I don't know why. People profess to be Christians and are offended by what the Bible has to say. Then where did you get the Christ that you profess?
Well, I mean, how do you cherry pick? I like this one, I don't like that one. And... I don't like you telling me what's in the Bible. Let me do Christianity my way.
That's idolatry. and it comes with a penalty. And I wouldn't be your friend. If I told you you could get away with that. To refuse the spiritual cleansing of the cross of Christ is to remain unclean, and that is the point of the angel.
This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Revelation. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically, how you can get a free copy of this teaching. And now here's Pastor Rick with his continuing study called Don't Do That in Revelation chapter 22.
Nobody comes to the house of God where the people are truly pursuing God. By mistake. You may think that, well, I did it. No, you did not. It is the Holy Spirit.
He is called the paraclete in the Greek, which means the one who comes beside, the comforter. It's where we get parakeet from. Put the parrot on his shoulder right beside you are.
Well, it's the Holy Spirit that comes beside you. He's doing, he's wooing you. He's trying to get you to love him back. Isaiah had an experience with God. He too couldn't keep it together.
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, so I said, Woe is me. For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, Yahweh of hosts, the Lord of hosts, God Almighty. It's a little thing. For perhaps an unbeliever or maybe a new Christian to understand the value of quoting Old Testament prophets.
Behind the mention of the name Isaiah, Are prophecies, many of them 700 years before Christ, that have been fulfilled to the detail. Nobody pulls this off. Without the God of the Bible.
So it means something. It's not some random guy sitting in his garage making up things about deity. It's a man who has had contact with the God of the universe. And he wrote it down. And it's for us.
To decide what are you going to do with that? Daniel also Daniel's prophecies are so extraordinary. Just Nasradamus is a joke compared to these guys.
So random, so general. and not even prophecy. Just thought of you know Well, one of them's got to come true. Whereas these are precise.
Well, Daniel, he too had an encounter with God, and he says, Therefore I was left alone when I saw the great vision, and no strength remained in me for my vigor or his beauty. was turned to frailty in me. And I retained no strength.
So, John can't be casual about these things. They're welling up in him. How we long for such experiences in our own lives, we who believe, want. such experiences with God, How often these things don't happen and were left to walk by faith, not by sight. That punishes Satan.
It hurts. But it punishes the enemy, and I'll I'll come to that.
So we have to settle for pushing forward in faith, perseverance. And that delights God. Because we're trusting him no matter what. and infuriating The opposition. Verse 9, then he said to me, See that you do not do that, for I am your fellow servant and your And of your brethren the prophets, And of those who keep the words of this book, worship God.
So stop that again is what he's telling him. He does not ignore the serious infraction. He doesn't give John a pass. He's an apostle, John is. He's high up on the Christian.
Hierarchy. The angel says, I know the rules and you're breaking it. And he cut that out. You would think No professed Christian Knowing the scripture. Would pray to angels, to saints, to Mary.
You would think if they knew the Bible, they would never do this. And they're offended when you say, hey, look, you're going to have to either do what God says or just do your thing, but it comes with a consequence. And I would be. Remiss. You would be too.
If you have friends or loved ones you care about that say they're Christians but Trample this Commandment. And you say nothing. Am I the only one? astonished by how many professed Christians defend those Who do this? We teach a child not to play in traffic.
It's harmful. My brothers would always tell me growing up, go play in traffic, go play in. And so Anyway, we teach children not to do that. Are we not in the church to teach and to learn not to do things that are harmful to us in the presence of God. I am a created being like you, says the angel.
I'm not worthy of worship. I'm not self-existent. The very thing Satan craves, he is obsessed with. is recognition As being equal to God, he wants that worship. He told this to Eve.
He said it's something God has hidden from us. Genesis 3, for God knows. that when you eat of it, that's the tree that they were forbidden to eat from. When you eat of it, your eyes will be opened. And you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
Well, they were going to find out what evil was because they really didn't know about that, but they weren't going to be gods. And this comes up in Isaiah 14, in Ezekiel 28, Revelation 3, and Matthew 4, where Christ is tempted by the devil. And the devil says, He just worship me.
So just worship me. And Jesus said, Away with you, Satan For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. Punk. He didn't say that. And I know I do that a lot 'cause I want to do it.
Because I think it's appropriate. to put in that little jab. All right.
Some of you come from nice places and decent. Places, and you don't have that stuff. But I don't come from that place, I come from a place where. If you don't put those things in, you might get beat up. Anyway.
It is the mark of the devil. to willfully Worship anything for anyone. Who's not the creator? God is both creator, sustainer, they fade not. Peter said, When the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Who did he say that to? He said it to Christians who were being persecuted. Who are being punished for siding with Jesus against the Roman Empire? And all Rome wanted was, now fine, worship Jesus, but worship Caesar also. And they said no.
And so they were they were tortured. They were killed. They were fired from their jobs. Their lives were made miserable. And when Peter writes to them, he doesn't say, it's going to be okay today.
He said, it's going to be okay later. Once you leave this life. And those who pray to Mary should take notice of this in the scripture and stop doing that. It's not necessary. You go right to God.
You boldly go to the throne of God. Misguided adoration is an abomination. is how I like to hear these things.
So then we should take them out of the Bible, right?
so that you can be comfortable with the things you're doing wrong. If you were pointing a pistol at a target, but the barrel was facing you. Shouldn't the other guy say something?
Well, it depends on who it is. Yes, he should say something. He'd be complicit to a crime. If you pull that trigger. without saying something.
Should we not be disturbed by those who claim Christ and defend those who worship Mary? Yes. Should not those friends correct them as the angel corrected John? Yes. Mary is the mother of Jesus according to his humanity, but she is not the mother of God.
God has no mother, he's self-existent. And there's a big difference. Christ in the the incarnation, the coming of Christ, was God becoming a man. Taking on humanity, that is, never, never leaving his deity. but putting on pause his omnipotence.
or else they never would have crucified him. She is. Not Nor is anyone else. worthy to be worshipped and she'd smack you in the face if she caught you worshiping her if she were here now. He is the beginning and the end.
This is basic Christianity. This is basic. And yet, somehow, it has become swept under the rug, and when you do that, you create a trip hazard. the stumbling block, He says, and of your brethren, the prophets, And to those who keep the words of this book, worship God. He's saying, I'm a messenger, like the prophets were a messenger.
You wouldn't worship them, would you? You wouldn't go up to Isaiah or Daniel and fall down to them. Of course not. John knew that, and that's the point the angel is making.
So he corrects John without harming him, without humiliating him. He just says, Hey, you know better. Obey the word. Worship God, the God of the Word. We don't worship the scripture, we worship the God who inspired it.
Verse 10. And he said to me, do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book. For the time is at hand. You'd think the angel would be disgusted with John. If he were just carnal, you know, that's it.
I don't have anything to say to you. This whole worship thing just ruined our day. But he doesn't. He's back to business. It would not be a revelation.
If it were concealed, And that's why he's saying, do not seal up the words. In Matthew 10, Jesus said to the disciples, What I tell you in the dark Sayin' alight, And what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. It's not something to hide. But it takes courage, moral courage. Many times.
To point out what Scripture says. We have to learn to not do it recklessly, we have to learn to do it as God gives opportunity. 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, and he who is holy, let him.
let him be holy still.
Well, after death, there are no second chances. The fate is sealed. And that's what he's talking about here. In the end That's who you are. This refutes, among other verses, the idea of purgatory.
That's not in Scripture. Prayers for the dead, not in Scripture. In fact, the opposite is is is The time to repent has run out for these. The end has come. Again, I don't know why.
People profess to be Christians and are offended by what the Bible has to say. Then where did you get the Christ that you profess?
I mean, how do you cherry-pick? I like this one, I don't like that one. I don't like you telling me what's in the Bible. Let me do Christianity my way. That's idolatry.
And it comes with a penalty. and I wouldn't be your friend. If I told you you could get away with that. To refuse the spiritual cleansing of the cross of Christ is to remain unclean, and that is the point of the angel. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.
God said that. I didn't say that. I agree with it. I'm grateful for it. It happened to me.
I want it to happen to others. The unjust are unbelieving. They remain defiant after death. Because your personality, that stays with you. Amos the prophet said, Because I do this, God's speaking to the people who are mocking him.
His people by choice by his calling Because I do this to you, prepare to meet your God. What's gonna happen? You're gonna meet him in the way you can't opt out. I there's no package deal that Avoids God. Adam and Eve tried it when they sinned.
They hid in the garden. They covered their nudity. They were ashamed, which is the first mark of their sin.
Well, fear actually was the first mark. Shame was one of the Wasick showed up. There are those, the hearts of the wicked, gleefully wicked. That they're only moved to blaspheme. To insult God.
Why? They are immune to events that should produce repentance. As in others, as in the the man I mentioned. He comes to church on Christmas because that's what Christmas time is for in his head. And God meets him there.
He has an encounter with the Holy Spirit. And he's never the same. What a delight it was to baptize him, knowing the story. When I baptized him, I said, Yeah, you're going to hear what I'm saying now. Mm-hmm.
Luke's Gospel. Looks good news. All these gospels have blood on them. In the 23rd chapter. Look.
Chapter 23, verse 39. This is at the crucifixion of Christ. There's Christ hanging in the middle of two other men crucified alongside him, one on his right and left. They were outlaws. They were rebels.
against the Roman Empire also. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him, saying, If you are the Christ, save yourself and us. But the other answered. Answering, rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.
But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me. When you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise. This is what he wants to do.
But he can't do it to someone like the one that I'm not moved by these things. Jesus said, He said to the people that were going to listen to John the Baptist, What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? What did you go out to see? Reed shaken by the wind?
You went out to the wilderness on purpose to hear the word of God because you wanted to hear from God. Because you've got that much sense, there is a God. And he can speak, and he does speak. How can impenitent sinners hope? That they should be forgiven.
How can anybody say, I'll just be forgiven? Because it's me.
So we see devils sneering at Prayers. For Charlie Kirk's family, with a hatred that comes from another world. That kind of hatred is imported. It's an exotic hatred. It doesn't grow on earth.
It comes straight out of hell. They are animated by somebody against God. And in hell, they will not. Sleep. They'll be woke.
That's pretty good. I hope you remember more than just that. They don't believe in the Bible. that it is God's word to people. They don't welcome the Holy Spirit's appeal to them in reason.
They have built walls against God, their Maker, around their hearts that. Make it so we can't reach them. If they do not repent, they will remain filthy and bitter forever. If that's how they want it, go. God says that's how you're going to get it.
Unjust, filthy, versus righteous and holy. Again, Peter says, having eyes full of adultery. And that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls that they have. A heart trained in covetous practices and our cursed children. Peter is saying, I'm just telling you, like it is.
I'm not trying to insult anyone. This is how it is before God, this is how God is looking at this. They'd rather die in defiance than give God the satisfaction of being. their loving Saviour, their friend. This happens.
People do this. Revelation 6. As God was judging them. They cried out, Hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, from the wrath of the Lamb. Why not just repent?
Why not just say, God, you're right, I got it wrong. A profound truth embedded in the Lord's words is this, found in Mark. That you may know That the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.
Now, here's the catch, well, the point, not the catch. He has power on earth. To forgive sins. After that, it's over, it's done. There are no more opportunities.
Should you fear God? Yeah, the beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord, the Bible says. If our sins are to be forgiven, it must be while we are still on earth. And once death comes, it will be too late. the character and the destiny will be fixed.
He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. There's a sarcasm in that. That appeal, that is the trial. It's like a father saying, fine, be dumb. Hoping the child is saying, I'm not going to be dumb.
I'm going to listen to what you're saying. God's saying Is this what you want? Because you you you're not gonna it's not gonna work well for you I cannot change those. who hate me. Who resists me?
who dictate to me. who refused to let me be God. He cannot cleanse those who refuse to be washed. Back to Isaiah. But well, here's the big point.
You're almost done. We tend to compare ourselves by somebody else. You drive by the The bad boy place, you know, the prison. And you can say, compared to those guys in there, I'm a pretty decent person. The problem with that is, God has said, I'm not going to compare you with them at judgment, I'm going to compare you with my Son.
He's perfect. You ain't going to be able to isn't it's not going to go well Isaiah says, But we are all like an unclean thing. And all our righteousness are like filthy rags. We all fade as a leaf. Our iniquities like the wind have taken us away.
You look in the mirror, you see yourself aging. You're fading. This life is not going to stay. There's something better than this life that is cursed. And Isaiah is saying, our righteousness, our goodness.
From God's standpoint, is dirty. Very dirty. Ephesians 1. Paul writes, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. In him we have this redemption.
according to his riches and his grace, not mine. This is what mercy and grace. have going with it. His grace not our goodness. I can keep going on that, but let's we got a you you've got things to do today, I suppose.
Otherwise you'd be calling, oh pastor, continue. Give us another two hours. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still. Righteousness is worth it. If you are feeling, maybe you're watching online.
and you've I'm making you very uncomfortable. Which is bonus for me. I'm not making you comfortable. It's God coming alongside of you saying, I don't want you comfortable this way. I've got something else for you, but you'll never get it.
If you don't come and get it. That's the meaning of redemption. If you have the winning lottery ticket and you don't take it to redeem the prize, you don't get the prize. Christ has paid for it. Philippians, well, let me finish.
He who is righteous, let him be righteous. Still, righteousness is worth it. Paul said this: that I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law. But that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. And he writes to Titus, another pastor: not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing.
a regeneration and a renewing of the Holy Spirit. Make no mistake. These guys Paul and Titus, these men were killed for their faith. They were told to shut their mouths, and they didn't. They were not the proverbial weasels.
Their confession has blood on it. Their blood and the blood of Christ. This is the doctrine of salvation. coming to God. Letting him do what only he can do.
And not caring. I don't, so when I finish a sermon, it's a trap. that waits for me every time. Do you want the approval of people or the approval of God? Do you want them to say good sermon?
Well, yeah, I do. But if you don't I'll be here next Sunday too. I want God to approve me. Paul said, approved unto God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed. And as a Christian, we don't live to be approved in our faith by other people.
We have something to give them. And sometimes passionately we come off angry, and we're not.
Well, sometimes there is a righteous indignation. But love is the motive. Otherwise, you would say, Well, I got mine, and I hope you do go to hell because I'm not going to show you how to go to heaven. That would be evil.
Well, he who is holy, let him be holy still. Remaining with Jesus, abiding with him, this is for the believers. This is the condemnation that the light is coming to the world, but men love darkness rather than light. That's what Jesus said about it. Those who insist on rejecting God in this life will not be permitted in heaven to carry on disagreeing with Him.
He's not going to have it anymore. It ends, it stops somewhere. It's one step. The only technique That you can use to get into heaven. is to come as a pauper.
Blessed are the poor in spirit. The one that has nothing to offer God is the one He gives to, the one He receives. I close with this verse. Matthew 18, 3. Jesus speaking.
I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, You saw the little child Solomon up here? No resistance. Just a little child. unless you become as little children. you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Yeah. Uh This has been Cross Reference Radio with Pastor Rick Gaston. This program is a radio outreach of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick has been teaching through the book of Revelation, but if you're interested in learning about a different book of the Bible, we have hundreds of past episodes available to listen to on demand. Just visit us online at crossreference radio.com and you'll find an archive of Pastor Rick's past teachings.
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