He Who Thirsts, Come!

Well, after some time working through the book of Revelation, we've made it to the very last sermon in the book, and so I ask you to turn to the very last chapter of the Bible, the book of Revelation, chapter 22. We'll be reading through verses 6 through 21, which is the end of that chapter and the end of the book. This is Revelation chapter 22, beginning at verse 6. This is the word of the Lord. and he said to me these words are trustworthy and true and the Lord the God of the spirits of the prophets has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place and behold I am coming soon blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book I John am the one who heard and saw these things and when I heard and saw them I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me but he said to me you must not do that i am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book worship god and he said to me do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is near let the evildoer still do evil and the filthy still be filthy and the righteous still do right and the holy still be holy behold i am coming soon bringing my recompense with me to repay each one for what he has done i am the alpha and the omega the first and the last the beginning and the end blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life that they may enter the city by the gates outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The spirit and the bride say come and let the one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, surely I am coming soon amen come lord jesus the grace of the lord jesus be with you all amen and there is the reading of god's word well after uh sometime now we conclude this glorious book study of this glorious book called revelation and it has uh at least for me been immensely helpful as a as a pastor this is for me a big achievement this is like achievement day i guess uh to preach through this book and feel that I did it by God's grace. I've really enjoyed it and learned so much from it. But as we come to the end today, there's a specific purpose that the Lord has that He doesn't want us to leave this book without taking away some very important things and to not lose them. To not lose them. It really is applying everything that we have now learned. It really is. This is a great section of it has the effect of answering the question, what do you do with all this knowledge that you've been given now? And you've been given a lot of knowledge in this book. If you've listened, and you've read it, and you've heard it, you've been given some very special things. And so this becomes, at the end of this book, a beautiful call to enter into all that God has promised you and given to you in his Son, and to believe these things and to hold on to these things. After describing for us last time heaven, I really enjoyed preaching the last section where we got a glimpse of heaven. We were able to see what the future holds and what it will be like. The glorious city of God, where God dwells among his people, what that will be like. I encourage anyone who wasn't here and missed that to listen to that sermon. Because that, if you've ever wondered about heaven, outlines it in this section so beautifully for us to help us. We ended with this vision of paradise, completely recovered. Paradise lost, and then paradise recovered. The glorious city of God, there being in the middle, it was said, no more curse there. It's hard for us even to fathom that, because we live with the problem of sin and curse. Heaven was brought to earth. The division was fixed. The division between God and man was remedied. Man and neighbor. And there we were with the Lord forever pictured in glory, worshiping and enjoying the Lord in peace and joy and complete happiness. But now we come to concluding thoughts in this book. I love God's conclusions to these inspired books because we really get what the Holy Spirit wants for us to take, to run with, to hold on to. And we see this now beginning at verse 6 that we've made a transition where we are really back to chapter 1. That's the effect of this. Then he said to me, verse 6, these words are trustworthy and true and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place and behold i am coming soon blessed is he the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book now this is almost verbatim chapter one there are a few important switches here but if you caught it and looked and considered what he just did at the end of this book you'll notice here and just listen to chapter one when we first started the revelation of jesus christ which god gave to him to show his servants the things that must soon take place blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear remember jesus talked a lot not just about faithful preaching but faithful hearing having the ability to hear and he gives that to you if you've heard it blessed are you if you've heard it blessed are you that required you giving yourself to this study blessed are you and those who keep now here here's what we're going to focus on this morning those who keep what was written in it for the time is near when he first said that you had no idea what he was talking about you didn't think they were john's visions you probably thought they were john's delusions it's hard to understand it wasn't it what was all this most people reform a lot of reformed folk have stayed away from this book to their own fault and their own peril there was a promise at the beginning of this book blessed is he there was a a promise of blessing as you gave yourself to study this book if you heard it. Blessed is he who hears and who reads it. That was a saying that there's going to be a great blessing for those who really gave themselves to this, to listen to it, and by the Spirit heard it. You are given a knowledge, an unveiling of the world that no one else sees and i mean that nobody else sees revelation was given to the people of god the friends of jesus was given to them to a church in the middle of attack and confusion and hardship in this present age to lift up their eyes as we heard last week and all the idolatry all the persecution all the hardship all the sin all the things that we're living in and what they were living in in the roman empire all of it they realized was way too powerful for them that's what we realize sin is powerful sin is powerful and they were discouraged about everything weren't they the the church because they were discouraged was compromising left and right they were compromising thinking this doesn't work we're doing it this way it's not going to work in a in a roman culture we've got to change everything and so they did and the lord said i'm going to come and judge your church you can go on but my presence will be gone he warned them don't compromise in the midst of all this they just couldn't reconcile how if jesus is the king of kings and lord of lords if he's more powerful than the emperor of rome why things are going like this that was the heart of this struggle remember and so in the midst of all these things in the midst of hardships we are all tempted to give up we're all tempted to lose heart we're all tempted to go the other way we're all tempted because grass always always looks greener elsewhere to run that's that's the challenge of this book and we feel it constantly we feel it constantly i don't see how there's any goodness going on in the world right now do you i don't see much victory in the world i don't see much of anything happening? I don't. And what Revelation did for them and what Revelation by now should have done for you is find a way through all this. Find a way through life. This is a book that gets you through life. This is a book that answers everything about life under the sun in the hardship. It's looking at things now a certain way. That's what the book has done for us. And what has this book said to you i'll think think of some of the themes that we've run through there are two worlds aren't there the first heaven there are two cities the first heaven and the first earth are soon to be done away with forever but there's a holy city a heavenly jerusalem that is coming that is your home the lord keeps telling you over and over so set your eyes there keep your hearts there and the lord is reigning there and very soon notice how it's always a push in the new testament soon soon soon he's going to come and make this all right but he said overwhelming things to us you are completely through all of this shielded you are completely through all of this protected you are safe in his care he has bore you on eagle's wings he has kept you he has preserved you and he will to the end listen to dennis johnson you are the sealed people of god you are marked with his name whatever may occur between today and the great day of the wrath of god and of the lamb you know that on that day you will be able to stand you know on that day you will be able to stand without terror and with expectant joy you are the measured sanctuary of god Remember, church is the city. You are jealousy guarded by His Spirit from any defilement that would lead to His withdrawal from your midst. You are the two invincible witnesses of God. It's them that are the cowards because they won't come. Remember He said the first thing about the sins of those on the outside? They're cowards. They won't come. You're not cowards. This is the feel of this book in the end. You're not cowards. Don't act like it. You're my people. So Revelation is a great motivating book in this present age, looking at things a certain way and telling you, you're looking at everything wrongly. Stop. Stop. In all of life, you're looking at it wrongly. Your earthly perspective is not the heavenly perspective. There's a heavenly reign, and there's a boardroom up there of somebody in control of it all. There are unseen realities at work. God is in your midst. And yes, He has given you a call to suffer for a while for His namesake. Yeah, He's given you that call. Through much tribulation, you enter the kingdom. Jesus said it the whole time. You've been told ahead of time. Your minds have been trained through this book to look at it all differently. That's been the purpose. That's been the goal. That in what seems to be defeat, you are winning. In what seems to be defeat, you are winning. And have overcome by the blood of the Lamb. That's the basis of victory. And your enemies have all been unmasked for you in this book. You see. You see what the beast is. You see what governments can't become. and why we never put our trust in princes. You see what the crushing power of Satan, this antichrist can be, and all the false voices that lure us and our children away. The false prophet. Alternate voices in the earth. Millions of alternate voices under that voice that has one great goal, to lead you away to false worship. To all the wrong priorities in life. You've studied the deception, the falsehood, the lies, leading people to give their heart to the beast and the world has done it. That was Romans 1. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is forever blessed. Amen. Two worships. The beast or the worship of Christ. It's all about worship. And you see what Babylon is now. You see what Babylon is. You've seen what the world is. You see the harlot stuffing our children with cotton candy, filling your bellies with as much wine of luxury as he can. You've seen the harlot, she, offering you every kind of pleasure under the sun to captivate your hearts and take you far away. You've seen the cup of abominations, it's called, to destroy you. You've seen what all that's in that cup can do to people. You drink it, you die. It's poison. You've seen the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life coming at you in the symbol of this woman, Babylon. Babylon the great, mystery, mother of harlots and of abominations in the earth. To make you love the world, to make Babylon your home, where your treasure is, said Jesus, there your heart will be. That's Revelation. in contrast all to the jerusalem above which is the mother of us all the the holy city the church the pure bride where you're headed and will soon be without any more of this misery the enemy wants you all not to take too much very seriously that's been a message here don't take this all very seriously you can live up the good life eat drink and be merry that's what he wants for you that's his will for your life you've learned the warfare in the book you've seen the lie he will turn on you quickly he's no friend the dragon will turn on you quickly and he'll use after the harlot has filled you with everything good the dragon will use governments to crush you he's done it throughout history in the midst of it all you were shown a champion you were shown the champion the one promise from genesis 3 your savior riding on a white horse everyone's subject to him seated now on the throne a throne fixed in heaven where he reigns and there is glory and majesty and a sea of crystal pure as glass nothing is turbulent up there it's all calm whatever he decrees from the throne happens every knee bows to him every tongue confesses he's lord and all the kingdoms of darkness all the false lies all those perpetrating it all of them face his judgment and you see his coming the marvel of it all robed he comes with a robe dipped in blood he died for you and now he comes to repay he won that's the book of revelation he won this one your jesus who you worship the one through whom everything was made is lord and king over all and he's prepared a city for you a new jerusalem and now he promised in the midst of this when his disciples were distressed i go to prepare this place for you and i am coming back to take you that where I am you may be not to get your own little pawns that you get to be with him now what has that done for you I mean you've been told this stuff for a long time I've been preached these perspectives for a long time you've read and understood what does the Lord want you doing with it right that's that's the emphasis here what are you doing with all the knowledge you've been given uh people say we want application this is the best section of application you'll ever get if he's giving you all that what are you doing with it well there's a little phrase that's different from the beginning where the lord said in the beginning i want blessed are those who hear and read this book now he says blessed are those who keep this book it's a little interesting word keep it in other words hold it in reserve the word means preserve for a purpose at a suitable time have it have it in your heads hold on to this book keep this book this is what gets you through life by living with this perspective having this perspective this eternal perspective by letting the truths that have been revealed to you drive the way you live out the rest of your days in this very short time that you have left, which is but a mist we sung out about a little while ago, and you're going to die. Does the world have this? They live panic, fret, and fear. Look at the news at night. They're driven by it. You have a God who's Lord over all. He's revealed Himself to you. You have a God who sits enthroned over it all. His kingdom is the kingdom over all kingdoms to whom every kingdom bows and confesses. Shouldn't that change us in some way? Shouldn't that change how we look at life? Shouldn't that change how we look at death? Shouldn't it? Remember the first thing the Lord said of those on the outside, they're cowards. You're not cowards. You're not cowards. This perspective of sovereignty, this perspective of victory, this perspective of certainty of the outcome that He's won, even over death, it's going to get you through everything if you keep it. It was at the heart of what Jesus was saying when He said, I tell you, I don't want you as My people worrying in this life. I don't want you worrying. Is not life more than eating and drinking? You're seriously worried about retirement. Are you kidding? You're worried about your bodies. Haven't I told you I'm going to raise them? You either believe this stuff or you don't, right? Stop worrying then. Is not life more than food? Is not life more than clothing? You belong to a kingdom with a king who reigns. That's where your heart should be seeking. That kingdom, that righteousness, him. Because it's certain. The Lord is so adamant about you, he wants you to know in the midst of all this that he does something for you. And I think it seems a little bit off in the middle of this section where this blatant warning comes out. Don't you mess with this book. Don't you mess with this book. He's doing that for you. you see he's so adamant of you wanting to keep this book and have this perspective that he says anyone who touches this book and messes with it to take away this perspective i'm cursing him that's for you that's the effect of that don't you mess with my book don't you mess with what i want to be given to my people i will add the plagues in this book if anyone messes with this or takes away from it and disregards it these words are faithful and true these words are faithful and true he keeps saying it these words are faithful and true what does that mean then believe it that's that's the effect of this you see now i think we have to apply this even stronger what this book is showing us should be the single great response in your lives to this knowledge of all issues what becomes the single great issue at the end of this book the heart of it it's an interesting moment here i thought this is such a strange introduction to something that um i had to ponder for a while and think about john hears and understands the words of the prophecy of this book and it leads him to do something doesn't it look at verse eight i john am the one who heard and saw these things and when i heard and saw them i fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me but he said to me you must not do that i am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book worship god i believe it's a huge moment in the book a huge moment it's a central application of the book people will say we want application here it is here it is what is revelation calling you to do worship even from the beginning as soon as the fall had happened you have a little interesting phrase early on in Genesis and men began to gather that's the word we use of the church gather together that's what a church does gather they began to gather together and call on the name of the Lord if you're keeping the perspective of this book how do you know worship's the priority of your life worship's the priority of your life the act of worship is the act of what bowing down that's what we mean when we're speaking of worship praising and reverencing the god who sits enthroned over all of it to the contrary those who are aren't maintaining this perspective in life now now stay with me on this this is an important point those who aren't maintaining the perspective in this life and who are desperately trying to control their own lives and live running and fretting and running and fretting and live compromising in this life, standing for nothing, do not live with this drive, are not keeping this book, and it's evidence that the thing that they don't want to do the most in this life or value the little, the littlest in this life, is worship. Any excuse to get away from it, that's the battle we fight. You know where your heart is today. You know. The Lord reads it. I think John's mishap here was meant to be purposeful to bowing to an angel captures this struggle on purpose. The very present threat of idolatry, the ever-present threat and dangers of bowing down to everything else and all the wrong things in this life, the wrong powers, the wrong people, the wrong delivers, the angel is showing us that the proper keeping of what we have learned leads us to Jesus. He's God. What takes you away from worship? In American culture, it's just laziness. But for many of these Christians in the first century, they were really suffering. We're really in persecution. You start facing those kind of things, it's going to make things real clear. I was thinking of an example on keeping of what Revelation is calling us to. I couldn't get this out of my mind in the Scripture, something that happened to David. Remember when David had sinned with Bathsheba and God disciplined David to keep everyone from mocking in the kingdom, he struck his newborn son. Remember? Remember what happened in 2 Samuel 13? The Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. Imagine the pain. It's confusing. won't God keep him alive for me? God could deliver him. So he fasts day and night. He wouldn't even eat. Begging God to deliver his son. Remember what happened? On the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. How did David handle it? Wouldn't you think David would give up? When all the hardships in life happen, What's the last thing we want to do? Worship. Here's what happened. David perceived that the child was dead. So he said to his servants, is the child dead? And they said, he is dead. So David rose from the ground, washed, hold that thought, and anointed himself and changed his clothes and went into the house of the Lord and worshipped, and worshipped. The servant said, what are you doing? We don't understand this act. This makes no sense to us. While your child was alive, you wept, you fasted. Now you're worshipping. And he said, while the child was alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live? But now he is dead. Why should I fast? I will go to him. You see the perspective? This is not it. He's king. He took my child home. I'm going there. So I'm up and I'm going to worship because that's what God made me to do in this life in the midst of all this. That's how you keep the book. That's how you keep the book. this is keeping the book this perspective in life of what is to come the certainty of the promises of of the lord he's in such control of everything that no matter how it goes here i go there so i'm getting ready and i'm worshiping it's a sad thing because revelation here recognizes there are many who just don't take this seriously you can say it over and over and over make this the priority of your life they just don't take this seriously i it's puzzling right they will not heed the words of this book so the revelation says it it acknowledges that you'll notice that in verse 11 let the evildoers still do evil let the filthy still be filthy Let the righteous still do right and the holy still be holy. There are two kinds of responses to everything you've been taught in the scriptures and particularly in Revelation. When the things of this book unfold in life, when the things of Revelation unfold in life and you see it happening in the world, there are two kinds of responses. It will lead some to worship, but here we are told it will actually have the effect in others of increasing the hardness of the heart. Remember what the Lord showed us back in chapter 16 when he's exercising judgments on the earth, there was a shocking statement. You would think that everyone would see all the stuff happening in the world and say, wow, this is something we better take seriously and repent and turn to the Lord, But it actually says twice in chapter 16, and they did not repent of their deeds. One pastor says, the purpose of this is to warn those who are superficially or hypocritically affiliated with the churches, but who capitulate to the pressure and temptation from the surrounding culture, pagan culture. What you've heard your whole life about a sovereign God who gave his son to die on a cross and is seated and risen is leading you one way or the other. It's leading you to worship and enjoy Him or it's actually increasing the hardening of hearts to take you more and more away to all the wrong things in life. Sad. And that leads us this morning to the greatest call in the book. That's not a fatalistic presentation because in the midst of this, the lord does something so beautiful doesn't he look what he says in verse 12 look i am coming soon do you listen are you listening i'm coming soon this day's almost over are you ready are you listening to this my reward is with me i will give my recompense i will give to repay each one for what he's done i am the alpha and the omega the first and the last the beginning and the end here it is blessed are those who wash their robes you have a symbol of that in david he got up he washed his robes blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life, that they may go through the gates of the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic, arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. This is what the entire gospel of the Bible has been saying to us from the beginning to the end. You need to be washed. You need to be washed. Blessed are those who in this life have been washed it's the same word used back in chapter 7 when he said they have been washed in the blood of the lamb you have to be washed this is what the christian gospel is all about this is why jesus came this is what he announced in the very blessing of chapter 1 bless it listen to this why jesus came to wash us and cleanse us to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and has made us kings and priests to his god and father to him be glory dominion forever and ever blessed is he who's washed are you washed or are you filthy and if you're filthy he's saying come be washed here it is in verse 16 i jesus have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches i am the root and the descendant of david the bright and morning star the spirit and the bride say come let him who hears the one who hears say come let the one who is thirsty come and let the one who desires to take the water of life take it without price what a way to end the book what a way to end the book he's not saying come lord jesus that's the very end he's saying all of us are saying to you who won't come come the spirit in the church says come today to jesus and receive this washing all of us who've been washed are all telling you come anyone who's thirsty and understands who they are and what they need come this is not just some light moment in the bible beloved this call is being extended to you in the day of salvation to make sure anyone who hears who hasn't come or is not taking this seriously or who knows their hearts are having one to nothing to do with the worship of the Lord he's saying come you need to be washed the spirit and the bride say come come remember when um Jesus was standing there in the ministry and he's right in front of the temple and the great day of the festival he stands in a loud voice and he says let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink isn't it wonderful he's saying it from heaven to you today it's not forever but he's saying it from heaven come the book closes by telling us that the one who has testified to all these things says jesus says i am coming quickly the time is very short come lord jesus he says i will keep you let my grace be with you all as a parting doxology a blessing and that's what he wants you all to know that the entire perspective that he's he's given us through this book is that he will speedily come and fulfill everything he's promised to you the lord is not slow in giving you what he promised but he's long suffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance i hope revelation has encouraged you greatly for now you know and you've seen what's happening babylon is holding you out a cup babylon has a cup for you a cup full of everything that will entice your hearts away from this jesus holds out a cup to you today a cup that he says come eat drink and be filled with me with my life you will have eternal life come let your hearts be filled with my life and remember my promise. I am coming soon to eat and drink anew with you in the kingdom. All this tells that story this morning. He's coming again. This is his gospel promise to us and we should then in the priority of our lives worship the king and keep the words of the prophecy of this book having been washed in his robes. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for helping us as we conclude this book to understand that we might keep this perspective and that we might all ensure that we've come and let it then fill our lives as we've come and been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Let it drive our lives to worship You. To enjoy You. To realize that when we head to glory and enter into the gates of the city, we are with You. And nothing will ever be able, as is now, to separate us from that love. Give us the confidence and true faith to believe your promises and not doubt. Thank you, Father, for hearing us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.