Sermons

Series: Revelation: The Best is Yet to Come

Title: “How does the Bible end? With an invitation.”

Scripture: Revelation 22:10-21; Genesis 3:1-19; John 7:37; 20:31; Isaiah 55:1; 2 Peter 3:1-13

(Commentary helps listed at the end)

Need:

Bottom line: Revelation and the Bible ends with an invitation to come to Him: To watch, wait and witness (despite the suffering) until he returns to take us home to the New heaven and earth.

INTRODUCTION

Opening story:

God is always working for his people. (Rom 8:28) He’s not waiting on us to ask. Ask, yes! But God’s working whether we ask or not. God initiates mercy and grace. See Gen 3:1-19.

Seminary student Christmas shopping spree. They gave us play money and then let us go in and “buy” gifts for our children. (Isaiah 55:1)

Read Genesis 3:1-19; Revelation 22:1-9

CONTEXT

We have seen:

• Jesus and his churches (1-3)

• The throne and judgments of God (6-16)

• The whore, the King, and his bride (17-22)

It’s also noteworthy that these last 2 chapters of Revelation and of the Bible occur when sin has been abolished from the universe. No more sin, shame, guilt, death—it’s all history.

Bottom line: Revelation and the Bible ends with an invitation to come to Him. (Several, actually) To watch, wait and witness (despite the suffering) until he returns to take us home to the New heaven and earth.

OUTLINE

LAST WEEK invitation 1-2:

Two invitations from God to us as we anticipate the New Eden and the reverse of the curse: (6-9)

A. Obey God. (6-7)

B. Worship God! (8-9)

Five more invitations for a total of 7

1. Obey the word. (22:6-7)

2. Worship God! (8-9)

3. Proclaim the truth of God. (10-11)

   1. Unlike Daniel, reveal, don’t seal his word from the world. Why?

      1. Because “the time is near”

         1. For each of us it’s only a heartbeat away.

         2. For all of us, it’s never been closer. We’re another day closer today.

      2. A day is coming when change will no longer be possible. (11) What some say…others say we can still change…

      3. “Imagine being at the Grand Canyon and having a tour guide take you to some massive precipice. You look over the edge and realize that the drop is so deep it makes you dizzy. Then the tour guide says, ‘Let the self-assertive fool who wants to destroy himself disregard caution, ignore my instructions, and go over the edge.’ Is that what the tour guide wants you to do? P. 414

      4. 3 things we know in our gut:

         1. We all know that we do what we want to do.

         2. We all know that we are responsible for what we do.

         3. We all know that God will hold us accountable for what we do.

   2. “How we respond tot he truth of God’s word in this life will confirm our character and determine our destiny forever.” -D Akin

4. Pursue the will of God. (12-15)

   1. He’s coming soon. He will…judge or reward after he…

      1. Examines our mind

      2. Tests our heart

      3. Gives us according to our ways

   2. As judge, Jesus is fully qualified as he is the omniscient One

      1. Alpha and omega

      2. First and last

      3. Beginning and end

   3. Be washed in the blood of the lamb

      1. For justification

      2. For sanctification

      3. Washing = “persevering in faithfulness to Christ and refusing to compromise with the world” -D Akin

      4. Gives us access to

         1. Tree of life

         2. River of life

         3. City of life…forever!

      5. In contrast to those who did/do not.

         1. They are left outside the city in the lake of fire (“dogs”)

         2. Dogs in that day

            1. Stink and are dirty

            2. Roll in their own stink

            3. Cannot wash themselves

5. Respond to the invitation of God. (16-17)

   1. Jesus authenticates the message of Revelation in v. 16.

      1. Root = source (before David, as God)

      2. Offspring = descendant (coming from David, as man)

   2. He’s the God-man who’s the bright morning star (Num 24:17)

      1. This passage is Christological.

      2. Colossians will expand on this (we’ll start that series next week)

   3. The “Great Invitation” is a 4-fold invitation (17):

      1. The Holy Spirit says come!

      2. The bride, the Church of Jesus, says come!

      3. The one who hears is invitated.

      4. The one who thirsts for abundant, eternal life is invited. (Cf. Isaiah 55:1; John 7:37)

   4. Spurgeon says with respect to content and location of these verses:

      1. It’s placed at the end of the Bible because it’s the aim of the Bible.

      2. It’s like the point of the arrow with the rest of the Bible being the shaft and the feathers.

      3. John wrote in his gospel these tings are written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and that by believing you might have life in his name. (John 20:31)

      4. As far as you’re concerned, this book has missed it’s target unless you’ve accepted his invitation.

      5. All the books in the Bible cry to sinners, come to Jesus! Take the water that quenches your thirst!

6. Heed the warning of God. (18-19)

   1. Severe warning (adding/subtracting)

   2. Everyone

   3. Comprehensive

   4. Literally Revelation (but by implication, all of scripture)

   5. Believers love, obey and receive the word.

   6. Unbelievers hate, disobey and reject the word.

7. Pray for the coming of God (Return of the King). (20-21)

   1. “Yes” - answer the question

   2. “I am” - remember who he is

   3. “Coming” - second coming/return of the king

   4. “Soon” - one heart beat away; 1 day is like 1,000 years to the Lord (2 Peter 3)

• There is a God.

• You’re not him.

• Are you ready to meet him?

In sum, Revelation ends with a 3-fold posture to assume: watch, wait, and witness.

1. Watch - Keep your eyes on the clouds…He’s coming again! He’s coming soon! Are you ready?

2. Wait - Persevere. No doubt, suffering will accompany us as we wait. Do not grow weary in doing good in the meantime. Lean into your witness.

3. Witness - This is the great work he’s left us to join him in. Exalt the King. Expand the kingdom. As we keep our eyes on the clouds, we also keep our eyes on the crowds (Greg Stier). This is how we’re to continue to do good. Our witness will result in invitations being accepted. It may also result in the ultimate witness of martyrdom. If so, so be it. To live is Christ, to die is gain and more of Christ.

Ever since Genesis 3, the Garden and the Fall, God has been pursuing us with an invitation to repent and return to him. To repent and believe the truth that sets us free. So it’s entirely appropriate that God would end Revelation and the Bible with these grand invitations.

CONCLUSION

Bottom line: Revelation and the Bible ends with an invitation to come to Him. (Several, actually) To watch, wait and witness (despite the suffering) until he returns to take us home to the New heaven and earth.

Closing story:

Jim Hamilton’s notes

“The resurrection guarantees the return.” -JH

Mines of Moria scene in the Fellowship of the Ring where Gandalf the Grey gives his life to save the Fellowship.

Gandalf the Grey is resurrected and then returns as Gandalf the White. He comes back to them to help them finish what they started—to save the world from darkness. P. 411

Jesus is coming back and he’s inviting you to join him. Of all the ways he could end the Revelation, he chooses to end the letter with an invitation to come to him now.

The question is, will you accept his invitation?

Pray

Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32

OTHER NOTES:

“The whole point of the book of Revelation is to engender an encounter with Him. An encourager that then empowers us to follow him and his paradoxal way.” - Darryl Johnson

Revelation = Apocalypse = unveiling = breaking through

2-fold purpose:

1. Seeks to set the present moment (in all it’s brokenness) in light of the unseen realities of the future.

   1. Jesus is coming, and bringing with him a whole new creation!

2. Seeks to set the present moment in light of the unseen realities of the present.

   1. A fundamental conviction of apocalyptic literature is that “things are not as they seem.”

   2. One of the unseen realities of the present is that the time is near. Nothing around us in history or nature tells us the time in near without help from scripture)

   3. The great purpose-the pastoral purpose-of Revelation is to open up that more and see Jesus in the midst of it all.

Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near.” Jesus had to tell us this.

Matt 24-25: Thrust is the time is near. Believe me. “Be alert” And yet, there’s a process that takes time at hand. See kingdom parables too.

Jesus talks about the future as imminent AND lots has to happen over time. Wars, rumors of wars, famines, false messiahs, gospel to the whole world…

This tension is real.

Doesn’t every generation feel Ike they’re the last one? Makes sense in light of Matt 24-25.

Beginning = arche = source and pattern of the series; not just the beginning of the series

End = telos = destiny/purpose of the series

Ex. Acorn’s telos is an oak tree and grove

The telos of humanity is to become like Christ.

After darkness is complete…

Before the faintest sign of dawn…

Tiny star seems barely able…but is a reminder that the night will end…will be defeated.

The star pulls the morning sun behind it…

…just as Jesus pulls the kingdom behind him.

Maybe your life feels like the darkest part of the night right now. Look to the Bright morning star and remember what he is pulling behind him.

Need: To believe Jesus’ words, ways and works with respect to the time is near and his handling of our rescue and evil’s demise. (My take)

OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:

No, God wants you to repent. To change your course heart, mind, soul and strength and follow his ways, words and works.

MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:

• Exalting Jesus in Revelation by Daniel Akin

• Revelation by Jim Hamilton

• Revelation by Paige Patterson, New American Commentary series

• Breaking the Code by Bruce Metzger

• 2020 Sermons by Matt Chandler

• ESV Global Study Bible

• Bible in One Year by Nicky Gumbel

• Bible Knowledge Commentary

• The Outline Bible, Wilmington

• Discipleship on the Edge, Darrell W. Johnson

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