The Invitation

Introduction

General: For nearly thirty weeks, we have studied Revelation together, verse by verse. What a journey it has been. Quite honestly this is a book of the Bible that very few churches ever preach verse by verse on. And for almost 30 weeks we have covered a lot of ground. We’ve talked about Christ’s glory, His Church, persecution, compromise, Babylon, the beast, Satan, judgment, resurrection, the new heavens and the new earth. We’ve labored to interpret the many symbols as faithfully as possible. We’ve covered different perspectives. I’ve tried to show us that at every step of the way that Revelation, far from being a book solely about our future, it is in fact a highly practical book about our present, about what’s really happening in this world, and how we are to live in the midst of it. What a sweet season of worship it has been!

End: Today, we arrive at the end. Today, we must bring our study of Revelation to a close. And interestingly, in closing out the book of Revelation, we are closing out the very last chapter of the entire Bible. Revelation doesn’t end with an explanation, or a chart, or a theological argument. It ends with an invitation. With a voice saying “Come.” At the end of this book we realize that Revelation was not given to us to satisfy our curiosities about the future, or to entangle us in theological debate. It was given to us to make us a distinct people, marked by Christ, saved by Christ, secured for Christ, ready for Christ.

Big Question: The simple question today as we wrap up Revelation is not “Did you figure everything out?” The question is “Are you ready for Jesus to return?”

Main Idea:

Revelation 22:6–21 “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.”

In this conclusion to Revelation, there are three clear and obvious elements: a promise, a blessing, and an invitation.

Meaning & Application

A PROMISE

Coming Soon: First, a promise. There is a promise repeated in this passage three times. In verse 7, “Behold, I am coming soon.” Verse 12, “Behold, I am coming soon.” Then again in verse 20, “Surely, I am coming soon.” In Revelation we have seen the theme that “the world is headed somewhere” and that “history has a particular trajectory.” Both of those are true. Yet here, in this thrice repeated refrain, it is not merely that history has a particular trajectory. It is that Jesus is coming. The story of Revelation is not ultimately about the beast, or about Babylon, or about persecution, or even about the end times. It’s about Jesus coming for his people.

The Order: In a very literal sense, this is of course referring to a theme that we have come across a number of times already in Revelation. Not only in Revelation, but in the Gospel accounts as well. We learn that in the same that the disciples saw Christ ascend into heaven, we will one day see him descend back to this Earth. And we have studied the order of events in Revelation. We know that at the end of this age, after the Gospel has gone forth and every one of God’s elect has been gathered into his fold, Satan will be released for a “little while.” I believe Revelation has made clear that will be a short burst of extreme Satanic persecution against the Church in the immediate preceding days before Christ’s return. At the height of that moment, when the Church looks to be on their last legs, Christ our conquering king will return. And when he returns, that will be the end of this age, and the beginning of the Age to Come. He will utterly defeat every enemy that has ever dared to stand against his kingdom, and he will usher in the New Heavens and the New Earth where we will dwell with him throughout all eternity.

On My Way: And so, it is true and proper to say that Christ will come in the future. And yet, the grammar of all three of these statements in this chapter, is more robust that simply that. It is written in what we call the present progressive tense. That describes an ongoing action. So Christ is not simply saying “I will come at a fixed point in the future.” In a fuller sense, he is saying “I am already on my way.” What does that mean?

Illustration - Preparing for War: Perhaps the best way to think about this is with the image of war. Nations typically don’t just suddenly go to war, they prepare, and they get their affairs in order. This effort can take quite a lot of time. When America finally got involved in WWII, it took a lot of time to prepare our forces. Even the weather was a major factor in that initative. For the allies it seemed like quite a while, as they patiently waited weeks and months, for the American forces to arrive. But in that period of waiting before the beaches of Normandy, America could say to their allies, “we are coming.”

Gathering: Christ, likewise, is right now completing the massive preparations necessary to fulfill the Father’s eternal decree in order that he might return. What are those preparations? Primarily, Christ is gathering the elect from every nation, and culture, and tongue, and tribe. Every time a soul trusts in Christ as their Lord and Savior, it is another step in His emaculate preparation process. He is coming! The world we live in often looks out of control. We read of horrors, and wars, and suffering around the world. And we can be tempted to ask the question “Where is God in all the midst of this.” Christ’s answer is a resounding, “Behold I am on my way.”

The Heart: Most Christians are aware of this doctrine. They understand it an intellectual level. But most Christians struggle to incorporate this doctrine at the heart level, and their lives reveal it. The question is not “Is Jesus coming back?” That is certain. The question is “Does my actual life reveal the kind of person who is expecting Jesus to return soon?”

All Living for Some Future: The truth is, every person alive is building their life around some vision of the future. And if you want to know what ultimate vision of the future you’re building your life around, just look at the life your building.

Some people are waiting for retirement.

Some are waiting for their kids to grow up.

Some are waiting for marriage.

Some are waiting to finally be financially secure.

Some are waiting for recognition.

Some are waiting for the political situation to improve.

Some are waiting for the next vacation.

Some are waiting for life to finally become the way they imagined it would be.

And what we do is we plan around these things. Our vision of the future dictates all kinds of things about our life. Where we spend our time? What we spend our time learning about? What mentors we let into our life? How we spend our money. None of those future ideals are sinful and in of themselves, but the truth is that none of them are ultimate. When we make them the ultimate, then our soul’s satisfaction becomes wrapped up in whether this life is paving ground for that vision to become reality.

If I'm expecting this world to satisfy me, suffering becomes intolerable.

If I'm expecting this world to vindicate me, injustice becomes unbearable.

If I'm expecting this world to make me happy, disappointment destroys me.

If I'm expecting this world to last, death becomes terrifying.

But if Christ is coming? I can wait. I can endure. I can not have my other lesser desires perfectly met. I can suffer. I can obey. I can lose. I can be misunderstood. I can die. Because Christ is coming back. And my ultimate end, my telos, is always around Him.

This Question: Ask yourself this question. When Jesus returns, what kind of person do you want him to find in you. The answer is not “hugely successful.” The answer not “popular.” The answer is not “self-sufficient and strong.” What do I hope for me? “Faithful.” “Obedient.” “Prayer filled.” “Wise in the Word.” “Passionate for souls.”

“Behold” says Christ. “I am coming soon.”

A BLESSING

The second element in this conclusion to the Book of Revelation is a Blessing, in fact a series of blessings. There are seven “blessings” or “beatitudes” throughout Revelation. This chapter holds the final two in verses 7 and verse 14.

Blessed: Before we read these blessings, let’s answer the quick question “What does it mean to be blessed?” To be blessed is to experience the fulness of God’s favor and presence and experience of God. It doesn’t mean to be without suffering. The saints in prison around the world right now, are able to suffer and simultaneously to say, “I am blessed.” The word at its simplest level means “happy.” Its filled with the idea of satisfaction and contentedness.

Everybody: The truth that everyone is searching for the blessed life. Everyone is searching for happiness, for contedness, for an abiding truth, and a sense of anchordness in the midst of the turbulence of this world. Everyone labors for answer to what the blessed life is. Even the atheist, in his own way, wants the blessed life.

The Two Blessings: John closes the entire Bible, with two final blessings. First in verse 7:

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

Blessed is the one who “keeps.” Then in verse 14

Revelation 22:14 “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.”

If you have been with us througout our study in Revelation, you might recall that way back in chapter 7 we saw that language. You might recall in that scene the Apostle John saw a great crowd of people from every nation and tribe and people and language standing before the throne of God, dressed in white, worshiping God. And John said, “who is this crowd.” And the angel responded to him.

Revelation 7:14 “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

So, what are the two ideas in these two verses? Those who are blessed are those who “keep his word” and those who “wash their robes.” So here is the idea of these blessings. If the promise is that Christ is returning, then the question that must be asked is “Who will be ready for him when he returns? Who gets the blessing of the benefit of his return?” The answer is “those who have been washed and therefore keep his word.”

Not Say: Christ does not say.

Christ does not say “Blessed are those who can properly interpet all of Revelation”

Christ does not say “Blessed are those who can explain the Millennium.”

Christ does not say “Blessed are those who lead important ministries.”

Christ does not say “Blessed are those who have read the works of Augustine and Jonathan Edwards.”

No, blessed are those who have been washed and who keep his word.

To Wash Your Robes: Yet, what we find throughout the book of Revelation, is that this first blessing of this passage “to keep the words” is so wrapped up and integrated with the second blessing “to wash your robes in the blood of the lamb,” that it is impossible to think of one without the other.

Illustration - Zechariah: What does it mean to have our robes washed. There is this fascinating scene in the OT book of Zechariah, where the High Priest Joshua is standing in a courtroom before God. Joshua is dressed in filthy clothing. And standing next to him is Satan, accusing him. Satan is pointing to his clothes, and with each mark on the clothing, it is like a new piece of evidence being brought out to condemn Joshua. “This man is not worthy. He’s covered in sin. His whole life has been a continual story of not enough. At all the moments when he should have stayed strong, he slipped up. All the times he should have said No, he said Yes. Look at his clothes. He’s filthy.” You can just imagine Joshua, hearing all the accusations, and in his heart of hearts, knowing that every accusation is true. He is that man. He is covered in sin. But then Joshua encounters grace. The Angel of the Lord speaks to him,

Zechariah 3:4 “… Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.””

You can just imagine Satan screaming in agony and defeat, searching for some spot or blemish on Joshua’s clothes to accuse to condemn him, but finding nothing, because grace had written a story. Joshua had earned every accusation Satan had to throw at him, but God in his grace washed them away.

Double Imputation: Christian, this is your story. At the cross, two significant events occurred. First, Christ took your sin, your filthy clothes, upon his shoulders and paid the consequences of it in full. Second, Christ took his righteousness, his white robes, and clothed you in it. It’s a righteousness you did not earn, but was given to you by grace upon grace. This is why nothing can separate from the love of God, because when Satan looks to accuse you

To Keep the Words: But there is a second side to this blessing. We are to “keep the words written in the prophecy”, which means to obey Christ’s commands. Those who have washed their robes in Christ’s blood will obey his words. Notice verses 18 and 19 carefully. It provides a warning to this blessing. We must not ‘add to’ or ‘subtract from’ God’s Word.

The blessed life is not found in cherry picking the Bible at our convenience.

The blessed life is not found in mixing some human wisdom with God’s Word

The blessed life is not found in avoiding the difficult passages and difficult doctrines of God’s Word.

God’s Word is sufficient. It is life giving. It is truth. And to “keep his Word” means to take him at his word. To trust him when its difficult. To stand strong when persecuted. To not bow to the beast. To not love this world. To not compromise with Babylon. To endure suffering. To worship with your whole heart.

Wrap Up: Christian, what Revelation has taught us is that the blessed is not just around the corner. It’s yours right now, in the midst of your circumstances. There are moments we don’t believe this, aren’t there. Sometimes our circumstances can be so awful or so traumatic, and our fickle hearts can convince us that we’re just outside the truly blessed life. We join the rest of the world in chasing the blessed life somewhere out there. And Revelation says, “No. this world cannot satisfy me. Only Christ can.”

The blessing!

AN INVITATION

Lastly, the book of Revelation ends with an invitation. And actually, if we look close, it ends with two invitations.

Revelation 22:17 “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.”

This little verse is placed at the very end of the Bible because, as Charles Spurgeon once said, “it is the sum and substance, the aim and the object, of the whole Bible.” The invitation presented here is actually a few different invitiations if we read carefully.

Our Invitation: First, in the beginning half of that verse we see “the spirit and the bride” inviting Christ to come. And then we see “the one who hears” inviting Christ to come. What is that? That is the response of a person who understands the gospel.

Illustration - Lionel Messi: This is perhaps best seen through the eyes of a child. Imagine a child who loves soccer and dreams of soccer. And his favorite player is Lionel Messi. Imagine if one day that child got a notice in the mail, that Lionel Messi had heard about that child and was going to come visit him at his home. You can imagine that child waiting by the window, wondering with every car that drove down the street, could it be his?

The Christian: The Christian waits with an eager expectation and enthusiasm for Christ’s return. Why? Well for a few reasons:

Miracle of Redemption: One, because we’ve experienced the miracle of salvation. We’ve come to know the love poured out for us at the cross. And God has been so kind to open our hearts to believe that His love for us is of such an extraordinary nature, that we would be utterly fools to turn our back on it. “Come Lord Jesus!”

Tasted & Seen: Second, we have tasted and seen that Christ is the greatest portion of our life. For those that have walked with Jesus, you know his goodness. You know his mercy. You’ve seen him transform you, and mold you, and produce fruit in you that you love and that you want more of. “Come Lord Jesus!”

Better is One Day: Third, we know that:

Psalm 84:10 “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

We know how good heaven is going to be! “Come Lord Jesus!”

Tasted Pain: Fourth, we also know the reality of life in this sinful fallen world. We know that there is more to existence than this life. For all of the wonders and the good and the love in this world, it is a life lived in the groanings of a world fallen in sin. There is strife and worry and concern, enough to keep all of us consumed. And so the Christian longs for the day when Christ returns and puts all sin and all death and all tears away forever. “Come Lord Jesus!”

To be a Christian is to live with a hope that this life is not all there is. This life matters. Our decisions matter. Our love that we give matters. There are real world consequences. And yet there is more. We were made for more, and our restless souls will not be fully content, until we have fully arrived.

Christian, do you live with open hands to Christ. Can you say with assurance in your heart, “Come Lord Jesus. Yes come!”

Christ’s Invitation: But there is a second half to this invitation.

Revelation 22:17 “… And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

This invititation is to you. It is an invitation to come and take of the waters of life, without price.

Who is invited: Who is invited? The thirsty and the broke. Those who have seen in this life, that they have a great need of life that they cannot achieve on their own. Those who have felt the weight of their own sin, and their distance from God, and long for rivers of life to flow through them.

What are We Offered?: They are offered the water of life. Jesus used this image when speaking to the woman well. He said that he was the water of life, and that

John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ””

Here was a woman whose life was full of hardship. She was an outcast. She was doing what she to do to live, but she wasn’t really living. And Christ offered her life.

Millennium Park: What do they have to do to take hold of this life? The text says, “Simply come.” The invitation is free. This week I was at Millennium Park evangelizing with by signs “Ask a Pastor anything.” This young man came up to me and asked me a question about using Cannabis. And that set us off in a great conversation, in which we talked about life and the gospel. At the end of the conversation, I could see God was doing something in him, I laid out Christ’s free offer to “come to him.”

Me: Why would you reject that? Because you've got to change your life a little bit?... Is God not worth it? Life eternally... Why would you reject that?

Him: It seems pretty foolish to reject that. Any reasonable person would agree with that.

Me: Do you want to change that or do you want to walk away.

Tears in his eyes

Him: I'll change it.

Me: Count the cost

Him: Is that what you're saying you want.

Tears in his eyes again. He looked around as he weighed it.

Me: Yeah

Come: Whatever your sin, whatever you’ve done, however much you have rebelled against, he stands ever ready to forgive you, to cleanse you, to clothe you in robes of white. Only confess your sin and trust in Jesus Christ, and you can have it all.

Are you thirsty? Come.

Are you guilty? Come

Is your story complicated? Come

Have you mocked Christians in the past? Come.

Do you have far too much doubt? Come.

Are you unlearned and uneducated? Come.

Are you addicted to bad habits and sinful behaviors? Come

Are you ashamed of some of the things you’ve done? Come.

Are you worried your family won’t undertand? Come.

Are you exhausted and weary and heavy laden? Come.

Have you wasted years of your life? Come.

Are you too old and too stubborn? Come.

Are you too young and too proud? Come.

Are you afraid of what might become of you if you became one of those Christians? Come.

Is there something inside of you even now that is resisting, that doesn’t want to give up the reins of your life? Come.

How: Come to Christ and live!

Conclusion

Nearly 30 weeks in Revelation, and it has always been about Christ, his promise, his blessing, and his invitation.