In this last devotional reading for the year, it is fitting that we hear from from Jesus himself words of assurance: “Look, I am coming soon!” The word “soon” (taxu) means that his coming will be quick and without delay. It may not be “soon” according to human timing (after all, John wrote this two thousand years ago), but it is certain to occur; it is imminent. Jesus clearly told his followers, “So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:42, 44).
Once again overwhelmed, John wrote that he fell down to worship the angel who had given him the inspired glimpse of the future. But again (as at 19:10), the angel prohibited John’s worship, telling him to worship God. God alone is worthy of worship and adoration. He is above all creation, even the angels.
The angel told John what to do after his vision had ended. Instead of sealing up what he had written, as Daniel had been commanded to do (Daniel 12:4-12), John was told, “Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near.” John’s prophecy was to be left open so that all could read and understand.
This message was needed immediately by the churches of John’s day, as well as believers across the years until Christ’s return. Daniel’s message had been sealed because it was not a message for Daniel’s time. But the book of Revelation was a message for John’s time and is relevant today. As Christ’s return approaches, there is an increased polarization between God’s followers and Satan’s followers. We must read the book of Revelation, hear its message, and be prepared for Christ’s certain return.
When Christ returns,He will bring a reward that would be given to his people, according to their deeds. The believer’s true reward is God’s presence and power through the Holy Spirit. Later, in eternity, believers will be rewarded for their faith and service. No act of mercy will be forgotten; no true believer will be abandoned.
Although all God’s people will be saved and will enjoy the reward of eternity with him, a number of rewards seem to be given to individuals, according to what they have done. God will look at each individual’s heart; thus, it may be that a quiet saint praying daily beside her bed will receive even greater reward than a flamboyant, well-known preacher. It may be that the woman who used her gifts to the fullest extent will be rewarded more greatly than the one who believed but was too afraid to reach her potential. God will not bestow his rewards in ways that we humans might. Each believer’s job is to serve God to his or her fullest potential with a heart that is right with him.
Next, Christ repeated the words he had spoken at the beginning of the Revelation: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”. The Creator began and will end time itself.
This passage includes the seventh and final beatitude in Revelation (the others were in 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7): Blessed are those who wash their robes. This picture symbolizes those who seek to purify themselves from a sinful way of life. These people had been dirty with sin, but Christ had cleansed them through his death on the cross. They had accepted his salvation by “washing their robes.”
This passage is also a call to the believers to strive daily to remain faithful and ready for Christ’s return. They do not need to be saved over and over; but they should continue to “wash their robes” and so remain clean and ready.
Those who do so can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Entering the city indicates joining the redeemed people in eternity. In Eden, Adam and Eve had been barred from any access to the tree of life because of their sin (Genesis 3:22-24). In the new earth, God’s people will eat from the tree of life because their sins have been removed by Christ’s death and resurrection. Those who eat the fruit of this tree will live forever.
Verse 14 describes those who will live in the Kingdom of God for eternity; those who cannot be there are described in verse 15. They are characterized as dogs—a term used in Scripture for something impure or unclean. The emphasis is that nothing evil and no sinner will be in God’s presence to corrupt or harm any of the faithful.
Jesus again spoke, describing himself as the ultimate fulfillment of everything that had been promised. Christ had sent his angel to show John all that would come to pass, so that the message could be given to the churches.
Jesus is both David’s source and the heir to his throne. As the Creator of all, he existed long before David. As a human, however, Jesus was one of David’s direct descendants (Isaiah 11:1-5; Matthew 1:1-17). As the Messiah, he is the bright morning star, the light of salvation to all (2 Peter 1:19). In Numbers 24:17, Balaam declared, “I see him, but not in the present time. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.”
The meaning is simple: JESUS IS WORTHY. Jesus is worthy of your life, your time, your treasure, your hopes and dreams. Jesus is worthy.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
As we end 2009, I want to encourage youe you to be faithful to the most imporatnt job we have - sharing the Good News with others. The most wonderful truth in the world, the most amazing truth in the world, the most marvelous truth in the world is this: God wants to have a relationship with me. That is almost too inconceivable to believe – that God would want a relationship with me.
We were made to be friends of God. The Bible says that you were created so that God could love you. You were made to have a relationship. That’s why you’re here on this earth. God made you to love you.
But there’s a problem. Something went wrong in that relationship. My sin. And your sin. And there were times in my life that I decided I was going to do what I thought was best not what God thought was best. That broke the relationship. Destroyed it.
But God did not leave it at that. He took the initiative and He came to earth in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ, to show us what God was like, to show us how much He loves us, to stretch out His arms on the cross and die for us so that the bridge could be built back to God and that relationship could be restored. That’s incredible, really wonderful, marvelous news.
The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 2:5 “Jesus Christ is the bridge between God and man.” And in Romans 5:11 “Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in dying for our sins making us friends of God.” It is the marvelous truth that God has sent His Son to die for us.
If I were to summarize the Bible in one word, if I were to summarize Christianity in one word I would not use the word “religion”. I would not use “ritual” or “rules”. I would use the word “relationship”. Because that’s what the whole Bible and all of Christianity is about. God wants a relationship with you. As mind blowing as that is, God made you to have a relationship.
One day a man came to Jesus and said, “Lord, what’s the most important commandment?” We all know the Ten Commandments. Jesus didn’t quote any of those. He said, “Let me give you the two most important ones. Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. That’s the first one and number two, Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love God, Love your neighbor. He’s talking about relationship. If you’ve got your relationship with God in order and you’ve got your relationship with other people in order, you are doing what God put you on earth to do.
Life is essentially about relationships. The most important thing in your life is not money, status, success, pleasure, fame. It’s people.
There are two problems. One of them is relationships are very fragile. They can be damaged easily so they have to be cultivated and nurtured. No good relationship happens accidentally. It’s intentional.
The second problem is nobody ever teaches us how to build good relationships. You certainly didn’t learn it in school. So most of us really aren’t that good at it. We just kind of stumble into relationship building.
T, on this last day of the year, I want to implore you to build relationships with unbelievers. Look at what 2 Corinthians 5:18 says - “God has restored our relationship with Him through Christ, and He has given to us this ministry of restoring relationships.”
You are given a ministry of restoring relationships. Once you accept Jesus Christ, once you step across the line, you have a new life assignment. You are to become a bridge builder. Every Christian is called to be a bridge builder in life. Every Christian. A Christian, of all people, should be interested in relationships more than anybody else. Once God has restored the relationship to us, He expects us to go restore relationships with other people and help them restore a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The greatest thing you can do for anybody else is introduce them to Jesus Christ – sealing their eternity, knowing that they’re going to heaven.
We have the greatest news in the world. All my sins can be forgiven, I get a new purpose for living, I get a home in heaven and God becomes my friend. What could be better than that? Name me one thing that is better than that. It’s better than a cure for any disease because it has eternal implications, to know that you’ve helped somebody settle their eternal destiny, there is no greater achievement in life, no greater epitaph than “He/She was a bridge builder for Jesus Christ.” We do have the greatest message in the world. But you have to earn the right to share it. You have to build the bridge. If you just walk up to people that you don’t even know and start talking to them about the Lord most of them are going to go, “What planet did you get off of?” You need to earn the right to be heard.
Going forward into 2010, will you do that? Will you be a bridge builder for people to receive Christ? I pray so. God bless you guys. I love you. Look to the COV website - www.covsanramon.org - for instructions on how to follow my blog for 2010.
Pastor Mike
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