This is the thirty-eighth in a series of verse-by-verse expositions of the book of Revelation. This message was delivered at Hillcrest Baptist Church on January 24, 2016. This message looks at God’s last call for salvation. This post contains an audio recording of my message, along with my sermon notes. Please note that the sermon notes are not necessarily a full transcript.
SERMON AUDIO:
SERMON NOTES:
V.6:
He we see one last presentation of the Gospel, before the gavel of judgment falls. This is the last moment to repent and believe before God’s wrath is poured out.
This timeless, eternal message goes out to all people, just as it always has. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, since the beginning of time, has always had all of humanity in view. Hence these famous “whosoever” proclamations.
- John 3:16
- Romans 10:13
And now, the plea is made one last time.
V.7:
What are the three main elements of the Gospel which the angel preaches? Conviction, conversion, and consecration.
1. Fear God:
This is conviction! At this point, there will be plenty of fear in the world, but it will be misplaced. People will fear each other, they will fear the antichrist, but they won’t fear God. The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
- Proverbs 9:10
Since people’s fears will be misplaced, their values will be misplaced also. They won’t have Godly wisdom or understanding. We aren’t told to fear Satan or the Antichrist. We aren’t told to fear each other, we are told to fear God!
- Matthew 10:28
Our world today suffers from a severe lack of a fear of God. If you do not fear God, then you do not truly acknowledge His supreme and absolute authority over you. The conviction of the Holy Spirit brings a fear of God, which will usually lead one to salvation. That’s when number 2 kicks in.
2. Give God Glory:
This is the conversion. The saved will always glorify God, while the unsaved will not.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20
- Romans 1:21
When we glorify God, it brings us to number 3.
3. Worship Him:
This is the consecration (to declare something to be sacred). When we worship God, we are recognizing His holiness and sacredness. Worship is the overflow of a heart filled with fear, awe, love and praise for God. It is the pouring out of your soul as an offering, and laying you own life on the altar. You will truly be able to say:
- Revelation 4:11
Notice that in this last presentation of the Gospel, God is identified as the Creator. This is important for two reasons:
1. Being the Creator establishes ownership. That means God is in charge, God is in control, and God makes the rules. This means that He has complete ability and authority to do what He is about to do.
2. The creation is the great, indisputable proof of God.
- Psalm 19:1
- Romans 1:20
As such, people are without excuse.
The entire universe testifies to the fact that there is a creator. The orderly and consistent laws of physics, the perfectly designed construction of matter, the perfect balance of elements and living organisms which maintain a habitable ecosystem, and the precise distance of the earth from the sun to neither be too cold nor too hot for life to exist are all proof of God. They all proclaim that our existence was ordered and designed by a creator, not the random consequence of a cosmic burp.
It seems far more of a fantasy to believe that all of these things randomly came together by chance, in just the right order, in just the right time, at just the right place to create such a perfectly interdependent system, in which each piece relies on another, or else none of it works. It is truly a fairy tale to believe that all of that can happen by chance. Thus, the creation is a witness to God, and all who refuse to recognize it are without excuse!
However, if you fear the Creator your conviction will lead you to recognize the true Glory of the Lord, along your own sinfulness and helplessness. Calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation will be the result of the Holy Spirits work of conviction. This leads to true worship.
May we (the church) continue the plea for salvation as long as we have breath. Every moment should be viewed as the last possible moment to repent and believe, for who is guaranteed a tomorrow?
- 2 Corinthians 6:2
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Posted on January 24, 2016
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