Revelation 22
Some 33 parts on and some 65+ thousand words later, we finally come to the final teaching part in our Revelation series. With the old earth passed away, and the former heaven gone forever, John saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the holy city—the New Jerusalem—coming down from God out of heaven. In chapter 21, John described this glorious city, and in the first part of chapter 22, he continues to do the same. There’s no escaping the parallels that exist between the first paradise in Eden, and this second paradise. What was lost in the curse has now at the end, been restored, not only to an equal state but to one far exceeding it in every degree!
The chapter concludes with a series of warnings. The end is at hand and the Lord instructs His Church. “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Rev. 22:20-21).
Matthew 10:27-33
We read in Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe”. Man is prone on every side to fear, not least in the face of pending danger. God’s desire is that we would not be overcome by fear, but rather that we would trust Him!
This sermon is an exhortation for the blood-bought children of God, to place their total confidence in the Lord. Where faith toward God abounds, fear has no resting place; but where fear abounds, we can be assured, faith is wanting! “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there”.
Luke 23:35-43
The people and the rulers, the soldiers and the criminal —each one hurled their abuse and insults with guided precision—it was open season on the Son of Man. In the eyes of the mob who had gathered to express their contempt of Jesus, the suffering spectacle which hung before them was proof positive that this man was getting all that He deserved of God’s righteous indignation. What were they to make of a suffering King? In truth…not much! However, amongst the taunts and the sneers, a voice of penitence was heard from one of the criminals being crucified alongside Jesus and a plea so profound; “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”.
In this sermon, we endeavour to unpack this statement to see the priceless treasure revealed therein. We then close by asking the question, what are we doing with the light that God has shone into our hearts. May the Lord speak to each one of us.
Psalm 85:6
As Christians, we’re never stationary for very long; we’re either moving closer to the Lord or further away from Him. We all experience flutterings from time to time along the way, but it’s over those protracted seasons of drift where we suddenly realise that our love has grown cold, and our standards have fallen. O that the Lord might revive us and kindle again a sacred flame on the mean altar of our hearts in order that we might live wholly and only for Him!!
Psalm 90:2
Men in this life, give themselves to the numbering of many things. The rich man numbers his pounds and the poor man his pennies; the farmer numbers his cattle and the shepherd numbers his sheep. Whatsoever is valuable to a man, that will he number so as not to allow so much as a crumb to fall to the ground in waste. As we begin not only a new year but a new decade, what have you made it a priority to number?
Time is of the essence and our lives are on countdown. Life is so short and eternity is but a breath away. As we move into this New Year, may the cry of our hearts be, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.