You have heard of BC, Before Christ days? This is back in BK - Before Kids days for the our family. My wife and I went on a vacation trip – a Carnival Cruise to Cozumel, via Key West. At the time we thought we’d be able to go about once every 5 years, but then more kids came along, and well, we would love to go again, BUT we have both said it would be so much more enjoyable if another couple went along with us. And when it comes to going on a cruise, we would highly recommend it.
Are there places you have traveled, where if you overheard someone say they wanted to go there, you’d say, “OH! You have GOT to go!”? I heard that recently about Yellowstone National Park. “OH! You have GOT to go!” What are some thoughts that you have? In the book of Revelation, I have also heard that about the New Jerusalem. “OH! You have GOT to go!”
With these seven churches, Jesus has made it clear: Make NO mistake, JUDGMENT IS coming. But when you read through this Revelation from John and judgment is poured out, no one repents, no one turns back to God. And yet, God continues to reach out and invite all people, anyone, saying, “Come.”
If you ponder on the story of Noah building the ARK, we don’t know how long it took to build and finish–50 years, 75 years, 100 years. But there he was building and being faithful and being a testimony to the world of obedience to God. Even though things looked normal weatherwise. The ark could have been finished for many years and sat on that hill until the floods came. And there it sat, like one big invitation to call humanity with nothing but Noah’s testimony about the Word of God and his obedience to it.
Looking back over some moments in the NT, there are places where Jesus makes it plain –His Father is an inviting God. Take a walk with me through some of those stories. Some children are running to meet Jesus, but who gets in their way? The disciples. But what does Jesus say? “Let the little children come to me!”
Jesus tells a story of who God is like a King of the great Ponderosa plantation who throws a huge wedding feast, and days prior he sent out his servants to invite the usuals to come. And now that the feast was ready, he sends out the servants to tell them, but the usuals gave excuses as to why they couldn’t come. What does God say? “Go out to all of the unusuals–Luke 14:23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” Our God is an inviting God! SO they went and invited them in. And as for the usuals? Luke 14:24 NIV I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’
Jesus invites you to come. While the invitation is free to you as well as all of the provisions, IT WILL COST YOU to come. Jesus tells us throughout the book of Revelation, “EVERYONE is invited!” –the door is not only open, but it is kept open for as long as God says so.
Rev. 22:16-20
The OVERCOMERS in this life are INVITING OVERCOMERS. We say, “Come!” Because our God is an inviting God! And he never gets tired of inviting people to come closer.
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Jeremiah 29:12-14a Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity
God has always been an inviting God! And so should his people. I read an article recently that spoke about how curiosity rewires your brain for change. When your brain is challenged by uncertainty, it often responds in a fight or flight, or stressed out sort of way. BUT curiosity REFRAMES this uncertainty as an INVITATION so your brain doesn’t see it as a threatening challenge, but an invitation into something maybe better.
<https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/how-curiosity-rewires-your-brain-for-change>
Think about how God uses curiosity to INVITE people in!
Moses - What did God use with him? A burning bush.
Abraham - God showed up for a visit, shared his plan, and Abe responded
There are too many to use from David’s life–but one big one = Goliath!
A star over Bethlehem for the Magi. And for a friend of mine, a cute girl at church.
What’s your story? What did God place in your life to make you curious enough to think, “HEY, THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING BETTER OVER HERE WITH GOD!” And from then on your life with Jesus has been one curious event after another where you see him always inviting you INTO something HE is designing and doing. To this final church at Laodicea, Jesus tells them to be overcomers, to accept his invitation and to join him in being inviting to others too.
Rev 3:14-22
Jesus introduces himself again, this time as The AMEN, the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the creation of God.
Illustration: A man found himself standing at the pearly gates where St Peter stood just outside to assess each person before they entered. So Peter asked the man, “Why should I let you into God’s heaven?
The book of Revelation is an unveiling of Jesus! It is the cycle of ungodliness throughout all time and the judgment God has poured out in judgment – think of the very first judgment and that story?
1 - Sinful world - God sends NOAH - builds ark = floods come
2 - Egypt's oppression - God sends Moses, "Let my people go!" Pharaoh, "NO!" So the plagues come - Israel is delivered.
3 - Israel sins - Nebuchadnezzar/Babylon takes Israel into Captivity/Exile - God sends Prophets, prophesies, promises.
But where did God place Noah and his family during the judgment? Protected on the ARK but they went through.
Where did God place Moses and Israel during the plagues? Protected In GOSHEN, but they went through.
And did God leave his people in captivity? Protected their descendants through promises and PROPHECY until the Messiah would come to fulfill them all.
Rev 6 - the 6th seal is opened, and the response of everyone is, 6:16 “...mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb…”
Rev 7 - when the 7th seal is opened, the judgment cycle begins again only this time it goes deeper as each of The trumpets are sounded and judgment after judgment comes upon the earth, and even an unveiling of this creature king from the abyss, until in
REV 8-9 after all of these judgments, mankind did not repent. 9:20-21 “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands…
BUT In REV 10 - There are “seven peals of thunder” John was going to write down what they said, but was told not to, but instead to go get the scroll from an angel, eat it, and when he did, it was a sweet to his mouth, but bitter to his stomach. John had to internalize that message before he could write about it. Those seven peals of thunder speak of the gospel as a key point in the revelation.
REV 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
These are the ones who come of great tribulation; they are the ones dressed in white robes, these are the ones who do not love their lives even unto death--who overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony! These overcomers stand between the judgments of God on this world and the final harvest that is coming! This story of the revelation of Jesus is about seven churches sending out the message to the world and praying for people to come into the kingdom. The church is the ancient ark with continual open doors!
That number SEVEN - how many days did God complete creation? It is the number representing the end of one season and the beginning of another. And what did God create on that day we call Saturday? Nothing. It was a day of his resting. But what did he create on the day we call Sunday? LIGHT. And what day was Jesus resurrected on? Sunday, the day we have come to call the LORD’S DAY!
Isn’t it fitting that Jesus was resurrected on the day that represents the NEW day, the day that was spoken into for the very first time, and the first thing brought into existence was LIGHT, not the sun, but light –it was brought into this world by the very voice and word of GOD. Jesus’ resurrection is what changed everything! If you want to spend your life for something, spend it for the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Larry King once said that if he could choose one person to interview from the course of human history, he would choose to interview Jesus Christ. Larry King said that he would like to ask Jesus "if He was indeed virgin-born." He added, "The answer to that question would define history for me." Larry King understands that the Virgin Birth is a big deal.
But another big deal is if the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened–I wonder if Larry King could go back in time and interview Jesus, if Jesus would say to him, “Larry, don’t you want to know if I really came back from the dead? Because if I did, THAT would change everything!” AND IT DOES!
REV 15-16 - The seven bowls revisit the whole judgment cycle again, but this time going deeper still. And once again, how did the people on the earth respond? Did they repent?
16:9 And the people …blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. 16:11 …and they blasphemed the God of heaven …and they did not repent of their deeds. 16:21 …and people blasphemed God…
Where does repentance happen in the book of Revelation? In chapters 2-3 ...within the church! The opening pages of those seven churches representing the new day - A Sunday - of the new life in Jesus Christ is THE place JESUS has chosen to reveal himself in the midst of the whole world.
These are the days of NOAH! All of us here are on the ARK. And it is raining outside! Each Monday we go out and tell people about JESUS and how to get on THIS ARK before the final flood comes. And it is coming! And everyone needs told “Get your life right with God, ask for forgiveness of your rebelling against Him, and pray for a new spirit of repentance, and invite the Holy Spirit to come into your heart so that the testimony of Jesus Christ is alive within you - THAT is the only ticket for us to get on this ARK!”
IT IS RAINING, FOLKS! Repentance must begin in the church! No one who loves people will tell them there is no need to repent of their sins!
So let me ask YOU what Jesus asked that Laodicean church: Are you LUKEWARM? Are you just comfortable? Are you content? Have you grown indifferent to the souls that don’t know Jesus you come in contact with each day? Does it bother you that it is raining outside and people don’t know how to interpret that rain, BUT YOU DO!
Well, Pastor, when you put it that way, it really makes my golf game later today not that all important. It doesn’t make my plans to go shopping after service today all that important. My plans to go out to eat after church just made me puke in my mouth just a little bit. Those things just don’t seem as important now.
YES THEY DO! Your golf game is an event set up by God for you to be a witness for Jesus Christ with those people. Golfers need Jesus too! Tell them how it is raining spiritually but there is “an ark” called the church they can run to for shelter, and the captain of the ship is Jesus and will give them light for their life on how to live out the rest of their days in joy and peace and in love with God.
Your shopping trip just got an upgrade – it is now an event set up by God for you to be a witness for Jesus Christ with those people. Shoppers need Jesus too! Tell them how it is raining spiritually but you were sent to them with an umbrella to guide them to this “ark” called the church they can run to and meet its Captain who gave his life out of love for them so they might be saved and live out the rest of their days for Him in joy and peace and in love with God.
Your meal after church just got rounded up to an event set up by God for you to be a witness for Jesus Christ with those people. Restaurant servers need Jesus too! Give them the best tip they ever got! To overcome and be victorious we MUST INVITE others. We must see winning as INVITING.
Look at the final chapter as the Revelation of invitations that are still being handed out:
22:16-20
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
And the church says, “COME” to the people to come on in and get inside this ark!
And the church also says, “Lord Jesus, COME! We are ready and awaiting your return!”
Are there places you have traveled, where if you overheard someone say they wanted to go there, you’d say,
“OH! You have GOT to go!”? I heard that recently about Yellowstone National Park. “OH! You have GOT to go!”
In the book of Revelation, I have also heard about a place where there will no longer be any barrier between heaven and earth, or between our God and His people. There is no need for a sun because God and his son will be giving the light there. And the New Jerusalem itself will look nothing you’ve ever seen before, and yet everything you have ever hoped for. “OH! You have GOT to go!”
STORY of the vision I had of my dad
And now that this sermon series is over, I hope the Lord Jesus has been unveiled to you in some way. But the heartfelt question you need to answer is, Are you ready? My dad was ready to meet Jesus. He loved to serve him and worship him. He was ready. Are you ready?
Let’s pray: Are you truly READY For Christ to return today?Jesus tells the Laodicean church, BUY GOLD …FROM ME! Listen and hear what Jesus is saying to the church when he says, “Be RICH IN ME, I have a white garment just for you to clothe you and cover any SHAME and I can take it away; I have eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you might really SEE all I have for you. I love you, so listen to my REBUKE and don’t run away from my DISCIPLINE; be so ZEALOUS for me –run TOWARD me in REPENTANCE. Can you hear my voice? I am STANDING just outside your heart and I am knocking at its DOOR–can you hear me? IF you HEAR MY VOICE – are you going to OPEN the DOOR to me? Will you open up for me? You have to be INSIDE to invite others in.
Perhaps the reason you are not inviting is because you don’t know if you are really IN yourself?
ARE YOU READY? Beyond a shadow of a doubt? Will you open your heart’s door to Jesus today?
Jesus is asking you, do you hear him? Not me. HIM? If he is speaking to YOU have a conversation with HIM! COME IN! COME IN! COME IN! I SURRENDER JESUS! COME IN!
And Jesus is asking you, “Will you invite others to open up to me, too?” Before it is TOO late for THEM? Their faith in ME is the GOLD I want you to see! Give yourself to ME and now GO out to them! Will you GIVE? Will YOU be my invitation? Will you sacrifice to see them come into my kingdom?
Benediction from ??Revelation? ?22?:?21?
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.”
