November 26, 2020
Worship God for the Time Is Near!
Revelation 22:1–11
Bobby Senter
Central Truth
There is an eternity of peace, perfection, and worship ahead of Christ's followers, but not all of that has to wait! We are encouraged to worship God now, living with a holy urgency where He has placed us and telling those far from Him about their Creator.
Key Verse | Revelation 22:7
"And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."
Revelation 22:1–11
The River of Life
1 Then the angel 1 22:1 Greek he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life 2 22:2 Or the Lamb. In the midst of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
Dive Deeper | Revelation 22:1–11
One of my favorite interactions Jesus had during His ministry involved a broken woman at a well (John 4:14). Christ reveals Himself to her after promising that anyone drinking of the earthly water would be thirsty again, but anyone walking with Him would never be thirsty. He means FOREVER satisfied, and there's a glimpse of what that eternal satisfaction entails in Revelation 21 and 22. The culmination of everything that has happened since man left God in Genesis 3 is completed in Christ, the living water, central in the Capital City of eternity. It has none of the hurt or pain of the broken world, but God's people will live in the fullness and beauty of God Almighty. The cherry on top: He will allow us to reign with King Jesus forever! (Revelation 22:3-5) Perfection. That is hard to fully understand and is the biggest deal!
The woman at the well reminds me of myself, trying to drink up as much earthly water as possible and still wanting something more before Christ. Even after knowing God and His goodness, it is crazy how often I am more focused on this world than on the truth that I will dwell with God forever. I frequently catch myself worshiping the things of this world (God's creation) over eternal things (God Himself). I have to remind myself that the greatest parts of this world will not fulfill apart from Christ (even the awesome list in my bio above), and the worst parts of this world will not last (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)!
So what do we do until God calls us home? We "Worship God" (Revelation 22:9), as He invites us to participate in eternal things with Him now! We "[d]o not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near." (Revelation 22:10) We share His love and His words with everyone He places in our lives. (Matthew 28:19-20) We focus on God TODAY, and He will do what He has always done: use broken people to bring broken people to His Kingdom. That opportunity may not be here tomorrow!
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus tells us in John 14:2-6 that He left this earth to prepare a place for His people and that they can personally know the way to that place. He means eternity with God, so the big question is will you be there? Have you trusted in the Way, and are you ready to meet the Lord?
2. If you are a Christ follower, eternity started when you trusted in Him, and that should change how we live! How are you doing at spending time daily getting to know the Father, communing with Him throughout your day, and living according to His purpose for your life? If you feel stuck or are struggling, come check out re:generation, Watermark's 12-step spiritual recovery ministry.
3. How concerned are you about telling others about the hope you have in eternity? When was the last time you shared your faith? A simple place to start is by considering how often the things of God are brought up in your home!
4. God has entrusted His people to steward what He has given them on earth. This includes time, money, talents, etc. How are you doing at using these things for eternal treasure versus things we will leave behind on earth? See Matthew 6:19-21.