No Greater Message

“Breaking News” “Urgent Message” “Action Needed” Have you noticed all the different ways people try to get you to read their messages today? In the US alone, we send about 6 billion texts every day. It is said that the average person in our age group receives around 100 emails and 42 texts every day. Pretty amazing when you think about it. It seems everyone has a message they want YOU to read. And these messages vary greatly in content. Some have to do with business transactions, marketing content, delivery alerts, or just personal communication. Others are all kinds of scams or spam that fill up our inboxes, and light up our screens.

So, I did a little research this week to find out what’s best way to get someone to read and respond to a message you might send? The answer I received was a bit surprising. The number one way to get someone to read your message is to use a three-word phrase: “Need your advice.” Another way is to say, “thought you might like this” or to start your message by texting: “You won’t believe what just happened.” Perhaps you’ve received one of these texts already today? The point I’m making is that whether it’s you or someone else, we’re constantly being bombarded by people, business or scam artists who want you to read and respond to their message.

But what if I were to tell you, that one of the most important and urgent message people need to read and respond to today is the message of Revelation? Think about the themes of this letter. God revealed the message of Revelation so that all people might know where history is headed, how evil will be vanquished, how God will win, how sin will be judged, what heaven will be like, and who will be included in heaven. But what is rare today is that most people do not even know that there is a message that reveals the clear ending to history, and how they might fit into it. So, as we come to our passage today, we’re going to see how John makes the case as to why there is no greater message for all people to read and respond to then the book of Revelation.

So, if you brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to open it to Revelation 22:6-11, where John lays out three truths we need to grasp to see why in the contents of this book that there is no greater message we need to hear today. And the first truth is this:

The Message Is Trustworthy And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.” “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:6-7
There are three realities about the trustworthiness of this message recorded for us in these two verses. The first reality is this: The Message of this book is true The angel who began talking to John in the previous chapter now tells him, “These words,” the very words of this message are “faithful and true.” They are reliable, dependable. You can trust these words. After all, their source is “the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,” who inspired the prophets and moved them to write God’s message, just like any other book of Scripture. In other words, all that John has seen and heard is divine revelation from God. And since it has come to us from God, everything written in this book is completely true and trustworthy.

So then, John is commending not only the final vision of God’s eternal city but the entire book of Revelation. The visions of the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls showed Christ’s victory in judging evil, and John assures us that we can count on this happening. The visions of chapters 12-14 showed the church being opposed by Satan the dragon, and his beast, the false prophet, and seductive harlot Babylon. All this too will take place.

These truly are the spiritual powers we will face in this world, and Christ will cast each of them into the lake of fire when He returns at the last judgment. Concerning all these visions, including the final vision of the eternal city, the angel declares “These words are trustworthy and true.” There will be a judgment day. All evil will be removed. And God will usher in a new heavens and new earth where the redeemed will enjoy the blessings of eternity in God’s presence. The angel says that the entirety of God’s message is true. It will happen and happen very soon. Therefore, there is no greater message to be heard today. But that’s just part of the importance of this message.

Next John tells us that, The Message of this book is urgent For the angel says, And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.” The angel declares that the tribulation of the last days could occur at any time. And here, Jesus himself chimes in and announces: “And behold, I am coming soon.” In other words, there are no events left in God’s plan of redemption history that need to occur prior to Jesus’ return. His return is soon.

Now that we’ve almost completed Revelation, I’m beginning to understand the urgency of this message. We live at a time when Christianity is under attack, when our rights are being violated, when Christians are being persecuted and even martyred for their faith. There is an urgency to the evil one’s attack on believers. He knows his time is short. But do we know that our time is short? Do we have a similar urgency for helping people understand the coming judgment? I’m convinced that one of the reasons Revelation was written is so that we would align our hearts with God as to what is to come. That we would want what God wants. That we would want people to know the message of Revelation, so they could escape the wrath to come. The time is short. Jesus is coming soon. Therefore, His message is urgent, especially for those who have not trusted in Jesus. That’s the second reality of the message. Here’s the third,

The Message of this book can bless you Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:7 Listen again to how the book of Revelation began. John wrote: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Revelation 1:3 We learned from this opening promise of blessing to those who hear and obey His message – that God wants to bless us with encouragement, comfort and hope, by reminding us that no matter what evil comes our way, HE is Sovereign – He is in total control, and in the end evil will be defeated and Jesus will win!

But the question that begs to be answered is this: How are we to obey His message? Some of the ways we’ve learned to obey this message from hearing this book are as follow: We will keep God’s message if remain faithful when persecuted; if we refuse to compromise our holiness when tempted; if we keep trusting in God when the world seems to be out of control; and if we resist evil, knowing that evil will be judged when Christ returns. Then yes, God will bless us. But there is one more way we are to keep the message of this book. Do you know what that is? We are to worship God alone!

That’s the second major reality of this passage: Don’t Worship The Messenger: Don’t make the mistake John makes here. Look at what John tells us in verse 8. He writes I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” Revelation 22:8-9 There are two truths concerning our worship that jump off the page as we learn from John’s mistake. And the first is this:

Worship of Anyone or Anything but God is Idolatry Here, the angel responds to John’s worship in outraged horror: “You must not do that.” Angels are worship specialists. Apart from their occasional duty as messengers from God, their sole purpose is to magnify the goodness and greatness of God in worship. So, we need to listen carefully when they teach us about this topic. This is a severe rebuke. In fact, this angel reacts out of a consuming passion for the EXCLUSIVE glory of God.

Here, the angel reminds John of the first commandment: “do not have other goods before me.” Exodus 20:3 John has been entrusted with the message of Revelation. But he blows it. He is so overwhelmed by what the angel has shown him; he is so awestruck, that he mistakes this angel for God and worships him. So then, John’s example shows us how easily we can take a good thing (like an angel) and turn it into a god thing, by worshiping it, and then it becomes a bad thing: it becomes an idol.

One of the great sins we’ve seen throughout the message of Revelation is idolatry. Especially the idolatries promoted by Babylon. In Revelation 17, we unpacked her idolatries, the idolatries of the world. Two of those idols are the idols of success and prosperity: The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls.” Revelation 17:4 Success and prosperity. Two idols that have influenced every single person in this room. There’s a part of all of us who desire success and prosperity. It’s the culture we’ve been raised in. It’s the way our world seeks to conform us into its image. Now, there is nothing wrong with those desires, just as long as those desires do not displace God. But if they do, they become idols. But these are just two idols our culture promotes to take us away from worship of God.

Then we are told she was holding a golden cup in her hand filled with abominable things and with the filth of her adulteries.” This cup promoted the idols of riches and glory, power and prestige. Again, we are tempted every day to seek riches, to seek glory for ourselves, power and prestige. And again, when we pursue these idols over God, they can become sin. Such idols displace God in our lives.

So, when the angel forbids John to worship him, we are reminded of the central command that permeates the message of Revelation. We are to worship God alone. Not pleasure, not prosperity, not power nor prestige. Not angels or saints, or the Virgin Mary, and especially not created things. You see, our calling as followers of Jesus Christ in this world, is to beware of the seductive idolatries of this world, not wishing we could participate more fully in them; but to fall more in love with Jesus, and give Him the glory He is due – to worship God alone.

This is what worship is: To Give God the Glory He is Due This is the kind of worship that pleases God. The angel glorified God by bringing His message to John. He worshiped by obeying God. And this same form of worship has been seen in every servant who has ever testified to the love of Christ throughout the ages. Listen to the humility of the angel as he puts himself on par with God’s servants: I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Therefore, angels are like us. So, don’t worship angels. Worship God.

In fact, this angel was horrified that John would even consider putting himself at the same level as God. That’s the idea here. The idea this angel is trying to get across to John and to us, is that we not to make much of ourselves, but to make much of God. Paul spelled this out for us in1 Corinthians 10:31 this way by saying, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Whether it’s being a grandmother, paying your bills, playing pickleball or playing cards, whatever you do, is an opportunity to reflect the goodness and grace of God. To draw attention to His holiness, His love, His kindness or His mercy in our everyday actions is how we can give Him the glory that is due Him. We don’t often talk about this reality, but this is how Jesus lived among us. Everything He said and everything He did was intended to glorify the Father. When Jesus came to the end of his ministry among us, this is what he said to the Father: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” John 17:4

It is this attitude that makes us worshipers. Worship is not primarily what we do on Sunday mornings when we sing songs of praise. Oh yes, it is good to praise God and sing of His mercies and love. That is an aspect of worship. When we come to worship, God is the object of our worship in song. But it is so much more honoring to God when we worship Him through our interactions in everyday life: when we give mercy to those who don’t deserve it, we give God glory by our mercy. When we give a cup a water to the least of these, we give God glory by our love. When we forgive as Christ has forgiven us, we declare God is a forgiving God – that is worship! When we love a brother or sister expecting nothing in return, we do what Christ did for us, and we bring honor to His name. When we do the things Christ would do, we are worshiping God, because these are the things that exalt the glory of God.

So then, if there’s one message that would please God from what He has given us in this book, it’s not to worship the messenger, but to worship to God. For when we make much of God, our world just might see Christ in us. And when they see Christ in us, God just might use our faith bring someone to faith in Jesus. And when that happens –God is indeed glorified! That’s why there is no greater message than the message of this book. Because when we keep this message, when we obey God, God will be worshiped by our obedience. And we will be blessed.

Which leads us now to the final reality God wants us to grasp from this passage. One that the angel alluded to previously: The Urgency of the Message: And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” Revelation 22:10-11 If you remember the conclusion of Daniel, he was told to keep the message of his book sealed up to the time of the end. But now, God wants His message to be unsealed. He wants His message included in the pages of this book to be read, to be heard and to be obeyed now, for the time is near. Eternity is drawing closer. Christ could return at any moment.

So, people need to read it, understand it and share it. Believers need to know the dangers of the end times. We need to know how the evil one will try to deceive us. We need to know how God will protect us when persecution comes. And we need to understand the reality of what will happen to those who take the mark of the beast and reject Jesus. But the urgency is more than what we need to know. This book was not written merely for Christians…

This message was also given so unbelievers can see what’s in store for them if they do not repent. They need to know that the evil one and the false prophet mean to deceive them. They need to know that aligning with the beast is an eternal death sentence. They need to know that if they refuse to repent and turn to Jesus, that the consequences of their rejection of Christ is the eternal lake of fire. This is the urgency of the message: God wants people to hear the message of Revelation now before it is too late For there will be no opportunity for repentance at the Great White Throne Judgment. There will be no eternal paradise. No more second chances, and no hope.

The point He is making is that there is coming a day when the message of this book can no longer be obeyed. That is why Jesus says: Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” When we read this, we are left wondering why Jesus is saying this at the end of this message? Why do His Words sound so negative and hopeless when the whole message of this book is one of hope for those who repent and believe in Jesus?

Here’s my answer: This verse affirms that a day is coming when change will no longer be possible. This is why God wants the message of this book unsealed for all to hear or read now. This is why God wants us to hear and understand His message. Now is the time for people to hear and respond to the message of Revelation.

Daniel Akin, the President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is bang on when he says, “How we respond to the truth of God’s Word in this life will confirm our character and determine our destiny for all eternity. Negatively, the unrighteous will still do evil, and the filthy will forever be filthy… One a positive note, the righteous will still do right, and the holy will still be holy. One’s character will be set, forever fixed in a final condition and disposition. Those in hell will have no heart and passion for God. Those in heaven will delight in their emulation of their Lord. These truths must be told. We dare not be silent. Souls are at stake. Eternal destinies hang in the balance.”

Therefore, there is an urgency to the message. People today never hear about the consequences for their sin. They think everything is going to work out ok for them. They believe that either this life is all there is and hold to the empty philosophy that says, “Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Or they believe the lie that all people will go to heaven, because God wouldn’t possibly send anyone to hell.” Or they’re so convinced they’re good enough to make it to heaven, that they don’t believe they will suffer the consequence for their sin. So, God wants people to hear His message now before it is too late.

And so, Jesus tells it like it is. Once He returns, your destiny will be set by your character. Then, there will be no longer be a chance for salvation. Your chance for salvation is now. So, this is Jesus’ warning in the strongest terms possible: repent and turn to Jesus in faith while there’s still the opportunity to be saved. That’s the message of Revelation. That means there is no greater message that must be heard today: His message is true. Judgment is coming. But salvation is available for anyone who turns from their sin and turns to Jesus and trusts in Him. There is no greater message. That’s the message of Revelation. Will you hear it and obey it? If you will, then you’ll be blessed forever. If you refuse, you will determine your own destiny, apart from the goodness of God forever. So, this is serious stuff, urgent stuff, don’t ignore God’s message. For there really is no greater message to hear and respond to this side of heaven.