That was not his mission, and his mission was accomplished. And whatever mission you're on, you have to ask yourself periodically. What is the objective here? What am I aiming for? What am I doing?
What am I prepping for? What are the goals? that I am to achieve. And who is the leader? In fact, who is the ruler?
Who is my master? Don't be afraid of that one. when applied to Christ. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick 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 in the book of Revelation chapter 22 as he continues his message, the Bible's last page. The root of David, the The Creator. The giver of life.
The offspring of David. The virgin birth. Because Jesus Christ is God, He is the root of David. Because Jesus Christ came as a man, he is the offspring of David. David is our link.
He is our link between the Old Testament and the New Testament messianic prophecy. The first verse in your New Testament is this. The book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. Then he mentions Abraham. You would think he'd put Abraham first and Moses and go in chronological order, but David gets to be the first human being.
mentioned in the New Testament, barring the humanity of Christ, of course. King David, the first man mentioned in the New Testament, King David, the last man mentioned in the Bible. And here it is in this verse. He's the last one mentioned. Think of the honor.
Think of How profound that is. The glorious connection. That God created. You know Um for the ladies, maybe you've gone to the universities and they've somehow excited you about misogyny. Not that it does not exist, but what happens is, if you're not careful, you begin to see it existing where it's not.
And then you look at a man like David, and you see his sin, and you conveniently leave out Bathsheba, but you don't like David. Don't fall for that trap. David is a superior human figure in scripture because God says so. And the lessons from him abound when you receive that. Example.
We have a hundred and fifty psalms. In the book of Psalms. Over seventy of them are from David. How do you get to write that much Bible? You have to be in union, in communion.
With the great I am, with the great Yahweh. with Jesus Christ. The honest Jews knew this, and it shows up in the New Testament. You should be excited about these kind of things. These things should should inspire you.
Luke 18. This one wanted Jesus to just give him his sight back. They tried to silence him, and the more they silenced him, the louder he cried out. And what did he cry out? Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
And he kept saying it. And he got that mercy. Luke eighteen thirty eight Paul, when he's preaching to Gentiles and Jews, and he mentions David, he says, From this man's seed, according to the promise God raised up from Israel, a Savior, Jesus. Jesus end quote So again, imagine being the first and last man named in God's Word and in His glorious context. I want a piece of that.
If I could just get a piece of that, not to have a mention. But to have the countenance of Christ lifted upon my service as a Christian. That my talents aren't buried. Because all I can see is the harshness of life. I've wrestled with that.
You know, when he says, in that, you know, the one that was given the talent and he buried it, he said, I knew you were a harsh man. And I've wrestled with that. I said, you know, life is, and finally, the key for me is. Life is harsh, but life is not Christ. Christ is above life.
And if this is all we had, then maybe that would be a valid argument, but it's not. And he said, I've left you here to fight it out for me. My citizens are fighting it out for me. And I'll reward you for that. You've got to trust me on this one.
And that's the difference between the saints and the ain't. The ain't ain't gonna trust them. The saints are going to do whatever they can. To find his pleasure, receive his blessings. The bright and morning star, well, that's Venus, the planet.
So named. the brightest planet in the sky. Visible in the eastern sky right before sunrise. I went out this morning to look. And uh the it was overcast.
So I I could have just said, boy, it was glorious in any way. The church of Thyatira, with all her problems, Jesus said: if you work your way out of this, I'm going to bless you. He promised to give them himself The Morning Star. He is hope not only personified by this, but the fulfillment of hope. And this is Matthew 4:16, but I'm going to quote that one.
I'm going to go back to Luke, where it tells us about he being the new beginning. That's the idea of him being this morning star. That's where the sun rises, that's towards the east, where we look. Luke. Chapter 1, verse 78.
Through the tender mercy of our God, which With which the day spring from on high has visited us. They spring is the Eastern Sunrise. It's a poetic phrase. And it's saying The sunrise has come to us, the incarnation, the coming of Christ. God Taking on humanity.
I don't mean like in a fight. I'm going to take you on. I mean becoming coming to earth in human form, subjecting himself to a human body. giving up or postponing. His omnipotence, but not his deity.
He always was God. That's when he said, I could call 12 legions of angels, and that'd be the end of this. But he did not do that. That was not his mission, and his mission was accomplished. And whatever mission you're on, you have to ask yourself periodically, What is the objective here?
What am I aiming for? What am I doing? What am I prepping for? What are the goals? that I am to achieve.
And who is the leader? In fact, who is the ruler? Who is my master? Don't be afraid of that. when applied to Christ.
Verse 17, and the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him who hears say, Come, and let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
Well, the Holy Spirit in the first clause, and the Spirit and the bride say that's that's Christ, the Holy Spirit. Equal with God. God the Holy Spirit, and the Church, the bride. That's the local church as well as the universal church. The Holy Spirit is the voice behind all our preaching.
Without him, what are you saying? Luke chapter 12.
Now, this is in the context of persecution, but it applies in every context. The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Raise your hand if you're a Christian and you really don't care about what the Holy Spirit's going to do with you. You're going to just preach whatever you feel like it.
Well, of course you decided I wouldn't do that. We are taught as Christians by God to depend on God. Lean not on your own understanding, all the way back in the Old Testament. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God. It's an identifying mark of a believer.
That we walk by faith in the Spirit. and not by the sight of the flesh. And so he he says, Come. That's an invitation to all. I don't care what man-made doctrine, what doctrine named after a man tells you that that does not apply to all who hear the gospel.
No, it applies to all who hear the gospel. I don't need anybody to come and tell me that doesn't mean what it says. If the Holy Spirit says to you, come. Whether you go or not is your choice. You'll have no one to blame in hell.
You're not going to be able to go to hell after hearing the gospel and say, Well, how was I supposed to know?
Well, the same way all the other ones knew. that did go to heaven, that did receive the gospel. And let him, I hope I don't sound angry. I am passionate about these things. I'm really a nice guy.
Maybe not always, but Just don't share the road with me. You'd be fine. And let him who hears say, Come. Uh This is everyone's verse. This is for every human being that comes in contact with this verse.
It's for them. It's an emphatic Invitation. And it is made by those who were once invited and have come. And so read it again. And the Spirit and the Bride said, Come and let him who hears.
Say, come, and let him who thirsts come, whoever desires, let him take the water freely. And let him who hears say, Come. That's the one that's received it. And now they're saying there, and that's what we do: we get saved, and we want others saved also. And let him.
Who thirsts? The one who sees their need, John 14, John 4. Verse 14. Again, that should mean something to you. When the pastor quotes a verse.
It should mean something. You might not agree, you might have to investigate it. But it should still register. Jesus said, Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst spiritually. You've got it.
You're not looking for another God. You're not looking for an alternative to Christ. There's no thirst and hunger for something else. Here in verse 17, whoever desireth, let him take the water. of life freely.
Those with an appetite for truth.
Well, what happens if you have no appetite for truth?
Something's going to fill that void. And you will have an appetite for lies, and you will suppress the truth in unrighteousness. And we're seeing, especially on our college and university campuses, we're seeing this in action. It's now recorded. One thing the Internet has given to us is these recordings of all sorts of things that are going on out there.
As if you weren't able to be depressed without it. Joel the prophet long time ago said, And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved.
Now the Jew would take that, the Jew that is not in touch with the messianic prophecies, he would say, that's only for the Jewish person.
Well, in a sense, yes, at that time, because Yahweh's name is invoked.
However, it's expanded in Messiah. And the the Apostles They found out Jesus. Is the Messiah And he is God. And that's why when he did things like stop a saw a storm with just his word, They worshipped him. Who could this be?
They said. Who is this? Who is this? This is not normal. And this offer stands for one lifetime.
These invitations for one lifetime. These whoevers are the same whoever's of John 3:15, whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Three times the Spirit says, come. God refused to close the scriptures without repeating this offer. What a statement.
The last page of the Bible, and God is saying, Are you understanding? I'm inviting you. Are you understanding? that I am long suffering, willing that none should perish. Are you understanding that I desire that all men would be saved?
But they've got to come and get it. Matthew 16, verse 24, Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. They didn't really understand what that take up your cross meant yet. They had an idea, they knew what crosses were. But not until he was crucified did these things.
begin to glow. and radiate. truths straight out of the Old Testament into the new. John 1:12, but as many as received him To them he gave the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name. Every one in hell has this in common.
They refused his lordship. At some point They refused in some way Some straight out, some not so much. There's nobody in hell who wanted Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour. and came to him for that. He even says, Those who come to me, I will in no way turn away.
God wants you. He wants that relationship with you. Verse 18, for I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in the book.
So don't mess with it. Unless you don't believe it. Don't find out this is not hyperbole. The sign is not as real as the thing it symbolizes. The judgment, the actual judgment, is worse than any of the symbols about that judgment, any of the teachings.
At some point the abstract becomes the concrete. And it will be too heavy and too hard for you.
So, John is not promoting the revelation at this point. He's not saying, hey, don't mess with my, you know, I'm the author, don't mess with this. That's not what he's saying. He's just telling it like it is. This is God's word given to me.
It's God inspired. Why would you think you can get away with messing with it? Tampering with it. It belongs to the message of God to mankind. Jeremiah the prophet, whenever Jeremiah is quoted, It's worth it.
It's just, you know, I miss the pastors' conferences. where you'd have church like four times a day. And if you got nothing else out of the speaker, you'd get something from the verses. You'd I'd always end up going back to my room And read investigating the verses. Anyway, Jeremiah 26:2: Thus says Yahweh, stand in the court.
of Yahweh's house. and speak to All the cities of Judah. which come to worship in Yahweh's house. All the words that I command you to speak To them. Do not diminish a word.
You cannot read that and have a casual response. to messing with the scriptures. to silencing them. to redacting God's word. Which the cult do.
So, Revelation, again, not only an apocalyptic prophecy. It is a letter to mankind through the church. It's not through angels at this time. It's through the church. All scripture is given by inspiration of God.
It is breathed into. humanity by God. If they will receive it. Satan's hope is that you will believe his lies. All the way from the beginning, first time he speaks, has indeed God says the first thing out of his mouth was challenging God, picking a fight.
Have you met Christians like that? They don't pick a fight. They've got they're they're bitter, they're resentful, and they're going to let you know it. What you think about the Bible says something about what God thinks about you. Verse 19, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book, Of this prophecy, God shall take away his part.
From the book of life. From the holy city. and from the things which are written in this book. Again, this you think it's hyperbole? You think he's exaggerating this?
Don't find out. You don't have to. Side with Christ. And these things will not befall you. Why test God to his face and suffer the mother of all pains eternal damnation?
God shall take away his part from the book of life. Horrific beyond words.
So, if God blots out a name, that means the name was already in. It's something to think about for your theology. Remember, the Bible dictates the theology, not the theology dictating to the Bible. You don't read a verse and say, Well, I know what that means, but it doesn't fit my theology, so I gotta meet it, it must mean something else. Oh, maybe it means what it's saying.
God blots out. Here he says, takes away. from his part in the book of life. This might be another verse that explains why, at least I believe. I believe those who are Not born.
who have been What This called euphemistically aborted, I believe they go to heaven. I believe their names are not blotted out. But nobody gets to heaven without the blood of Christ, without his sacrifice. God will work out those details.
Something what David meant when he said, He should not come to me. I should go to him. But how David, knowing he's going to be with God, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That's David's spiritual outlook. And so, for him to make such a statement, he's saying that child's going to be with me in the house of the Lord forever.
Matthew 18, 18. Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What a profound thought. These little children have assigned angels. As we get older, the angels get annoyed with us and they go.
No, they don't. They don't. They don't. They just get annoyed me with you, but. They don't.
They're with us and how do we know what if you are Biman? Lazarus The beggar sores all over his body. licked by the dogs. And Jesus said, and the angels carried him. to Abraham's bosom.
God doesn't give up on his people. He doesn't want to give up on those who are not yet his people. And that's how we approach it. It says, From the holy city and from the things which are written in this book. There was an American apostate who died here in Richmond, Virginia, in 2021, not long ago.
He's 90 years old. He started out a fundamental Christian and he became a progressive, a progressive apostate. One of Satan's masterpieces A great work of the devil. A prolific writer this John Shelby Spong became. And he laid the foundation.
For what we call, well not we, but they call woke. in the churches. In Christendom. You can fact check that later, you hopefully you can hold out I would recommend Grok over Google. It's easier to spell.
Anyway. 1 Timothy chapter 5.
Some men's sins are clearly evident preceding them to judgment. Would you want that said about you? Or a loved one? But you could say that about John Shelby Spung. When you see The filth that he wrote about Christianity.
And so, from this holy city and from the things which are written in this book, don't mess with it.
Well, he did. He's one of those guys that the Bible doesn't mean that. I'll tell you what it means, just changing stuff. Verse twenty. He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming quickly.
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. A fitting climax to the Revelation, and all of Scripture, it's a fitting climax too. It ends at the beginning, with the coming of Christ. Matthew 24, therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect it.
As I mentioned, the Olivet Discourse, well, that's from Matthew 24, part of that. That discourse. Uh When he says, Surely I am coming, amen, even so, Lord Jesus, thrice repeated. warning that he's coming. The early church wanted him to come.
This is a Maranatha.
Now, The the Maranatha is Aramaic. It's in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 22, and it means, Our Lord, come. You can say, even, O Lord, come. Turn it into an exclamation of the righteous. This is written in the Greek.
If you were to reword this in the Aramaic, you more than likely would use the Maranatha. Surely I am coming quickly. And then he says, Even so, Come, Lord Jesus. Verse 21. I have more to say, but we're out of time.
Verse 21, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The Bible closes with its final prayer, and it is about grace. Not law. The problem with a legalistic mind is they think anytime you mention grace, you're somehow promoting.
Lawlessness, and you're not. You're upholding. the law of Christ. But it includes grace.
So when you die, If you're so foolish to demand justice, You might find yourself cast out. But if you receive grace, You will enter in. Grace means the kindness of God on the life. that fails and yet still longs for God. To fail God and to still want Him.
Where's that illustrated? And the tax collector could not even look up to heaven and say, Lord, forgive me a sinner. The man that says Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. I don't have enough to pay for this. Faith.
I don't have enough faith. Can you Makeup the gap. And Lord did. and did not rebuke him. And so He says The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
This is the church. It's addressed to the seven churches in Revelation. and any non-combatant reader that would come. This is not an anticlimactic end. It is the sublime signature of God, and it is in grace.
If God were to write his signature on the book of Revelation, the ink would be his blood. Otherwise. It would just be a mockery of us all, but there's salvation.
So I close with this verse: Romans 13. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let's put on the armor of light. Yeah. Um 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. While you're there, you can also find links to follow our program on your favorite podcast app, as well as links to get connected with us on Facebook and YouTube. There's also an interviews tab where you can learn more about Pastor Rick's heart for ministry.
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