How Should We Then Live? - Part 5

PDF

Well, this morning we turn for the last time to Revelation chapter 22. And the brief text that we come to this morning is monumental, because it's the last two verses in the book of Revelation. But they're also the last two verses in the New Testament, the last verses in the entire canon of the Scripture, the last verses written of all the inspired Word of God. They're the last words of Jesus Christ our Lord to His people, and it's with these two last verses today that we finish our study of the book of Revelation. 

We started that study on Sunday nights back in January of 2021. I have since preached 65 sermons on the book of Revelation, and here we are today; completing that study. The last four weeks we studied the epilogue, it begins in chapter 22:6, runs down through verse 21. The theme that ties the epilogue together is the second half of verse 7, Jesus says, “Blessed is he who heeds” or obeys, “the words of the prophecy of this book.” And in these last verses, starting in verse six and running to the end of the chapter, in eight staccato exhortations, the epilogue explains to us how we're to obey this book, how we are to live in light of its prophecies. And we've looked at eight exhortations together, I won't go back through them with you. 

But as we come to our text, let me just remind you that Christ has been speaking directly, starting in verse 12, running all the way down through verse 19. But in the last two verses of this book, John the apostle again speaks. You'll notice in the first half of verse 20, he quotes Christ, and then John himself finishes out the rest of this book. These final two verses really are a closing prayer, John's closing prayer, but a closing prayer that should become our prayer as well, as we respond to all that we've learned in the book of Revelation, as we contemplate our future. It's a perfect way for this book to end.

John closes Revelation with two earnest prayer requests. We need to make them ours. His first request is this: for Christ's return. Look at verse 20, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’” It's interesting that the Bible begins with a promise of the Son of God's first coming in Genesis 3:15. He would come to deal with sin, that's what He did in His incarnation. But the Bible ends in the very last chapter of the last book with a promise of His second coming. Jesus' return is a crucial theme in the book of Revelation. There's a reference to the Rapture, I think, in 3:11, we looked at that together. But the second coming as a whole factors prominently. Go back to Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.” And then in chapter 22, we've already seen twice where the Lord has promised this. Look at verse 7, “Behold, I am coming quickly.” Verse 12, “Behold, I am coming quickly.” And now in verse 20, John quotes Jesus making that same promise one last time at the very end of the biblical revelation: He is coming. Now, the book of Revelation as we've looked at it and studied it together, the entire flow of this book, along with a number of other texts, makes it clear that the coming that Jesus promises here, listen carefully, did not happen as some claim in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem. And it didn't happen with the conversion of Constantine. And it isn't Jesus coming to us in the Gospel as still others argue. No, this is a promise of Jesus' personal return at some point in the future. 

Let's look at the promise together, verse 20, “He who testifies to these things.” Clearly He who testifies is Jesus, He's been testifying in verses 12 to 19 and in the entire book according to 1:1. But here it's put in the third person, that makes it clear Jesus is no longer speaking directly, instead John is quoting Jesus. So we could read it like this, look at verse 20 again, so John says “He who testifies to these things,” that is Jesus, “says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’” As I noted, this is the third time in this chapter Jesus has made this statement. But this time, notice Jesus adds the word yes, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” The Greek word for yes used in this sense means “certainly” it's the solemn assurance that something will happen. Jesus here gives us His personal guarantee: it is going to happen, I assure you it is true. He says, “Certainly, I am coming quickly.” Now, as we've already seen, the word translated quickly implies eminence. It could happen today, it implies suddenness; unexpectedly it will happen. And it implies certainty as well, “Behold, certainly, absolutely true, I am coming quickly.”

Now, some skeptics respond to that and say how could that be true? I mean, it's been 2000 years since Jesus said that. Well, don't forget 2 Peter 3:8, “Do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” Peter is making the point that God's relationship to time is different than your relationship to time. In His mind, a thousand years is like a single day. In other words, according to the divine calendar, Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives in Acts 1, the day before yesterday: He is coming quickly. Jesus' statement here means that from His perspective, His coming is certain and it's soon. But from our perspective, the exact time is uncertain. So, we should live with an expectation that it could happen any day, it could happen today. Let me ask you Christian, do you believe that? You believe Jesus could come before this service is over, that He could come before this day is over? That's how He wants you to live; “Certainly, I am coming quickly.”

Notice how John responds to Jesus' promise in the second half of verse 20, he begins with a Hebrew word, “Amen.” That's a Hebrew word transliterated into English and it means “let it be so.” John says, Lord, I believe that the promise You've made that You're coming is true and I desire it to happen: let it be. And then he adds, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” These words are the Greek equivalent of an Aramaic expression that was very common in the early church. Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 16:22, and in our Bibles, you will read the word “Maranatha.” It's an Aramaic word, in Aramaic it's “MaRAnatha” anglicized for us to “Maranatha.” It means, “Oh Lord, come.” It was the prayer, the heart cry of the early church. It includes both the desire for this to happen and the certainty that it will. Oh Lord, I know that You're coming, I believe Your promise, so come. 

This confidence in, and this sort of longing for, Jesus' return actually marked all true Christians. Listen to 2 Timothy 4:8, “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” That's not some special spiritual elite class of Christians; that is every Christian, every Christian loves His appearing. Titus 2:13, we live life here “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Hebrews 9:28 says Christians are those “who eagerly wait for Him.” Christian, let me just ask you, if you're here this morning, you say “I'm a follower of Jesus Christ.” Let me just ask you, can you say, honestly, I'm not asking you for the right answer, I'm saying in your heart of hearts: can you say that you are eagerly waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ? And if not, then ask yourself why? Why not? This is what Christians do. Let me ask you, do you ever pray? You ever pray for something more than physical needs? Do you pray, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

That's what John is teaching us here, because this is God's plan to end all things. Mounts writes this, “At the very close of the book, is the confession that the answers to the problems of life do not lie in people's ability to create a better world, but in the return of the One whose sovereign power controls the course of human affairs.” He goes on to say, “Redemptive history remains incomplete until Christ returns. It is for the final act in the great drama of redemption that the Church waits with longing.” Is that your heart? We've learned some great things here; we've learned how it's going to end, we've learned that Christ is coming back. Is your response first and foremost to pray for Christ's return? That was John's and it ought to be ours. 

But, we see John's second request here as well, and it also is what our prayer should be, in verse 21; we should pray for Christ's grace. John closes with this benediction-prayer; it's really both at the same time. Look at verse 21, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” May it be so. You see what John is doing here? He's saying, until Christ does come, we need to rely entirely, completely on His grace. Now, I think you understand that this benediction-prayer is sort of the normal close of most first century Christian letters, including the New Testament letters. But this benediction is more than a mere formality; it's a heartfelt desire and prayer that Christ will continue to give each of us his grace. 

What is grace? Well, Dave in his testimony this morning quoted a definition that I love, “Grace is that perfection in Jesus Christ,” think with me here, “Grace is that perfection in Jesus Christ which causes Him to find joy and delight in doing good to those who deserve exactly the opposite, who deserve His wrath.” So he does us good, He shows us favor, when we deserve exactly the opposite. Verse 21, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.” Notice what he says, “with all.” One early manuscript reads, “with all the saints” and that's the meaning of the word “all” here. We know that because of what Paul says in Ephesians 6:24 when he writes, “Grace be with all of those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.” So John here is saying, may all true believers continue to experience the grace of Jesus Christ. Christian, do you understand as you sit here this morning, as you live life in this world, you are totally dependent on the grace of Jesus Christ? That's true in this life, and that's really the point of verse 21, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” John's point is, as we wait for the return of Jesus Christ, we desperately, totally need His grace. 

Now, there are two ways that we're totally dependent on His grace in this life. First of all, we were saved solely by the grace of Christ. I love the way Peter puts it in Acts 15:11 at the Jerusalem Council. He says this, “We,” the Jews, “are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they [Gentiles] also are.” In other words, everybody without exception who has been saved from their sins is saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're in Christ, you sit here this morning because of the grace of Jesus Christ in your life. His grace and His willingness to leave the glories of heaven and to come into this world, to take on full humanity, to live here for 33 years. His grace to go to the cross, the only perfect One to suffer separation from the Father, to suffer the wrath against sin that you deserve. His grace to go to the grave, to die, to humble Himself to the point of death, and then to be raised from the dead to ascend in the presence of the Father, His grace to continue to intercede for you today. You sit here Christian, wholly, totally dependent on the grace of God and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ for being a believer at all. 

If you're here this morning and you're not a follower of Christ, you need to understand there is nothing you can do that will earn you heaven, that will earn you a place with God, not one thing. Jesus said you have to come like a beggar. The first beatitude is, “Blessed are the beggars in spirit, for to them belongs the kingdom of heaven.” You got to become a beggar, you’ve got to come saying, everything I hope for is found in Jesus Christ. And my prayer is you'll do that even this morning; you'll repent of your sin and believe in Him. 

We're totally dependent on His grace for salvation. But secondly, believers, we are empowered to live as believers solely by the grace of Jesus Christ. Do you understand this? I want you to get this, and I just want to give you a few categories you can hang your hat on and think about and meditate on. It's in the grace of Jesus Christ that He gives us our spiritual capacity to serve in His church. Ephesians 4:7, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.” In context, it's talking about spiritual giftedness. If you're a Christian, Christ in His grace has given you a means to serve Him in His church. But you're also dependent on His grace for our endurance in trials. Listen to what Christ says to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’” You remember the context, Paul had a thorn in the flesh for which he asked three times to be removed and Christ's response is; no, I'm going to give you My grace instead to endure the trial. That's the only way you'll ever endure trial and in a way that honors Him. 

Thirdly, His grace ensures our growth and sanctification. 2 Timothy 2:1, he says to Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong,” grow and remain strong. How? “In the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” That's the only way you're ever going to grow as a believer. It's in the grace that comes from Jesus Christ. 

Fourthly, our victory in temptation. Hebrews 4:16, “Therefore,” because Jesus is our high priest, “let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Back in 2:18, “He Himself was tempted” in all points, as we are yet without sin, so we can come in the midst of our temptation and find victory over that temptation in Him.

Number five, it's through the grace of Christ that we are able to bring glory to God and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:12, “So that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” It's the only way you can ever glorify God, it's His grace that will enable you to do that. 

But I love this final one, and this is just again, a brief list, but our perseverance in the faith is a gift of His grace. That's the point here in our text, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.’” And until You come, may Your grace rest on Your people. May You bring us through this life into Your eternal presence when you come. So folks, we are totally dependent on the grace of the Lord Jesus in this life. I mean, what does Jesus himself say in John 15:5? “Without Me you can do nothing.” It's His grace. 

But we're also dependent on His grace for eternity. 1 Peter 1:13, I love what Peter writes here, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit.” listen to this, “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” at His return. You understand that it's the grace of Jesus Christ that ensures and secures your eternal future? Some Christians have this idea that grace is something we only need in this life, but once we're perfected, we won't need it anymore, we'll be perfect! That's not what the Bible teaches, Ephesians 2:7 says God saved us by grace “so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Not only is every blessing of this life, temporal and spiritual, from the grace of our Lord Jesus, but in eternity, listen carefully, every second that we enjoy God's goodness instead of the wrath we deserve, every moment we're in the new world and in that new eternal city, every second that's true, instead of being in hell what we deserve, will be a gift of our Lord's amazing grace. Christian, you need to think about, you need to meditate on, you need to gaze on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ because it is His greatest perfection, His greatest masterpiece. Without it, we would be utterly hopeless.

So John's two prayers remind us of what our prayers should be. If you've enjoyed the book of Revelation, if you want to obey what's here, then you need to earnestly pray like he did. You need to love, long for, and pray for the coming of the Lord Jesus. And you need to pray that until He comes or calls you home, His grace will strengthen and sustain you. It's His grace, it's the saving grace of Jesus Christ that we celebrate in the Lord's Table. Listen to what Paul writes in Ephesians 1:7, “In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

Take a moment as the men come to serve us and confess your sin. Prepare your heart to take of the Lord's table. 

Our Father, we thank You for Your grace to us, and we thank You that Your grace to us has a name: Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you that in Him, You have shown us such amazing grace. You've saved us by grace, You sustain us and preserve us by grace, and it's Your grace that will usher us into eternity, into Your presence; and Your grace that will lavish our souls for eternity. Father, forgive us for ever failing to be amazed by Your grace. Reignite our love for You and for Your Son, because of the grace You've shown us. We're amazed that there is a perfection in You that finds joy and delight in doing good and showing favor to us who deserve exactly the opposite.

And now as we come to the Lord's Table, Father, for those of us who have trusted in Him, who follow Him as Savior and Lord, thank you for this way to remember Him. And Lord, as we come to take of the Lord's table, we first come seeking Your forgiveness for our sins. Thank you that we have the once-for-all forgiveness in Your courtroom; the gavel has come down and we wear the righteousness of Your Son. But Father, we come still daily seeking forgiveness, not from You as our Judge, but from You as our Father, because the sins that You have forgiven in Your courtroom still offend You as our Father. And so we come, Lord, seeking forgiveness. Help each of us to be aware, bring by Your Spirit our sins to mind, sins of thought and attitude, sins of speech, sins of action. Or sins of omission, where we have failed to do what we know You commanded us to do.

Father, forgive us, cleanse us, help each of us to articulate those things You bring to mind. And then, Father, we pray that the blood of Your Son would keep on cleansing us from all sin, even those sins that we are unaware of. And allow us to come now to this moment of worship, remembering our Lord; the One who purchased our forgiveness through His own blood. Receive our worship, we pray, in Jesus name. Amen.