The King and His People - 58

Two weeks ago, we began to look at the last two chapters of the book of the Revelation. And I hear people refer to the book as the book of Revelation, and that's okay.

But that the is an important article because the book of the Revelation, it is a revealing of the person of Jesus Christ. That's the heart of the book of Revelation. So we began our study two weeks ago, and let me just give a real quick review of the first four verses, and then we'll move on into verses five through eight. We saw number one, the dwelling place of the people of God. In verse one, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea, the dwelling place of the people of God. It consists of the new heaven and the new earth, and it will be, in short, paradise restored. Paradise that was lost in Genesis 2 and 3 is restored, as God had originally intended. We saw number two, the description of the people of God in verse two, where they are said to be characterized by two things.

Number one, by holiness, and then they are said to be the bride of Christ. And then verses three and four gives us a description of the blessedness of the people of God. So not only the place for the people of God and the description of the people of God, but the blessedness of the people of God. And there are two aspects of this blessedness. First, it is God dwelling with His people. That is the preeminent blessing where we're told, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. The first blessing, number two, the blessedness is marked by freedom from the curse. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There should be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There should be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. So that brief review of the first four verses, but tonight we want to look at verses five through eight, and we want to look at it under these three headings. Number one, the identity of the king. Number two, the proclamations of the king. And number three, the subjects of the king. The identity of the king, the proclamations of the king, and the subjects of the king. In verses five through eight, we are told of the one who was sitting on the throne.

What he has to say, and who the subjects of his kingdom are, and who they are not. So notice with me, number one, the identity of the king in verse five. John says, Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Then he who sat on the throne. Verse five introduces us to the person who is enthroned in the new heaven and the new earth. The throne he is sitting on is the same throne that's spoken of in chapter 20 in verse 11, where John says, Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. This throne is the throne of judgment, of power, and of authority. It is the throne from which rule will be exercised in the new heaven and the new earth for all eternity. Verse six, the occupant of the throne identifies himself by two titles. Notice verse six, And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Now, these two titles, and again, what are they? They're in verse six. They are the Alpha and the Omega, and the beginning and the end. Turn back to Revelation chapter one, where we first saw these titles given.

We're considering the identity of the king. The subject of verses four through six, Revelation. John, to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne. There's a mention of throne again. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and has made us kings and priests to his God and father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen. The subject of verses four to six is Jesus Christ. He is the one who washed us from our sins in his blood.

He is the one who has made us kings and priests to God and his father. Now, notice verse seven. It says, Behold, he is coming with clouds and every eye will see him. Even they who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.

Even so, amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds. It's speaking of the second coming of Jesus. Verse seven makes it certain that the subject of verses four to seven is Jesus Christ. Now, notice verse eight.

John says, I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Now, here we're moving from speaking in the third person, that is John speaking about Christ, to this same individual speaking in the first person. Verse eight.

Again, notice there's been this change. John is not speaking of this person any longer. The person that John has been speaking of now is speaking in the first person. Verse eight. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come the Almighty. This person says of himself, he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. And he also says of himself that he is and was and is to come and that he is the Almighty. The Lord is speaking here in verse eight. He says, I'm the Alpha and the Omega. I'm the beginning and the end. And in addition to that, I am eternal and I am omnipotent. Who is speaking in verse eight?

Who bears these titles? Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who is and was and is to come the Almighty? Well, let's read on in verses nine through eleven. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last.

In what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to Ephesus and Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. Now, again, notice I saying I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Here this voice is claiming the title Alpha and Omega and now adds a third title, and that is the first and the last. He says in verse eight, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first title. He says, I am the beginning and the end, the second title, and I am the first and the last, the third title. But again, who does this voice belong to? Verse 12 and verse 13.

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about in the chest with golden band. Well, this is the one who is doing the talking, the one who is like unto the Son of Man, John says. Well, that designation is to the person of Jesus, the Son of God. God the Father is never referred to like this. God the Spirit is never referred to like this. This is a reference to God the Son.

Only one person in the Godhead bears the title, and that is Jesus Christ. Now, again, we're reading on in verse chapter one, verse 14. His head and hair were white like wool, and white as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like the fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters.

He had in his right hand seven stars out of his mouth when a sharp, two-edged sword, and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, but he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and death. He says there, I am the beginning and the end. I am the first and the last. And all three of these titles belong to and are descriptive of Jesus Christ and are indisputably so.

You cannot argue out of this. I'm laboring to make a point to you, and we're getting to it very quickly here. When we return to Revelation chapter 21, let's go back. Revelation 21, and we read in verse 5 and 6, Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.

And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. We see the one sitting on the throne saying, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. And in verse 6, clearly, this person who was on the throne in verse 5 is Jesus Christ.

You say, Well, I got that right out of the gate. I understand that, but here's the point. Here is the monumental point. The same person who says that he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, also says something else. Notice with me verse 7. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. The monumental point here is that Jesus declares that he is God in the clearest possible terms, proving his deity beyond any shadow of doubt. And if you've ever wondered if the Bible definitively and absolutely and without question proves the deity of Christ, you have just heard the proof out of the mouth of Christ himself. He says in verse 7, I am God. You see that? He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God. You can't get any clearer than that.

I've talked to Jehovah Witnesses a number of times, but I have a new tool in my toolbox, a new go-to, and I don't know how they would, I have no earthly idea how they would answer this. That is as crystal clear as it possibly can be. So the identity of the king is whom? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the king.

We've identified him. Now, let's consider number two, the proclamations of the king. The king makes two proclamations from his throne. The first is made in verse 5. Notice with me, then he who sat on the throne said, and here's the proclamation, behold, I make all things new. All things. In other words, there will be nothing that is left untransformed that was part of the first heaven and the first earth. He's going to make all things new.

That's the thought of this illustration I think we all can relate to. Among our personal possessions, we have some things that are brand new and are almost still in perfect condition, but we also have older things that are worn and rusted and show signs of decay. Not everything you have is brand new. But in the new heaven and the new earth, everything will be made brand new and everything will be in pristine condition without any effects of the curse upon it. Nothing will grow old. Nothing will wear out. Nothing will rot. Nothing will rust or break.

You say, really? What did Jesus say in Matthew chapter six? Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt nor thieves break through and steal. Do not lay up treasures on earth where those things happen, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust and thieves do not break through and steal. The Bible tells us we have an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for us and all the effects of sin and all of the things it touched will be totally eradicated to the point that it will be as though the effects of sin have never existed in the first place. Listen, never again will the body be subject to sickness or aging or injury. They will have, we will have perfect physical health one hundred percent of the time. One hundred percent of the time.

God is so good the way He's constituted us. I worked hard yesterday in various chores. At the end of the day I looked at my phone.

I'd logged fifteen thousand steps, almost five miles, and I was tired. And I told Carla I'm going to bed early. I went to bed. I wanted to be fresh for morning. And I thought, boy, I'm going to feel it in the morning.

I'm going to be stiff and sore from this and that. And I woke up. I felt renewed. I felt rejuvenated. I felt like I was forty again.

Well, not really. But isn't it amazing just how a good night's sleep rejuvenates and renews our strength? Well, in that day we won't need to sleep for that purpose. It'll be a completely new experience for us. And He'll make all things new. I thought about the emphasis this morning that we are commanded to love God with all of our heart, mind, souls, and strength. And yet that's what we strive for, but not in this life will we ever achieve that. But in that day we will be enabled to love God with all of our heart, with all of our mind, with all of our strength, with all of our soul.

I can't even imagine what that will be like. And as we hear these things we wonder, could all of this really be true? Will God really do this wonderful work? Well, that's something that's anticipated in our thinking because it says, Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.

Jesus is saying, Yes, it's true. I will be faithful to that promise. It will be true.

It will happen. I mean exactly what I say. Write it down. This is the first proclamation. Behold, I make all things new. There is a second proclamation the Enthroned King makes in verse six.

And what is that? He said to me, It is done. It is done.

Now, when Jesus died on the cross, He said something similar, but different. He said, It is finished. In other words, all that's necessary to secure the redemption of God's people is finished. It's done.

I've done the work the Father sent me to do. But here He's saying, not that it is finished, it is done. And when you look at the Greek word that's being used there, it means it has come to pass.

It's done. It has come to pass. He is saying that all Jesus had promised to do, He has now brought it to pass. You say, well, like what?

Well, like these. Jesus promised to destroy the works of the devil, and it has come to pass. It is done. The work of implementing all that He purchased on the cross has come to pass. It is done. The promise to fully save His elect from their sins has come to pass. It is done. The removal of the curse from the physical creation has come to pass. It is done. And all Satan accomplished has now been completely undone and entirely reversed and totally overthrown.

And he has been sentenced to the pit, never to rise again. It has come to pass. It is done. That proclamation. Jesus looks at the whole scope of history and all that He has achieved, and He says, it's done.

It's done. There's nothing left to do by way of implementing the promises and the plans of God. All that Jesus has promised to us, He will perform for us.

He will not stop until it is done. Not one thing shall fail of all that the Lord has promised. Amen?

Amen. So we've seen the identity of the king. We've seen the two proclamations of the king. Let's consider number three, the subjects of the king. The subjects of the king. Who will enter his kingdom? Who will be the subjects of this king? Who will receive the blessings this king has to bestow? And the answer to those questions is provided in verses six, seven, and eight.

Let's read them again. John says, and he said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son.

Let's stop there. First notice with me the citizens of the kingdom. The citizens of the kingdom have two essential characteristics. What is the first? He says, I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Who are the citizens? Who are the subjects of this king? Those who have received Christ and had their thirst satisfied.

That's the first. And you see, soul thirst is something that God creates in the heart of a man because he has a desire to satisfy that thirst. Men are thirsting and chasing after anything and everything. In fact, the prophet says this in Jeremiah as he's condemning the people of God, the children of Israel. He says, for my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters.

And what have they done in place of that? Forsaken him who is the fountain of living waters and have hewn out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. That's a fairly apt description of those who are chasing after things in this world, trying to satisfy a thirst.

Ewing out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water because they've forsaken the fountain of living water. So first, the citizens of the kingdom have this essential characteristic. They have received Christ who is the fountain. He is where soul thirst is satisfied. They've come to him.

They've believed upon him. They've obeyed him in the gospel. The thirst it's spoken of there is the intense longing for reconciliation with God and redemption from sin. You know, it's an amazing thing that man in his natural state can sit under the preaching of the gospel and sit and listen, and he's dying, he's famished, he's parched, and yet he doesn't have natural sense to go to Christ who is the living water. The Spirit of God has got to exercise a man in his inner man and create thirst in order for that man to avail himself of the provision that God has made. So that's why we say salvation is all of God from A to Z. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

He is the beginning and the end. Jesus said, if any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. Yet believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. So it's good to be reminded of the work of the Spirit of God in our hearts that worked in our hearts and created thirst and then showed us that that thirst can only be satisfied in the person of Jesus Christ. We were enabled by faith to come and lay hold of him, who is the one who satisfies our longings. And if you're here tonight and you've never found that need for quenching in Christ, understand what is being said here. Jesus is offered in the gospel. Those who receive him have their thirst satisfied. And not just once and for all, but we who are the people of God, who have embraced Christ, we're characterized by men and women who do what? We hunger and we thirst after righteousness. That is a fundamental characteristic of those who have been born again, those who are regenerated, those who have legitimate claim to God as their Father and Jesus as their Savior. There is a hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

And it's not something that you can easily dispel. You know, you're working, like I'm working on my day off and I'm looking at my watch and it's 1230 and I think, well, I can keep on working. And that's two o'clock and I think, well, I'll run in and grab an apple and eat an apple and keep on working.

You can do that for a while, but you're going to run out of energy, right? This thirst, this hungering doesn't go away. It gnaws at you. You have got to go back to the source, the fountain of living water and have that thirst assuaged again and have that hunger satisfied again. And it's a wonderful thing that God has created those kind of desires in us and then satisfies those desires with Himself. What a gracious and merciful God He is. The water of life is indeed Jesus Christ. But the second characteristic of those who are citizens of the kingdom is what?

Notice what He says. Verse 7, He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. The second characteristic of those who are subjects of the King is that they have overcome the temptation, number one, to forsake Christ.

You remember the seven letters to the churches? Each of those letters written to the churches that represent all the churches that have ever existed in the New Covenant age, each one of those letters ends with a promise to those who overcome, to those who overcome, to those who overcome. Satan does everything he can to draw Christians away from Christ through temptation or drive them away from Christ through persecution. But it says, He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. So to be an overcomer means that you overcome the pressure Satan applies to you through temptations or persecution to forsake your faith in Christ and your faithfulness to Christ. The overcomer overcomes Satan's efforts to draw him away from Christ. The overcomer, he perseveres in his battle against his own sin, and that battle will rage on until the end of our life. It's just the nature of indwelling sin. The spirit wars against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit, they are contrary one to the other.

That's the way it is. But overcomers remain faithful to Christ to the end. And that's what describes those who are the citizens of the King, the subjects of the King. He who overcomes shall inherit all things. Do you have confidence tonight that you're in that company, that you are an overcomer, that you are overcoming, that you are winning, that you have been galvanized, that you will persevere in the face of persecution, that you will remain faithful to Christ regardless of the temptation? You say, well, where does that strength come from?

Well, listen to this. Titus chapter 2, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, that should mark our Christian pilgrimage. There ought to be times in your mind that you can go back and say, there was a time I denied ungodliness and worldly lusts. I didn't have it in my own strength, but God by His grace enabled me in my time of weakness when temptation was knocking at the door.

And I rejoice in the fact that God enabled me to say no to sin and yes to Him. That's what's going to characterize our lives. I'm not saying we'll never fail. I'm not saying that we're above failing, but I am saying that this ought to characterize our life. We are overcomers. That's the orientation of our life.

That's the desire that we have to be an overcomer. Now, having seen the citizens of the kingdom, I want you to notice secondly with me those who are the outcasts from the kingdom, those who are not subjects to this king. Verse 8 says, But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Who is not a subject to the king? Who is not a part of this kingdom? Well, it's those who are identified with this eightfold description. Let's think through these in the few moments that we have left. Number one, but the cowardly, the cowardly.

Think of the context here. Those who overcome in the face of persecution, those who overcome in the face of temptation, but the cowardly. Those who are like Judas who betrayed Jesus, those who flee when the pressure is on, those who are unwilling to identify themselves with Christ in the world, those who put job security above identifying with Christ and being known as a Christian in the workplace. The cowardly.

That's who will not be citizens of the king. The cowardly. Notice number two, the unbelieving. These are those who would not believe on Christ, on the earth.

They would not believe the Son of God, the Word of God, or the promises of God. They are in this category, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable. This third category of outcasts, the abominable. This is a general word that encompasses all the things that God declares are an offense to Him. It's like a category, the abominable. Cowardly, unbelieving, abominable.

What's next? The murderers. Murderers. There's a lot of murdering that has gone on in the history of the world.

It started with Cain and has been going on ever since. Many fellow believers have been murdered for the cause of Christ. Millions have been murdered in unjust wars. Many people wrongly think of abortion as something less than murder, but abortion is the murder of a human being, those created in the image of God. And the Bible is saying here, those who practice murder will be cast into the lake of fire.

Murderers. Next, the sexually immoral. The sexually immoral.

What does that mean? Isn't that covered under the umbrella of abominable? Well, yes, but it's singled out, the sexually immoral.

Those who persist in sexual immorality, who justify, defend it, go on in it, and never repent of it. These will not enter the kingdom of God. They will be outcasts.

They're not subjects of the king. Next in the list, there in verse 8, are sorcerers. This would include anyone involved in any kind of witchcraft in any way. Satanism at its core.

Dark, very dark things transpire around the end of October, where the devil seems to manifest himself. So be on guard about this. Sorcerers.

Notice the next category. Idolaters. An idolater is anyone who worships anything other than the Bible, or anyone other than the true God of the Bible.

What is the very first commandment? The Bible says, God declares, I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me. And those who worship the gods of the false religions, the gods of the cults, will never enter the kingdom of God. I thought about whether I should say what I'm about ready to say, but I think it's a test of fidelity and courage in the face of pressures that are going to come upon churches and upon pastors and pulpits.

So let me say this. There will not be one Muslim who worships Allah who will enter the kingdom of God. There will not be one Mormon who worships the false gods described by Joseph Smith that will enter the kingdom of God. There will not be one Jehovah's Witness who denies the deity of Christ who will enter the kingdom of God. That's what the Bible declares. Because those who worship another god are in the category of an idolater, and it says right here, they shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. And then all liars.

Interesting inclusion in this list. All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. All liars.

Why is that singled out? Well, Proverbs chapter 6 verse 16 says, These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him. So there are a list here of seven things, and in the list two have reference to lying. A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. Liars.

Why? Because a liar is acting like the father of lies. Satan is the father of lies. Our life is characterized by falsehood and deception and lying. We reveal that we have not had our nature changed.

We are like our old nature, and we are of the devil. That's why I think it's absolutely critical to drill down on this in our homes with our children. And I'm not saying have a long, long list of rules in your home, but somewhere lying needs to be on that list. We need to remind our children how serious it is to be untruthful and to lie. You say, well, most children don't have a problem with that.

Really? I think all children have a problem with that. They come out of the womb speaking what? Lies, the Bible says. It's part of what it means to be bringing our children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. Why? Because the Lord says that He has reserved a place of eternal torment and torture for all liars.

That's why mom and dad are serious about you telling us the truth. So people who practice and defend and continue in the things that are mentioned in verse 8, as the dominating characteristic of their lives will never, ever enter the kingdom of Christ. They will be cast into the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone. You do not ignore God. You do not defy God. You do not rebel against God all your life. Then show up on the day of judgment and go into heaven. It doesn't work that way. It's rare to find honesty behind the sacred desk at a funeral.

Too much pressure on people. Well, if so and so was, you know, we really didn't know about their life, don't say anything about that. We'll have other people come and say what a good person they were and what a great father and mother they were. But just don't go there about, don't put a big question mark over where they're going to spend eternity. Don't do that.

Really? No, we need to be truthful and honest about the situation. So as we conclude tonight, I want you to leave this evening being confident of whose kingdom you belong to. Are you a part of the kingdom of God? Have you been translated out of the kingdom of darkness, out of the kingdom of Satan and translated into the kingdom of God's dear son? Are you a slave of righteousness or are you a slave of unrighteousness?

Which characterization is your life marked by? Have you come to Christ? Have you believed the gospel of grace to the saving of your soul? What's your posture toward Jesus? Do you love him? Do you strive to obey him? Are you a follower of his? Are you willing to go to the ends of the earth for him?

Or are you just casual about the whole thing, indifferent toward it all? That's a deadly, deadly attitude to have. Interesting that a section that begins with all things made new would end with a lake of fire which burns and brimstone, which is the second death. But that's another warning, another opportunity to repent of sin and to flee to Christ.

And I don't know. You know, you sit on the platform and you try and take inventory and I'm not the Holy Spirit by any means and it's not my place to give assurance to anyone or take assurance from anyone. But any pastor would be a fool in a company of a hundred people or so. Who knows who's listening online and who will access this sermon and other sermons on Sermon Audio. There will be people who will listen who are lost and undone, who need to come to Christ. So we can't assume, take a posture that everyone's okay, everyone's fine, everyone's in subjection to the King of Kings.

No. No, we are to make our calling and election sure. We're to examine ourselves to see if indeed we are in the faith.

And these wonderful promises are set side by side with serious, serious warning. And God does that on purpose, lest we be deceived, lest we have believed a lie. So as I conclude, my challenge is let's ask God to search our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves. And if we're honest, He will show us the true condition of our soul. Let us pray. Father, thank you again tonight for your word, for its instruction, for how we are thrilled to hear about the new heaven and the new earth and all that you've created for us, and yet we've come to the end of a very sobering section and we ask our God that the Spirit of God would search hearts and reveal the truth about our true condition. Thank you for the fact that there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins where sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains, that Jesus is the one who invites all who thirst to come to Him, that their thirst might be satisfied in Him. Thank you for what you've done for us in the gospel. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.