John prayed for the return of the Lord!
Illus: When we think of the return of the Lord Jesus, we can not help thinking of the game children often play. This game is “Hide and Seek.” The children choose a place to be a “base” and then one child closes his eyes and counts to one hundred. The other children go and hide before the count is completed. The one who is IT, who counts, must cry out, “READY OR NOT; HERE I COME,’ then he tries to find the children, one by one, and beat them to the “base” before they get there and touch it without being seen.
According to God’s Word, He is going to say something like that one day, perhaps very soon! He is going to say, “Ready or not; here I come!”
Amos 4:12, tells us the purpose of life is to get ready to meet the Lord. He has told us, this way, “...prepare to meet thy God...” A lot of folks are preparing for a lot of things, but sadly, they are not preparing to meet the Lord.
In Revelation 22, John was not only prepared for Christ’s coming, He was praying that Christ would return. Before we get into that prayer, please notice that three times this chapter talks about the return of Christ for His saints!
Let’s look at these verses and look at THREE things.
(1) Look at verse 7. We see PROPHECY WITH A PROMISE. He said, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”
(2) Look at verse 12. We see PROPHECY WITH A PRIZE. We are not only told that He is going to COME, but HOW He is to come.
Notice, He said, “Behold, I come quickly...” That word “quickly” refers to three things:
(a.) It refers to the events of prophecy that will occur before Christ’s return.
(b.) It refers to God’s calendar. One day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as but one day with the Lord. Whereas we may think it has been a long time since Christ was here on earth, according to God’s calendar it has only been a couple of days.
(c.) It refers to the rapture of the church that will take place in the twinkling of an eye. When the Lord comes back, people will not have time to get on their knees and repent.
Illus: I am sure everyone here knows what it was like when you were a child and your parents gave you chores to do by a certain time. Some of you goofed off and played around until you looked at the clock and it dawned on you that time was running out. Immediately you buckled down and got the chores done in just the nick of time.
Listen beloved, if anyone plans to play around in sin and then thinks he will have time to fall on his knees and get right with God when the trumpet sounds; he is in for a rude awakening. Why? Because, before your knees ever hit the carpet, the rapture will be all over with.
Verse 12 says it is going to happen “quickly.” Also, notice that verse 12 tells us something else. It tells us that when Christ returns for His church, “and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
A lot of people are going to be surprised when they get to heaven.
Illus: Their concept of what they will receive in heaven seems to be a bit like the experience of some children each year when it gets close to the Christmas season. Their parents tell them, “You had better be good. If you are not good, Santa Claus is not going to bring you anything!” Those children can be as mean as snakes, yet on Christmas morning they receive so many toys you can hardly walk through the house without stumbling over them.
Listen, God, the Father, is not that way! The Lord said that when He returns for His church His reward will be with Him, “...to give every man according AS HIS WORK SHALL BE.”
We are saved by God’s grace, but if we, who are saved by His grace, do not have any WORKS, we will not have any REWARDS! You can count on that!
We see PROPHECY WITH A PROMISE and also see PROPHECY WITH A PRIZE. But notice something else we see in these verses.
(3) Look at verse 20. We see PROPHECY WITH A PRAYER. John prayed, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Listen, probably one of the most revealing things about people is their prayers. That is, we can listen to people pray and learn a lot about them. For example,
Many prayers reveal people’s ignorance of the Scriptures. If they knew the Word of God, they would not pray some of the prayers they pray.
• Many prayers are filled with selfishness. People pray “God give me! Give me! Give me!”
• Many men’s prayers reveal how great they think they are. As they pray they tell everyone how much they love the Lord.
• Many men’s prayers are used as their opportunity to express what they think about something.
• Many men’s prayers reveal their shallow experience with the Lord.
Then there are those who pray, and as they pray you can tell they are motivated by their love for God.
This was the case with John. He loved the Lord so much that he wanted to be as close to the Lord Jesus as he could be. He prayed, verse 20b, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
As we consider this prayer, I want to ask you, “HAVE YOU EVER PRAYED THAT PRAYER? If not, why haven’t you?
You can go into churches all across America and you can hear all kinds of prayers, but very seldom will you hear a saint of God pray, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” If we have not prayed that prayer, and we are not praying that prayer, then it would be good for us to ask, “WHY ARE WE NOT PRAYING THAT PRAYER?” As we look at the book of Revelation, we can see THREE reasons why we are not praying that prayer.
I. WE HAVE NOT SUFFERED AS JOHN SUFFERED.
We all are guilty of passing judgment on someone when we do not know what they have SUFFERED. We have to walk in the shoes of someone else before we know what they have experienced. Then, once we have walked in their shoes, we can sympathize with them and understand why they did what they did.
Illus: As a pastor I know how to sympathize with another pastor. Why? Because I know the severe attacks of Satan, and have experienced disappointments as he has.
John suffered greatly. Let me show you two of the ways we know he suffered.
A. The Bible tells us that John had to suffer in solitude.
John had been banished to exile on the Isle of Patmos. Why? In Rev. 1:9 he tells us why, “...for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Illus: One of the blessings of life that we seldom recognize is that when we suffer we have family and friends to turn to for comfort.
John had no person to turn to on Patmos. He had been banished from society because He believed what Jesus taught and he practiced what Jesus taught.
If we all SUFFERED the way John SUFFERED we would be praying that same prayer.
You see, it is when we SUFFER that most of us draw nearer to God. Most Christians of our day do not know what it is to have to PHYSICALLY SUFFER FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST.
• We do not worry about being stoned.
• We do not worry about being tied to a post and being whipped.
• We do not worry about being hauled off to jail because of our belief in the gospel.
• We do not know what it is to be outcast from our families simply because we believe in the gospel of Christ.
John was banished to the Isle of Patmos. Also...
B. Church history tells us that John died by being boiled alive.
John suffered and gave his life for the cause of Christ.
When we suffer, we want to get as close to God as we can. So we see, WE HAVE IT MADE...that is why we never pray, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” We like it here. The last thing we want is the Lord to come back and upset our little dream world. WE HAVE IT MADE...that is why we are not praying that prayer.
When we suffer as John suffered, we will also pray as he prayed, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
II. WE HAVE NOT SEEN WHAT JOHN SAW.
If we could have a glimpse of heaven as John did, we would be on our knees every day praying the prayer that John prayed, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Illus: One night a little girl looked toward heaven and saw the stars that looked like diamonds on black velvet and said, “Oh Mommy! If it is this pretty on the outside, can you imagine how pretty it must be on the inside.”
God pealed back the curtains of heaven and let John see heaven as no man has ever seen it before or since.
Illus: We occasionally hear of those who claim they have had a peak into that glorious place, but we can not help doubting that claim because it has not affected the way they live in the slightest.
John saw it and he cried out, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Many of those who have claimed to have peeked into that glorious place live as if the last thing they want is for the Lord to come back and remove them from what the world has lavished upon them.
I think what might have happened is that they:
• Ate too many dill pickles before they went to bed.
• Closed their eyes and imagined something and now they think they saw it.
John did not dream it. He did not imagine it.
In Revelation 22:8, we read, “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things.”
What did John see?
A. John saw the saints of God.
Look at Rev. 5:11. He said, “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”
Listen, if you think heaven is going to be a place where there are only a few people, you are mistaken.
John said... “and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”
Illus: He saw US and HE SAW HIMSELF. No wonder he prayed, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
What else did he see?
B. John saw Jesus on His throne.
Look at Rev. 5:12-13, “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
John saw heaven in all its beauty and glory, and when he saw it, he could not help falling on his knees and crying out, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
We have not suffered what JOHN SUFFERED and we have not SEEN WHAT JOHN SAW. That is why we have not prayed that prayer for the Lord to return.
III. WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED WHAT JOHN EXPERIENCED.
John not only SAW THE LORD ON HIS THRONE, but he also saw JUDGMENT ON THE EARTH!
Illus: Ungodly men shake their fist in the face of God and tell God, “No one is going to tell me how to live my life. I am my own god. I do as I want, whenever I want!”
Ungodly men live as if God can do nothing about it. But, I am here to tell you, one day God is going to come down and pour His wrath out on the earth. Mankind will experience the wrath of God!
Listen, John saw the time when God would take the lid off of hell and this world is going to see suffering as it has never seen before. There will be scorpions, rocks and mountains falling, stars and moon turning to blood, the sun turning as black as sackcloth and ashes, etc.
The wrath of God is going to break loose one day on this earth. John saw it and he fell to his knees and prayed, “...Even so, come, Lord Jesus...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Conclusion:
The Lord is coming for His church one day, perhaps very soon, whether you are “Ready Or Not!”
Illus: We have all seen, at least on television, a large junk yard with tall cranes with magnets. The crane operator drops that magnet on a pile of scrap metal and only the metal with properties compatible with the magnet are drawn to it. All other is left behind.
One day, when the rapture takes place, all those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb of God shall be drawn from this earth.
Let me ask you, “If you are not drawn:
• To the house of God when it is time to worship Him, what makes you think you will be drawn to Him then?”
• To prayer and Bible study now, what makes you think you will be drawn then?”
One of the sure signs, in the life of the saint of God that assures him of his salvation is that he is drawn to God. All of God’s children can feel God drawing them into the house of worship, into their prayer closets and to study their Bibles.
Illus: A good fisherman will cast his hook into the water and when the fish grabs hold of it the fisherman will let him run loose for a little while, but then he will snatch that line and slowly begin to draw him in.
I do not mind confessing to you that there are times I get discouraged. There are times I feel like throwing up my hands and quitting, but I also do not mind telling you, as a child of God, every time I feel that way, I feel that DRAWING of God’s line toward heaven.
One day God will increase the intensity of that DRAWING. All of a sudden, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be right there with Him.
The more I read my Bible and pray, the more I find myself praying, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
The reason we are not praying what John prayed is because,
I. WE HAVE NOT SUFFERED WHAT HE SUFFERED
II. WE HAVE NOT SEEN WHAT HE SAW
III. WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED WHAT HE
EXPERIENCED
Note: You can hear Dr. Odell Belger on Youtube. Type Youtube Lykesland
