The Final Invitation

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have your Bible and I hope you do, open ‘em up with me to the final chapter in Revelation. This is our final week in this sermon series, and I have to say, I’m a bit sad. I know I was a bit sad or hesitate when we started this series almost three months ago, but I’ve actually really enjoyed walking through this book. It’s been encouraging to me…its challenged me. I’d even say, its probably one of my favorite series I’ve had the privilege to preach, even as difficult as it’s been.

And listen, I get it…that’s not how all of you might be feeling right now…particularly those of you that might take a different interpretation of Revelation…you’ve been thinking, “When’s this series gonna end, right” And listen, I respect that, I appreciate that. I hope you’ve at least been challenged to dig into Revelation over the past 13 weeks and been able to strengthen your faith through that.

But listen, my heart, its been warmed by this book…I’ve been encouraged personally in my own walk…pastorally in my leadership of FBC…and quite frankly, I just don’t want it to end. I mean isn’t that the beauty of Revelation? It might be the end of the Bible, but it’s the beginning of all eternity.

It reminds me of how C.S. Lewis ended the last book of his Narnia series. He said this:

“The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

The end of Revelation, in the same way, its only the beginning of a story where every chapter, its gonna be even better than the one before it. I mean, that’s been the point of Revelation…to remind believers that in light of everything Jesus did…in light of what we know Jesus will do, understand He’s victorious and live your life in light of that until He returns…live your life in light of the fact that with every new day, it only gets better and better because we move closer to this new beginning.

And so listen, hopefully you’re had some time to turn with me to Revelation chapter 22. Let’s stand and read this passage together.

John says this, starting in verse 6:

Revelation 22:6–21 (ESV)

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 and 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 all. Amen.

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

Listen, as we come to the end of this book…the Holy Spirit, through John, He wants to remind us of why Revelation was written. Again, to remind us that Jesus, He’s victorious…and so therefore, turn from the world and live in the power He’s given us today. Be engaged in the mission of Christ, truly believing that these things, they’re gonna come to pass.

And listen, as He closes this book, He reminds us of several things we’re called to in light of everything we just read…specifically 7 things. And so, as we walk through this text…we’re gonna take it verse-by-verse, looking at these 7 different things that He lays out for us here in the text.

I. We are to Obey God’s Word (vv. 6-7)

The first thing, in light of Revelation…the Spirit reminds us, that we’re to obey God’s Word.

Just look at verses 6 and 7 with me again. He says, “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.” 7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Now, as we come to this first set of verses, we see either Jesus or an angel speaking on Jesus’s behalf declaring that “these words are faithful and true”…which if you remember, we saw this phrase last week in 21:5…it also echoes Isaiah 65:16, Daniel 2:45…this is the conclusion to prophetic visions…God, He’s victorious and He will establish His kingdom and this city. It’s showing us, it’s giving us certainty that this vision and every other vision throughout Revelation, it was delivered, through John, with divine authority…hence why its contents are trustworthy and true.

And listen, we know it’s not just a conclusion to just the last vision in chapter 21 because it parallels what John opened with in chapter 1, verse 1, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.” And of course what Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:45:

Daniel 2:45 (ESV)

A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

This passage, its a conclusion to the entire Bible. God’s kingdom has been established throughout the earth and His Son, Jesus, He will return and set all things right. That’s been the grand narrative of Scripture from beginning to end. And now, not only does the Spirit say it shall happen…but that it’ll happen soon.

He goes on and says, “And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets [or literally, the God who rules over or inspires the spirits of the prophets].” It’s talking about the Old and New Testament writers, those who wrote and proclaimed God’s Word. Again, He’s showing us, this passage, it’s wrapping up all of Scripture…He’s showing us that it’s all trustworthy and true…it’s all been inspired by God through different men inspired by His Spirit. And all of it, its been leading us to this moment.

And in light of that, pay attention to verse 7…regardless of who was speaking in verse 6, it’s definitely Jesus now…and He says, “…behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Again, based on the prior verses, I believe Jesus, He’s talking about the entirety of His Word here. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of the entire Bible. Blessed is the one who believes the words of this book, that lives by this book, that’s motivated by this book…the one who holds to this book.

If you remember, I’ve been telling you that as a believer, you have the power now to live victorious. How? Well, it’s more than just believing that there’s a power in you through the Holy Spirit…it’s digging into His Word properly and applying it to your life. The things we see from Genesis to Revelation, it’s good for you…its profitable for your life today. And the purpose of every single verse, its to help you understand more about Jesus and fall more deeply in love with Him as you dig into it.

It’s the same reason why Jesus says in John 14:15:

John 14:15 (ESV)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

If you love Jesus, you’ll go to the source that speaks about Him truthfully…you’ll go to the source that proclaims His great name…and listen, you won’t just go to it, you’ll allow it to change you. As you learn more about Him, what He expects, what He calls us to, what He promises, it changes you. That’s the purpose…and listen, as you learn more, you’ll believe more, and you become more and more hopeful, which engages you more and more in the battle over the souls around us.

Guys, this Word, its our greatest means to knowing and loving the Lord. And I promise the more you devote yourself to it, the more you meet with others as you attempt to learn it and eventually teach it to others, the more confident you’ll become in what it says and the more it’ll impact your life, regardless of your circumstances.

Guys, the reality, it doesn’t matter what you believe Revelation to say or what you believe to be true about God until you’ve devoted yourself to the study of this book…the entire counsel of God’s Word. This book, as you do that, as you devote yourself to it, it’ll help you live peacefully and prosperously in our fallen world today as we await our King.

II. We are to Faithfully Worship God (vv. 8-9)

The second thing…in light of Revelation…it’s that we’re to faithfully worship God.

If you pay attention to verses 8 and 9, they’re very similar to what we saw in chapter 19, verse 10.

And listen, it’s easy for us to read this and think, “John, you idiot…what are you doing?” But guys, you have to understand just how overwhelming these visions must’ve been…how hopeful they must’ve been to him. These Christians, including John…especially John, they were facing extreme levels of persecution. And so, to see this kind of hope, to be reminded that Jesus is victorious…it had to bring him this sense of joy.

And listen, if we’re not careful…joy, when we’re not keeping our eyes constantly on Jesus, it can cause us to worship the wrong things…even good things, right? Like this angel, he’s not bad…I mean he’s delivering a message from God. What’s bad is what John turns this angel into…an object of worship. He forgot so quickly, like we do oftentimes, the very first commandment.

Exodus 20:3 (ESV)

“You shall have no other gods before me.

Guys, to take a good thing (like this angel) and to turn it into a god thing, its to make that thing into a bad thing (an idol). John MacArthur says this concerning this issue, “God alone is the only acceptable person to worship. The Bible forbids the worship of anyone else, including angels, saints, the Virgin Mary, or any created being.”

Listen, if you wanna live your life today in the joy and satisfaction you’re able to through the Spirit, even amidst this fallen world…you have to faithfully worship God.

Listen, I try very, very hard to identify areas where I might be a little legalistic in my theology or doctrine…I try hard to break pass traditions I might hold to that maybe make it harder to communicate the gospel. We all have those areas, right? It’s okay, as long as we identify those things and reorient those things in a biblical manner. But listen, there’s one area I’m very legalistic about…and the more I mature as a believer, the more legalistic I get with it…its how I worship as a believer. I truly believe this time, where we gather…its a reverent time. These gatherings, while we’re encouraged and edified in the process, its not so much for us as it is for God. And listen, because I feel so strongly about the worship of God, the preaching, the hearing of God’s Word…I don’t believe much in things like children’s church…I believe children need to see their parents model worship…be excited about worship. And children’s church, I think it just teaches them that its all about them…or that the Bible’s too complicated for them to grasp.

And listen, I’ll be honest, my beliefs here, it makes it really hard to worship with other churches that don’t hold so strongly to the idea of worship…When there isn’t expository preaching from the Bible or when there isn’t a clear definition of the gospel…or when Christ isn’t placed on a pedestal. I struggle with it…I just believe this time, more so than anything else we do, its so important in shaping our theology about who God is and what we believe about Him. I said last week that where your heart is, that’s what defines you the most…but I’d add this…how you worship…what you believe about worship…the emphasis you place in worship…I think that defines even more about who you are and who you belong to.

I think the message is clear here...”Worship God!” Find pleasure in worshiping God. If the Spirit truly dwells in you, don’t think for a second He’s not gonna give you the pleasure of worshiping. His sole role, its to exalt Christ in all He does.

But also, be careful…because this world…just as we’ve been talking about…it so easily replaces our worship of God with other worldly things…things that don’t seem so bad in the moment…Worship God!

III. We are to Proclaim the Truth of the Gospel (vv. 10-11)

Number three…in light of Revelation…we’re to proclaim the truth of the gospel.

Verse 10 and 11 says, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

And so unlike Daniel who’s told in Daniel 12:4 to “Keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end,” John, he’s told in this passage, “Don’t seal the prophetic words of this book.” And so, why’s the commands different? Because the angel says, “for the time is near.”

As I’ve been mentioning…my belief, its that we’re living in the millennial kingdom now…and the church’s responsibility, its to advance the gospel to ends of the earth, through the power of the Holy Spirit, until the coming of Jesus. That’s the command He gave us in Matthew 28, right? And He can return at any time. The point here, its that eternity draws closer and closer. For all of us, it’s a heartbeat away. And guys, we preach the truth of the gospel because we understand what this books lays out…we understand what happens to us at the return of Christ as believers…and we understand what happens to everyone else as unbelievers…We know the hope of the gospel…we’ve experienced the love and grace and mercy of God…and we communicate that, we preach that, we teach it continually and faithfully, knowing the implications it has on every single human being. We can’t afford to be lazy or disobedient or indifferent…we can’t neglect this great privilege God’s given us to proclaim His Word.

Yes, we live in a wicked world…yes, there’s all kinds of evil around us daily…but listen to these words…”let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy.” Quit looking at all the evil in the world and letting that be your excuse to not do the one thing we’re all commanded to do…quit letting the wrong things be the sole focus of your attention. Instead, see that evil and let it burden you…let it cause you to do what’s righteous and holy…let it, like Jesus did for us, let it cause us to become broken over sin, become brokenhearted for how sin consumes people…and guys, let it cause us to demonstrate and communicate the love of God in their life. We do that by communicating the bad, the worse, the good, the best parts of the gospel, right?

And trust me when I say this…when you obediently proclaim the truth of the gospel…when you take those huge steps of faith and when God allows you to see the fruit from that…like lives changed because of your obedience…there’s nothing more satisfying in this life. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing, with your own eyes, new life.

IV. We are to Pursue God’s Will (vv. 12-15)

Number four…in light of Revelation…we’re to pursue God’s will.

Pay attention to verses 12 through 15.

Verse 12, it contains a third affirmation here of the inevitable return of Christ. It says, “Look!” or “Behold!, I am coming soon.” But pay attention to what He says after that…, when He returns, He’s bringing with Him His “reward.” He’ll “repay each person according to what he has done.”

Jeremiah 17:10, it reminds us:

Jeremiah 17:10 (ESV)

“I the Lord search the heart

and test the mind,

to give every man according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his deeds.”

One commentator wrote, “The reward will be spiritual blessedness to the righteous but judgement for those who are evil. It’s the quality of a person’s life that provides the ultimate indication of what that person really believes.”

Listen, to show that the One who renders the judgement is fully qualified…verse 13 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” He’s the first, the last…the beginning, the end. He sees all…He knows all…Nothing you or I ever think, or feel, or do, nothing escapes Him.

And then verse 14, it says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes.” The ones who love God and obey God, those who’ve been washed by Christ in justification, they’ll continue to wash their robes in sanctification. We get this idea of persevering here…persevering in faithfulness to Jesus and refusing to compromise with the world, even in the face of tribulation or suffering. And those who’re faithful in following the Lamb, they’re promised access or “the right to the tree of life” as they enter into this New Jerusalem. Eternal life, in this eternal city, that’s their future forever.

And so listen, the encouragement here? It’s to pursue God’s will in all areas of your life…submit to those things…walk in those things…give into those things. Get past what it is you want to do or how you wanna spend your money or what job you want or what you wanna devote yourself to…pursue God’s will! That’s how you’ll live in true satisfaction and joy today as the Spirit grows you and draws you closer and closer into the presence of Jesus. Quit fighting the Spirit and give into whatever it is God wants you to start doing.

And you might be sitting there thinking, “Yea, but that’s easier said than done, Steven…how do I actually know something’s God’s will?” Guys, that’s an easy question to answer…is it rooted in God’s Word? Is whatever you feel led to do, is it rooted in God’s Word? Does God’s Word confirm whatever that is? If we believe this book to be living and active, don’t you think God’ll speak to you through it, when you go to it, when you dig into it?

You see how everything’s connected here?

Pursue God’s will for your life!

V. We are to Turn from the Things of the World (vv. 16-17)

Fifth, in light of Revelation…I know I’ve said this over and over again…but we’re to turn from the things of the world.

Look at verses 16 and 17 again. It says this, “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 morning star.” 17 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.”

Jesus, He sends this angel with the sole purpose of testifying about him and the things that would happen. And then He says, “I’m the root…or the source.” He says, “I’m the offspring of David.” What He’s saying, its that He’s before David as God and comes from David as man. That’s His proclamation here. He’s the root and fruit of David. And He’s the Bright Morning Star. These things, there fulfillments of Old Testament prophecy. The point here, by Jesus’s own declaration, its that messianic victory, its been achieved and it’ll be consummated by Jesus Himself.

But guys, pay attention to verse 17. In light of this proclamation, Jesus urges every one of us to call out to Him. First, its the Holy Spirit, He tells Jesus to come. And then its the Bride, its the church, we cry out for Him to come. He says to the one that hears, they should hear the gospel message and call for Him to come. To the one that’s thirsty, come.

If you remember, in Revelation chapter 6, this is a stark contrast to what the four living creatures called to come, right? They called for the 4 horsemen to come. And if you remember, I said I believe the four living creatures, they represent creation…and the 4 horsemen, its sin and sin’s progression throughout creation…we called out for sin and worldly things to come. And now, on the heels of proclaiming the gospel message…on the heels of proclaiming His deity…on the heels of proclaiming how everything’s gonna end, He urges us to call out for Him to come. In fact, He says that as the Bride, we already call out for Him to come. And to those that hear this message, their urged to do the same.

Guys, it’s a call to turn from the world and turn toward Christ. It’s a call to repentance. You can’t simply hear this message and not respond. Either you hear it and through the Spirit, you’re given understanding…you believe it and you turn to Jesus…or you hear it, and you reject Jesus.

But guys, listen to Jesus’s words…we long for Him to come…as His followers…as people who’ve been given new life…we long for Him…we forsake the world…we no longer call out to those things…we no longer indulge ourselves in it…we’re now defined by Christ and we long for the things He’s promised. We forsake the world and we seek righteousness.

VI. We are to Heed God’s Warning (vv. 18-19)

Sixth…in light of Revelation, we’re to heed God’s warning.

Look at verses 18 and 19 with me again. It says, “18 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, 19 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.”

Guys, pay attention to the verses here…this is the biggest reason I’m so adamant about expository preaching. It’s why I try my very best to humbly and prayerfully teach the contents of God’s Word to you.

My opinions on what the Bible says, it doesn’t matter…what I believe the Bible to say, doesn’t matter. My job, it’s to let the Bible preach itself and let it communicate to you what God wants you to know. That’s why I highlight certain things when I have no choice but to make opinion based claims like I’ve had to do in Revelation over the past many weeks. Adding to or taking away from these pages, its a serious thing. And this isn’t just a message about Revelation…again, I just showed you a second ago…I think Jesus is referencing all of Scripture here. The entire Bible, while it was written by different men over the course of thousands of years…and while there’s many different genres throughout this book, it tells one cohesive story that all points to Christ…what’s He’s done…what He will do.

That’s why I challenge you, over and over again…dig into the Word. Your feelings about what you think Scripture to say, it doesn’t matter. Your opinions, like mine, they don’t matter. We have to get past that stuff and focus solely on what it’s actually saying. We have to use good hermeneutics…discernment…and whether its easy or not, we have to accept what it lays out for us.

Let me give you an example of this. Churches in the protestant faith today, they justify things like women pastors because “well the Bible didn’t speak much about that. It was just the culture of that day. Women were oppressed or whatever,” right? “Like If they were empowered like they are in America today, Jesus would’ve allowed them to pastor.”…Or maybe they say the same about homosexuality. “It wasn’t an issue of that day like it is now and Jesus would want us to love all people.” For the record we should love all people, we just shouldn’t justify sin, right? But homosexuality, it was an issue in that culture…just study it. Women pastors, that was an issue in the early church…study it. Guys, when we try and justify our beliefs based on what the Bible might omit concerning how our world views things now…or how it may not necessarily clarify issues in acceptable ways today…when we do those things, we’re essentially doing exactly what Jesus tells us not to do. We’re adding to what He’s given us…and ultimately what we’re saying…it’s that the Bible, as it stands now, isn’t sufficient.

Let me just say this…in every way, with every current issue and every past issue, the Bible has, and it is, and it will always be sufficient in our world. We don’t have to add to anything or clarify anything. Paul said he didn’t permit women to teach men in the church 2,000 years ago because it’s just as relevant today as it was then. It might not be acceptable, but it’s relevant…you understand? He speaks against homosexuality in many of his epistles because it’s just as relevant now as it was then. We can’t add or take away from what’s inspired. God’s timeless, and so therefore, what He’s inspired, it means its also timeless across every generation until He returns.

Guys, we don’t choose the biblical offices in our church based on the current cultural context. The church, it’ll always have elders and deacons…and they’re qualifications, they should always be rooted in the biblical text. Regardless of what other churches do, we don’t change the Bible to justify our theology in the church…we don’t add or take away in order to soften the gospel or to make it communicate better…we preach the word and we allow it to do what it was created to do. The power, it’s in the Word…not in what we wanna believe.

Heed God’s warning…it’s not good for us to take God’s Word any way we choose. The Bible, its ending in the same way it began with God’s instructions to Adam. Hear God’s Word…trust it…believe it…live it.

And so, Revelation specifically, it speaks about Jesus’s victory and it speaks about what He’ll do in the end, when He returns…Coupling that with the rest of the Bible…regardless of how we might feel about all that…we’re called to advance His kingdom until He returns.

VII. We are to Pray for God’s Coming (vv. 20-21)

And then finally…in light of Revelation, we’re to pray for God’s coming.

Read with me, verses 20 and 21 again. John writes, “20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”

And so, Revelation, the Bible…it comes to an end…and one last time, the risen Lamb, Jesus, He speaks. And His last words, they’re brief…but listen, they’re certain! He says, “Surely I’m coming soon.”

If you remember, when God spoke to Adam about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…He said in Genesis 2:16, if you eat of it, you’ll surely die, right? And if you were with us then, when the serpent was tempting the woman…Eve, she twisted God’s Word, she softened it and she took that certainty away. Instead, when we she was speaking it back to satan, she said, lest I die. Of course, we know how that ended up. Eve was wrong and all mankind, since that moment, they’ve all experienced a certain death, right? Not a maybe death…but a certain death.

And now, at the end of the Bible, we have another “surely” statement, except this time…it involves Him coming back to us.

My point here, its that from the very beginning, we see that God’s always been trustworthy to His Word. Jesus’s return, is imminent…its certain. It will happen. And so, the message here…be ready…and ultimately long for it.

If you’ve been impacted by the gospel and changed by the Spirit…you see the world for what it is and you long for Jesus’s return…you long for Him to set all things right…and guys, as we’ve mentioned many times throughout this series…you pray for God to come quickly! That’s our greatest hope!

Closing

Listen, I’m gonna ask our praise team to go ahead and head back up here.

Guys, as we come to a close in this message…in our sermon series…understand this about Revelation and about God. Revelation, its communicating to believers that Jesus is already victorious. We have the ability to live in victory today. People ask me, how in the world did believers, throughout history have the faith to be martyred? Because they lived in victory, understanding that their death it was temporary.

And the point of Revelation, its not to give us this new promise about Jesus coming back…its not to create speculation about His return. Long before we ever come to Revelation, we should already have a rock solid hope in His promise to come back. This letter, like other letters we see in the New Testament, its an exhortation. Meaning, as believers, people who’ve been redeemed and people that are victorious, we should live different…we should hope differently…we should find joy and pleasure in different places. We’re supposed to be different. And guys, the apocalyptic pieces of this…He’s giving John visions here of things happening, things that will happen to jar something in us. To motivate us.

Its the same thing we saw when John marveled at the woman, when he was appealed with her. The angel said, “John, quit doing that…let me just show you why! This is what’s gonna happen to her.” These visions, they’re meant to reorient us toward Christ…and its meant to motivate us to begin doing the one thing He commanded us all to do…make disciples.

In light of Revelation, we’re called to trust God’s Word…to proclaim it…heed His warnings. And listen, as we do that, we’re called to magnify Christ! We overcome sin and remove worldly things from our life so that we can properly worship Christ…we long for, we petition Him to come…because we wanna be in His perfect and holy presence.

But for unbelievers, Revelation, like every other book of the Bible, it proclaims the gospel. It shows us that we all fall short of God’s glory…and because of that, it shows us that every single one of us, we’re gonna experience judgement and death without a Savior. But from the very beginning of Revelation, it declares that One’s come…One’s paid the price of our rebellion…It shows us that Jesus spilled His blood so that we could be reconciled to Him. It tells us about His death and His resurrection…it shows us that He holds the keys to death and Hades. And that when we simply turn from the ways of this world and turn toward Him…when we believe in Him and confess Him as Lord and Savior…it shows us that we will be saved…included in this great city and this promise.

And so listen, if you would, stand with me to your feet. We’re gonna worship one more time…but listen, as you do that…what’s the Lord putting on your heart. Are there things you’re putting before the Lord…things preventing you from doing what it is you know He desires? Is He calling you to salvation? Listen, as we sing together, you respond however you need to.

[Prayer]