The Best is Yet to Come: An Open Invitation

Today's episode of A New Beginning is brought to you by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Learn more at harvest.org. And while you're there, browse our library of free e-books designed to help you grow in your faith. Come is one of God's favorite words. Revelation 22 verse 17. And the Spirit and the bride say, come. And he who hears says, come. Let him who thirst come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Come. Well, we're glad you're along today for A New Beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie. For the past couple of months, our study tour through the book of Revelation has brought us John's eye-opening vision of what God wants us to know about the end times. John, follow the Lord's instructions carefully in telling us what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later.

And we get to the bottom line in today's study. We'll see it all culminates in a personal invitation to come to God. This is the day, the day when life begins. This is my final message in our series in the book of Revelation.

And the title of my message is, the best is yet to come. Here are the closing words of the apostle John in Revelation 22. Look at verse 6. And he said to me, these words are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophet sent his angel to show his servants the things which must shortly take place.

Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Verse 8. Now I John saw and heard these things, and when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel, who showed me these things. And he said, see that you do not do that. I am your fellow servant and of your brothers, the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book.

Worship God. And then he said to me, do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still.

He who is holy, let him be holy still. Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to his work. As I have already told you, the Bible promises rewards, crowns, acknowledgement for your faithful service to the Lord. The Bible says, don't be weary in well doing, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. And we hear that verse, don't be deceived, God is not mocked whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap if he sows that the flesh shall reap corruption. So when we hear you reap what you sow, we always think of it in a negative way.

And there is a negative way that can play out in your life. But then the verse goes on to say, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap life everlasting. So just as surely as the person who has sown to sin will reap the consequences of it, the person who has sown to righteousness will reap the blessings of it.

Jesus says, my reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to his work. So my question is, are you working for the Lord? Not working for your salvation. Salvation is a gift from heaven to you.

But because I am saved, I should want to do something for the Lord. Not working for salvation, but rather working from salvation. A faith that works will produce works. A faith that doesn't, won't. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, 58, Therefore my brothers, be steadfast and movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Listen to this.

The decisions and the lifestyle I choose in this life will impact me in the life to come. Look at verse 11. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still.

He who is holy, let him be holy still. Let's understand what John is saying. He is not saying that you should live an ungodly life. He's simply saying if you live this way, in an ungodly way, you'll face the consequences of it.

Really it's a warning. So now Jesus gives us a stern warning here in the book of Revelation chapter 22 verse 18. If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the book of this prophecy, God will take away from the book of life and from the holy city and from the things which are written in this book.

Wow. Loose paraphrase. Don't mess around with the book of Revelation. This would speak of those who would disobey or disregard or distort or dilute Scripture. I mean who are we to edit the Bible? Someone might say, well what if you don't agree with what the Bible says on this topic? Well the simple answer is change your opinion because the Bible is right. Our objective is not to conform Scripture to culture.

It's to conform culture to Scripture you see. But this warning that is given to us here would include disobeying God's Word. It would also include disregarding it. Sort of tuning it out. That's why Jesus would often use the statement, He that has ears to hear let him hear.

Allow me to update that. Listen up. Pay attention to what is being said. We all know what it's like to tune things out. Maybe someone is saying something to us and we don't want to hear it. So we just tune it out. Jesus is saying tune it in.

Listen to what I am saying to you. Another way that we would do this is by distorting the Word of God. Sort of forcing it to fit into the lifestyle that we have perhaps chosen. Well I don't know if I really agree with that interpretation.

I have come up with my own interpretation. That's what the devil did with Jesus and what we call the temptation in the wilderness. Remember Satan quoted Scripture. He said to Jesus go ahead and jump off of the temple because the Bible says that His angels will give charge over you. And so the devil quoted the Bible but then Jesus quoted the Bible back in context to Satan and Jesus said it is written you shall not test the Lord your God.

Now we come to the finale. Revelation 22, 20. He who testifies to these things says surely I am coming quickly.

Amen. Even so come Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

We sang even so come Lord Jesus come. Jesus is giving His last recorded words in the Bible. Last words are important. If you knew you were going to die you had to write down a final statement.

What would your last words be? They reveal what is important to you. They give a glimpse into your character. Some parting comments that are recorded through history are surprising. Others are thoughtful.

Some are just odd. For instance Karl Marx one of the founders of communism was on his deathbed and his housekeeper came and said to him, tell me your last words and I will write them down. Marx replied, get out of here. Last words are for fools who haven't said enough end quote. In contrast to Karl Marx there is Groucho Marx. His last words were die my dear.

Why that is the last thing I will do. And then he died. Nostradamus who is known for predicting the future. Not very accurately I might add but in one instance he was right. Nostradamus gave his last words which were tomorrow I will no longer be here.

And that ended up being true. Pablo Picasso the great painter gave his last words. He said drink to me.

Drink to my health because you know I can't drink anymore. The Roman Emperor Julian having attempted to reverse the official endorsement of Christianity by the Roman Empire gave his last words when he said you have won oh Galilean. Now the words of people of faith are far different than the ones I just mentioned. When Stephen was being stoned and his life was draining from him his final words were I see the heavens open and I see Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

And then he said Lord don't lay this sin to their charge reflecting our Lord's words when he hung on the cross of Calvary and said Father forgive them for they know not what they do. The last words of evangelist D.L. Moody were quote I see earth receding and heaven is opening. God is calling me. John Wesley said the best of all is that God is with us. Pancho Villa the revolutionary said don't let it end like this.

Tell them I said something. Well Jesus did say something. He says in verse 20 surely I am coming quickly. John is so overwhelmed he offers this beautiful prayer. Even so come Lord Jesus. In fact the word amen means so be it. So John is saying yes so be it or as St. Paul reminded us let it be. That's St. Paul McCartney that joke. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Hey everybody Greg Laurie here. You know my uncle Fred Jordan had one of the first Christian TV programs out there. It was called Church in the Home.

I remember watching it as a little boy when I was living with my grandparents. Well we have Church in the Home for you every weekend. It's called Harvest at Home and you can find it at Harvest.org. We have worship and a message from God's word.

So join us this weekend for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Well you've joined us for the final installment in Pastor Greg's series in Revelation. He continues now. So the Bible closes with an invitation. Revelation 22 verse 17 and the Spirit and the bride say come. And he who hears says come. Let him who thirsts come.

Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely. Did you know that come is one of God's favorite words? In the face of judgment on the earth God commanded Noah to build an ark and when it was built the Lord said come. Come into the ark of safety.

Come. Moses was standing in the midst of the people who had given their worship to the golden calf and he said let him who is on the Lord's side come and stand by me. God says come and let us reason together says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet they'll be as white as snow.

Though they're red like crimson they'll be as white as wool. Isaiah 55 the Lord says hey everyone that thirsts let him come to the waters. Jesus to an inquiring man said come and see. Jesus again said come unto me all you that are laboring and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Come. In fact there are two words in the Bible that show us what our focus as Christians ought to be. The first word is come and the second word is go. First we come to the Lord then we go out and tell others. Now this beautiful promise of having your spiritual thirst quenched in verse 17 of Revelation 22. Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely.

The closing verses of the Bible make it perfectly clear that salvation is a matter of the will. Whoever will let him come. It's an offer.

It's an invitation. Whoever will let him come. It's a matter of the will. Or maybe I should say it's also a matter of the won't. You either will or you won't accept God's offer of forgiveness. And then when you accept that offer of forgiveness you find the satisfaction you're looking for. Because there's nothing this world offers that will satisfy that deep thirst in your soul. I mentioned earlier that Abraham was looking for a city made by God and in the same way we're all wired that way. We're longing for a place we've never been to before. We're effectively homesick for heaven.

Nothing this world offers will satisfy that homesickness or that spiritual thirst. We're all striving and hungry and thirsty for truth. For a life that is worth living. And Jesus can give you that life.

And you can have the hope of heaven. So let me ask you in closing. Are you sure you will go to heaven when you die? Is there any more important question than that?

I don't think so. I heard about a man who died and went to heaven. And Peter met him at the pearly gates and said, Okay buddy. This is how it works. You need a thousand points to get into heaven.

Tell me all the good things you've done and I'll give you points for each item. The guy thought about it for a moment. He says, I've been married to this same wonderful woman for 50 years. I've kept my vows to her.

I haven't even had an impure thought. Peter says, That's good. I'll give you three points. Oh wait. Three points.

How many do I need again? You need a thousand points. I'll give you three points for being faithful to your wife. Oh wow. Okay.

The guy says, I attended church and I supported it with my prayer and with my tithes. Peter said, Good. That's worth one point. One point?

Well wait. The man says, I started a soup kitchen and worked in a shelter for homeless people. Peter said, Well that's good for two more points. Finally the guy completely exasperated said, Man the only way I'm going to get into heaven is by the grace of God.

Peter said, You've got it. That's worth a thousand points. You get it. It's not something you do. By the way that's a fictitious story. I'm sure you know that.

But it's a story to make a point. You don't get into heaven by what you've done. You get to heaven on the basis of what Christ has done for you on the cross. That's the only way into heaven. Coming back to that statement of Jesus when He said, I go to prepare a place for you.

Thomas said, We don't know where this is or where you're going. And Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by Me. Why is Jesus the only way to the Father? Because Jesus was the Son of God. There has never been a man that walked this planet who was like Jesus.

Fully God and fully man. And when He died on the cross with one hand He took hold of sinful humanity. With the other hand He took hold of a holy God and nails were driven through those hands and He died in our place. The Bible says Christ died for our sin. It was not really nails that held Him to the cross 2,000 years ago.

It was love for you. Did you know that God loves you? Did you know that God has a plan for you? Did you know that God wants you to join Him in heaven one day?

And if you want to join Him you must accept His offer. You must respond to the invitation. Let's say I sent you a text and I said, Meet me for lunch at 12 at In-N-Out Burger. Now if you respond then great. We're going to go get lunch.

If you don't respond I'm going to assume you either didn't get the message or you don't want to meet me for lunch. And then if I get the dot, dot, dot, dot, dot. You know what I'm talking about.

Dot, dot, dot. Oh you're responding then I get nothing. I'm thinking what happened. You were going to say yes and then you decided not to say yes. Maybe a better offer came up.

Whatever. If you don't accept my offer you're in effect rejecting my offer. God offers you forgiveness of all of your sin.

He offers you a fresh start. I mentioned earlier you could be a woman who's had an abortion. You could be a man that has sinned in so many ways and you wonder would God ever forgive me for what I've done. The answer is yes because Christ died for those sins. But you must be willing to turn from them and ask Him to come into your life to be your Savior and your Lord.

And if you do this on the authority of this book that is completely trustworthy you my friend will go to heaven. Years ago I was wrapping up a message in one of our evangelistic crusades. And I said these words. Friend you may never have another opportunity like this to come to Jesus Christ.

There was a guy sitting in the audience whose last name was you guessed it. Friend. When I said that he was like he's talking to me. And he went forward and gave his life to the Lord. So friend God is offering you forgiveness. Now it's up to you if you want to accept it or reject it.

Listen. Eternity hangs in the balance. Your choice is heaven or hell.

Forgiveness or judgment. Make the right choice and believe in Jesus. Right now I would like to close in prayer.

And I would like to extend an invitation to anyone wherever you are. If you're not sure that you are going to heaven. If you are living with the guilt of your sin.

If you would like to have a fresh start in life. Pray this prayer that I'm about to lead you in. This is a prayer where you will be asking Jesus Christ to come into your life. Again as I pray this prayer. Pray this prayer wherever you are after me. You can pray it out loud if you like. But pray this with me if you want God to forgive you and if you want to go to heaven. Pray this with me.

Lord Jesus. I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you are the Savior who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Jesus come into my life now.

I choose to follow you. Be my Savior and Lord. Be my God and friend. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. An important moment for those praying that prayer. Pastor Greg Laurie leading them in a prayer asking Jesus to be their Savior.

And if you've just prayed that prayer. First of all we want to be the first to welcome you into God's family. And we also want to help you grow as a Christian. We'd like to send you our New Believers Growth Packet. It's free of charge and it will help you get started right in walking each day with the Lord.

So ask for the New Believers Growth Packet when you write a new beginning. Box 4000 Riverside, CA 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to Harvest.org. Let me ask you Pastor Greg. What are some things that might surprise people in a study of Revelation? One thing that occurred to me is we think of eternity as being timeless. But part of God's plan is a timed event. The millennium is a thousand years. So I guess we'll track time in some form.

Am I wrong? No, I think that's accurate because the word millennium actually means a thousand. It's the one thousand year reign of Christ. But we are aware of the passing of time when we enter into eternity. In the book of Revelation we read about those who are put to death for their faith. And they know that was an unjust thing. And they say to God, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood and those that dwell on the earth. So they're aware of the passing of time. They're aware of the injustice of what happened to them on planet earth. And they're praying and asking God to intervene. They're aware of what has happened and will happen on planet earth as well. Yeah, there's a lot of surprises in the book of Revelation that shatter stereotypical ideas that have been passed on from generation to generation.

That quite honestly are simply not biblical. But I think the more we learn about heaven the better we will be enabled to live here on earth. You know it was C.S. Lewis who said, loose paraphrase, Those who think the most of the next world do the most in this one. And so Revelation is where the Apostle John is found banished on the island of Patmos. He had faithfully preached the gospel. He was the last of the apostles and people probably never thought they would hear from John again. But as he's sitting on this island Jesus Christ comes to him and takes him into what we might describe as a spiritual time machine, if you will.

I don't think it was a DeLorean. But John is suddenly hurtled into the future and he's seen what is going to come. He's given an overview of the history of the church. He's taken into the presence of God in heaven. He's taken over to the great white throne judgment.

He's taken back to earth during the millennial reign of Christ. He gives us a front row seat at the battle of Armageddon, the second coming of Christ, and much much more. The word Revelation means unveiling.

And so this is an unveiling, a revealing of things that are to come. God wants us to understand these things. You know Paul, when he's talking about the rapture of the church of 1 Thessalonians, he says, Brothers, I don't want you to be ignorant.

Why would he say that? Because there's a lot of ignorance about Bible prophecy. So Paul is saying you need to understand these things because it will affect you and the way that you live. So we're teaching on the book of Revelation here in the New Beginning. But I'm very excited to tell you that we have a brand new resource, a beautiful hardcover book, commentary on the book of Revelation that I just wrote. And it's simply called Revelation, subtitled A Book of Promises. I want to send you this book, Heart of the Press. This will be a resource that you will use in the years to come that you can go to again and again as you study this great book and let it have its impact on your life. By the way, there's a special promise in Revelation for the person who reads and hears and keeps the words found in this book.

So get a copy of this new book, Revelation, A Book of Promises, that will help you understand this very important book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. And we will send this book to you for your gift of any size. Now some can only give a little. We'll send you a copy. Some can give a little bit more. Of course, we'll send you a copy.

Whatever you can do, don't hesitate. I really want you to have this book because I think it's going to be a blessing to you. The book of Revelation, A Book of Promises, available from Harvest Ministries right now. Yeah, that's right. And we should point out we're including a custom bookmark that shows the timeline of last day's events.

So you can see what comes first, what comes next, and so on. It's laid out very clearly. The bookmark is included when we send you this significant book, a hardcover of more than 400 pages, called Revelation, A Book of Promises. And today is our last opportunity to mention this resource. So send your donation today to A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime at 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to harvest.org. Next time, a timely set of studies from Pastor Greg. He launches a series called God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins.