Sermon Tone Analysis

Textual Idea – Jesus Christ, the Alpha & Omega has the final word for His church.

Sermon Idea – Christians need to heed the final word from our our Savior Jesus Christ.

Interrogative – What is the Lord’s final word to the church?

Transition w/ key word – Our text reveals two features of the Lord Jesus Christ’s final word to His church.

1.

A final testimony - vs. 6-16

2. A final invitation - vs. 17-21

A. A word of comfort - 7, 12, 17, 20

B. A word of caution - 18-19

C. A word of confidence - 21

Introduction – In our modern era, a lot of people stream movies and TV shows online.

Often times when we’re trying to figure out what we want to watch, they will have what’s called a trailer to give you a preview of the movie.

It’s designed to attract interest.

They do this same thing at the movie theater, showing previews of upcoming movies.

Sometimes when I see the preview, I have this sense that I don’t need to see the movie, I saw all I need to know from the preview.

I figure out pretty quickly I won’t waste time or money on watching that show or film.

Of course that’s bad news from the perspective of the film maker or the network carrying the show, the actors and people involved.

But from my point of view, it’s positive thing that allows me to spend my time and hard earned resources more productively.

Sadly much of it is just trash & we have no business watching it at all.

(Intro slide) The Book of Revelation is the summation of all bible prophecy and the message of the Bible altogether.

For in Revelation, Almighty God has pulled back the curtain for us to see how He will bring the world to an end, His plans to judge Satan, his evil forces and all those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and His offer of the forgiveness of sins & adoption into His family, the family of God.

By the time we get to Rev. 21:6, all of God’s plans for the human race will be complete.

So in our text today, Jesus Christ, the Alpha & Omega, has a final word for His church through the pen of the aged Apostle John.

We as Christians need to heed His final word and respond appropriately.

Transition w/ key word – Our text reveals two features of the Lord Jesus Christ’s final word to His church.

Read text - 6-11

1.

A final testimony - vs. 6-11

Explanation - If you think about it, the Book of Revelation is a literary masterpiece with perfect structure and symmetry of God’s plan for the ages.

When we began this study, we learned how Genesis is the book of beginnings and Revelation is the book of endings.

We see in Revelation for example the symmetry of numbers, 7 churches, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls & 7 blessings.

There is the symmetry of the 144,000 redeemed of Israel, w/ 12,000 from each tribe God will save in the Great Tribulation.

The book begins with a prologue which introduces the book in 1:1-3 and this final section serves an epilogue that summarizes and concludes the book.

Vs. 6 - The concept of a witness or testimony (GK matureo testify vs. 16) is central to John’s writings.

Throughout Scripture the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses is necessary to establish guilt in a capital case where someone’s life hangs in the balance.

In Revelation, the lives of the entire human race hangs in the balance and the Lord God of the Holy Prophets says His Word is faithful and true.

As a matter of fact, the combination of “faithful & true” appears 4 times in Revelation: (Slides)

3:14b - “These things says the Amen, the Faithful & True Witness, the Beginning of the Creation of God.”

19:11 - “Now I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse.

And He who sat on him was called ‘Faithful & True”, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”

21:5 - “Then He who sat on the throne said ‘Behold I make all things new.’

And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true & faithful.”

22:6 here in our text.

The first speaker here is clearly an angel, and John is so overwhelmed again at all he’s seen and experienced he falls down to worship the angel & promptly gets rebuked for it again in vs. 8-9, John is clearly told to worship God and God alone.

This happened previously in 19:10 after Babylon’s fall and the invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb was given.

Let me just say here folks worship of angels is never appropriate.

People & even Christians, often have a great misunderstanding of angels.

We don’t become angels when we die!

Contrary to what you might think, that’s a downgrade!

Only man was created in the image of God and angels don’t have the opportunity to repent, be saved and adopted into God’s family!

That’s free material for you this morning.

Vs. 6 tells us the Lord has sent his angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

The word shortly means speedily.

It is the Greek word “tachi” where we get our word tachometer from.

A tachometer measures the speed of an engine in revolutions per minute or RPM’s.

Make no mistake, when the Lord comes, it will be swift, speedy and the world won’t know what happened and it will catch everyone by surprise.

Now don’t miss this, we have the witness of God (vs. 6) & Jesus (vs.16), we have the witness of the angel, and we have the witness of the Apostle John in vs. 8 “I John saw and heard these things…” We have a 3-fold witness to assure the reader of the authenticity and validity of these words, specifically the prophecy of Revelation and by extension, Scripture as a whole.

This 3-fold witness will be necessary assurance for us and future believers to hold fast and true to our testimony for the Lord.

John was exiled on Patmos according to 1:9 specifically for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Gk word testify or testimony (vs.

16) is “martureo”; those who are martyred for their faith in Christ is the ultimate testimony because it’s sealed with your own life.

How is it believers are threatened with death for centuries and do not recant or renounce their belief in God or God’s Word?

Because they have rock solid assurance God is faithful and true to His Word! Jesus laid down His life as the way the truth & the life, the ultimate testimony & verified He was God by rising back to life the 3rd day!

Vs. 7 we’ll talk about more in a moment but Jesus promised John, His beloved disciple and He promises us too that He is coming quickly!

This is a promise repeated by Jesus Christ 3 times in this chapter (7, 12 & 20).

Again the word quickly in vs. 7 is same word shortly in vs. 6 - tachi.

But for now, I want to focus on the blessing given in vs. 7.

This blessing is the 6th of 7 blessings found in Revelation with the 7th down in vs. 14.

Revelation began in 1:3 with a blessing: “Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophesy, and keep the things written in it; for the time is near.”

Jesus Christ Himself pronounced the blessing in 22:7 to those who keep the words of this prophecy.

Like so many phrases in this section, it reconnects us to the first blessing in 1:3.

It demonstrates a consistent message from start to finish, the prologue & the epilogue in complete agreement from the faithful and true witness of Jesus Christ personally.

It demonstrates the inspiration of Revelation & the Scripture as a whole to be divinely inspired and not the words of a mere man.

Revelation is not the work of some wild-eyed fanatic.

Nor is it the babbling of some incoherent idiot.

As a matter of fact, the parallels between the 1st & last chapter of Revelation are numerous as my Old Testament professor from Liberty U, Dr. Ed Hindson points out: (Slides)

A genuine prophecy (1:3; 22:6-10).

Addressed to God’s bond-servants (1:1; 22:6)

To be read in the churches (1:11; 22:16-18)

Comes from God (1:1; 22:6)

Comes from Jesus Christ (1:1; 22:7)

An angel speaks to John (1:1; 22:6)

John is a genuine prophet (1:9-11; 22:8-10)

Promised blessing to all who obey it (1:3; 22:7)

Warns of judgment for all who reject it (1:7; 22:11)

Focuses on Jesus Christ (1:2; 22:16-20)

The Alpha & the Omega (1:8, 17; 22:13)

Christ is coming soon (1:3, 7; 22:7-12)

Not only that, Revelation seamlessly ties in the prophecies of the OT and NT concerning the redemptive plan of God, His kingdom reign and presents a picture that God Almighty is in complete control with Jesus Christ reigning next to God the Father!

Vs. 10 - John is told not to seal the words of the prophecy.

This is the exact opposite of what Daniel was told about 600 years earlier in 12:9; to seal that prophesy until the end time.

By contrast, John is told to leave the prophesy unsealed because the time is at hand.

Since Jesus Christ has already opened the seven seals to reveal the future to John in chapter 5-6, it is appropriate the rest of the book is unsealed for us to read as well.

Vs. 11 - To emphasize the suddenness & quick speed of Christ’s return, we have a sobering testimony: there’ll be no more opportunity to change your status with God so the sobering testimony is you better take steps to make peace with God now!

Here we are confronted with the awful fact that our character and relationship with God become fixed upon death and the return of Christ.

The unjust and the filthy will remain filthy, the righteous and just will remain righteous and holy.

You have to choose!

To not choose a side is to choose to side with Satan and not God.

Illustrate - In recent years, a number of movie series, have become very popular like the Mission Impossible series, the Avengers series, and even the James Bond series.

They always have these epic battles between a good guy or good group of guys and gals against sinister and evil forces.

(Slide) Of course my favorite Avenger is Captain America and the rest of you can be wrong if you want to.

(Slides) When I was a kid, we had another version of these good vs. evil movies: Westerns with John Wayne, the Lone Ranger, Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans.