December 22, 2022
An Invitation Without Price
Revelation 22
Bobby Crotty
Central Truth
Are you thirsty? Does the "water of life" sound enticing? Can you afford something that is "without price"? Will you accept this invitation? Can you afford not to?
Key Verse | Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Revelation 22
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.”
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, 3 22:14 Some manuscripts do his commandments so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. 4 22:21 Some manuscripts all the saints Amen.
Episode 254: Revelation 22
Listen NowDive Deeper | Revelation 22
Let's not be coy. We are The Journey family here, right? When I hear something is free, I go the other way. I know there is always a catch. Free puppies? Years of vet bills, dog food purchases, land mines in the backyard, walks looking like a human windmill of leash management, and furnados being shed daily. And I am a dog person! But I have to admit that our dog Duke makes it easy to say yes to all the costs. So worth it.
WARNING—let's keep being real. This offer of "the water of life without price" in Revelation 22:17 comes with some fine print. The invitation is "without price," but it is not without cost. It cost Jesus His life and the anguish of a separation from the fellowship He had enjoyed since eternity past with the Father and the Spirit. And it will also cost you your life. But is it worth it? Would you give up your life for a relationship with the One who created you, loves you with a perfect love, gave up His life to pay for yours, and has plans for you and things for you to do that caused the Holy Spirit to describe you as God's masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)? Every day and twice on Sunday. So worth it.
It is worth seeing the face of the Lamb, being identified with Him, living in His light, reigning with Him (Revelation 22:4-5). It is worth sharing in the tree of life and in the holy city (Revelation 22:19). It is worth leaving behind my pride in the wrong things, my trust in the temporary and transient, my anger over the insignificant and eternally irrelevant. Sin . . . no more, tears . . . no more, sorrow . . . no more. So worth it.
Jesus tells us that He is coming soon (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). Have you accepted His offer of life with Him forever? If so, your eternal life has already started! If not, what's holding you back? It is . . . so worth it.
Discussion Questions
1. There are really only two days that count—today and THAT DAY. What are you doing today to be ready for THAT DAY?
2. Whom are you investing your life in? What can you do today to encourage them?
3. One day, every believer in Christ will stand before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Are you ready? If you knew Jesus were coming back next week, what would you change about your life? How can you start changing that today?
Thanks for being a part of Join The Journey in 2022. We hope you have enjoyed the new things we have tried this year. Let us know in the comments the things we should keep doing, the things we should stop doing, and anything we should start doing. Join The Journey will resume on January 2, 2023. More new things for JTJ in 2023. Come and see! Thanks for being on The Journey with us!