Revelation 11

discipleship update

giving update

10th Birthday gathering 2 weeks.

Christmas gatherings update

Mention new CityLight app additions

Ligonier, Bible Project, Chosen series.

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Revelation 22:6–21 CSB

Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” “Look, 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. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” Then he said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy still be filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; let the holy still be holy.” “Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. 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 and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely. 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 that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book. He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with everyone. Amen.

We’ve reached the end of the new beginning.

- and if all this sounds familiar, this chapter is like a bookend with the opening paragraphs of revelation.

- as in the beginning of Rev:

- John is identified

- Jesus is identified

- He calls himself the Alpha & Omega (echoes of Isaiah, where YHWH calls Himself A&O).

- Blessing promised (a couple of times just here)

- Angel messenger

- Purpose of book

- “I am coming soon/soon to take place”

Jesus speaking through a messenger

the messenger says everything, but sometimes he’s quoting Jesus.

John (even John!) mistakes the messenger for the message, and worships him

The Angel rebukes John.. you can almost hear panic in his voice

“Don’t do that!!”

“I’m a fellow servant with you. Worship God!”

We are SO prone to doing this too!

our favourite preachers, maybe a political figure, even a document (tell story about former church and “we don’t need scripture, we have our constitution”)

Don’t be impressed by the messenger in a way which leads to worshipping them

some amazing downfalls of formerly venerated Christian leaders recently.

pastors, politicians, rapper/footwear moguls ;)

Don’t worship people.. even those who help you understand Jesus.

don’t worship them.. follow their example in worshipping God.

“Blessed is the one who keeps the word of the prophecy of this book”

- how, if it’s all about future events, are you supposed to keep this book?

- No, we’ve misunderstood the meaning, and so missed out on the promised blessing for today!

it is for US to keep the words of this book

everything we’ve learned over the past 3 months!

everything we learned in the letters to the 7 churches

everything we learned about how the deceiver, the counterfeit trinity, and their agents are at work in the world today

through deception, distraction, & death

everything we learned about heaven, and the glory of God

everything we learned about suffering and persevering for the name of Jesus

everything we learned about our new clothes, and our new nature, and our being sealed with the Holy Spirit, and saved for eternity with Jesus

everything we learned about God calling people to repentance

everything we learned about Jesus coming soon

everything we learned about the city of destruction; Babylon, and the city of life; Jerusalem.

everything we learned about the future for those in Christ, and the future for those who reject Him.

We are blessed if we keep them.

OT prophet Daniel was told to seal up the prophecies in his revealing.

John told to NOT seal up the words in his revealing!

Daniel told to seal up his prophecies til the end, John is told to tell people about his prophecies because IT IS THE END!

It’s not for or primarily about the future, but it’s for every Christian from that day til Jesus comes again; it’s about today!

we need to encourage one another in these things - to keep the prophecies in this letter!

Why?

“Because the time is near”

- “Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy still be filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; let the holy still be holy.”

an echo of Daniel 12, and even Ezekiel 3...

at the end of Daniel’s prophecies, he’s told to go about his way, with the prophecies sealed up… that many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly, and they won’t understand. Daniel is told again to go about his way, until he stands to receive his inheritance at the end of the days.

this is a call to us in the same kind of way.

The time is near!

Evil people will do evil.. don’t get distracted

you be righteous and holy.

and in the end, the unrighteous will go to judgment dressed in filthy rags of unrighteousness

and those clothed in righteousness will be found holy and set apart.

Inside and outside

- inside are those Saved by God.. clothed in righteousness, who have their robes washed

- echoes of Rev 7 - the great multitude who come out of the great tribulation (the last 2000 years, and until Jesus returns) who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb!

- Revelation‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭17‬

- “Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. The one seated on the throne will shelter them: They will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any scorching heat. For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them; he will guide them to springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

sounds super similar to what we read of the new city last week.

what are your robes? Rev tells us they are our righteous acts

and those who are in the city are we who have the blood of Jesus covering all of our acts; so that we are credited with the perfection of Christ.

- Outside are those who don’t belong to Jesus

those who wear the robes of their own self-righteousness

and all that are not washed in the blood; covered in Jesus perfect righteousness, are worn by those found outside the city.

- They’re not partying, they’re not living in some cartoonish cavernous subterranean city of the damned, they’re not even banging on the gates to get in.. they’re the ones who have died with death.

But you don’t have to be among them!

The Spirit calls to you!

- come!

And the bride, which is the new city calls to you!

- This is the church, and we say “come!”

And the ones who ‘hear’ respond

- “come!”

and all the thirsty ones come and take the water of life freely.

Isaiah 55:1 ““Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost!”

John 7:37 “On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”

- Do you have an unquenched thirst?

- Is there something you long for that you don’t have?

- Come and find your fulfilment in Jesus!

He WILL satisfy your thirst, and give you water that never runs out!

We can’t take away from the words of the prophecies in the letter of Revealing Jesus, and we can’t add to it

- things we don’t like, we can’t omit (or God will take away our access to the tree of life)

- Things we think or like, but aren’t in the book, we can’t add (or God will add to us the plagues in the book)

means we proclaim this boldly, but with humility!

if there’s a reason to NOT preach through Revelation, this is it..

but if there’s a reason TO preach through Revelation, this is it!

we don’t want to take away from the book by avoiding it!!

and finally:

He’s coming soon.

- Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭“He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with everyone. Amen.”

- “soon” or “quickly/suddenly”

- again, Jesus isn’t giving us a timeline

- He’s saying what He’s been saying the whole letter long!

- BE READY!

- ‭remember what He told all but one of the 7 churches?

- I am coming “like a thief”/“soon”/etc, and I will take your lampstand.

I’m coming soon with righteous judgement

- Or “if you open the door, I will come and eat with you”

I’m coming soon with rewards for righteousness.

- So, He’s coming in a sense even during the current age (as He did when He removed the Ephesians lamp stand), and He’s coming in a final way at the end.

- He is coming suddenly - be ready!

- To judge us all; by our own works to privation of life, or by His own works, to eternal life.

- Forget about speculating as some do, asking “do current times and events line up with the prophecies”, and instead ask “does my heart line up with Jesus?!”

- That’s what this whole letter is for!

- Don’t miss this!

How do you know you’re answering the Spirit when He says “come”?

- When your desire is for the next city with Jesus, and NOT for the city leading to dust…

- when you say with John at the end “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” over and above everything you wish for in this world.

- Here’s John on a rock in the ocean, longing for the things he’s seen.

- Here we are in the most comfortable, most peaceful, most wealthy country (of individuals) perhaps ever… are we so easily satisfied that we don’t also long for the day when sin and it’s effects, and even death are finally dealt with? For the day God makes all things new?

Let’s say COME!

You’ve heard it. Do it. Be blessed.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

Pray

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7 invitations of Rev 22 (from Exalting Jesus in Revelation)

I. Invitation 1: Obey the Word of God (22:6–7).

II. Invitation 2: Be True to the Worship of God (22:8–9).

III. Invitation 3: Proclaim the Truth of God (22:10–11).

IV. Invitation 4: Pursue the Will of God (22:12–15).

V. Invitation 5: Respond to the Invitation of God (22:16–17).

VI. Invitation 6: Heed the Warning of God (22:18–19).

VII. Invitation 7: Pray for the Coming of God (22:20–21).