Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

What if I told you, that after the best part of nine months studying the book of Revelation, the final message of Jesus to His Church was a stark warning: ‘keep my law’ - do not add to it, do not take away from it.

“Keep my law.”

We, as Christians, have a far easier time engaging with the grace of God than engaging with the idea of Torah, of God’s way for His people.

But perhaps that’s why we, above most generations, need to hear this message - not because we want to return to legalism, but because there are real consequences for letting out hearts wander from the one who gives us life.

Let’s return to Him this morning, looking at this cluster of instructions, taking seriously the warnings we find.

1. Be Blessed

Summary: Be blessed by trusting God for the eternity promised.

Revelation 22:6: “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.””

Verse 6a “These words are trustworthy and true” - reference to Isaiah 65:16 - confidence in God’s forthcoming act of new creation.

Verse 6b Also alludes to Daniel 2 and echoes the assertion of divine authority, like the visions Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar “Spirit of the Prophets” - again, you can TRUST is being said here.

Verse 6c “what must soon take place.”

- what is that?

1st the results of the Lamb opening the scroll - His work in human history, blessings and curses.

All coming from the Jesus authority.

2nd, as we read in Revelation 22:7 verse 7a, He is “coming soon.”

This refers to His final blessing and condemnation - His final coming where He will inaugurate the new creation.

BUT why do we need to know this?

Why must we trust these words?

What difference do these words make to my life?

Because by listening to them, by KEEPING them 7b Rev 22:7, you will find blessing (flourishing).

BIG PICTURE: These words are for the CHURCH, not general readers.

His servants (verse 6c), are the audience as in Rev 1:3

Jesus has gathered His Church together, through John, to explain to them the coming challenges of the Church age.

There will be awful temptation, economic struggles, the risk of compromising, the deceitful messages shared even within the Church community.

If you resist, you will suffer persecution even until death.

BUT you will find blessing (flourishing), by remaining faithful witnesses.

Ironic conquerors like Jesus.

But the benefits aren’t immediately obvious, it seems like it’s better to go along to get along.

With eyes fixed on the world it can be easy to lose sight of what matters.

HOWEVER consider the benefits of eternity!

Time is short.

Eternity is long.

It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.

Charles Spurgeon

Illustration - Black Friday on Amazon - Computer games, not good enough to show you a picture - you need to see it in action.

Capture a better vision!

Be blessed by focussing on Jesus.

2. Worship Me

Summary: the challenge is to worship God and no-one else, even angels.

Let suffering lead you to worship.

Revelation 22:8 - John is the one who is the witness: “I, John, am the one hearing and seeing.”

He has seen the vision and is tasked with sharing.

BUT, as in Rev 19:10, John again worships the angel rather than Jesus.

Revelation 22:9 - John is corrected the angel and redirects him to “worship God.”

Idolatry - Consistent problem throughout Revelation.

This is humanity’s tendency to worship the created rather than the creator.

The angel reminds him he is a created being just like humans, it is God that deserves the worship.

Servants are those who “keep the words of this book” and “worship God.”

Revelation 22:10 - “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.”

Unlike in Daniel 12:4, where the prophecy are to be sealed until the end, Revelation opens the sealed prophecies Daniel saw:

Daniel prophesied about a final tribulation for God’s people, the consummate defeat of wicked kingdoms and the eternal establishment of God’s kingdom.

John’s Revelation explains these now and so now they can be understood.

But in the face of these challenges the point is to return to God in worship.

“Time is near.”

Application: Far too many Christians expect Jesus’s blessing to mean spiritual blessing, and because we are blessed, we worship.

That’s not the case.

We worship because there is only one person worthy of worship.

It’s appropriate that He is worshipped, and it is good for us to worship Him - anyone else leads us to being used and abused.

BUT suffering itself can lead us to worship - physical suffering leads to spiritual vision - beyond.

The Christian doctrine of suffering asks for more than a patient tolerance of suffering.…

The pain and suffering of life fix our spiritual vision on the central, spiritual goods of … the redemption of Christ.

Timothy Keller

3. Keep on Hearing

Summary: God will deal justly with humanity.

Jesus’ words either shock you back to life or harden your heart.

Jesus judges as God regardless of whether you acknowledge Him or not.

Revelation 22:11: Back to Daniel 12:10

Destiny of the righteous and unrighteous - both will continue on their chosen paths.

But does God then WANT the unrighteous to remain so?

NO.

The words of this prophecy, and indeed of Jesus word on earth was to either shake the family of God back into obedience, or increase the blindness of those who are committed to unbelief.

See Isaiah 6:9–10: “And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.””

- God hands them over to their unbelief.

Revelation 22:12: Will return to reward the faithful witnesses and deal justly with those who are committed to their own path.

Jesus remains God whether you acknowledge Him or not - He comes to judge as only God can.

For Christians we must remember this and keep on in our commitment to Jesus incase we know the sword rather than the cross.

Application: People make a free choice when it comes to the answering the question “will you make Jesus your Lord.”

Some who have ears to hear will hear, others will respond with anger and rage and their blindness will deepen.

Let go and trust God - we aren’t the saviour.

4. Come and Follow Me

Summary: Jesus calls His people to continue to follow Him through a cluster of titles and images.

Remain in Him is the call - come to Him if you don’t already know Him.

Revelation 22:13: These titles for God “the Alpha and the Omega” (1:8; 21:6) and “the Beginning and the End” (21:6), and Christ has been called “the First and the Last” (1:17; 2:8) - are now all used for Jesus as they were for the OT God.

THE POINT: Jesus is able to conclude history.

He opened the scroll, He will now shut it.

Revelation 22:14:

Wash their robes, as Rev 17:4 - in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 22:16: Jesus words come out “Jesus sent” - as in the beginning, a refocus.

On what?

16b: “the root and the descendant of David” from Isaiah 11:1 - prophecy concerning a messianic hope - now the “root” not just a shoot.

ROOT, something that gives rise to the rest of the organism.

16c: “The bright morning star”, an allusion to Isaiah 60:1-3 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.

And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

Two parts; 1.

A light for the nations (God to save the world, not only Israel), and 2. “morning” meaning a new salvation day - salvation comes from Him alone

Illustration: Visit to Greyfriars - everything begins with the vine.