WEBVTT 00:00:11.339 --> 00:00:13.240 For another moment with the heart of thanksgiving, 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:15.599 why don't you lift your hands? Why don't you 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:17.239 make it personal? Why don't you tell them what 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:20.420 you're thankful for? Jesus, thank you for waking 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:23.379 me up this morning. Thank you, God, for food 00:00:23.379 --> 00:00:27.019 on my table and clothes on my back. God, thank 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:30.839 you for a family. Thank you, God, for a church. 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:34.079 Thank you, God, that you've given me a hope and 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:38.179 a future. I love you, Lord Jesus. I thank you 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:41.939 today from the bottom of my heart. I so desperately 00:00:41.939 --> 00:00:45.439 need you, Lord. I'm nothing without you. Thank 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:47.479 you, Lord, for everything that you have done. 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:50.740 Thank you, Lord, for everything that you are. 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:54.679 I give you thanks tonight. You are worthy, Jesus. 00:00:55.039 --> 00:01:00.960 You are worthy, Jesus. I think it's pretty awesome 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:03.439 once you start to magnify the Lord. His presence 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:08.040 comes in every single time. It works every time 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:11.280 it's tried. The presence of God is here today, 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:13.260 and I'm looking forward to everything that God 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:16.159 is going to do during our time together tonight. 00:01:16.579 --> 00:01:18.980 In the name of Jesus, the Lord bless you. You 00:01:18.980 --> 00:01:22.780 may be seated today. As was mentioned, tonight 00:01:22.780 --> 00:01:26.840 we're going to wrap up our series on the book 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:30.019 of Revelation. Tonight is the final lesson, and 00:01:30.019 --> 00:01:33.159 the title for this series is The Revelation of 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:37.439 Jesus Christ. Because Jesus truly, he was revealed 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:40.939 in the entire Bible. Even back in the Old Testament, 00:01:41.019 --> 00:01:45.200 there are... types, there are shadows, there 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:48.299 are prophecies that point us to Jesus. So when 00:01:48.299 --> 00:01:50.340 you come across the New Testament and it's the 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:52.260 first time that you read about Jesus here on 00:01:52.260 --> 00:01:53.859 earth, that's not the first time he's mentioned. 00:01:54.019 --> 00:01:56.299 That's not the first time that he is revealed. 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:59.920 The entire Bible reveals Jesus and the gospels, 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:02.299 of course, that's his life here on earth. The 00:02:02.299 --> 00:02:04.859 things that he literally did, the places he literally 00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:08.139 went to, the things that he literally said, and 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:10.879 then the rest of the New Testament, the acts 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.469 of the apostles, the history of the church, also 00:02:13.469 --> 00:02:17.189 the epistles, those are Paul's and other writers' 00:02:17.409 --> 00:02:21.120 attempts to... encourage us to follow Jesus's 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.159 example and to obey his commandments. So Jesus 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:26.840 is revealed throughout the entire Bible, including 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:30.300 that final book of the Bible, that book of Revelation, 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:34.599 the book of prophecy. In fact, the title of this 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:36.960 series, they are the first five words of the 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:39.659 book of Revelation, chapter one, verse one, the 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:43.560 revelation of Jesus Christ, because that is the 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:46.800 point of this book of Revelation. It is not to 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.960 mystify us. It is to magnify him. It is not to 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:53.740 cause us to be fearful. It is to cause us to 00:02:53.740 --> 00:02:57.840 be faithful to him. It's all about him. Verse 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:01.139 1, it continues to tell us that this book is 00:03:01.139 --> 00:03:06.469 intended to show unto his servants. things which 00:03:06.469 --> 00:03:09.750 must shortly come to pass. The objective of this 00:03:09.750 --> 00:03:14.330 book is revelation, not speculation. In fact, 00:03:14.370 --> 00:03:16.189 and I mentioned this last week, and you may have 00:03:16.189 --> 00:03:20.430 noticed, I have really stuck to revealing Jesus 00:03:20.430 --> 00:03:23.129 in this book because he is the source of joy. 00:03:23.409 --> 00:03:25.949 He is the only source of peace. He's the only 00:03:25.949 --> 00:03:29.590 source of victory. And so we may not know what 00:03:29.590 --> 00:03:31.969 the future holds. We may not know everything 00:03:31.969 --> 00:03:34.789 about the end times, but if we know Jesus, if 00:03:34.789 --> 00:03:37.110 we love him, Jesus, if we serve Jesus, if we 00:03:37.110 --> 00:03:39.789 have a relationship with Jesus, well, then everything's 00:03:39.789 --> 00:03:41.909 going to be all right because we have prioritized 00:03:41.909 --> 00:03:44.349 the most important thing. We have a relationship 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:48.090 with Jesus Christ. But if you're anything like 00:03:48.090 --> 00:03:50.550 me, and I'm sure many people are, when you first 00:03:50.550 --> 00:03:52.669 think of the book of Revelation, perhaps that 00:03:52.669 --> 00:03:54.969 first thought that comes to your mind has to 00:03:54.969 --> 00:03:57.689 do with the tribulation. Maybe it has to do with 00:03:57.689 --> 00:04:00.449 the Antichrist. Maybe it has to do with the mark 00:04:00.449 --> 00:04:03.439 of the beast. In fact, after last week's lesson, 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:05.599 it was not just one or two, I think it was three 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:08.379 or four people had actually asked me if I was 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:12.240 post -trib, meaning that I believe that the church 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:15.199 will be raptured after the entirety of the seven 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:17.240 years of tribulation. They had asked me that, 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:19.959 and it was a fair question, because I had discussed 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:22.639 all of the tribulation that Revelation discusses. 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.600 I went over all of that, talking about how we 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:29.230 need to persevere. Again, this is personally 00:04:29.230 --> 00:04:31.750 me, but the more that I read and study the book 00:04:31.750 --> 00:04:34.269 of Revelation and other end time prophecies in 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:36.870 the Bible, the more uncertain I am that I know 00:04:36.870 --> 00:04:39.810 exactly the way it's going to happen. It's a 00:04:39.810 --> 00:04:41.949 little beyond my grasp, if I'm being honest with 00:04:41.949 --> 00:04:45.689 you. So my point is not that I know when the 00:04:45.689 --> 00:04:48.089 church will be raptured. The point of that is 00:04:48.089 --> 00:04:50.350 to say that whether we are here for none of the 00:04:50.350 --> 00:04:53.129 tribulation, some of the tribulation, all of 00:04:53.129 --> 00:04:55.769 the tribulation, we have to endure. We have to 00:04:55.769 --> 00:05:00.000 persevere. We have to bring God glory. Also last 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.980 week, I had made a brief mention about the Antichrist, 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.199 a brief mention about the Mark of the Beast. 00:05:05.300 --> 00:05:07.300 There are a lot of other themes, but we really 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:09.660 didn't get into many of those details because 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:12.199 the point of this series is to celebrate that 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:15.720 Jesus overcomes all of it. The point of the book 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:19.680 of Revelation is not speculation, but it does 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:22.620 not mean that speculating, if done responsibly, 00:05:22.699 --> 00:05:26.050 is a bad thing. It's not at all. I personally, 00:05:26.170 --> 00:05:28.709 me, Mark Fowler, I do not have enough knowledge 00:05:28.709 --> 00:05:31.569 about the book of Revelation and other end time 00:05:31.569 --> 00:05:33.870 prophecies, nor do I have enough knowledge about 00:05:33.870 --> 00:05:36.410 current events and the current power structure 00:05:36.410 --> 00:05:39.569 within the world for me, Mark Fowler, to be able 00:05:39.569 --> 00:05:42.839 to draw a line between what the Bible says and 00:05:42.839 --> 00:05:45.500 what this prophecy might mean and what that prophecy 00:05:45.500 --> 00:05:48.360 might mean. That's not what I'm able to do. But 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:52.120 there are plenty of people who do speculate responsibly, 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:54.920 if you will. They know a lot about current events. 00:05:55.100 --> 00:05:58.860 They know a lot about the world structure today. 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:01.100 And they're able to draw a line and say, this 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:02.800 might be what the mark of the beast is. This 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:06.720 might be what the Antichrist is. And, of course, 00:06:06.819 --> 00:06:09.180 they're able to draw lines between what they 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:12.000 have studied and read. to our world now and they 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:15.160 can kind of consider that maybe possibly this 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:17.459 is the way it works. And I've heard plenty of 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:20.379 people make good points about how those things 00:06:20.379 --> 00:06:23.399 that we read might relate to the politics and 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:25.600 the culture and even the technology of our day 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:28.000 to day. And I think that's all great. I wish 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:29.839 I knew more because I really do think it's very 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.600 interesting. But the point still stands. The 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.660 point of the book of Revelation. is revelation 00:06:35.660 --> 00:06:38.899 in fact it's not speculation and so if anybody 00:06:38.899 --> 00:06:41.680 were able to read and study for years and years 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:44.459 and years and they had an idea about something 00:06:44.459 --> 00:06:46.819 that they read in the book of revelation and 00:06:46.819 --> 00:06:49.540 they are just so certain that this is exactly 00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:51.379 the way it's going to happen in our world today 00:06:51.379 --> 00:06:55.740 and that process leads them to be fearful then 00:06:55.740 --> 00:06:57.540 they're missing the point. In fact, they're doing 00:06:57.540 --> 00:07:00.300 themselves harm. If somebody were to speculate 00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:03.079 on the book of Revelation and that were to cause 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:05.100 them to be confused, they're missing the point. 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:08.100 That actually does harm. And further, if somebody 00:07:08.100 --> 00:07:11.019 were to study the book of Revelation and just 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:14.379 be so certain that this exact thing and the way 00:07:14.379 --> 00:07:17.040 it's worded is exactly going to happen this way, 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:20.060 well, that also does harm. If somebody were to 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.779 believe, well, what I think is exactly for sure 00:07:22.779 --> 00:07:24.759 going to happen, then that's kind of equation. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:27.500 our opinion with the word of God. That would 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:30.019 be like in the very last chapter of Revelation, 00:07:30.339 --> 00:07:32.899 it says that if we were to take away from the 00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:35.779 book of Revelation, that's like taking away our 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:38.319 name from the book of life. If we were to add 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:40.480 to the book of Revelation, that's the same thing 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:43.480 as adding the plagues that we read about to ourself. 00:07:43.579 --> 00:07:46.759 So that's obviously a pretty bad thing. So that's 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:49.740 not the point of the book of Revelation. One 00:07:49.740 --> 00:07:53.480 example of that. Is if somebody were to be so 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:57.319 convinced for sure in the idea that the church. 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:00.459 Will be raptured after the tribulation. Meaning 00:08:00.459 --> 00:08:03.019 that they are post -trib. But at the same time 00:08:03.019 --> 00:08:05.560 they read the book of Revelation. And they are 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:08.079 so convinced that tribulation is going to happen 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:10.839 exactly this way. And tribulation hasn't even 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:13.899 begun yet. Well that's possible. But for those 00:08:13.899 --> 00:08:17.939 two things to be true. For it to be the fact 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:20.980 that the church will not rapture until the end 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:23.399 of tribulation. But also tribulation hasn't begun 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:25.899 yet. Then that means Jesus is not coming back 00:08:25.899 --> 00:08:29.060 tomorrow. Which is 100%. 100%. possible. And 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:31.660 in fact, statistically speaking, probable that 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:33.720 Jesus isn't coming back tomorrow. But we would 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:35.820 never want to read the book of Revelation, be 00:08:35.820 --> 00:08:38.779 so convinced of that, because if we know for 00:08:38.779 --> 00:08:41.100 sure in our minds that Jesus isn't coming back 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:42.879 tomorrow, then we're not going to follow the 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:44.779 principle of the word of God that says we need 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:47.539 to live every day like Jesus is coming back tomorrow. 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:51.059 So speculation is great. Researching, having 00:08:51.059 --> 00:08:54.039 ideas, fantastic. But the point of the book of 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:57.659 Revelation is that Jesus would be revealed. The 00:08:57.659 --> 00:09:00.340 point of the revelation of Jesus Christ is that 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:03.139 we would live every day like Jesus is coming 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:05.679 back tomorrow. I think it would be a shame for 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:08.159 somebody to spend years of research and have 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:10.559 all these ideas about every element of revelation. 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:12.320 And they're just so convinced that it's going 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:14.879 to happen exactly this way. And that's their 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:17.120 focus. And they're not prepared for the second 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:19.700 coming of Jesus Christ. Because the point of 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:22.139 the book of Revelation is that we would all be 00:09:22.139 --> 00:09:25.139 ready for when Jesus splits the eastern skies 00:09:25.139 --> 00:09:28.450 and comes back for it. church who has made themselves 00:09:28.450 --> 00:09:31.929 ready. That is the point of the revelation of 00:09:31.929 --> 00:09:34.929 Jesus Christ. Our objective is to reveal Jesus 00:09:34.929 --> 00:09:38.629 in every detail of this book of prophecy because 00:09:38.629 --> 00:09:42.570 this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. We've 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:45.190 split up the book of Revelation into three parts 00:09:45.190 --> 00:09:47.830 that we've gone over the past three weeks. They're 00:09:47.830 --> 00:09:51.809 called prepare, persevere, and prevail. And so 00:09:51.809 --> 00:09:54.070 two weeks ago in our first session, we studied 00:09:54.070 --> 00:09:56.809 chapters one through five to know how to prepare 00:09:56.809 --> 00:09:59.669 and to be ready for the last days. This is chapter 00:09:59.669 --> 00:10:03.470 one, verse three. It tells us, blessed is he 00:10:03.470 --> 00:10:06.250 that readeth and they that hear the words of 00:10:06.250 --> 00:10:09.409 this prophecy and keep those things which are 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:12.570 written therein for the time is at hand. The 00:10:12.570 --> 00:10:15.350 time is near. It tells us that we will be blessed 00:10:15.350 --> 00:10:17.830 if we'll do those three things. We will read. 00:10:18.360 --> 00:10:22.000 hear and keep the words of Jesus Christ. That's 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.519 how we prepare. We must see Jesus for who he 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:27.360 is. We must hear what he is saying to his church, 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:30.580 and we must obey his words and commandments. 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:33.919 I'm thankful today that we can gain revelation 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:37.320 and we can receive instruction, but the blessing 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:41.000 can only come if we also surrender completely. 00:10:41.100 --> 00:10:44.740 We have to do all three things, see, hear, and 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:48.159 obey. Revelation 3 and 20 says that Jesus is 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:50.340 standing at the door and he's knocking. And if 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:52.799 we will hear his voice and we will open that 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:55.759 door, he will come in and have relationship and 00:10:55.759 --> 00:10:59.039 communion with him. And so today, that is the 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:02.899 point of this lesson. Even if we know who Jesus 00:11:02.899 --> 00:11:06.299 is, even if we know his word, we will still miss 00:11:06.299 --> 00:11:08.860 out if we do not obey. We will still miss out 00:11:08.860 --> 00:11:11.720 if we do not surrender. We have to open that 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.539 door to Jesus Christ. That's how we prepare. 00:11:15.240 --> 00:11:18.220 And then last week, we studied Revelation chapter 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:21.980 6 through 18, and we learned how we must persevere 00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:24.980 and endure throughout the last days. This is 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:27.240 chapter 12, verse 11, the main point of last 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:29.980 week's lesson. And they overcame him by the blood 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:32.399 of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:35.480 and they loved not their lives unto the death. 00:11:35.899 --> 00:11:40.299 That is how we persevere. It's by the blood of 00:11:40.299 --> 00:11:42.799 the Lamb. That's that first point. We are standing 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.039 here today only because God made a way. We should 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:49.240 never forget that. We persevere first and foremost 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:51.860 because of the blood of Jesus Christ. We could 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:55.320 never do it by ourselves. We persevere because 00:11:55.320 --> 00:11:58.200 we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:01.320 Also, we persevere by the word of our testimony. 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:04.480 Now, this does have to do with telling other 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:07.399 people what God has done for us. But the main 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:10.460 meaning, the main point of the word of our testimony 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:15.100 is that we ourselves are a witness to the resurrection 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:18.159 of Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost inside of us, 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:20.080 the way that we conduct ourselves, the way that 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:23.639 we act, that is a witness to the world that Jesus 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:27.019 lives. That is the word of our testimony. And 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:29.399 lastly, we persevere because of our complete 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:33.179 devotion to Jesus. That's what it takes to persevere. 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:36.759 We choose sacrifice over convenience. We choose, 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:39.320 refuse to give up, even if it costs us everything. 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:42.899 This verse says that we love not our lives, even 00:12:42.899 --> 00:12:46.519 to the death. Romans 14 and 12 tells us here 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:49.580 is the patience or the endurance or the perseverance 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:52.960 of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:56.620 of God and the faith of Jesus. The patience of 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:59.379 the saints, it says. That is what we see when 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:01.929 we obey, when we have. faith when we surrender. 00:13:02.190 --> 00:13:05.730 And so the next verse, verse 13. 13 tells us, 00:13:05.769 --> 00:13:18.110 Just like the Bible says in 1 Corinthians, your 00:13:18.110 --> 00:13:21.110 labor is not in vain in the Lord. Everything 00:13:21.110 --> 00:13:23.470 that you do for the kingdom of God, it's not 00:13:23.470 --> 00:13:27.070 wasted. It is all for your good and for his glory. 00:13:27.269 --> 00:13:29.990 That's how we persevere. Not because of what 00:13:29.990 --> 00:13:32.629 we can do, but no, it's because of what God has 00:13:32.629 --> 00:13:35.769 already done. not because of who we are it's 00:13:35.769 --> 00:13:38.669 because of who Jesus is it's not because we can 00:13:38.669 --> 00:13:40.830 figure it all out no it's because we've chosen 00:13:40.830 --> 00:13:43.870 to surrender our lives completely to the cause 00:13:43.870 --> 00:13:46.610 of Jesus Christ and so tonight we're going to 00:13:46.610 --> 00:13:49.269 wrap up our series with part three we're going 00:13:49.269 --> 00:13:52.409 to look to Revelation chapters 19 through 22 00:13:52.409 --> 00:13:56.549 because we have prepared because we have persevered 00:13:56.549 --> 00:14:00.590 Jesus promises us that we will prevail prepare 00:14:00.590 --> 00:14:05.399 persevere prevail Back to that main point. If 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:10.679 you do not prepare, you will not persevere. And 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:13.820 if you do not persevere, you will not prevail. 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:19.370 Prepare, persevere, propel. And so that first 00:14:19.370 --> 00:14:22.429 part is that if we do not prepare, we will not 00:14:22.429 --> 00:14:26.049 persevere. That's why Proverbs 22 and 3 tells 00:14:26.049 --> 00:14:29.889 us that a prudent man foresees evil and hideth 00:14:29.889 --> 00:14:33.570 himself. In other words, a wise person will foresee 00:14:33.570 --> 00:14:36.870 danger and they'll take precautions. But the 00:14:36.870 --> 00:14:39.850 simple pass on and they are punished. That means 00:14:39.850 --> 00:14:43.129 that a foolish person goes blindly on and they 00:14:43.129 --> 00:14:46.299 suffer. the consequences. This verse is telling 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:49.720 us that we must prepare now or we will suffer 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:52.919 later. We have to prepare if we are going to 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:55.679 persevere because there is absolutely nothing 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:59.100 in your flesh that is going to want to persevere 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:02.100 if you are not prepared. When tribulation and 00:15:02.100 --> 00:15:03.960 judgment and all these other things we learned 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:05.879 about last week are happening, there's nothing 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:07.679 in our flesh that's going to want to be the only 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:10.299 one to stand for truth if we have not already 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:13.440 prepared in our hearts and in our minds. have 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.879 not already decided to obey the word of God and 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:19.460 his commandments. But there's still one more 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:22.360 step, and that's this. If you do not persevere, 00:15:22.460 --> 00:15:26.029 you will not prevail. Let's look at Hebrews 10 00:15:26.029 --> 00:15:29.610 and 36. It says, For ye have need of patience, 00:15:29.669 --> 00:15:33.090 that after ye have done the will of God, you 00:15:33.090 --> 00:15:36.950 might receive the promise. The promise is tied 00:15:36.950 --> 00:15:40.889 to perseverance. You can only enter into heaven 00:15:40.889 --> 00:15:44.250 if you endure on earth. You can only prevail 00:15:44.250 --> 00:15:48.340 if you persevere. And as we come to the final 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:51.360 chapters of the revelation of Jesus Christ, our 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:54.879 heart should be full of hope and joy and expectancy. 00:15:55.059 --> 00:15:58.600 We have prepared and we have persevered. And 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:03.360 now it's time to celebrate how we prevail. Prevailing 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:07.620 is not just about surviving. Prevailing is conquering. 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:12.100 Prevailing is triumphing. Prevailing is living 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:16.019 fully in the promises of God. The Apostle John, 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:19.759 this is in Revelation 21 and 7, gives us a clear 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.980 promise. He writes, He that overcometh shall 00:16:22.980 --> 00:16:27.100 inherit all things, and I will be his God, and 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:31.679 he shall be my son. These are the benefits or 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:35.399 the blessings of prevailing. Number one, we have 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:39.139 a reward. Number two, we have relationship. And 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:42.740 number three, we are reigning. Reward, going 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:46.639 back to Revelation 21 and 7 here, is when we 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:50.240 inherit all things. Relationship, this verse 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.899 told us that God himself becomes our God and 00:16:52.899 --> 00:16:55.840 we are his children. And that last point is that 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:59.100 we will reign, we will share in his kingdom. 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:03.659 This is the eternal inheritance for those that 00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:06.759 will overcome. Tonight, we will unpack the details 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:09.839 of Revelation 19 through 22, and we will see 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:13.359 how Jesus Christ is revealed in his glory, and 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:16.359 we will learn how prevailing unlocks these three 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:19.720 promises, that we will have reward, relationship, 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.720 and that we will reign. Revelation 19 opens with 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:27.599 a heavenly celebration over the fall. of Babylon 00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:30.720 that we read about last week in chapter 18. Verse 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:33.400 1 tells us, And after these things I heard a 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:36.059 great voice of much people in heaven saying, 00:17:36.279 --> 00:17:39.900 Hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and 00:17:39.900 --> 00:17:43.960 power unto the Lord our God. This verse calls 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:47.519 Jesus the Lord our God. That's singular. This 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.720 is Jesus Christ himself revealed as almighty 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:55.140 God. Jesus Christ is the one who alone has the 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:58.750 power to save. and to judge and to reign. This 00:17:58.750 --> 00:18:03.109 is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And in this 00:18:03.109 --> 00:18:07.069 verse, we read about our reward. If we will endure, 00:18:07.150 --> 00:18:10.470 this verse says that we will see justice executed. 00:18:10.549 --> 00:18:15.930 We will inherit the blessings of God. This verse 00:18:15.930 --> 00:18:18.690 shows that heaven rejoices when the faithful 00:18:18.690 --> 00:18:22.630 ones are vindicated and the wicked ones are judged. 00:18:22.950 --> 00:18:26.730 Verse 2 we go to now. This verse reinforces the 00:18:26.730 --> 00:18:30.049 righteous judgment of God. It tells us that his 00:18:30.049 --> 00:18:33.630 judgments are true and righteous. Jesus judges 00:18:33.630 --> 00:18:37.569 the sin of the world. Jesus avenges the blood 00:18:37.569 --> 00:18:41.670 of his saints. That is relationship. Those that 00:18:41.670 --> 00:18:44.190 have endured, those who have remained faithful, 00:18:44.470 --> 00:18:47.970 God's servants, God's children, they are avenged. 00:18:48.009 --> 00:18:51.849 God sees the blood of his people. He remembers 00:18:51.849 --> 00:18:56.109 every tear. He promises reward and vindication. 00:18:56.390 --> 00:18:59.549 And so down to verse 5, it says, Praise our God, 00:18:59.710 --> 00:19:03.430 all ye servants. Praise our God, all ye that 00:19:03.430 --> 00:19:06.829 fear him. Verse 7, let us be glad and rejoice. 00:19:06.970 --> 00:19:11.269 Let us give honor to him. All of God's servants 00:19:11.269 --> 00:19:14.609 are called to praise him because he and he alone 00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:18.470 is worthy. Jesus is our creator and our savior 00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:21.970 and our judge and our redeemer. This is the revelation 00:19:21.970 --> 00:19:26.650 of Jesus Christ. And so the faithful experience 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:30.569 relationship with the almighty, the faithful 00:19:30.569 --> 00:19:34.910 share in his eternal glory. And now we see the 00:19:34.910 --> 00:19:38.430 triumphant return of Jesus Christ still in chapter 00:19:38.430 --> 00:19:41.890 19. Let's look at verse 11. It says, And I saw 00:19:41.890 --> 00:19:45.109 heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And 00:19:45.109 --> 00:19:47.670 he that sat upon him was called Faithful and 00:19:47.670 --> 00:19:51.089 True. And in righteousness he doth judge and 00:19:51.089 --> 00:19:54.990 make war. In this verse, Jesus is revealed as 00:19:54.990 --> 00:19:58.670 the Lamb and the Lion. He is revealed as Faithful 00:19:58.670 --> 00:20:02.390 and True. He is revealed as Executing Justice 00:20:02.390 --> 00:20:06.019 and bringing victory. This is the revelation 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:11.259 of Jesus Christ. Every trial that we endure points 00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:15.319 to this moment of triumph. Verse 14, the army 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:18.859 of heaven follows him. They are clothed in fine 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:23.380 linen, white and clean. This is similar to back 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:27.059 in the book of Isaiah chapter 61 and 10. It tells 00:20:27.059 --> 00:20:30.039 us that God clothes us with the garments of salvation 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:33.619 and with the robe of righteousness. These are 00:20:33.619 --> 00:20:36.420 the saints. This is the church that has persevered. 00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:39.180 The saints who have prevailed are promised reward. 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:42.740 We will inherit all things. We're promised relationship. 00:20:43.059 --> 00:20:45.900 We are his children. And we're promised that 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:49.160 we will reign. We will share in his authority. 00:20:49.789 --> 00:20:53.309 Verse 16 says, And he hath on his vesture and 00:20:53.309 --> 00:20:57.109 on his thigh a name written, King of kings and 00:20:57.109 --> 00:21:00.710 Lord of lords. Our king is the ultimate ruler. 00:21:00.950 --> 00:21:04.750 Those who prevail will reign with him. This is 00:21:04.750 --> 00:21:09.180 the revelation of Jesus Christ. So down to verse 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:13.559 20, this verse confirms to us the defeat of both 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.500 the prophet, the false prophet, and also the 00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:19.480 beast. Jesus has prevailed. And not only that, 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:23.380 Jesus has caused us to prevail. And here we see 00:21:23.380 --> 00:21:34.940 our reward. Romans 8 and 17 reminds us that we 00:21:34.940 --> 00:21:38.720 are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:43.740 If we prepare and if we persevere, if we suffer 00:21:43.740 --> 00:21:47.180 with him, we will be glorified together. We will 00:21:47.180 --> 00:21:51.920 inherit all things. We will prevail. And so now 00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:55.220 to chapter 20, this verse, chapter rather begins 00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:58.680 with the binding of Satan. And this signals to 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:02.900 us that evil is restrained for a period. Verse 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:07.420 3 tells us that Satan is cast into a bottomless 00:22:07.420 --> 00:22:11.440 pit and he is bound for a thousand years. This 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:14.500 is the beginning of the reign for the overcomers. 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:18.579 In verse 4, John tells us that he saw thrones 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:21.720 and they sat upon them and judgment was given 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:24.680 unto them. And so who are these people? These 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:27.640 people are the saints. These people are the martyrs. 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:29.960 This verse says that these people are the ones 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:32.960 who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus. They 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:35.119 were the ones who did not worship the beast. 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:38.019 They are the ones who did not take the mark of 00:22:38.019 --> 00:22:41.160 the beast. Verse 6 confirms they shall be priests 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:44.660 of God and of Christ and shall reign with him 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:50.380 for a thousand years. Daniel 7 and 18 prophesies 00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:53.660 this as well. Daniel prophesied, but the saints 00:22:53.660 --> 00:22:56.599 of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess 00:22:56.599 --> 00:23:00.519 the kingdom forever and ever. The overcomers 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:03.980 receive reward. That is the first resurrection 00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:08.079 and eternal life. Overcomers have relationship. 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:12.039 They are priests with God. They are serving in 00:23:12.039 --> 00:23:15.200 his presence. Overcomers reign. They exercise 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:18.839 divine authority. This reminds me of Matthew 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:22.299 25 and 21, familiar passage of scripture at the 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:25.180 end of a parable. Jesus says, well done, good 00:23:25.180 --> 00:23:27.440 and faithful servant. Thou hath been faithful 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:30.960 over a few things. I will make thee a ruler over 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:35.000 many things. If we will prepare, if we will persevere, 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:40.000 God promises us that we will prevail. Back to 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:43.299 Revelation chapter 20. This is verse 7. This 00:23:43.299 --> 00:23:47.480 verse describes the release of Satan and final 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:50.359 rebellion. Verse 10 tells us that the outcome 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:54.200 of this war is decisive. Satan is thrown into 00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:57.920 a lake of fire and those who did not persevere, 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:00.279 those who did not prepare, those who were not 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:03.839 ready, face judgment. And this chapter, chapter 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:07.559 20, is a reminder that prevailing is active. 00:24:07.700 --> 00:24:10.380 It is intentional. It is not passive at all. 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:12.740 It's going to take everything that you have to 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:16.359 prepare and to persevere. That's how you prevail. 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:19.720 If we are going to prevail, we must stay faithful 00:24:19.720 --> 00:24:22.440 in the trials of life. If we are going to prevail, 00:24:22.759 --> 00:24:27.279 we must rely on Jesus alone. Jesus is the way, 00:24:27.299 --> 00:24:29.700 the truth, and the life. This is the revelation 00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:34.640 of Jesus. Christ. So next I want to take us to 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:37.539 Revelation. This is chapter 21. And in verse 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:41.380 1, John sees a new heaven and a new earth. All 00:24:41.380 --> 00:24:43.940 that was broken before, all that was messed up 00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:47.880 before is restored. Verse 2 shows that the new 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:52.140 Jerusalem is coming down from God. Verse 3 promises 00:24:52.140 --> 00:25:04.380 us relationship. It says, relationship it is 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:07.200 fellowship without interruption it is fellowship 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:10.779 without separation it is fellowship without sin 00:25:10.779 --> 00:25:14.759 prevailing brings eternal communion with Jesus 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:19.140 this is the revelation of Jesus Christ Verse 00:25:19.140 --> 00:25:22.180 4 gives us plenty of reasons to rejoice. It says, 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:24.740 And God shall wipe away all tears from their 00:25:24.740 --> 00:25:28.099 eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:32.220 sorrow. This is our reward, a new creation without 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:35.880 pain, without tears, without sorrow. And that 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:38.799 leads us to verse 7. This is our main verse for 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:42.380 tonight. He that overcomes shall inherit all 00:25:42.380 --> 00:25:46.559 things, and I will be his God, and he shall be 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:51.000 my son. So let's break that down for a moment. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:56.019 Our reward is when we inherit all things. That's 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:58.839 every promise, every blessing, every gift of 00:25:58.839 --> 00:26:01.980 heaven. Our reward is that we have an inheritance. 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:05.259 But also we have relationship because that verse 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:08.480 said that God is our father and we are his children. 00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:11.180 We have an opportunity to be in his presence. 00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:13.900 We have an opportunity to have his spirit on 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:16.599 the inside of us. We have a relationship with 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:20.339 Jesus Christ. It also promises us that we will 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:23.539 reign. We will share in his authority. We are 00:26:23.539 --> 00:26:28.140 co -heirs with Christ. We are ruling in his kingdom. 00:26:28.730 --> 00:26:31.569 This is like what Paul says in Ephesians 2 and 00:26:31.569 --> 00:26:35.549 6. He says he hath raised us up together and 00:26:35.549 --> 00:26:38.970 made us sit together in heavenly places in Jesus 00:26:38.970 --> 00:26:42.490 Christ. And so the rest of this chapter describes 00:26:42.490 --> 00:26:45.930 the glory of heaven. This is exciting. Verse 00:26:45.930 --> 00:26:50.190 18 tells us that the walls are jasper. Verse 00:26:50.190 --> 00:26:53.509 21 tells us that the gates are pearl. It also 00:26:53.509 --> 00:26:57.599 says that the streets are gold. Verse 23, heaven 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:00.420 does not need the sun and the moon like we do 00:27:00.420 --> 00:27:02.920 here on earth. Why? It's because the glory of 00:27:02.920 --> 00:27:06.599 God lights it up. The lamb is the light. Every 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:10.619 detail points to this reward awaiting them that 00:27:10.619 --> 00:27:13.960 will endure. If we prepare, if we will persevere, 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:18.759 God promises us that we will prevail. And now 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:22.160 to that last chapter, chapter 22. This chapter 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:26.920 opens with verse 1, the river of life. It says 00:27:26.920 --> 00:27:31.180 that it is as clear as crystal. It proceeds out 00:27:31.180 --> 00:27:34.779 of the throne of God. Verse 2 tells us about 00:27:34.779 --> 00:27:38.759 the tree of life. It says that it grows 12 types 00:27:38.759 --> 00:27:41.980 of fruit and it produces all 12 months in the 00:27:41.980 --> 00:27:46.819 year. Verse 7. again reminds us, Behold, I come 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:50.720 quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings 00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:54.980 of the prophecy of this book. Prevailing requires 00:27:54.980 --> 00:27:59.440 obedience to God's word. If you will remain faithful, 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:03.640 you are promised reward. You are also promised 00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:07.000 relationship. You are also promised that you 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:11.680 will reign. If you will remain faithful, that 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:15.039 is your promise. Verse 12 tells us, Jesus says, 00:28:15.140 --> 00:28:19.859 My reward is with me to give every man according 00:28:19.859 --> 00:28:26.740 to his work. Revelation 19. through 22, it paints 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:30.460 a glorious picture of Jesus Christ as the Almighty 00:28:30.460 --> 00:28:33.259 God. It tells us that He is the King of kings. 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:36.299 It tells us that He is the Lord of lords. This 00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:39.380 is the revelation of Jesus Christ. That is the 00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:41.960 point of the book of Revelation, that it would 00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:45.279 reveal to us that the Mighty God is Jesus and 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:47.819 it's all in Him. That it would reveal to us that 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:51.099 the only thing we need is a relationship with 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:54.319 Jesus Christ. No matter how dark the world gets, 00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:56.720 If we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:00.180 we can prepare, we can persevere, and we are 00:29:00.180 --> 00:29:03.799 promised that we will prevail. That's promised 00:29:03.799 --> 00:29:07.839 to everyone. that endures. Every verse in this 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:11.859 book of Revelation emphasizes that prevailing 00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:15.980 is not optional. It is only to those who will 00:29:15.980 --> 00:29:18.960 endure. It is only to those that will do the 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:21.079 hard thing. It's only to those that will make 00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:22.559 up in their mind they're going to do the right 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:25.180 thing. Even if they're the only one, that's what 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:28.940 it takes. It takes us preparing and persevering 00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:33.670 and prevailing. Reward and relationship and reign 00:29:33.670 --> 00:29:37.730 are intertwined into every judgment and every 00:29:37.730 --> 00:29:41.609 triumph and every revelation. That is the benefit 00:29:41.609 --> 00:29:44.410 of prevailing, that we would have our reward, 00:29:44.650 --> 00:29:47.730 that we would have relationship with God, and 00:29:47.730 --> 00:29:51.670 that we would reign and share in his authority. 00:29:52.450 --> 00:29:57.349 Revelation 22, this is verse 17. This is the 00:29:57.349 --> 00:30:01.390 very... Last invitation from God to us, his church, 00:30:01.430 --> 00:30:03.829 and the entire Bible. After this, it's just the 00:30:03.829 --> 00:30:05.890 conclusion of the book. This is the last time 00:30:05.890 --> 00:30:09.430 we hear the words of God to his church. It says, 00:30:09.609 --> 00:30:13.890 and the spirit and the bride say, come. And let 00:30:13.890 --> 00:30:18.309 him that heareth say, come. And let him that 00:30:18.309 --> 00:30:22.970 is a thirst, come. And whosoever will, let him 00:30:22.970 --> 00:30:28.039 take the water of life freely. That's the last 00:30:28.039 --> 00:30:30.960 thing that Jesus says to his church. The spirit 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:34.940 is saying come. The bride or the church is saying 00:30:34.940 --> 00:30:38.259 come. If there is a thirst in your soul, that 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:41.259 thirst itself is saying come. That desperation, 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:44.440 that hunger, that desire to be in relationship 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:47.720 with God, that is intended to draw you closer 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:50.519 to Jesus. That in and of itself is telling you 00:30:50.519 --> 00:30:54.319 come. You do not have to earn this. You absolutely 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:57.529 do not. This is not by your own good works. You 00:30:57.529 --> 00:30:59.890 do not have to deserve this. You do not have 00:30:59.890 --> 00:31:03.150 to wait even another moment. The water of life 00:31:03.150 --> 00:31:07.769 is free. But it's up to you. You must come. God 00:31:07.769 --> 00:31:11.609 is inviting us to the water of life. God is inviting 00:31:11.609 --> 00:31:15.250 us to reward and to relationship and to reign 00:31:15.250 --> 00:31:18.289 with him. But it's still up to us to heed his 00:31:18.289 --> 00:31:22.740 call and to come. If you are weary, and in our 00:31:22.740 --> 00:31:24.519 world today, there are plenty of things that 00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:27.440 distract us and plenty of things that tire us. 00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:30.920 But if you're weary, come. If you're dry, if 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:34.220 it's been a while since you've taken from the 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:37.079 water of life, if it's been a while since you've 00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:40.539 had a real relationship with Jesus Christ, come. 00:31:41.150 --> 00:31:43.769 If you are fighting battles in your mind, the 00:31:43.769 --> 00:31:47.250 world that we're in, it confuses us, it distracts 00:31:47.250 --> 00:31:49.549 us. But regardless of what you're up against, 00:31:49.650 --> 00:31:53.089 you have an opportunity tonight to come. If you 00:31:53.089 --> 00:31:56.069 are hungry for more of God, if you are thirsty 00:31:56.069 --> 00:31:59.029 for more of God, if you are desperate for a real 00:31:59.029 --> 00:32:01.670 relationship with Jesus Christ, you have the 00:32:01.670 --> 00:32:04.329 same opportunity as everyone else. The Bible 00:32:04.329 --> 00:32:07.630 simply says, come. If you want to be ready when 00:32:07.630 --> 00:32:12.569 Jesus returns. All you have to do is come. All 00:32:12.569 --> 00:32:15.190 you have to do is accept his call. All you have 00:32:15.190 --> 00:32:18.269 to do is take a step closer to him, and he will 00:32:18.269 --> 00:32:21.430 come running to you. Everyone in this room, no 00:32:21.430 --> 00:32:23.410 matter where you are, no matter what you're up 00:32:23.410 --> 00:32:25.970 against, we all have the same opportunity, and 00:32:25.970 --> 00:32:28.970 that's simply to hear what the Spirit says, to 00:32:28.970 --> 00:32:31.589 hear what the bride says. To everyone that can 00:32:31.589 --> 00:32:34.009 hear, we all have the same opportunity. Everyone 00:32:34.009 --> 00:32:36.150 who is thirsty, we all have the same opportunity. 00:32:36.450 --> 00:32:41.259 That opportunity is to come. The invitation is 00:32:41.259 --> 00:32:44.700 not complicated. We can come and we can repent. 00:32:44.980 --> 00:32:48.880 We can come and we can be washed. We can be restored. 00:32:49.099 --> 00:32:53.240 We can be renewed. We can be filled. God is reaching 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:56.640 for each of us right now. God is calling our 00:32:56.640 --> 00:32:59.579 names right now. We do not have to leave this 00:32:59.579 --> 00:33:02.220 place differently than the way we came. We all 00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:05.259 have the same opportunity, and that is to simply 00:33:05.259 --> 00:33:08.480 come. I ask you to stand all across this room 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:16.730 tonight. The Spirit says come. The church says 00:33:16.730 --> 00:33:20.970 come. And your own thirsty soul is saying come. 00:33:21.529 --> 00:33:24.490 You can step out from where you are. You can 00:33:24.490 --> 00:33:27.549 be completely unashamed in His presence. You 00:33:27.549 --> 00:33:30.529 can be strengthened and blessed by the might 00:33:30.529 --> 00:33:32.630 of the Lord. You do not have to do this your 00:33:32.630 --> 00:33:36.829 own way. If you are prepared, you can persevere. 00:33:36.970 --> 00:33:40.650 If you persevere, you can prevail. It is something 00:33:40.650 --> 00:33:43.809 that each and every person can do, but it takes 00:33:43.809 --> 00:33:46.910 surrendering to the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes 00:33:46.910 --> 00:33:49.809 heeding the call of God and coming with open 00:33:49.809 --> 00:33:52.809 arms and with an open heart and an open mind 00:33:52.809 --> 00:33:55.369 to anything and everything that God will do. 00:33:55.799 --> 00:33:58.799 We can all heed the call of God tonight and we 00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:02.619 can all come because I truly believe that anyone, 00:34:02.859 --> 00:34:05.660 regardless of where they find themselves in their 00:34:05.660 --> 00:34:09.239 life, you are just one touch of the Holy Ghost 00:34:09.239 --> 00:34:12.679 away from being exactly where you need to be 00:34:12.679 --> 00:34:15.900 because God is a God that restores. God is a 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:18.579 God that makes a way and there's no such thing 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:21.380 as too far gone. There's no such thing as somebody 00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:23.380 that's messed up too much that their window has 00:34:23.380 --> 00:34:26.579 closed. God in this place tonight is telling 00:34:26.579 --> 00:34:30.880 each and every one of us, come. I want relationship 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:33.320 with you. I have reward from you. You can reign 00:34:33.320 --> 00:34:36.840 with me, but how do you do that? You have to 00:34:36.840 --> 00:34:39.860 surrender and you have to come. I'm opening these 00:34:39.860 --> 00:34:41.860 altars to us tonight. I wonder if you'll come 00:34:41.860 --> 00:34:45.360 today with an open heart and with an open mind, 00:34:45.440 --> 00:34:49.340 ready to receive from the Lord. I wonder today 00:34:49.340 --> 00:34:55.300 if you'll just surrender to God. From the very 00:34:55.300 --> 00:34:58.599 bottom of your heart, would you just surrender 00:34:58.599 --> 00:35:09.300 to God every aspect of your life? You do not 00:35:09.300 --> 00:35:11.579 have to leave here today the same way that you 00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:14.619 came. God is telling each and every one of us, 00:35:14.659 --> 00:35:17.860 what you need is right here. All you have to 00:35:17.860 --> 00:35:20.539 do is take a step. All you have to do is surrender. 00:35:21.159 --> 00:35:28.909 All you have to do is come. If you are thirsty, 00:35:29.110 --> 00:35:32.369 all you have to do is come. If you are desperate, 00:35:32.530 --> 00:35:36.090 if you have a desire, if you know that you so 00:35:36.090 --> 00:35:38.869 desperately need God, all you have to do is come. 00:35:39.690 --> 00:35:42.429 All you have to do is let your guard down. All 00:35:42.429 --> 00:35:45.110 you have to do is set aside your defenses and 00:35:45.110 --> 00:35:50.329 open up yourself to what God wants to do. Let's 00:35:50.329 --> 00:35:57.360 heed that call of the Lord today. Let's accept 00:35:57.360 --> 00:36:01.420 that invitation from the Holy Ghost today. Let's 00:36:01.420 --> 00:36:04.860 come. Let's draw closer to God. Let's surrender 00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:08.320 to His will and to His purpose. In the name of 00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:08.679 Jesus.