Come Lord Jesus

Intro: What’s In Your Box?

Good Morning Church! It is hard to believe but Christmas is just three days away! Who is excited for Christmas? Now, here is the big question … how many of you still need to go Christmas Shopping? Bad news … I heard some Amazon workers went on strike this week, so you may not be able to rely on them! Sad day!

IMAGE: If you have not completed your Christmas shopping, I imagine you are experiencing some stress. I’m going to help you out … I brought a present with me today (Wrapped Present). This is a magical present. This present can become anything you want. It will become anything the person you are giving it to wants. You don’t need to go shopping, you don’t need to guess what the person wants … this present, it just knows! How cool is this?! I have got to get a patent on something like this J.

Now, here is the big question: If I were to talk up to you right now and hand you this present … what would be inside? Remember, this present is magical … it can read your heart and your mind … it knows you better than yourself. It’s not science … it’s magic! Think for a moment about what is inside this present (Pause). I want to suggest that whatever it is inside this box is a window to your soul.

You might say, "Pastor Bob, that escalated quickly! I wasn't expecting to go that deep." What's inside your box? Turn to your neighbor and ask: "What's in your box?" Turn to your other neighbor and ask: "What's in YOUR Box?" The magic present knows all ... it is a window to our heart.

TRANS: Presents, gift giving, is a major part of the AmericanChristmas experience. Many feel pressure to gift more and better presents at Christmas—hence, the stress! But do you know the history of gift giving? It did not begin with Christmas, it actually has a Roman origin. “It was part of a celebration offer to the Roman god, Saturn, the god of agriculture, who gave vegetation and fruitfulness all year round.”[1] It ran for seven days, from December 17thto the 23rd and it was seen as a way of gaining fortune for the next year. Eventually, in the fourth century, this morphed into Christmas Gift Giving. So … in some ways … the pagan origins of gift giving were a type of magic box. If you give … you will receive good fortune. IOW, Christmas gift did not have their origin with Jesus.

Tension: Christmas Exposes What We Love

If you fast-forward to 2024, many Americans have taken gift giving to an entirely new level. Christmas gifts still have little to do with Jesus himself. We’ve been trained to expect more and better presents each year. In our context, the focus has shifted from gift giving … to gift getting. And if we don’t receive the gift we want … we are disappointed. Christmas gifts expose what we love. What do I mean? Author Mark Buchanan captures it well in his book, Things Unseen, where he argue that so many of us are living for the “next thing.” Do you see yourself in this scenario? Buchanan writes:

This becomes so obsessive that we lose the capacity to enjoy and to be thankful for what we have right now. [And] this is never more apparent than at Christmastime […]

I saw this close-up … when my children first got to that age when the essence of Christmas becomes The Day of Getting. There were mounds of gifts beneath our tree, and our son led the way in that favorite childhood (and, more subtly, adult) game, How Many Are for Me? But the telling moment came Christmas morning when the gifts were handed out. The children ripped through them, shredding and scattering the wrappings like jungle plants before a well-wielded machete.

Each gift was beautiful: an intricately laced dress Grandma Christie had sewn, an exquisitely detailed model car Uncle Bob had found at a specialty store on Robson Street in Vancouver, a finely bound and gorgeously illustrated collection of children's classics Aunt Leslie had sent. The children looked at each gift briefly, their interest quickly fading, and then put it aside to move on to the Next Thing. When the ransacking was finished, my son, standing amid a tumultuous sea of boxes and bright crumpled paper and exotic trappings, asked plaintively, "Is this all there is?"[2]

“Is this all there is?” Friends, is that you … was that ever you on Christmas morning? What’s in your box? If I were to give you this box, even with all it’s magic, would you rip the paper off, open it up and say—is that all?

Christmas gifts expose what we love … and the things we think we love in this world, often, leave us wanting … unsatisfied. This morning we lit fourth advent candle, the LOVE candle. We are also completing our study on the Book of Revelation. One of the major these in Revelation has been our love for Jesus—will we remain faithful even when times are tough? What did John write to the church of Ephesus?

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Revelation 2:4, ESV

I’ll put it another way: Jesus wasn’t in their box. This magical box, which can see into your heart—it knows what you love; it knows what you want … and sadly it’s not Jesus. Is Jesus in your box? All of us are like the Ephesians. At the end of Revelation, Jesus reminds us again who he is and why he is worthy of our worship.

“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.” Revelation 22:16, ESV

The whole reason, Jesus says, that he sent the angels to give John the visions … was for them to believe in him! He is the ROOT and DESCENDANT of David—the fulfillment of the OT prophecies. He is the bright morning star. He is the one who fulfills all the covenants and will return to earth to consummate his kingdom. He came once as a baby and he will come again as a conquering king. Do you love him? Do you love Jesus? If this magical box was under your tree this Wednesday morning, would Jesus be inside? Would he be the gift your desire most?

This theme is how John concludes the book on Revelation in chapter 22:6-21. I would invite you to join me there. As we explore this passage, the key question is this:

TRANS: How do I know I love God? What would it take to reorient my life and heart so that Jesus is in the box? I believe John offers three diagnostic tools to help us fall in love with Jesus—for the first time or all over again. (1) Cherish His PROMISES (2) PREPARE for His Presence (3) Expectantly PRAY for His Return. I pray that by the end of this message, Jesus will be the one in your box. Let’s pray.

Movement One: CHERISH His Promises (Rev. 22:6-9)

First, CHERISH his promises. We have found many promises in Revelation to those who overcome. (1) We will have access to the Tree of Life (Rev. 2:7). (2) We will not experience the second death in the lake of fire (Rev. 2:11) (3) We will have a new name written on a white stone (Rev. 2:17). (4) We will rule with Christ in his coming Kingdom (Rev. 2:26). (5) If we believe in Jesus our name will be written in his Book of Life (Rev. 20). These are amazing promises church. Are you cherishing them and the one who promises them?

Let’s first ask, what does it mean to cherish something or someone? It means to “treat with affection and tenderness; to hold dear; to treasure.” These promises should be on our hearts and mind every day. We should memorize and recite them. We should treat them as a love letter from Jesus himself. When we do that we will fall in love with the one who promises them to us.

In Revelation 21 and the beginning of 22, John described a vision of the new heavens and new earth. Pastor Dave spoke about this last week. Immediately following that vision, that promise, John writes this:

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.” Revelation 22:6, ESV

These words are trustworthy and true. Which words? Revelation 22:6-21 summarize and repeat themes that have been present in the entire book of Revelation. “These words,” probably refers to the entirety of the book of Revelation. Everyone God has revealed through John, everything Jesus himself said—those are the words. And he offers two descriptors.

First, they are TRUSTWORTHY. In fact, he tells us that these words inspired the prophets. This may be a hard concept for many, because we live in a time when very little is trustworthy. It seems we have lost trust in all our institutions. How often do we say: the government can’t be trust; the media can’t be trusted; the internet can’t be trusted; the church can’t be trusted. But JESUS CAN BE TRUSTED. Amen!

Second, they are TRUE. Again, God; keeps his promises. He has come and he will come again. But not only do we live in a time when we are skeptical of everything, we live in a time when truth is under assault. What is true? People ask. Jesus words are true. Hold firm to these words because … the end is soon.

God’s words are “trustworthy true.” CHERISH THEM! You can believe them. You can take them to the bank. You can build the foundation of your life and future upon them. Jesus affirms the importance of this in the next verse:

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:7, ESV

The refrain, “I am coming soon,” occurs three times in this section. The conclusion of the book echoes the opening. John tells us twice in the opening three verses of Revelation 1 that the “time is near (1:3)” and the “things must soon take place (v. 1).” He also tells us at the opening “blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy (1:3).” Now, at the end, the words have been read and the exhortation changes: “keep the words of the prophecy.” CHERISH THEM! His final coming is soon. What should we do? John writes,

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.” Revelation 22:8-9, ESV

Church, we’ve reached the end of Revelation. You have stuck with us for over three months in this book. You have heard the visions of John. You have seen the judgments. You have experienced the glorious return of Christ and entrance of the New Heavens and Earth. What is your response??? That is what these verses are asking. John’s exhortation is simple: WORSHIP GOD. How can your response be anything other that worship of the true king?

However, it is worth asking: What does it mean to worship? Usually, we think of singing. And that is an important part. It is an expression of what is in your heart. Think about your favorite worship song or hymn right now. How do you sing that song? When you think about meeting Jesus—what song will you sing? Amazing Grace? All Hail King Jesus? Nothing But The Blood? What is the song you will sing when you meet Jesus?

Worship is so much more than singing … but the song that explodes out of your heart is a display of your love for Jesus. What is does mean it mean to worship? It means you are so fully and entirely in love with Jesus that nothing else matters. It mean that Jesus in in your box (Prop).

APPLICATION: Which Promises Do You Cherish?

You CHERISH him and his promises. You treasure him. You think of him fondly and often. The truth is that there are many things we cherish in this life. I cherish my wife. I cherish my children. I might cherish the relationships I’ve made over the years, the memories I’ve made with loved ones, the adventures I’ve had ... and perhaps even silly things like attending the midnight premier of LORD OF THE RINGS.

The point of Revelation is this: Jesus needs to supercede them all. All those other relationships, memories and blessings flow from a renewed life in Christ. Cherish his promises.

Only then will Jesus be in your box.

TRANS: Cherishing his promises is the first step to loving God. But there is more. Now, we need to re-orient our lives for the moment we will meet Jesus face to face. Now, you prepare for his presence.

Movement Two: PREPARE For His Presence (Rev. 22:10-15)

I would argue that most of Revelation, chapter 4-19, was a preparation for the presence of God on earth. In chapters 4-5 we entered the heavenly throne room. But then, in chapter 6, we began to experience the “de-creation” of this world through the final judgments. The seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments are God’s cleansing of this world and preparing it for his presence to fully enter. The great battle with the dragon and his beasts, along with the fall of Babylon are God casting evil and sin out of this world for the last time. Through this De-creation God brings about Re-creation—a return to the new and better garden temple.

ILLUS:But we are not there yet. So … how should we live now? We need to prepare because we do not know the time of his return. Think about it this way. Imagine a loved one has gone on a long trip—a spouse, a child, another relative or romantic interest. They have been gone for a long time, but you are anticipating their return. You want your home to be ready to welcome them. If they were to come back unexpectedly early, you want to be able to welcome them. How would you prepare for their presence in your home?

It is the same thing with Jesus. We have to be prepared for his presence and live like he could return tomorrow. Our lives need to be oriented toward him. What does that look like? John writes

And he said to me,“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Revelation 22:10, ESV

What does John say? Do not seal the prophecy! Why? The time is near. What does the mean? Tell people about Jesus and his return! What is interesting is that this is a contrast with the prophet Daniel. The OT prophet, 12:4 of his books says this: “shut up and deal the book, until the time of the end.” Here, in Revelation, it is the exact opposite—OPEN THE BOOK. Tell people what is going to happen! Why? So that they will believe in Jesus. This is similar to what John wrote at the end of his Gospel—people need to believe in Jesus. How do we prepare? We tell people about Jesus!

But then we read something very odd in v. 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.” Revelation 22:11, ESV

What do we do with this? This is an interesting verse. There is a contrast: (1) Let the evil still do evil. (2) Let the holy still be holy. Well I get he second part, but why would he want people to be evil? What’s more, this is an imperative … it is a COMMAND. Why would God command such a thing? It is actually quite shocking and seems out of place.

Some scholars say, this is calling the wicked to examine their hearts and actions so they will repent. We’ve seen this idea previously with the bowl judgments. However, it doesn’t seem to fit with the other times people are called to repent in the book.

A better explanation, I think, is that this verse is simply stating that at the end … despite seeing Jesus in all his glory … some people will persist in wickedness. There is some OT background here—both Ezekiel 3:27 and Daniel 12:10 put forth the same idea. For some people, Jesus will never be in there box. Rather, they will rebel harder against him.[3]

ILLUS:To offer a humorous illustration, my wife will tell you that I obsessively like to be clean. As such, I have been known the take multiple showers a day so that I don’t feel dirty. I just can’t take the bacteria after any kind of physical activity and sweating. Some people don’t mind … I hate being dirty! I walk around with sanitizer! Spiritually speaking, those that want to be clean will run to Jesus and confess; others reject him and live in their sin … unrepentant. As John writes elsewhere, “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil (John 3:19).”

You can live however, you want—it is your life. But one day there will be a consequence. Jesus says,

“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.” Revelation 22:12-13, ESV

Here is the second refrain … I am coming soon. In this verse, however, he tells us why he is coming. “To repay for what you have done.” (Pause) That might seem innocuous, but it means two very different outcomes based on the person life. Judgment according to works in a theme in Revelation. This reminds us of the White Throne Judgment from Chapter 20. If you have placed your trust in Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega—his blood on the cross paid your wages and secured eternity for you. If you did not … your works condemn you and you will be judged according to them. These people in v. 12, never came a second thought to Jesus and did not believe they would ever meet him.

Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and end the ruler of history … he is coming and he will judge as we have heard. Hear this: If you are not prepared you will be repaid. And that is a payment you don’t want. If you love Jesus, you will prepare for his presence. John writes,

Blessed are thosewho 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. Revelation 22:14, ESV

This is the last of seven “blessed” statements in the book of Revelation. It has been a major theme. What does it mean to be BLESSED? Those who are blessed are the people who flourish in God’s presence. They anticipate meeting Jesus. They can’t wait to meet Jesus … Jesus in their box! They are, right now, preparing for his presence. How?

They are “washing their robes.” This is another image that takes us back earlier in the book. Rev. 7:14. How did they wash their robes? In the blood of the lamb. Friends, this verse shows us a mark of people who love Jesus: they are thankful for their salvation. People who are preparing for the presence of God are confessing their sin, they are seeking God through his revealed word, they are resting on the truths of the Gospel of God’s grace. Is that you? Are you prepared for his presence? When you meet God face to face the only thing you can plead is the blood of Jesus.

And if you do … you have access the tree of life forever. The city gates … they are open wide expecting you!

Have you ever been locked out of somewhere? Earlier in Revelation, Jesus told us he had the keys of death and hades. Here at the end we have another image of city gates. The get in, you don’t need the key, you need the secret code! That is how some modern locks word … you need a code. The code for the tree of life is: JESUS!

If you don’t know that code, you may be left outside …

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. Revelation 22:15, ESV

Even in eternity, sadly, there are people outside the city—presumably in the Lake of Fire. John offers a list of those who are not in the city. (1) Dogs—an image understood to be unbelievers. (2) Sorcerers—these are people who are trying to manipulate their circumstances apart from God. (3) Sexual immorality and Murder are people who are focused on their own carnal desires. But they final category sums it all up …

They LOVED and PRACTICED falsehood.

They LOVE the things that are NOT TRUE and GOOD and BEAUTIFUL. Jesus is not in their box!

APPLICATION: The LOVE of Falsehood

At the end of the day ... You are what you love. Why does it look like to LOVE falsehood? You live your life rejecting Christ, because he is the way the TRUTH and the life. You are always taking matters into your own hands, trying to manipulate life to your desires. You are only focused on yourself. Let me offer an interesting, and perhaps controversial, illustration to make this point.

ILLUS: How many have seen the broadway show or movie: WICKED. I’ll assume everyone knows about the Wizard of Ozwhere Dorothy and friends walked the Yellow Brick Road. Wicked is an alternative backstory to the Wicked Witch of the West. They movie opens with her death, everyone in munchkinland rejoicing and Glinda, the Good Witch, coming on the scene. When she arrives, an inquisative person asks this question: How does someone become Wicked? The rest of the show attempts to answer. Indeed, if you only watched the Wizard of Oz you would assume the Wicked Witch was always wicked—hence, her name. However, WICKED the movie says, it’s actually more complicated. Bad things were done to her, she had a complicated childhood, she was the freedom fighter for the oppressed animals of OZ. In fact, it was the Wizard of Oz himself who was wicked! The Wicked Witch, she is “Defying Gravity” in her jounrey to become all she was born to be!

Why do I bring this up? In our day and age, it “unpopular” to say that people have a sinful nature. It is “unpopular” to say that apart from Jesus Christ regenerating our hearts that we are, indeed, born wicked. Friends, that is what the Bible teaches. Unless Jesus opens your eyes, you will love the darkness rather than the light. Unless the Holy Spirit changes your heart ... Jesus will never be in your box!

TRANS: How do I know I love God? You PREPARE for his presence by repented and trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation. You don’t make excuses. You CHERISH his future promises of life with him. And when you do that … you will, finally, expectantly pray for his return.

Movement Three: EXPECTANTLY Pray for His Return (Rev. 22:16-21)

I know it sounds cliché, but more people need to PRAY for Christ’s return. If you love Jesus, don’t you want to be with him? Or are you comfortable with the life you have now? Friends, he has so much more in store for us. V. 16 reminds us who he is:

“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.” Revelation 22:16, ESV

Notice: at both Jesus’ 1st and 2nd coming … an angel testifies! At his first coming, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary (Luke 1:26-37). At his second coming, seven angels with come forth from heaven (Revelation 16). This verse testifies to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. The ROOT and DESCENDANT of David affirms his royal lineage. The “bright morning star” is a Messianic title, an allusion to his second coming and.

What is the Church’s response?

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. Revelation 22:17, ESV

The repeated prayer is “Come. Come. Are you thirsty? Come.” That is an expectant prayer. A prayer for the one we love to return. Is that your prayer, today, church? Too many people are walking through life not praying for Jesus return. We should be praying like we are thirsty for water! What is ironic is that …

We live THIRSTY lives. We are thirsty for something more than what this world has to offer. When uncertainty strikes our lives—medical diagnosis, loss of relationship, governmental instability—we are thirsty for more. When we’ve reached the pinnacle of our career and we say, “Is this is?” It is an echo of a thirsty life. Jesus says, let the thirsty come to me. In John’s Gospel, chapter 4 he tells the story of the women at the well. She was thirsty for something more than what life offered. What did Jesus say? I am the well … come to me and you will never thirst. Here is Revelation he tells us this water is free … all you have to do is believe! And when you believe you will pray expectantly for Jesus return. But you have to ask yourself …

Do you DESIRE the water that Jesus offers? It's free! The great tragedy is that many don't want it. They would rather wear filthy clothes. They would rather rebel and live life apart from him. Do reject his water! Instead, would the prayer of the church be—COME! COME, Lord Jesus.

APPLICATION: Don’t Add ... Don’t Subtract

Jesus concludes with two warnings:

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. Revelation 22:18-19, ESV

First, do not ADD to this book. What does that mean? It takes us back to our opening verse, Jesus words are “Trustworthy true.” Don’t add to them. John seems to be alluding to Deuteronomy 4:3, where God say, “You shall not add anything to what I command you.” These words are on par with the TORAH—an astonishing statement! What is John saying? I think he saying that this is his FINAL WORD. The canon his closed. Until Jesus returns, this is all we need. We dare not add anything to the message God has given us. And we dare not seek for salvation in any other place, or calim Jesus is not enough.

Second, do not SUBTRACT from this book. In other words, do not take away the message of this book. Throughout history, many people have attacked the person of Jesus. They have denied his deity, they have questioned his existence and authenticity. Dr. Tom Schreiner says this, “The admonition here doesn’t apply to legitimate differences of interpretation among Christians [...] but to teachings that deny historic orthodoxy.”[4]Docrine matters—and we must hold it unswearvingly in difficult times.

Don’t add. Don’t substract. Instead, let this be our prayer ...

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20, ESV

Church, is that your prayer today? We’ve made it to the end of Revelation. We’ve made it through the judgments, the return of Christ, and new creation. We’ve seen the future. As we conclude the book of Revelation I would invite you to reflect on your own heart and prayer life. Are you praying, COME, Lord Jesus? Do you love him? Tim Chester puts it this way:

Perhaps we can think of this as the final “test” offered by the book of Revelation. Jesus says, “I am coming soon”. Do we respond with an enthusiastic “Amen”? Do we pray this prayer? Do we long for Christ’s return? Or are our longings elsewhere? Would we prefer his return to be postponed? If so, then this may be a sign that we need to “come out” of Babylon.[5]

Friends, some of us are living in Babylon right now. Some of us, if that great city fell today, we would grieve it. We would not be happy to see Jesus. Something else is in our box at Christmas. Christmas might be exposing our love of this world.

I’ll ask one more time: what is in your box? I want to give you a moment of silence to picture this magical box under your tree this Wednesday. It knows your heart ... it will give you the desires of your heart. You come down on Christmas morning. You run over this box and you feverish open it ... (PAUSE) What is inside?

If it is anything other that Jesus ... ask yourself... why?

CHALLENGE: This morning, as we end Revelation, I want to give you the opportunity to begin a journey to re-orient your heart to the one who is coming. I want you to ask the Holy Spirit to give you a passion to see Jesus. I want to do that by praying this simply prayer of Revelation 22: Let’s pray this together—COME, LORD JESUS (x3)

TRANS: How do I know I love God? Cherish His Promises. Prepare for His Presence. Expectantly PRAY for His return. And One day he will.

Conclusion: The Grace of God (22:21)

As the worship team comes back on stage for a final song, I’ll conclude where John himself concludes. The book of Revelation started with a greeting. It introduced us to 7 first century churches who were talking through the fire. John opened the throne room of Heaven to us. Then, for 15 chapters he walked us through scenes of tribulation, judgment, spiritual warfare and victory. After bringing us to the new creation, he concludes with these words in v. 21:

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Revelation 22:21, ESV

Grace. The only way any of us could enter the city is by the grace of God. I want you to take in the fact that these are the final words of the entire Bible. Until Jesus returns, there will be no more words. He ends with grace. He ends by reminding us of the free gift he offers to each of us.

IMAGE: Present. Will you take that gift today? Cherish it. Prepare for it. Pray for it. Amen.

[1] https://www.christiantoday.com/article/whats-the-history-behind-gift-giving-on-christmas/103233.htm [2] https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/november/3113009.html [3] Schreiner, Revelation, pg. 759. [4] Schreiner, 768. [5] Tim Chester, Revelation for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2019), 173.

What three diagnostic tools does John offer to help us love Jesus more?

What does it mean to you to expectantly pray for Jesus’ return, and how can you incorporate that into your life?

In what ways can you prepare for Jesus' presence in your daily life?