. I realize our finite minds begin to lose any perspective because how can that be? He has always existed. He’s eternal. He brought about the beginning. What does Genesis 1:1 tell us? “In the beginning God created.” That brought into existence anything outside of God, because until God created there was nothing but God, but He existed in full fellowship because He existed in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so for Christ to declare that He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. It’s like John’s Gospel, chapter 1 verse 1. “In the beginning was the Word” and you could translate that in the beginning the Word already was, and it goes on to tell you because “He created all things and apart from Him nothing has come into existence that exists.” He’s the creating God, so here Jesus Christ, the One we’ve been singing about, the One who was born in Bethlehem, the One who after a short life on this earth was crucified on the cross was the One who created everything.

That’s why Peter addressed the Jewish leaders in the Book of Acts and says you crucified the author of life. How awesome that is, but He came so He could be the Savior and pay the penalty for our sins, so the Deity of Christ declared here.

Then there’s a word of blessing in verse 14. “Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they might have the right to the tree of life, may enter by the gates into the city.” Blessed, we talk about the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.” That word blessed means sometimes spiritually prosperous, happy, joyous, but not just by superficial passing things, but by the salvation God brings to the heart and mind and life of someone who enters into His salvation. This is the seventh blessing, the seventh time blessed is pronounced in the Book of Revelation. Now you’re aware if you’ve been through this study, the number seven is significant in the Book of Revelation. That completion the fullness, and here for the seventh time, blessing is pronounced. “Blessed are those who wash their robes.”

We’re not going to go through all seven, but come back to the first one, because it’s back in the introduction to the book and chapter 1. Another connection here to the opening portion of the book, verse three. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed,” keep, grasp onto, hold fast “the things which are written in it for the time is near.” Now it concludes with “blessed are those who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ,” their robes have been washed. The same thing, those who respond to the word, not just hear it, not just read it, but when they hear it, when they read it, they take hold of it. They believe it. It becomes part of their life. It’s like Jeremiah the prophet said, “Your words were found” (as he addresses God) “and I ate them, and Your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” He was blessed, because “I am called by Your name O Lord God of hosts.” God expects us to take in His word. It becomes a living part of us. It’s what brings joy and rejoicing to our hearts.

I don’t have the joy of the Lord. Well something’s wrong. God brings His joy to the heart. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit, or maybe the word of God is not being a vital part of my life. I know, I’ve been attending bible studies but it doesn’t take hold of me. The prophet Ezekiel was instructed by God to take a little book that contained God’s word and to eat it, and he took it in and it became part of his life and there was bitterness in the message, he had to preach. God expects us not just to come study the bible together, close it up and get on with our life. This word is our life. It is food for the soul. That’s why the Psalmist could say, “Your word was more valuable to me than gold and silver.” You know it’s a concern. You know what happened to Israel over time, God says you’ve become weary of Me. Listening to God’s word became tiresome. What words to use for people who claim to belong to God, but I just got tired of studying God’s word. This became wearisome.

Well, here the blessing and blessed are those who wash their robes. Come back to chapter 22 verse 14. That pictures the spiritual cleansing and the robes of God’s righteousness that become ours and then they’re joined to the rewards we saw in chapter 19 for our living out that righteousness. The righteousnesses and the righteous deeds of the saints, this expression this picture, remember one of the hard things people have with the Book of Revelation, as we wrap it up, is that there are hundreds of allusions to the Old Testament. No direct quotes so that would be a test on one of the bible exams you could have, what book of the bible in the New Testament does not quote the Old Testament, and it’s the Book of Revelation. I haven’t checked, I can’t think of any off the top of my head, but the top of my head is getting more shallow, but there’s no direct quotes but it’s filled with allusions. This is one of them where He says, “blessed are those who wash their robes.”

Come back to the Book of Zechariah. Zechariah is the next to the last Book of the Old Testament. Come to Zechariah chapter three, we’ve been here on different occasions as we’ve studied the Book of Revelation, but you’ll note how chapter three of Zechariah’s prophecy begins. “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD.” The angel or messenger of the Lord in the Old Testament is the preincarnate Christ. He’s the One that becomes the revealer of God in the Old Testament. The messenger that comes from God, so the preincarnate Christ is standing there. Joshua is standing there and lo and behold, Satan is standing at his right hand, the right hand of Joshua to accuse him. Remember when we came to this passage when we were in Revelation chapter 12 and Satan loses his access to heaven, and there’s rejoicing in heaven because they say what? “The accuser of our brethren has been cast out.” He accused them before God day and night and here’s Satan in the presence of God is accusing Joshua and what is being said here; “the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you Satan! Indeed the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’”

Now remember the fire pictures coming judgment. John the Baptist announced the coming of the Messiah and what did he say, “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” The winnowing fork was that pitchfork kind of instrument and they would throw the grain up in the air, so the chaff could be blown off and the more solid grain could settle down. That’s how they sorted the chaff from the grain the wheat. John the Baptist applies it, says “when the Messiah comes, He’ll sort out the chaff from the wheat and the chaff will be cast into the fire.” On another occasion, it’s pictured as branches put into the fire, in John chapter 15. Here he is a branch plucked from the fire. He’s a branch, a twig and he was doomed to the fire but he was plucked out before he could be put in and burned. That’s the picture, he’s rescued from judgment that he deserved.

Here’s the problem. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments standing before the angel. That’s the problem. He is defiled by sin; that’s the picture drawn here. His garments are filthy, they’re polluted, and so as such, Satan can see he’s a sinner. He’s defiled, he belongs to me. A holy God cannot accept him and verse four, “He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ Again he said to him, ‘See, I have taken your iniquity away from you will clothe you with festal robes,’” the robes of righteousness, the robes of celebration, the picture. “Then He said, ‘Put a clean turban on his head.’ They put a clean turban on his head, clothed him with garments while the angel of the LORD was standing by. Then the LORD of hosts said, ‘Now you walk in My ways,’” so you see the order that takes place here.

People think by their works they can be saved. First, you must experience the cleansing that God brings. Then you’re instructed to walk in His ways. You can’t clean yourself up. You can’t make yourself acceptable. “All have sinned there is none righteous,” those well-known passages. That’s why Christ had to come to pay the penalty for our sin, which is death so that through faith in Him we could receive garments from God, His righteousness. We are told in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 that it’s through faith in Christ the righteousness of God is given to us, in Christ. How amazing that is that’s the picture, that’s the background for what is being said in the Book of Revelation. Our filthy garments are removed by God in His grace, when we trust in Him for our salvation. Satan still tries to accuse us but now we are declared to belong to God.

Come back to Revelation chapter 22. What it means when you’ve washed your robes and we sing about this, about having our robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. Why? What will this do? I have a life to live and what about the future and who knows? Well, so they may have a right to the tree of life. They may enter by gates into the city, so that’s the picture. When you’re cleansed from your sin and its defilement, you’re clothed with God’s righteousness, given to you in Christ, and then your destiny is the new Jerusalem. That’s what we talked about chapter 22 verse 1. “Then he showed me a river, of the water of life, coming from the throne of God.” Verse two, “in the middle of the street, on either side of the river was the tree of life, and it was for the healing or health of the nations.” Remember the new Jerusalem is where God dwells, and the ability to partake of and enjoy the water of life begins when you believe in Christ. The water of life is a picture of the salvation God provides.

Remember the woman at the well? We’ve talked about this recently as well. “The Samaritan woman and she came to draw water from the well and Jesus said, ‘Give Me a drink,” and the conversation goes on. “The woman says to Jesus, ‘well why would you ask me a Samaritan woman to give you a drink of water?’ Jews didn’t have any dealings with Samaritans, they thought if you got water from a Samaritan, the Samaritan had defiled the water you shouldn’t drink it. Jesus said, ‘if you knew the One teaching you, you would ask Him to give you water and I would give you water, and you would never thirst again’” and He’s making the transition. I’m talking about My salvation that’ll satisfy the thirst of your soul that will make you whole. That’ll cleanse you. That’s the picture, so fitting in a land with so much desert and some of you have been there in this day as they tried to reclaim some of it, but it’s a desert land. The picture of the dryness and here you come to the well and the water and oh, it refreshes you. It brings life that you wouldn’t survive without that’s here; you have the right to come into the city to partake of the water of life, to eat of the tree of life. They might have the right to the tree of life, may enter the gates of the city.

Remember we talked about Adam and Eve were closed out of the garden. They couldn’t eat of the tree of life because of their sin. You needed a Savior but in the new Jerusalem, the gates are never closed. I remember reading some things last night again and was just reminded, there’s some confusion. Some commentators think that the new Jerusalem is the new earth. Well that’s not what it said; the new Jerusalem comes down to reside on the new earth. It has 12 gates. In the new Jerusalem is the very throne of God. That’s why we say, “heaven has come down to the new earth.” That’s where God manifests His presence among His creation. The gates are never closed so people living outside the new Jerusalem are redeemed people, that’s all that’s left now. Everyone else has been cast into hell.

In the new Jerusalem reside glorified saints who have received glorified bodies. They have passed through death or they have been translated at a rapture. Outside are believers, fully redeemed and cleansed from all sin, defilement of sin, living, but they have eternal life. They’ll never die, their sin has been taken care of, they’ll come into the new Jerusalem, eat of the tree, drink of the water. The freedom of access, that’s the picture. You have to have your robes washed, as Joshua did in Zechariah chapter 3. That happens with faith in Christ.

Now note the contrast. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers the immoral persons and so on. You see the contrast. We’ll say, “well wait a minute. If they’re outside the city then there must be people outside the city and then—well there are people outside the city but the ones He is talking about are those outside who have no access to the city. Where are they? Come back to chapter 20 verse 15. “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Now come back to 22. These people that are outside the city, these are those in hell. The outside there talks about they’re not allowed to have access to the city. They can’t come into the city. Nothing defiled ever comes into it, another way of saying what he has developed through these chapters. To be outside the city with no opportunity for access is to be in hell. There are only two places to be for eternity. On the new earth with access to the new Jerusalem or in the eternal hell, from which there is no escape and there is no place else to go.

That’s like we talked about and went to the Sermon on the Mount. There are two gates, two roads, two destinies. Don’t ever allow yourself to blur the clarity that God gives. There are only two places. Everyone who has ever lived will have a destiny, will end up in one of two places, an eternal hell or in an eternal heaven, which is the new Jerusalem, on the new earth, dwelling in the presence of God. That’s it, so these have the right. Outside are the dogs. I appreciate sometimes I’ve been exhorted not to say some things I say. Sometimes we think, well we don’t want to come across as harsh. This is God speaking. This is God’s word. You know what He calls unbelievers here? Dogs. It’s a serious thing to be the enemy of the living God. It’s a serious thing to be living in rebellion against Him, defiled in the corruption of your sin. The prophet Jeremiah shared the word of God with us and said, “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things.” No matter how good a person thinks, they are, no matter how good they may act, God says when He looks at the heart He sees a heart that is so filthy that no one really knows how dirty, and defiled it is. Outside are the dogs.

Now these are not your comfortable home pets, so I don’t want to get in trouble here that I don’t need to be in, you know we love our pets. We love our dogs and they’re part of our family and I’m using “our” editorially here because we don’t have any pets, but Marilyn doesn’t like them I guess. I know you love your dog, but these are not those kind of dogs. That’s all I’m saying. These are the scavenger dogs of the Middle East. They are despised by everyone, they roam the streets. This is what the picture is, so John’s readers would understand this. They’re dogs, you notice how God sees them, those scavenger hounds that nobody…..everybody’s trying to be rid of and don’t want them around. That’s how God sees them they’re dogs. The sorcerers, the immoral persons the murderers, the idolaters everyone who loves and practices lying. In other words, everyone who hasn’t had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb has already been sentenced to an eternal hell in chapter 20. They’re outside the city, they’ll have no access to the city, they’re in hell. They’ll never be coming out again.

The only people on the new earth, and in the New Jerusalem are those who had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb, and this is one of those lists I went through, I gave you a list of these kinds of sin lists as we have them in the bible. Some are more extensive. If you want an extensive list you can read Romans chapter 1. It gives you all kinds of sin. Now they’re all mixed in here. What God wants us to see is not that these sins are the worst, because if you go to Romans 1 you’ll see a lot of others mixed in, disobedience to parents and things like that so what I’ve got here I think these are all manifestations of rebellion against me.

The danger we come to as Christians, we narrow down and think some sins are the really bad ones. We can go to town on how terrible what is going on in our society with homosexual marriage and all this and it is sin. We don’t want to minimize it but nor do I want to give the idea that people who don’t practice those kinds of sins are not as sinful in the sight of God as people who practice other sins. You know, we’d agree. Well sorcery, we get our word pharmacology, pharmacy from this word, because sorcerers often use drugs and those kinds of things in casting their spells and so on, so sorcerers. Those who direct people in, you know, alternative kinds of worship.

Immoral persons, we see that in our society and it has become acceptable. You know you watch somebody buying a house on a house program and they’ll, a young couple, their living together and then they say we’re going to take the next step in our relationship; we’re going to buy a house together. You know it’s like the marriage step just has sort of gotten—because that’s not important to us, but it’s important to God. Immoral persons, whatever kind of immorality. Murderers, oh yeah that’s a big one too; we would include that as Christians. Idolaters that’s a bad one too. Everyone who loves and practices lying. Lying, I noted here we have like four of these lists in the Book of Revelation. The only sin that’s on all four of them is lying. Well lying, is it that bad? I mean I think lying is bad but it’s not as bad as murder. It’s not as bad as idolatry, it’s you know and that’s what my concern is as Christians, we don’t become focused in, we zoom in and these are the sins that we really have to deal with and we’ll go public on this is where we stand as a church and this sin.

We give the idea that people that don’t practice those kinds of sins, do they need the Savior that we have to offer. God says, “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things,” so bad that only He knows how bad the human heart is, so I don’t want to go soft, and say well we don’t see this. The danger is the church begins to go soft on sin as sin. Sometimes we have to be careful that we’re where the bible says. These sins are sins, but you understand, people who never worship an idol, never murder anybody, never commit immorality, never get involved in sorcery are on their way to an eternal hell. In fact, the Jews of Jesus’ day prided themselves they didn’t lead the kind of immoral corrupt pagan life that the Romans and those around them lived. Jesus said they would be closed out from all that God had promised regarding a coming kingdom, a new earth new heavens a new Jerusalem, but the worst of sinners would be going in because they got washed in the blood of the Lamb. They had come to the salvation God offers.

One of the biggest obstacles to people experiencing God’s cleansing salvation is they think they’re good as they are. I’m good enough. I don’t think God would send a person like me to hell. I’ve lived a good life. I’ve tried to be a good husband, good wife, good parent I’ve tried to do good deeds. I’ve done my best. I wouldn’t want to be with a God who would send people like me to hell. Well you know that might all work if you were the judge of all men but you’re not. I’m not. God is. So we want to be careful, even as believers, that we are clear. If someone asks me if something is sin, yes that’s sin. Do you practice it? No, but do you know what, God says you’re just as lost as the person practicing that sin is. I don’t want to leave them with the idea, you know, if our country would get control of the immorality, get back to a biblical view of marriage, then everything would be good. If we could only have a country of Pharisees. I don’t think that moves us any closer to the Lord. Now I realize this open practice of sin, for any nation, it’s a disgrace, but you don’t get any closer to heaven by reforming your life.

All right, Jesus speaks in verse 16 again. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things. . .” Remember how we always started out, God the Father gave the revelation to God the Son who gave it to His angel who carried it to John. Then we saw the Holy Spirit involved confirming it in John’s heart, so he could give it out. Note who this is for, it’s for the churches. We studied the seven churches of chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, noted they were individual local churches in operation at that time, but they were selected, so the churches down through history could see themselves being evaluated, and how the Lord of the church went through each church and gave a commendation and a condemnation. He said what had to be fixed, what He approved of, this is for the churches. He wrote these things, He’s testifying to these things. What things? The Book of Revelation in particular that we just read.

Isn’t it amazing, one of the popular evangelical, he says, “Well doctrine is like medical triage.” In a medical field, he uses the example where when they have a major crisis. They categorize seriousness, so those patients are this level, at this level at this level because you want to divert your limited resources to those most in need and then you work up from there, because some people that maybe have been injured, their injuries aren’t so serious, so they can wait. Some people’s injuries are so serious they’ll die if they don’t get immediate attention. Well he carries that analogy over, and he says that’s the way we are as Christians and you know what he ameliorates, eschatology and prophecy are one of those things we don’t divide over, it’s not that important, so it’s not one of the serious things. You know I understand the facts of the gospel are basic if a person is to be saved, but I want to be careful about I pick and choose, oh we don’t study the Book of Revelation because we don’t think prophecy is that important.

Well Jesus said, “I sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches.” Now when God speaks, who am I to become His editor and say well, you know, I put that on a third class level and once I put everything God says, you know you just have a top level in one sense, and those who don’t understand what God says about the future, have crippled themselves for the present. Why did God spend the time on details that aren’t all that crucial and urgent? How many times does Christ say in this context? I’m coming quickly I’m coming soon, blessed are those who pay attention and we’re saying, “well I sure don’t want to make that an issue. I don’t make it an issue.” The Lord that we serve made it an issue, so I sent this to testify to you for these things for the churches. “I am the root and descendant of David, the bright and morning star.” I’m the One who fulfills those prophecies. Isaiah wrote about the coming Messiah would be of the root of David. He’s the descendant of David. He’s the Messiah. I’m the One who came to be the King but first I had to be the Savior by suffering and dying. The bright and morning star, He’s the ultimate light, He outshines all the others, and that’s why as we give off the Light of the knowledge of the gospel of Christ we are lights shining in the darkness, so in light of this we’ve drawn the contrast.

We saw the contrast in verse 11 just where we’ve been here in the last little bit of time. Then we saw the contrast in verse 14 and 15. Those who are blessed and those who are outside, excluded. Now I’m telling you, I’ve sent My angel to testify to these things for the churches, all these prophecies, this truth regarding the division of all human beings. You either belong to Me or you don’t. You’ve either been washed from the defilement of your sin, clothed in the righteousness of God through faith in Christ, or you’re lost. Now verse 17, how gracious God is. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’” The Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God who takes this truth of God and carries it to a heart, confirms it in our spirit, nourishes our soul with it. Brings us to salvation and the bride. Who’s the bride? Well we saw in chapter 19 that the church is the bride. So what happens, the Spirit and the bride, because we joined-together, because the Spirit is working through the message entrusted to the bride. In the Old Testament, it was Israel with the focus of God’s work of salvation and through whom salvation was being made known.

Now, it is in the church and through the church, the churches plural, we comprise the bride of Christ, the churches of verse 16. What do we say, “Come” the invitation is still open. The door hasn’t been shut yet. Christ hasn’t come with the finality of His judgment, so this is what we are about, inviting people to Christ. How many people have we done that with, we’re talking about giving out the message of Christ in the special events like this evening. How many people do we even take time to invite to it? How many times do we talk to those we come in contact? That’s what we’re to be doing? We say, “Come.” What do you mean come?

Well here’s what God says. All humanity is divided, we give them the gospel. “Let the one who hears say come. When you’ve truly heard the gospel so that it’s been taken into your soul. That’s why new believers often become the most aggressive evangelists, right? They want to go tell their family, their friends, that God has cleansed them and they need to come to this Savior and then this gracious invitation. “Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” This is not a salvation you earn, not a salvation you try to acquire by doing your best and being the best person you can be, salvation you come to when you realize, I’m lost, I’m a sinner, God I need what only You have, I need Your righteousness. I need You to cleanse me, to forgive me. How does it get any more gracious, God says no cost, free salvation?

People say, “Oh I don’t think God would send people to hell. That’s a terrible place.” It is, that’s why He sent His Son to earth to die so we wouldn’t have to go to an eternal hell. Now what does He do to deal with people who say, here God has a gift, this is yours no charge. No thank you. I’ll do it on my own, but you can’t do it on your own. Well, I’m going to try. Well, you lose, you’re just confirmed in your lostness.

We have to come back to Isaiah. We’ve been here before but it’s such a wonderful passage and you see the consistency of what God offers in His salvation. Isaiah 55, Ho! He calls out, “Ho” like listen, come over here. “Every one who thirsts, come to the waters. You who have no money, come, buy eat. Come buy wine and milk without money without cost.” Verse three, “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; I will make an everlasting covenant with you.” Verse 6 “seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Give it up. Surrender. I have been fighting against God, what He has said, what He has done, the truth that I’ve heard. What’s the catch?

You have no catch. It’s because God is so gracious and so I agree people say a God that would send people to hell, that is an awful thought! It is more than an awful thought, it is a terrible reality. Think about that! There are people who you will talk with today that will personally, permanently reside in the suffering of hell. You know I forget that. I just think well you know. I get more worked up about silly irrelevant things and this is what’s important. If they think, hell is too terrible to imagine, I’d say I’m glad you think of it that way. I think too, I agree with you. Hell is more awful than I can even conceive of in my mind. I don’t even like to think about there being such a place but let me tell you something. The God who knows, tells us there really is such a place, but you know what really is amazing? The really amazing thing is not that there is an eternal hell, but God says you don’t have to go to that hell. You don’t have to end up there and you know what He says. He’ll give you freedom from that future and He doesn’t charge you anything. It doesn’t get any better than this, free is free. It’s without cost to us. Why? He paid it, I didn’t have to pay. I get in for free. All I did was receive by believing in Him, what He offered.

Come back to Revelation 22. This is the message we bring to people. Why are we so reluctant? Well you know, why do we become so timid and tongue-tied. I want to tell you about a get out of hell pass free. Let me tell you about that. You can change your destiny, you’re as good as in hell if something doesn’t come about in your life. That is your settled destiny if you don’t place your faith in Jesus Christ as your only Savior. It is as sure as you’re standing here talking to me, you will someday be in an eternal hell, but the alternative couldn’t get any better, so verse 18 and verse 19 and another one of those contrasts. Black and white, black and white, black and white,

I had a theology professor say about me one time that I was too black and white, that life is not like that, but it is! Here it is again. “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues, which are written in this book. If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life from the holy city, which are written in this book.” In other words, it’s clear. You cannot have a part in heaven and God’s blessings if you don’t heed this book. This is God’s word. You can’t overrule God. You can’t add to what He said, you can’t take away from it. Now this is talking particularly about this book.

Isn’t it amazing how many churches don’t even study the Book of Revelation? How many people I’ve had that have said I don’t think we ever studied the Book of Revelation and here He promised blessings to those who do. He warned there shouldn’t be any changes here. If you don’t know what’s here, how will you know if you’re changing, it if you’re making alterations? There are teachers who are under the umbrella of a terrible condemnation. I read their commentaries and they write off stuff in here like it was from the comic page of a newspaper. This is serious business. Now this is particularly about the Book of Revelation but when its God’s word, its God’s word.

Come back to Deuteronomy we’ll just go to one passage. Deuteronomy, Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy. Then we get to Joshua, so the first of God’s revelation event given through Moses. Recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 4. Note what God says in verse 2. “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” Same point. When God speaks, you don’t become an editor. You don’t add to it you don’t take away from it. That’s why when we do bible study together in our services, we move through the book of the bible. We study it verse by verse, word by word because this is the word of God. If we don’t know what it says, that’s the slippery slope. You know churches like this, they don’t move away from serious bible study just by deciding one day that we’re going to believe some other things. Pretty soon we’ve, as I’ve mentioned, we’re weary of this study of Scripture. I think I know it pretty well. It’s sort of tiresome to do that. Couldn’t we condense it down?

I went to a football game, out-of-state not one of the local ones but people are crazy! You know there’s almost 20,000 people in a stadium were in. It’s enclosed, it had a roof. My ears didn’t stop ringing for hours. They have big screens. You know what they did on the screen? They held up a meter periodically that would show you how loud it was in there, and the people really went crazy when it passed a hundred decimals. I mean what are they trying to do, make each other deaf? It’s just a game folks and we think, oh studying the bible is—do we have to spend so long? I know we could have twice as many people here if I’d speak half as long. I just don’t want to talk to those people. You know what am I. I’m not their entertainment. I’m just here to try to explain to you what God says, and I want to work as hard as I can and to be careful I don’t make any adjustments I shouldn’t make, not that any of us are perfect. We can disagree on a passage and things like that, but we ought to be serious about the word.

With that warning, he wraps up. “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’” I mean how many times does He have to say it! You know it’s like your kids. You tell them, and you tell them, and they say I know, I’ve heard it but you know they haven’t really listened like they need to, so then you tell them, listen again, I’m going to tell you one more time. The Book of Revelation, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” “Amen.” It’s true and the response, “Come, Lord Jesus.” This is what I’m waiting for; I was hoping He would come for the church before we got to this point. I’m dragging out until we get to verse 21, there’s still hope but I expect He’ll come. “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.” This is true. True words of God, we agree with it, we submit it attest to it. We love it.

How gracious God is, He tells it in black and white terms. He tells us how it is. Why hasn’t He come yet? Peter said it, “the Lord is patient not slow about bringing about what He has promised but He wants to give people time to be saved.” Another day of salvation. You’re here. You’re hearing a message. If you’re here as an unbeliever and Christ had come yesterday, then where would you be? We’re to live with that sense of expectation. Today is the day of salvation we are told. Will tomorrow be such a day? Maybe not for you and we, as believers, need to be living, looking for our Lord.

Let’s pray: Thank You Lord for the riches of Your word and Lord we’ve just been on a journey through this climatic portion of Your word. Where at the very end You bring together in this precious book, truths to give clarity and understanding to prophecies given millenniums before but now pull together with a clarity not seen before. We gather together to study this precious book from Genesis to Revelation. Lord how blessed we are. We each have our own portion. We don’t have to wait for someone to read it for someone to tell it to us. We can carry it about with us, and Lord how responsible are we to be faithful slaves of Yours living every day with what a glorious expectation and hope; Jesus Christ is coming again. We pray in His name. Amen.