Community & Discipleship
Jesus is Conming Soon (Rev 22:6-21)
Because Jesus is coming back soon, we must worship him, live for him, and desire him. Every believer is called to take the gospel to the nations until his return.
Everyone worships something, so worship the living God
Every person is created to worship, and what we worship shapes us. People may worship cars, jobs, sports heroes, their bodies, or their own intellect, and the shrines and shopping centers of the world are often idols. Psalm 115 says idols have mouths but do not speak and eyes but do not see, and those who make them become like them. We become like what we worship, so it is crucial to worship the one true living God, for true life begins in him.
Worship through daily obedience and give glory back to God (vv. 6-9)
John falls down to worship the angel, and the angel refuses, saying he is a fellow servant and that worship belongs to God. John fails in worship twice, because it is easier to chase spiritual experiences than to obey daily. Obedience is itself a form of worship, as Romans 12:1 calls us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. When people praise us for our gifts, we may receive their thanks, but we should return all glory to God in prayer at the end of each day.
Live for the Lord in private, because the end is near (vv. 10-11)
Daniel was told to seal up his prophecy until the end, but John is told not to seal up these words, because the time is near. Verse 11 may sound strange, but it shows that when Christ returns, who we really are will be revealed. So we must repent of selfish living and live for the Lord every day. Quoting Bill Johnson, the speaker said a private victory leads to a public victory and then to corporate honor, as David's trust before Goliath showed. Secret faithfulness matters for the whole church.
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, so no life lived for him is wasted (vv. 12-15)
Christ says he is coming soon and will repay each person according to what he has done. Jeremiah 17:10 and Romans 2:6-8 point to this principle, though we are saved by grace alone through Christ's work on the cross. Because Jesus is the beginning and the end, a life lived for him counts for eternity. Christianity is when Christ is your everything, and a life lived for oneself, for the flesh and its pleasures, will be shown to be empty.
Desire Jesus and cry out, Come, Lord Jesus (vv. 16-17, 20-21)
Jesus is the bright morning star, announcing that the long season of suffering in a sin-stained world is ending and a day of eternity is dawning. Because of this, the Spirit and the Bride cry out, come, and we should long for his return and his presence. True relationship with Christ makes us want more of him, so the speaker prayed that the congregation would fall in love with prayer. The early church's cry Maranatha, O Lord come, expresses that same longing.
Every believer is called to go to the nations
Matthew 24:14 says the gospel will be proclaimed to all nations before the end comes, so a passion for Christ's return connects directly to missions. Many Christians think doing nothing is the default, but Jesus said go, so every believer has already been called to go, pray, send, or mobilize unless God clearly says to stay. The speaker encouraged people to use vacations to seek where God might send them, and warned that we must not add to or take away from God's word.
Apply to Life
- Let us worship the living God above all things in our lives.
- Let us obey God's word daily as a form of worship.
- Let us live for the Lord in private, where no one is looking.
- Let us repent of selfish living and return to God's standard.
- Let us pray, Come, Lord Jesus, and long for more of him.
- Let us ask God where he is calling us to go to the nations.
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