Revelation 21:5-8

God’s Last Call

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:5-8

Introduction

Throughout the history of the Christian Church, the most important date on the calendar has undoubtedly been Easter/Resurrection Sunday. For a few examples, one of the most pressing matters of the Council of Nicea was the consideration of which date they would celebrate Easter, the early Church would only do baptisms once a year on Easter Sunday, and various other things show the importance of this date in their minds. So it is today that we hold this Sunday with particular reverence. Some of you have gathered your families and are preparing a wonderful dinner after church, and I hope not to keep you from that too late! Others of you may only attend church once a year, and if that’s you, I’m glad you’re here. Whatever your view of Easter Sunday may be, this morning, I’d like to remind you of what it’s all about; I can think of no better Sunday to proclaim the central Christian truths of who God is, who we are, and why we as Christians live the lives we do.

It’s customary on Easter Sunday to preach a sermon on Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and so you may be wondering why I’ve brought you to the book of Revelation. I’ve brought you here because the resurrection is God’s confirmation of all Gospel truth. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then you do not need to worry about heaven and hell, or frankly anything I say. However, if Christ did rise from the dead, and He did, then everything changes and we must take Jesus at His Word, we must follow Him. In this text, we find God’s character to save, offer to save, His conditions for salvation, and His warning if we refuse. His character, offer, conditions, and warning are all on the table with eternal significance this morning strictly because Christ is alive. It’s my prayer that all of us true believers would renew our faith in these central gospel truths today and persevere in faith; it’s also my prayer for anyone here this morning who doesn’t possess a saving relationship with Jesus to come to know the new birth. 

God’s Character, v. 5-6(a)

I want you to know that Christianity is not about us, first and foremost. Christianity is first and foremost about God. The two most important questions for every human who has ever lived to answer are “Who is God? And “How do we know Him?” All religions on earth are trying to answer those central questions gnawing at the consciences of mankind. Can you imagine how helpful it would be for God to speak to us directly? Here at the end of the Bible we find God’s testimony of Himself. The first thing we find of God in this text is His authority. The Apostle John tells us these are the words of “He that sat upon the throne.” The throne is the place of ultimate dominion. When one of your peers speaks to you from their couch in a living room, it probably won’t matter much if you listen. However, when God speaks from His personal place of highest authority, you need to listen to what He has to say!

The second thing you’ll notice of God is His ability to save; here, the Lord says, “Behold, I make all things new.” Just as our God said “Let there be light” and light sprang forth from the empty darkness of nothingness, so God can enter into every broken part of life as we know it and bring order out of chaos. In verses 1-4 of this chapter, we see the way the new heavens and new earth are to be established at the end of this age. We see the way He will remove death, pain, and wipe every tear from our eyes. We live in a world that is not only filled with sin, but reeks with the effects of sin. Our God not only has the plan, but the ability to make all things new. It’d be one thing if He just said He’d fix this mess, but it’s another when we actually know He can bring it to pass; because He is able, He has what you need. 

Third, in addition to God’s ability to save, you’ll see His dependability to save. Through the Apostle, God says, “these words are true and faithful.” Our God does not change, and He does not have the ability to lie. If a thousand of man’s empty promises fall to the ground, God’s Word will still ring true. A famous atheist once said that if you got rid of the Bible, its message would never be recovered; but, if you got rid of every science book, their teachings would be back in several generations; he concluded then that science is more trustworthy than Christianity. What nonsense! First of all, which science books is he referring to? As far as I can tell, the majority of things scientists believed concerning eugenics a hundred years ago no longer stand true today. As far as I can tell, scientists today don’t even know the difference between a man and a woman! On the other hand, God’s revelation to us has stood the test of time; because He is dependable, so you can trust Him.  

Lastly, God tells us of His eternality; He says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last. You could say, “God is A-Z! He’s everything you need!” By saying He is the “beginning,” He communicates to us that before our existence came into being, He was the uncreated first cause. If you trace anything that is back far enough, you will come to the reality of God, and find that no one created Him; He is self-existent, and that’s what makes Him God. By saying He is the “end,” He means that His glory is the chief and greatest reason for everything that is. As the old Westminster Catechism states, “The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.” You came from this God, and you will return to this God one day, whether you like it or not. 

God’s Offer, v. 6(b)-7

Before an offer is made, it helps to know who it comes from. If a sleazy and sketchy salesman offers you a deal that’s too good to be true, his character is usually enough to know to turn him away. God’s offer of salvation to us sounds too good to be true at face value. That is precisely why He went to such lengths to tell us who He is on the front end. Our God is authoritative, able, dependable, and the eternal first cause and chief end of man. You have to keep that in mind as you consider what He places on the table now. This is not a cheap salesman offering you snake oil, this is the God of creation offering you the most precious gift in the universe.

To begin, He offers you a chance to drink from the fountain of the water of life. The most precious commodity for physical life in this world is water; and so it is that the number one thing our souls need is living water. When Jesus sat with a Samaritan woman in John 4, He offered her this living water. At first, she couldn’t wrap her mind around what He was talking about. However, as time went on, she realized what He was getting at and she was never the same. Life without Christ is like wandering in the desert without water waiting to die. You know there’s no spiritual sustenance around you, and you know your days are numbered, but there’s no hope in sight. In Christ, we find the all satisfying need of the human soul: communion with God. 

That is why the next thing offered to you goes beyond a human’s ability to fully appreciate: adoption. You may think for a moment, “What’s the big deal about that? Aren’t we all God’s children?” Absolutely not. Salvation would be completely unnecessary if we were born into the family of God the moment we entered this world. The reality is that we begin our physical lives under bondage to the world, the flesh, and the devil. We need someone to break the chains of our bondage and bring us into spiritual security. That is precisely what God in Christ has done at the cross. He has conquered death and removed our sins, opening the floodgates of mercy that those who deserve God’s wrath may become God’s children. Do you see the beauty of this? The eternally glorious God who sits on the throne of heaven doesn’t just want to be God, but your God. If that weren’t enough, He doesn’t merely intend to be your God, He intends to be your father; “I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

The closing offer of God to you is an inheritance. What is in the inheritance, you wonder? Everything. God says, “he shall inherit all things.” Does the Bible merely mean to give moral stories? Is it merely here to help us find some happiness in this vain existence? What’s the point of these 66 books, and countless stories? Here in the last chapters of the last book of the Bible, we see what it’s all been about: everything. If you have Christ, you have everything. In other words, when the Creator of all things is your God and Father, all things work together for your eternal good. Now, on the other side, if you have everything in the world but Christ, you have nothing. 

God’s Condition, v. 6(b)-7

There’s a song by the great theologian Johnny Cash that describes salvation as a train. Some of the lyrics read thus:

There’s a place I know where the train goes slow

Where the sinner can be washed in the blood of the lamb

There’s a river by the trestle down by sinner’s grove 

Down where the willow and the dogwood grow

You can hear the whistle, you can hear the bell

From the halls of heaven to the gates of hell

And there’s room for the forsaken, if you’re there on time

You’ll be washed of all your sins and all of your crimes

If you’re down there by the train

Down there where the train goes slow

This poetic imagery is among the most beautiful I know. The train isn’t moving fast, it’s not hidden, and the cost of admission is completely free. “Let me tell you exactly where the train is!” Mr. Cash proclaims. “If you get to the train, you’ll be cared for and safe. You just need to be there on time, and if that isn't enough, know the train is moving slow.”

God tells you through the Apostle John that His offer is yours for free. Why would such a God ever do this? Because, you could never afford it otherwise. We as humans are so lost in the depravity of our sin that unless God condescends to the pit of our iniquity and raises us from our natural condition, we would stay there and rot. In this passage, heaven is not described as a reward, but as an inheritance. An inheritance is not earned on the basis of what we do, it is received on the basis of who we are. We must be “made new” (v. 5) that we may receive this inheritance freely. Only in that sense is there actually a condition, and the condition is not about doing what God wants but becoming who God intends. This is called the new birth. How do I know I’m born again?

You know you are born again when you thirst for the water of life. Jesus explained this in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Heaven doesn’t belong to the ones who are fat and satisfied with the life they have; it’s not for the one who can manage his life without God. Heaven is for the spiritual beggar who comes to God with outstretched arms saying, “God, if you don’t save me, I’m nothing!” This was the testimony of young Justin when we baptized him. He broke into tears and said, “I just know I’m nothing without Christ!”

Next, you know you’re born again when you are an overcomer. This might seem like works based-religion on the surface; as if the Lord was saying, “Work hard by yourself; pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, and when you do that, I’ll reward you with my gracious offer.” not at all. The same Apostle who wrote this also wrote in 1 John 5:4-5, “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” Faith is the empty hand which lays hold of all Christ has accomplished by His death and resurrection. When we lay hold of Christ by faith, our sins are removed because there is no sin in Him. When we lay hold of Christ by faith, death cannot hold us, because He is the true victor of that dark domain. All that is in Christ is yours when you believe, and that is why your faith overcomes the world. Admit you need Christ, and believe. 

God’s Warning, v. 8

I am often astounded at the ways I can pronounce the greatest news in all the world, and watch it all go over people’s heads like it means nothing. If you want a picture of human depravity, just consider the way God in His perfect character can make an eternally gracious offer such as this without expecting anything in return, and yet still be rejected. I’ve told you nothing but good news which has been guaranteed for us by the resurrection, but Christ’s resurrection also guarantees strict consequences should we refuse. Paul makes this clear in Acts 17:30-31,

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

In other words, as surely as Christ rose from the dead, all of us are going to stand before God on the day of judgment. The day of judgment will sentence all men to one of two places based on one of two decisions they make: you can reject Christ in sin, or you can receive Christ by faith.

We can either rip up our Bibles now, or we can just face the reality that we serve a holy God who is going to punish sin. Just as any society cannot function without some kind of retribution for lawlessness, so God has an eternal prison called the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14:10-11 describes eternal damnation with such language as being forced to drink the wine of the wrath of God out of the cup of His indignation, the torment of fire and brimstone, and such suffering which produces smoke that ascends forever and ever. The most vivid description of damnation comes to us in Luke 16:19-31, where Jesus Himself spoke of a rich man who went to hell. There, the rich man had a body, could see, speak, and feel everything; such that the rich man requested a single drop of water to ease the suffering. The man was told to remember the good things he had, which signals to us that hell consists of physiological suffering as well; all of the damned will know the love of God was available, yet refused. The rich man is also assured that there will be no escape from his condition. Once in hell, always in hell. 

Here’s a few things people say when confronted with hell: Are you trying to scare me? I don’t need to try to do anything when simply stating what the Bible teaches about hell. There is no reality that is more dreadfully fear-inducing than that of eternal damnation; to be cut off forever from the lovingkindness of God, and be forced to drink His wrath. If you aren’t saved, you’d be a fool for not being scared of hell. A little healthy fear of hell may be the most precious gift you could get today! You may need to think about the possibility of enduring day after day, night after night, year after year, endless ages piled on top of endless ages of suffering, and the end still not being anywhere in sight. That is hell. Hell is real. Hell will be full. You need to get real and be sure that you and your loved ones aren’t going there.  

Next, people say, “How could anyone deserve this?” Do a quick scan over the vice list provided here, and you will see that the Character of man is deserving of the Lake of Fire. These are the cowardly: the ones who fell away from Christ and His Word when the going got tough. These are the abominable: they live lifestyles that are morally disgusting to God. These are sorcerers (pharmakos): those who abuse drugs, and refuse to stay in control of their mental capacities. These are idolaters: those who give themselves to the love of lesser things, rather than worship God rightly. These are liars: those whose lives are not defined by the Spirit of truth. These are just a few of the sins listed. These sins aren’t merely committed against finite beings, they’re committed against an infinitely good and glorious God. That’s why hell is eternal (Rev. 20:10 & 15). Because God’s goodness endures forever, His justice against evil also burns forever. 

Scripture calls this suffering the second death. The only other option available to you is the second birth in God’s offer. As many preachers have said in the past, you can be born twice and die once, or you can be born once and die twice. Why would you ever face the second death when such mercy is available to you in Christ? The agony of being rejected by God was endured by Christ when He cried “Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?” The pain of God’s wrath was endured by Christ as He hung on the cross. The penalty of every sin was paid, the curse of the law was removed, and the victory of Jesus is now yours if you will believe; why would you refuse? 

Conclusion

The old country farmer sat down with his friend who was soon to die of cancer. They shared some time reminiscing about the old days, the fun they had, the experiences they shared, and so on. Eventually, the conversation swung to more serious matters. The old farmer looked at his terminal friend and said, “You’ve lived a full life, and the end is soon. Are you scared to meet God?” To that, he received an answer he didn’t expect. His friend replied, “I’ve lived a full life. The end is soon. But I’m not scared. To the contrary, I’m looking forward to it.” How does the Christian face death without fear? How do we know God’s character to save, offer to save, and condition, and warnings with salvation are all true? Because He lives. 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,

I'll fight life's final war with pain.

And then as death gives way to victory,

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.