His Perfect Love

Matt VanderVen: The book of Revelation is rarely taught in pulpits all across America, but when we don't study it, we're really missing out on hope and victory. God is very clear. He says, "Don't seal this. This should be taught." And I believe that that is something that every pastor that stands in a church somewhere is going to answer to Jesus Christ because this was a command. It was not a suggestion.

He says, "You do not seal this book," for the words in this are what my people need to hear. It is my love song, it is my love letter, it is my exhortation. Is there any coincidence that so many people are fearful of the book of Revelation and they've been given that fear, that they stay away from it, and they individually don't read it? And even if they do try to read it, they say, "I can't understand it."

Jesus knew that he was going to give true and real hope here, and yet the enemy wants to do nothing but remove that from our minds so that we wallow in fear instead of rise up in victory.

Guest (Male): Welcome to His Perfect Love with Pastor Matt VanderVen. You've picked a good day to join us. On today's program, we wrap up our journey through Revelation. Now, if you knew that a special guest was coming over to your house later on today, you'd probably want to do a few things to prepare, maybe tidy things up a bit. Today, we'll learn that Jesus is coming soon, but what should we do to prepare in the meantime? We're about to find out. Here is Pastor Matt.

Matt VanderVen: So, warning is given, either by the same angel or it could be Jesus. It doesn't say specifically here. This is in direct contrast, really, to the Old Testament prophecy. Remember Daniel chapter 12, verse 9? Daniel was told to seal it until the end of times.

But here: "Do not seal the words of this prophecy of the book, for the time is at hand." Because the time is at hand, as history now is unfolding this very prophecy and the consummation of all things, God has said, "Don't seal it. It's time." And we're seeing that today. We're living in the end times. It's not a mystery. It's not sealed. That's what that idea is, but it has been revealed.

What is the very title of this book in the Greek? The Unveiling. I just heard somebody say the Apocalypsos, right? That's the Greek word. And what does that word mean in a direct translation? It means unveiling. It's not the revelation of John. I mean, some of your Bibles may say that, but remember that's been added by man. The original Greek manuscripts—any of them that did have that—it's the unveiling of Christ. It's his unveiling. The mystery what was once sealed has now been unsealed.

And yet, I want you to think very clear. Maybe even growing up, men seal the book of Revelation in defiance to God's command by not teaching and not reading this book. I just want you to think about that, growing up. How many times did you hear the book of Revelation taught when you were in your elementary school, middle school, or high school?

When you were in your churches, how many of you had at least over 15 years had the book of Revelation taught at least twice, maybe? Depends on how long the pastor goes. But you get the point. And God is very clear. He says, "Don't seal this. This should be taught." And I believe that that is something that every pastor that stands in a church somewhere is going to answer to Jesus Christ because this was a command. It was not a suggestion.

He says, "You do not seal this book," for the words in this are what my people need to hear. It is my love song, it is my love letter, it is my exhortation. Is there any coincidence that so many people are fearful of the book of Revelation and they've been given that fear, that they stay away from it, and they individually don't read it? And even if they do try to read it, they say, "I can't understand it."

So much tied into the excuses and into the aspect of this, and it's because Jesus knew that he was going to give true and real hope here. And yet the enemy wants to do nothing but remove that from our minds so that we wallow in fear instead of rise up in victory. Remember what he said, those that are not coming into the Kingdom of God? He was very clear about that. Remember he said those who stand out, it's those who are not courageous, the cowardly.

We don't often think about that, but that's what he said. Look at verse 11 here as we're continuing on: "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still, and he who is holy, let him be holy still." So, the thought here is probably since Jesus is coming so suddenly, there won't be time for change.

The idea of when he comes, as we all know because we read the beginning of Revelation, it's going to happen so quick that they'll go through the Great Tribulation, they're going to reject him. It's not that his word or gospel isn't going forward; even in the Great Tribulation, it is. But people will be so hard-pressed to just make excuses. You see, there'll be no time.

What he's really warning against is that idea of just assuming there's time for repentance, there's just time to give your life to Christ. Many a men and women have done that throughout centuries because they say, "Well, tomorrow it'll be different." How many of you have taken New Year's resolutions? New Year's resolutions. I think one of the most popular ones is dieting or "I'm going to lose weight."

I laugh. It's a test of character in mine, in my opinion. It's a matter of will. I'm insulting myself in that, by the way. Because every year we'll take these resolutions and then not even a month or two later, how many of you have broken that resolution? I have yet to meet somebody that kept the resolution through the whole year. Maybe you'll come up to me afterwards and share your testimony and I'll bring that into second service.

But the idea here is that there is no time for a last-minute repentance. The time is now. It's why he says the day of salvation is before you; it is now. If you're sitting here this morning and you're like, "Yes, but I'm just getting back on my feet. I've been struggling with this. I've been in and out of drug council, I've been in and out of counseling for sexual pornography, I've been in and out of these things," what are you waiting for?

Don't wait till you think you're going to get your life together and everything's going to come... No, he's saying, "I want to save you now." We forget that heaven is full of forgiven sinners, not perfect men and women. Where did that idea ever come from, that kind of legalism, that all of a sudden heaven is full of these perfect people? No, anyone who is perfect is because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

There's not going to be time for a last-minute repentance. Don't try to wait till you feel like you've got it together or you're just a little bit better. No, come to Jesus Christ. The time is now. And if what you've read in Revelation hasn't changed you, then I have to ask: do you have a heartbeat?

Jesus has reached out to you individually here and on the airwaves and he's said to you, "I love you. I've given my life for you. I've not asked you to figure it out. What I have begun, I will finish the good work in you. All I've asked you to do is believe on me and allow me to do that work of sanctification, that work of cleansing and writing of your life." It's something I've said from the beginning, and the Lord gave it to me: salvation is in a moment, sanctification is a lifetime.

And there's sometimes one step forward, two steps back. That's never Christ. That's us taking back control, picking it back up. Some of you know what I mean. But when we lay it down... I just heard my wife share with me, Lisa, something that was beautiful. She shared the idea of a camel in Israel. A camel will immediately kneel or get low. It'll pick up its passenger or whatever it's carrying.

It will rise back up and it will carry it to the location wherever its master desires to go. And then finally, when it gets to that place where the master has brought the person riding the camel, the camel goes back down and it lays it down. It lays the person, it drops whatever it was carrying where it was supposed to bring it. He doesn't turn around and go, "Okay, I'm going to head back. I'd better put the stuff back on."

The camel understands, "I'm a servant." It's a beautiful thing not to have to have an opinion about that. I simply go where my master tells me to go. I pick up what he tells me to pick up. I lay down what he tells me to lay down. And I just live my life that way, and I find contentment and joy in that. How many of you want that here this morning? Because that's the rich and abundant life in Jesus Christ.

In that life, there's no anxiety. There's no fear. There's no worry. It's truly the abundant life. It's only when our opinions and what we see we become dismayed with. Walvoord says if the warnings of this book are not sufficient, then there is no more that God can say or has to say. That's the point of the book.

If you have heard all of this, verses 1 through 21 here, and you choose to stay unjust and you choose to stay filthy, he'll leave you that way. He'll give you over to your debased mind. This is terrifying to me. This is terrifying. But that's what free will looks like. He's a gentleman.

Verse 12, he tells us, "Behold, I'm coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." So, he says there's an urgency and a warning and all that Jesus tells us about his coming and just as we read in Matthew chapter 24, verse 44, the idea of be expectant, be ready, he's told us.

And he says, "My reward is with me." Jesus will give to everyone according to his work. Does that mean that we're saved by our works here, friends? No. But it does show that how we live out our faith matters to God. And you can read more about that in James chapter 2, verse 20 and Titus chapter 3, verse 8. How we live our lives matters to God.

It's not, "Well, God will just understand," or "God knows me," or "He knows I'm trying." No. What matters to God is the motive of heart, the willingness of heart. Not that we all arrive; we don't. But are we trying? We can say we are, but does the audio and video match? When we try to eat, there is intention behind it. It might cause you to get up and have to walk to buy food, to procure it, to maybe go to the market, come home, cook it, or prepare it.

There's a whole lot of intention and effort that is given to finally do what? Eat. But there's a lot of work that goes into that. And there's a lot of intention and planning and money and working to have money and all the things that go with that. Why do we think that we don't need to put that same kind of intention and thought into our prayer life, into our spiritual formation, into our walking out the words of Christ in our life, like it's just going to happen?

Ever close your eyes and play darts? Don't do that. And especially don't be around the board when somebody does try to do that. But it's interesting because if you close your eyes and play darts—and I will not confirm nor deny if I have ever done this—but when you throw the dart, it's amazing. You have in your mind's eye where you think the board is, and it's striking because it can be as much as two to three feet to the left or right.

That's because we get off. And the sad thing is we don't realize it, because it's little and it's subtle. It's kind of like sin. We make one compromise. "I'll come over there in a minute." And we kind of keep compromising. We look back and say, "I know, Lord," and then we compromise again. And then we come back and say, "Okay, but if I don't cut it off, I don't want to hurt people's feelings, okay," and then next thing you know, we're way over here and we don't even realize just how far from God we really are.

How did that happen? Well, it wasn't because we sprinted. It wasn't because the devil was like, "I'm just picking you up and bringing you right over there." It's because it's a very subtle, slow fade. And he's warning us against that. He says, "Look, I'm the Alpha and the Omega." He's declaring, "I'm the beginning and the end. I'm the first and the last. I've seen it all. I know it all. Nobody is going to get around this any other way."

Jesus reminds us who he is. If we really knew and understood who Jesus is, we would not have any trouble being ready for his return. We wouldn't have any trouble believing him. We wouldn't be wrestling with the things we wrestle with. The Alpha and Omega is applied to God in so many different times throughout Scripture, and here alone to Jesus Christ, it's establishing the proof in this book of Christ's deity.

He wants us to see that. That's why he used Alpha and Omega. The first and the last, it's irrefutable proof that Jesus is Lord. "I am the Lord. I am the first and the last. I am he." Isaiah chapter 41, verse 4. He wants to make it very clear. And then the blessing follows after that because he has the authenticity, he has the right. And so now he can begin to give the blessing.

"Blessed are those who do his commandments." That's where he begins with. Blessed by following God in his word. You're going to be blessed. Your life will be blessed, eternally, spiritually, many times physically and emotionally. "That they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates of the city." Doing his commandments is the evidence that we have been given the right or better understanding.

He's granted authority of this tree of life and it comes through our faith in Jesus Christ alone. Plus, there's a blessing for doing his commands because they're good and they're right for us. And I like that. It makes sense to me. And again, the New King James is a little bit clunky in this one where it says, "those who do his commandments." Some translations have "those who have their robes washed" instead.

I think the difference is between the ancient Greek words. I won't even try to pronounce the Greek word here, but it means washed their robes, or the other Greek word that many of us have in our New King James, which is to do his commandments. The idea here is he who has their robes washed, but those who have placed their faith and received Jesus Christ as Lord.

It's really the culmination of both. If you've been given a robe, remember that's the inheritance of being a born-again child in Christ. And so, "do his commandments" can mean both. You've been cleansed and washed, and you understand that it's your role and responsibility and privilege to follow him.

Look at verse 15 here with me: "But outside are dogs and sorcerers, sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie." Deuteronomy 23:18 gives us a pretty good translation of this idea, dogs. Dogs were male prostitutes, and it was understood more plainly as a scavenger, one who would just eat anything, go to anything filthy.

Think of a scavenger just scavenging around eating all the unclean things. And sorcerers, I want you to think about drug users and drug dealers. Sexually immoral, that's our word for porno or pornography, those that dabble in pornography and unclean things like that. Murderers, I think we all understand what that is. And he said those outside.

This verse doesn't intend to teach us that there is an eternal state of wicked men just living outside of the heavenly city. We know that they're going to be in the lake of fire. That's not a question. It's giving us the understanding that they cannot come into the heavenly city. That's what he wants us to see here.

Verse 16: "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the church. I am the root and offspring and the bright and morning star." Jesus authenticates the entire book, kind of like stamps it with his fingerprints, with his words. And as was said by the angel in chapter 22, verse 6, Jesus' words are faithful and true.

It's like his biometric signature: faithful, true. Enter. His word, his inspiration validates it. It's also worth noting that this is a reference to the church since the letters are to the seven churches. Do you remember that? Revelation chapter 2 and 3. And then the root and the offspring of David.

This is the messianic title that we read about in Isaiah chapter 11, verse 1. It shows that Jesus is both the creator of King David and his promised descendant and heir. Just process that for a moment. Jesus both spoke to this same idea back in Matthew chapter 22, verses 41 through 46, the next book that we'll be in after we finish here this morning.

And he says bright and morning star. Again, this is another messianic title from the Old Testament, Numbers chapter 24, verse 17, and the New Testament in Revelation chapter 2, verse 28. Christ as the morning star heralds a new day. The new day arrives. Makes me remember what he said: "My mercies are made new each and every morning."

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." And again, it's an invitation to those that are spiritually thirsty to come to Jesus. Be used of God to share this invitation.

How many of you have gone in and ever shared a message? Whether it's from this church or any church, we've got such technology. You can click a button: forward, share, post, or whatever it is. And he says, "Take of the water of life freely." It's an open invitation to receive salvation from Jesus. He will not exclude anyone that comes to him.

That's good news. It's also an opportunity while being a responsibility. Does everybody see that? And I think that's important because if we decline an invitation, we have only ourselves to question. It's fitting that this great invitation closes the book of Revelation and our Bibles. The invitation is what he closes it out with.

I wonder what's on his heart? Salvation, eternal relationship with him, communication, dwelling with him. You think it matters to Jesus? Of course it does. Verse 18 and 19 here: "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, and if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of the 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."

Either Jesus or the angel there, maybe good reason to believe that Jesus gave this solemn warning. I think it was Jesus, not the angel, personally. But he says if anyone adds or if anyone takes away. There is a high price to pay for tampering with the book, really any word of God, but the book of Revelation specifically, and scripture in general. Don't skip a single verse, a jot or tittle.

One of the beauties of the way the Lord has allowed us here: he's given us his holy word; men and women have died so we could have this book in our hand. And we go line by line and verse by verse. That's not happenstance. As I mentioned, when Jesus Christ came to the earth 2,000 years ago, he would go into the synagogues and he would open and read from the very scrolls.

As a matter of fact, we have the testimony of that in the Gospels: reading from the book of Isaiah and then giving application, which was what he would do. The Holy Spirit gives application to you and I today. But Jesus, at that time under the way that it would be done in a synagogue, is at that point a man would stand up after the word was given and then they would give, as part of a Hebrew service, an application. And Jesus stood up and said, "I am the fulfillment of this very word that you've just read here with me."

There's no question of whether he was declaring himself to be Messiah. Absolutely he was. And he promised and kept every one of his promises. Over 500 different promises that if you go back through your Old Testament and portions even of your New Testament already that Jesus Christ has accomplished what he said he would accomplish.

Statistically, if you look at the probability of any other person first of all even being able to do that, it's astounding. It's near impossible. It'd be like you've heard the old saying, taking a coin, marking it with a red dot, throwing it in the state of Texas up to five feet deep. It's a visualization to help people understand just how unlikely it could have been any other person other than Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.

He didn't get to choose where he was born. Well, he did because he's God. But no other human being got to choose where they were born. Did you get to choose what family you were born into? Did you get to choose where you were going to live and grow up? Did you get to choose who your mom and dad were? No. There were so many things written about where he would come from.

We just skip over it. Christmas, we're going to read it: born of a virgin Mary. Joseph was not his father biologically. The Holy Spirit come from a virgin. That was prophesied in Isaiah well 700 years before Christ even came to earth. I mean, we could spend the next hour literally going through these things and studying them. I love that.

We have them up on the website and up on the church app because I've gone through some of these things when I've read through just hundreds of prophecies. There's over 1,200 cataloged of different things that you have. Twenty-seven percent of your Bible is prophecy. And so far, God is 100% for 100%, and he will be.

There's nothing else like it. There's no other book you have that's like that. There's no other historical narrative you have. There's no other person that's come forward with predictions that is that accurate. And God is 100% for 100%. And that's why these last words matter so much.

Guest (Male): Pastor Matt VanderVen on the perfect track record of God in each of his prophecies. And this is His Perfect Love. Well, we just completed our journey through Revelation. Were you blessed and encouraged by it? If so, we'd like to know.

There's a place to contact us on our website, hisperfectlove.org. And that's also the place to turn to listen to any of our studies in Revelation in case you missed a few. That's hisperfectlove.org. We're thankful for the listeners that come alongside of us with their prayers and financial support.

If you're interested in supporting this radio ministry, there's a place to do that at hisperfectlove.org. Together, we can reach people with the love and truth of God in these last days. Pastor Matt loves to hear from his listeners, even just a quick hello telling him where you hear the program and how you're blessed by it means a lot.

Email us there at the website, hisperfectlove.org. And whether you live in or around Mechanicsburg, PA or will be visiting the area soon, we'd love to have you join us for a service at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek service too, Wednesdays at 7:00 PM.

You'll find us at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. What's next? You may be wondering. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin a new and helpful study in Ecclesiastes. That's here on His Perfect Love with Pastor Matt VanderVen.

His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.