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Revelation 22:20 A FINAL WORD TO A FAITHFUL PEOPLE Intro: Finality! It is not
always a good thing! Did you ever hear
your parents say, “That’s final!” When you
heard that, you knew you had better get with the program, or be prepared to
face the consequences. There was
something in the tone of the voice that caused you to know that it was time to
stop pushing their buttons and just button your lip. Sometimes, when you are
trying to buy a car or some other item, the salesman may say, “That’s
my final offer.” At that point,
it’s either time to pay up, or it’s time to go somewhere else. We
all know what it means when something is final in nature. It’s done; it’s finished and nothing about
can change. Well, the verse that I have
read today is a verse that strikes a note of finality. In
this verse, we have the final promise of the Savior and the final prayer of a
saint. There are only 16 words in this
verse, but they teach a truth so majestic, that it will only be fully
comprehended when the Lord Himself returns for His people. I
would like for us to take a few minutes to look into this verse together. As we do, I want you to think about the
thought, “A Final Word To A Faithful People!” In this final promise of the Savior and this
final prayer of the saint, we learn that the future of the saints is settled
and that the fate of the sinner is sealed.
Let’s notice what is final in this verse.
I. THERE
IS A FINAL WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT A.
The Substance Of This
Encouragement - “Come” - This is a restatement of the
glorious promise He made to His disciples the night before He went to the
cross, John 14:1-3. What an encouragement to know that He hasn’t
changed His mind! B.
The Source Of This
Encouragement - “I” - Jesus, the Heavenly Bridegroom
Himself, is the One Who will return for His church! He will not allow another to have this
honor. He personally paid the price to
redeem His bride, Eph. 5:25; C.
The Surety Of This
Encouragement - “Surely” - We have His final word in
the matter and since He cannot lie, Heb.
6:18, we can count on Him to carry it out!
He is well able, Rom. 4:21. ( Now
if you think a man can have that kind of credibility, and if you can appreciate
that quality in a man, I’ll tell you that Jesus Christ, the God-Man, has made
the same promise far more credible than any human being will ever be. If you
wrestle with the truth of Jesus’ return, wrestle no longer. If you accept the
historic fact of His ascension, then you have no room to doubt His historic,
yet future, return. It will occur.) D.
The Swiftness Of This
Encouragement - “Quickly” - This word does not refer
to length of time. We all know that
2,000 years have already passed. This
word means that when it takes place, it will happen swiftly, 1 Cor. 15:51-52. However, there is a sense in which this is a
quick event time wise, 2 Pet. 3:8. Taken at face value, that just means that
Jesus made this promise two days ago! II. THERE IS A FINAL WORD OF ENDORSEMENT ( It
is a word that was first used in the ancient Jewish synagogues and was passed
down to the church. When it is said at
the beginning of a sentence, it verifies the truth of what is about to be said. This was primarily how it was used by the
Lord Jesus. When it is used at the end
of a statement, it is used to claim as one’s own, the words and prayers of
another. It is a word of agreement! It
is a word that has three primary meanings: 1. So be it and so it is - A Pledge of
Allegiance 2. Let it be so - A Prayer of Anticipation 3.
It is and shall be so - A Pronouncement of
Agreement When
John utters his “Amen!” in this verse, he is saying a mouthful. Based on the meanings of this word, look at
what John was saying!) A.
An Endorsement Of Divine
Faithfulness - “So be it and so it is” - He will
come! - B.
An Endorsement Of Divine
Fulfillment - “Let it be so”
- John gives his “Amen!” to the fact that this event will occur. None can stop it, Rev. 3:7. When He opens the
door in Heaven and calls us up, none can stop us from going, Rev. 4:1. C.
An Endorsement Of Divine Fact
- “It
is and shall be so!” - The bottom line is this: Jesus is coming! Whether you are ready or not, Matt. 24:44. ( III. THERE
IS A FINAL WORD OF EXCITEMENT A.
Excitement Over Leaving
- John’s words express an excitement of heart over the return of the Lord. There is a heavenly pull in the heart of
every saint of God, Phil. 1:23; Phil.
3:20; 1 Pet. 2:11. ( B.
Excitement Over Looking
- John’s words express an anticipation over Christ’s return - Isa. 25:9! ( C.
Excitement Over The Lord
- John’s words express a desire for the Lord Himself. After all, Jesus will be the Heaven of
Heaven, 1 Thes. 4:16-17; 1 John 3:1-3.
( Conc: Friend, if you are saved, Jesus is coming for you and “That’s
Final!” The question is, “are
you watching and are you ready?” If you are not saved, you need to be
and you can be! Jesus came to this
world; He died for your sins; He rose again from the dead and offers you
salvation from your sins and from the flames of Hell. If you do not know Him, you can today. |
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