The Final Invitation
Revelation 22 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
The Final Invitation
The Final Invitation
Open with discussion - What are some of the best invitations you’ve received?
I was once invited by the Secret Service to visit the White House for Christmas during the Obama administration (I declined).
Here are a few funny wedding invitations I found online.
The Hunt is Over
The Hunt is Over
Vintage Cats
Vintage Cats
Free Beer & A Wedding
Free Beer & A Wedding
The Final Invitation
The Final Invitation
Have you ever been at an event where someone showed up who was not invited? We sometimes call these people ‘Wedding Crashers’
Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
President Trump
President Trump
The Final Invitation
The Final Invitation
Bob Goff tells the story of he and his friend Brandon going to Washington DC on business and being close to Capital Hill at midnight. They saw a bunch of cars awkwardly parked around the Library of Congress and barricades and so they decided to investigate. They discovered that it was a set for the filming of National Treasure 2. They set out a plan. They ran back to their hotel and changed from their suits to blue jeans and t-shirts to look the part of the film crew. They then went back, dodged a couple of security guards, ran across a couple of lawns and through some bushes. They finally got to the side entrance where the crew went in and walked right in as if they belonged there and nobody said a thing. They followed the signs and arrows that said, “Set” on it. Finally they got to a metal detector with a guard standing it by who said, “Where are your crew badges?” We don’t have them. He mumbled something to his girlfriend about inept crew members and then waved them through and yelled at them, “Badges next time!”
They turned a few corners until they found themselves on the set, in the middle of the Library of Congress at 2 am with its millions of books on shelves. They were filming the scene where they were looking for the Presidential book of secrets. After the filming, they began to plan their escape without getting caught. Suddenly Nicholas Cage and Diane Kruger rounded the corner and without even thinking, they fell into their entourage as if they belonged and walked right out without a question being asked and had another thrilling adventure.
And then he writes, “There are a lot of things I don’t get invited to. I’ve never been invited to the Oscars or Paul McCartney’s birthday or to a space shuttle launch. I’m waiting my invitation to the National Treasure 3. If I got an invitation to any of those…I’d definitely go. There’s nothing feeling like being included. There’s only one invitation it would kill me to refuse, yet I’m tempted to turn it down all the time. I get the invitation every day when I wake up to actually live a life of complete engagement, a life of whimsy, a life where love does…It’s an invitation to actually live, to fully participate in this amazing life (and God’s plan of salvation) for one more day. Nobody turns down an invitation to the White House but I’ve seen plenty of people turn down an invitation to fully live.” (Credit: Tom Smith, Sermon Central)
17 And 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 wishes receive the water of life without cost. 18 I bear witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. 20 He who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
A Promise and A Warning
A Promise and A Warning
This is the final words of Scripture and the final invitation of Jesus to an unbelieving world. It comes with a promise and a warning.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
A Promise and A Warning
A Promise and A Warning
That is the promise of God for a Deliverer and Savior. The one who would come and rescue men by destroying the enemy. It is the first end-times prophesy in the Bible, barely on the heels of the fall of man in the garden. This is the promise of God and great hope of all of mankind and likewise Revelation 22:20 is an equally weighty promise that we can affirm.
20 He who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
A Promise and A Warning
A Promise and A Warning
“First the Savior is to come, that He might be crushed, bruised, crucified, and made an offering for sin. He is to come to die as the Redeemer for the souls of men. After God made that promise in Eden, hundreds of years past, millenniums past, and the Lord did not come. When finally He did arrive, He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. The thousands of humanity had forgotten the promise, or else they scoffed at its fulfillment. When finally announcement came that He had arrived, the learned scribes pointed out the place where He was to be born, but never took the time to journey the five miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to welcome the promised Savior of the world.
“But however long He delayed and however men forgot and scoffed, and however few of a faithful band waited for the consolation of Israel, as old Simeon, yet He came. And in keeping with the holy faithful promise of God, the Lord Jesus came. It is thus in the text that God speaks in closing his Bible, ‘Surely I come quickly.’ Here a second time, however infidels may scoff, however others may reject, and however the centuries may grow into the millenniums, this is the immutable word and promise of the Lord God, ‘Surely, I come.’” (W.A. Criswell).
The Spirit and Bride say, “Come”
The Spirit and Bride say, “Come”
17 And 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 wishes receive the water of life without cost.
What an invitation the Bible closes with and in our final study of Revelation. It is an open invitation to you, me, and anyone who will answer the call. Some as if this is an invitation to the non-believer or if it is an invitation for Jesus to return. I think either sense could be true and of sound interpretation. However, given the following sentence pertaining to the invitation to the water of life, that it is a better interpretation to be the words of Jesus.
The Spirit and Bride say, “Come”
The Spirit and Bride say, “Come”
We know that this is an invitation to the lost from the Holy Spirit and the Church - I would submit to you that this is the Spirit-filled Church. For a Spirit-filled church is an evangelizing church. For it is the unity of the Church (the Bride) and the Holy Spirit that accomplishes the will of Christ
26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
16 Do you not know that you are a sanctuary of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
23 and those members of the body which we think as less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,
13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
The Spirit and Bride Say, “Come”
The Spirit and Bride Say, “Come”
We are delivering the invitation on behalf of Christ. We are not the inviters, we are the messengers on behalf of Christ with the Holy Spirit as our strength and our witness
It is the Holy Spirit that seeks to bring a lost world to Jesus (Jn 16:7-14)
It is the Holy Spirit that imparts Spiritual life (Jn 3:3-8)
It is the Holy Spirit that gives Liberty from the bondage of Sin (Rom 8:2)
It is the Holy Spirit that gives Power to live the Christian life (Acts 1:8)
It is the Holy Spirit that produces Likeness(2 Cor 3:18)
He fills us with God’s urgent love for Souls – So we will Go! (Robert Kerr)
Invitation to What?
Invitation to What?
So what is the invitation to? Verses 14 & 15 lend us a clue:
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the authority to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
Invitation to What?
Invitation to What?
This is an invitation to forgiveness:
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers,
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says Yahweh, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
This also speaks of the exclusivity of Heaven. Everyone doesn’t make it there. We must respond to God’s invitation. Forgiveness is a requirement for anyone to enter into heaven. Without responding to the invitation, many will find themselves shut out from heaven like dogs.
15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
Biblically speaking, dogs aren’t the fluffy, domesticated animals we think of today. They were scavengers and dangerous in biblical times. The Bible never has positive things to say about them.
2 Kings 8:13 (LSB)
13 Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, who is but a dog,
10 His watchmen are blind; All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
18 “You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of Yahweh your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
Sorcerers are those who practice magic using mind altering drugs. The sexually immoral are those who practice any kind of sexually immoral practice. We get our word pornography from the Greek word pornea. Idolaters are those who engage in worship of anything other than God.
Pride Events
Pride Events
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral man sins against his own body.
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
We Must Respond to God’s Invitation
So the invitation is to flee the things that will destroy your eternity and come freely to the water of life. While pastoring in Cherryville, North Carolina, a disturbance was observed, and shortly afterward a man was taken from the balcony of the church and placed in an ambulance. He was dead before they got him to the hospital. He died before the invitation could be given in that service. Could this be your last invitation? Make the decision that God calls you to make-—now is the appointed time, today is the day of salvation. (Credit: Sermon Central, Donnie Martin)
We Must Heed the Warning
We Must Heed the Warning
But there is also a significant warning that we all must pay attention to; and I believe this is a warning to the believer, to the preachers, to the denomination leaders of our day.
18 I bear witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.
We Must Heed the Warning
We Must Heed the Warning
This is the third type of this warning we read in Chapter 22. Back in verse 6 we read, “These words are faithful and true.” In verse 10 we are warned not to seal up the prophesies of this book. I think that Jesus knew that many would come to a place of wanting to change God’s word in order to make it more palatable to fleshly men.
He Is Coming Soon!
He Is Coming Soon!
Why because verse 20 reiterates, “Yes I am coming soon!” So Jesus is telling the readers and the churches that these are the words of eternal life to the perishing. This is the truth of God for the salvation of men. Therefore, do not add or take away from what God has written.
He Is Coming Soon!
He Is Coming Soon!
There are churches and liberal theologians who are ignoring this warning. They are unwilling to contend with the truth of this prophecy because they would much rather be entertaining men or be accepted or popular, rather than speak the truth. I think there is some kind of spiritual sickness or a weakness with people like this.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it, for the time is near.
2 “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I am commanding you.
He Is Coming Soon!
He Is Coming Soon!
That is the sign of a true believer. It doesn’t mean that your perfect, but you endeavor to be a person of the Word. You are a person of tremendous grace and peace, but hungry for God’s word to dwell with you and strengthen you.
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples;
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
The Final Invitation is the Greatest Invitation
The Final Invitation is the Greatest Invitation
And so the greatest invitation we could receive is to receive freely God’s forgiveness. It can only be found through Jesus Christ and with that forgiveness comes an urgent desire to be with him. Maranatha.
The Final Invitation is the Greatest Invitation
The Final Invitation is the Greatest Invitation
Following the Civil War, a dejected confederate soldier was sitting outside the grounds of the White House. A young boy approached him and inquired why he was so sad. The solider related how he had repeatedly tried to see President Lincoln to tell him why he was unjustly deprived of certain lands in the South following the war. On each occasion as he attempted to enter the White House, the guards crossed their bayoneted guns in front of the door and turned him away.
The Final Invitation is the Greatest Invitation
The Final Invitation is the Greatest Invitation
The boy motioned to the old soldier to follow him. When they approached the entrance, the guards came to attention, stepped back and opened the door for the boy. He proceeded to the library where the President was resting and introduced the soldier to his father.
The boy was Tad Lincoln. The soldier had gained an audience with the President through the President’s son. (Donald J. Barnhouse).
Will You Respond to His Invitation Today