Sunday, October 28th, 2018 - AM - Is the Word Nigh Thee? (Rev. 22.6-15)

Pre-Introduction: For those joining us online, you’re listening to the Services of the Broomfield Baptist Church. This is the Pastor bringing the Sunday Morning message entitled "Is the Word Nigh Thee?" We invite you to follow along with us in your Bible in the Book of the Revelation, chapter twenty-two, and verses six through fifteen.

Revelation 22:6–15 KJV 1900

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

For those joining us online, you’re listening to the Services of the Broomfield Baptist Church. This is the Pastor bringing the Sunday Morning message entitled "Is the Word Nigh Thee?" We invite you to follow along with us in your Bible in the Book of the Revelation, chapter twenty-two, and verses six through fifteen.

Introduction:

[Start Low]

A. Get Attention-

Romans 10:8 KJV 1900

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

B. Raise Need-

Illustration- Of the Tree of which Moses made the Bitter Waters Sweet in :

God's remedies are always at hand. The tree of life is not afar off, "the Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth" (Rom 10:8). But, alas, it is so often true that there is one standing among you whom ye know not. We think of Mary saying, "Tell me where thou hast laid Him," knowing not that this was He. And of the man who was born blind to whom Jesus said, "It is He that talketh with thee". [Dr. James Smith and Robert Lee, Handfuls on Purpose: For Christian Workers and Bible Students, n.d., Ex 15:22–25.]

Main Thought:

Guarding (keeping/observing) God's Word in your heart will lead you to do God's works in your life.

Sub-introduction:

At this point in the Apocalypse, Satan has been destroyed, Death & Hell have been have been cast into the Lake of fire along with the unbelieving dead of all the ages of mankind. The Lord Jesus has received His beautiful Bride out of heaven, adorned by God and arrayed in splendor and glory, and John has told us all about how New Jerusalem, made up of God's true believers through the ages, and of the Lord Himself in the midst, with the crystal river flowing and the tree of life blooming. He, John, now draws this magnificent Revelation to a close, and redraws our attention to the Blessed Word of God.

Body:

I. Blessed Keepers of Christ's Words ()

[Go Slow]

A. The Reliability of His Words (v. 6a)

Revelation 22:6 KJV 1900

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Note - "these sayings are faithful and true"

Illustration- Reliability of the Bible

Now is the time for closing arguments. The prosecuting attorneys appear beleaguered, almost battered … the initial spring in their step now subdued. They proceed to summarize their case, having exhausted all admissible evidence to attempt to prove the unreliability of the Bible. Their briefcases no longer bulge, as paper after paper has been tossed into the trash can.

But the defense still has far more to say … solidifying its case with an exhaustive exposition. The stakes are high. Since the reliability of the Bible is on the line, by operating with the acronym TRUTH, the defense attorneys begin to pile up proof upon proof upon proof to establish the absolute accuracy of the Word of God—to prove that its claims are unquestionably true.

The preponderance of proof presented by the defense sends the prosecution’s case plummeting. The furrowed brows on a few faces hint that perhaps a formal objection or demurrer should have been filed—a motion to dismiss the case because legal claims about the Bible’s unreliability are insufficient.

Arguments, however, will be exhausted on both sides, and the jury will have the last word.

As they proceed, the prosecution looks increasingly bewildered and befuddled. Could this “ordinary” book … be extraordinary? According to the moving account presented by the defense, in 2 Kings chapter 22 King Josiah was confidently sure. King Josiah understood everything Moses had written down—and became distraught. “Truth” penetrated to the core of his being, and the king’s realization that the people of Judah had wandered far from the commands of God filled him with anguish.

“And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:11, ).

The Book of the Law had been found by Hilkiah, the high priest, in the temple of the Lord, a place that should have been teeming with copies of all that God had spoken through Moses. But these were dark times in Judah, and even God’s house had been desecrated by vile, pagan images and practices. Josiah’s father and grandfather were much to blame. The latter had tried to destroy every copy of Mosaic Law he could get his hands on.

But the torch of “Truth,” as it turns out, would not be extinguished.…

...To know God, one must know His Word—and to know the Word of God is to have wisdom of God—wisdom for life.… “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” () [June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Bible: Is It Reliable?: Truth on Trial (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 20.]

B. The Reason for His Angel (v. 6b)

Note - Angels have many different functions. This angel was sent by the God of the holy prophets to show God's servants what He was soon going to do.

Illustration- Consider the "servants" in , who put water in vessels, and shortly after drew out wine. They had privy knowledge. "Whatsoever He saith unto thee, do."

C. His Return at Hand (v. 7)

Revelation 22:7 KJV 1900

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Note - The Coming of the Lord is closely associated with His blessings (e.g. v. 7 with vv. 12 & 14)

Note - The statement made here is to be expounded in the near following verses.

Proverbs 8:32 KJV 1900

Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: For blessed are they that keep my ways.

Application: God's Post-Office

Every Christian is a postmaster for God. His duty is to pass out good news from above. If the postmaster kept all the mail and refused to give it out, he would soon be in trouble. No wonder some Christians are so miserable: they keep God's blessings within their own little lives, and soon there is congestion. God does not send us good things from the heavenly headquarters merely for our personal enjoyment. Some of them may be addressed to us, but most of them belong to our fellow-men, and we must pass them on. [Vance Havner, By the Still Waters, Vance Havner Bundle (Baker Publishing Group, 1974).]

Transition: Just because we are keepers of Christ's Words, however, does not mean that we are ever above temptation and sin in this life. It's a dangerous thing to mishandle God's Word with ill motive. I'm glad that God watches over those who love Him with tenderness and brings them correction when needed. Notice-

II. An Overwhelmed Misappropriation ()

[Climb Higher]

A. John's Reaction (v. 8)

Revelation 22:8 KJV 1900

And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Note - John had the RIGHT MOTIVES, but he hit the WRONG MARK.

B. John's Reproof (v. 9)

Revelation 22:9 KJV 1900

Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Application: Apply this to Modern CCM, they might be worshipping, but is the object of their worship God Himself, or the god of self? Notice that John didn't get offended when he was reproved, but boy try and help someone who is steeped in fleshly music get right, and they'll crucify the messenger, rather than see God's angel.

Transition: Be a Keeper of Christ's Words, but stay diligent to also keep your eyes on the PERSON of Christ, lest we misappropriate our adoration and suffer the reproofs of instruction, which are the way of life.

Proverbs 6:23 KJV 1900

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

III. Christ's Word in the World ()

Note - These two verses lie central to John's point here.

A. The Standing of His Word (v. 10)

Revelation 22:10 KJV 1900

And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

1. It's Accessibility

2. It's Urgency

B. The State of the World (v. 11)

Revelation 22:11 KJV 1900

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

1. The Unrighteous Lost

2. The Righteous Saved

Note - In summary, God's revelation remains accessible to all, it has not been sealed beyond our purview. Yet, there will only and ever always remain only two categories of people in the world: Those who reject/hold/suppress God's light and truth to them, and who therefore remain, even now, unjustifiable and filthy in God's eyes; or They who accept by faith (for faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God) the finished work of Christ on their behalf, who are thus seen by God as having the righteous of Jesus on them, declared righteous in God's eyes, and holy, blessed. Even so, this remains the standing of the Word in the World, and the state of mankind as either its cursed or blessed recipient.

Application: Broadcasting God

I walk down the streets of a little town. Almost every house has a radio, and every one seems to be going. The president of the United States is speaking. I pass by a palatial residence, and from it comes his voice through a costly set. Along by more modest houses, and still the same voice from cheaper loud speakers. Then along the poor folk's row, and yet the chief executive's voice sounds out through plain rooms and out broken windows to me. All sorts of homes but the voice is the same! Radio outfits of varied makes and values but the message is one!

Life is like that. I like to think that, no matter what street we live on, what price our house, we are as near God as anybody else. The same voice that one hears from the mansion by radio is all around the cheapest house in town waiting to be received and expressed. God is no respecter of persons. He is as near the back alley as the boulevard, and wherever a humble heart will accept and transmit His message He will speak. The eternal voice will come into your modest little dwelling, your simple heart, as gladly as into the cultured, prosperous folk on Main Street. They have no monopoly on God. They may have the edge on you in money, finery, furnishings, but as the same programs come through cheap sets as through exquisite cabinets, so the heavenly music will come to your house no matter where you live. "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart."

What a fine world if we could walk along by every home and from every human heart the Chief Magistrate of the Universe were speaking! Is God broadcasting from your house? Alas, there is jazz and gossip and business and stock-market reports and profanity and falsehood. For most lives are not tuned in on God. And even on Sundays, if the sermon grows too long they switch off to some more congenial theme. When the orchestra of heaven is ever on the air, what tragedy that most of us should only, at best, catch fleeting strains of diviner music as we range up and down the dial listening for horse races and foxtrots.

What are you catching in the radio of your heart? What programs do you broadcast from the set of your soul? Do your children ever hear the finer things, the eternal features on the program of time, or do they catch nothing from you but the trivial advertisements of the temporal? Do your neighbors ever know that you tune in on heaven? When you visit and talk with men about you, what is the theme? How pitiful that we should pass through this world so full of opportunities to broadcast God and yet those around us never hear from us a voice of heaven.

Someone greater than the president is "on the air." The God of all the earth is broadcasting. Yield your little heart radio to Him and keep tuned in. When care and trouble and temptation would move the dial, keep ever on your guard that no other program ever shall come through. And, above all things, don't put up a station of your own and send our your own programs! Your business is to rebroadcast God.

I like to think that heaven will be a fair city where one, walking along the streets, shall never catch any strains of evil, but from every dwelling place shall ring out one happy chorus of praise to Him who has redeemed us. No discords of sin and heartache and trouble but everywhere the harmony of lives perfectly attuned to God!

What is going out over the air from your house and your heart? Are you broadcasting God? September 30, 1931 [Vance Havner, In Tune with Heaven, Vance Havner Bundle (Baker Publishing Group, 1990).]

Transition: Are you keeping His Words? Are you keeping your worship on Him? Are you spreading His word in the World? If you are, then notice-

IV. Blessed Doers of Christ's Commandments ()

[Take Fire]

A. The Reward of Christ at His Coming (v. 12)

Revelation 22:12 KJV 1900

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Note - Contextually, this reward is, I believe directly related to that of the Church in Philadelphia.

Revelation 3:7–13 KJV 1900

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Note - By way of application, this reward calls our minds to that which Christ will render to those who remain faithful to His cause, in life or in death (e.g. See , and those of the "Hall of Faith" of whom the world is not worthy).

Application: Notice-

1. The Promptness of His Coming. (12a)

“And behold, I come quickly”

...[One Bible expositor has] said, “The word ‘quickly' is from (tachus), which means ‘quickly, swift, or soon.' And from which we get our word (tachometer), the gauge that measures the revolutions per minute of an engine. It does not suggest ‘soon' in terms of the calendar but ‘quickly' in terms of the actual event. When the Lord does come, it will be so quickly that no one will have the opportunity to change their status or condition in light of His appearing. In other words, it will be too late to make a decision for Christ if it has not been done before He comes.”....

2. The Payment at His Coming. (12b)

“and My reward (is) with Me”

The Lord Jesus is coming back to take back, take down, take over, and take names, but He's also coming to give out! He is bringing His reward with Him. Reward: misthos mis-thos' pay for service (literal or figurative), good or bad, hire, reward, wages. The Lord is coming back and He will give out rewards or punishments at His judgment! For His saints He will give out to us as we have served Him. At the judgment seat of Christ Christians will receive rewards or Christians will suffer loss! ()

When the Lord comes back accounts will be settled, rewards will be handed out, and judgments will be made! It will be a glorious appearing of our Lord and saints should long for and look for His coming! Saints should be living for the Lord so that His appearing will not catch us unprepared! His reward is with Him—seeing the Lord Jesus and being with the Lord Jesus forever is the greatest of all rewards!...

3. The Proportions of His Reward. (12c)

“to give every man according as his work shall be.”

[Note - The idea of reward covers both the GWTJ & JSOC.]

We are not saved by our works, but our work for Jesus will be rewarded! The lost will be judged based on their work—and their work will condemn them! This judgment will be universal in scope and individual in sentence. Everyone will be given wages [Rom. 6:23], pay for their service, reward according to his work. This reminds us again that the Lord knows what we do and why we do it! He knows our motives, our ministries, our service, our attitudes and actions! He knows it all! His coming will not be a welcomed sight for many! Are you prepared for His coming? [Jack Andrews, Understanding Revelation, The Jack Andrews Expository Studies, n.d.]

B. The Reliability of the Person of Christ (v. 13)

Revelation 22:13 KJV 1900

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Illustration: Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The Lord Jesus is God’s alphabet. The alphabet is an ingenious way of storing the accumulated wisdom of the race. Our literature is composed of various letters of the alphabet arranged in an endless variety of ways. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the first letter and the last, the first and final source of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. His decrees will be based on omniscience. He cannot be deceived, disputed, discredited, or disconcerted. He could not be when He came the first time to redeem; He cannot be when He comes the second time to reign. His dictates will be full, inexhaustible, and wise, based on infallible knowledge of all the facts, all the forces, all the facets directly or indirectly involved. [John Phillips, Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Re 1:8.]

C. The Results of the Blessing of Christ (vv. 14-15)

Revelation 22:14–15 KJV 1900

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Note - The word "right" means authority. It's the same word translated in . It speaks of the legal transaction that God makes through justification by faith through grace (Rom. 5:1-2).

Note - One of two things will be at the end of this age and the convocation of eternity. Either you will be found "In Christ" and "Christ in you, the hope of glory" and be granted entrance into the Holy City of God forever; Or, you will die in your sins, and be barred from the eternal comfort of the Saviour, having rejected the Christ who gave Himself on the cross, that all who believe on Him should be saved.

Conclusion:

A. Call to Act/Summary of Message/Application:

Keep Christ’s Words. Keep focus on Christ’s Person. Spread Christ’s Word to a Lost World. This is the path of blessing. As you keep Christ’s Words in your heart and life, you’ll become empowered by God’s Spirit to be a Doer of Christ’s Commandments. “This is My commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.” His commandments are not grievous. Have you received God’s Son? Are you adopted into God’s family? Do you have the right to be called the son of God by faith?

Romans 10:8–13 KJV 1900

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

B. Gospel Invitation:

In just a moment, we are going to have an invitation for you to respond to what you've heard about the Lord today. Friend, God loves you, and His Word has shown you something about yourself. Your greatest need is to be right with Him. It's not okay for you to leave here today without realizing how much trouble you are in with God because of your sins. Why don't you change your mind toward Him? His love sent Jesus Christ, God's only Son, to die on the cross for all your sins. He simply invites you, though spiritually dead in your sins, to come to Jesus and put your faith in His death, burial and resurrection for you. Come to Jesus, right now, don't wait. Come, and simply agree with God's Word that He has risen from the dead, and that He can and will give you eternal life by believing on His name. Won't you come and ask Jesus to come into your life and save you?

πλατεῖα (G4423) wide street. Probably one is meant to think of one main broad street in contrast to the narrow streets in Eastern cities (Ford).