Honoring the Alpha and Omega - Revelation 22:12-19

0:41And certainly, as we look at the character and nature and life of Christ, this one who was born in the manger that we celebrate today, certainly he was all about his father's affairs. I also want to pay more careful attention today at the last words of Jesus. And that's what we're going to look at in Revelation 22, verses 12 through 19, the very last words of Jesus. You know, last words can be very important, right? And certainly, the last words of God in flesh walking among us are very important. And so that is what we look at this morning. Beginning in verse 12, behold, I am coming. Coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the immoral persons, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. 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 wishes to take the water of life without cost. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city which are written in this book.

2:50Incredible words. I would love to spend several weeks in my usual fashion and walk through and mine the deep truths. Today we're going to go through. This portion of Scripture rather quickly, but there are several things that I want to call to your attention. Look back at what Jesus said about himself in verse 13. I am the alpha and omega. Those are profound and deep words, pregnant with meaning, comprehensive in scope. I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Three expressions, three parallel expressions, he puts in a sequence there to describe who he is. First expression, I am the alpha omega. They are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. And the second and third expressions elaborate or clarify more of what is all meant in this expression, alpha and omega. But the title has already been used twice in Revelation. And in both cases, it refers to God Almighty. In chapter 1, verse 8, and in 21, verse 6, God is the alpha and the omega. And yet, here, Jesus is now ascribing to himself so that there is no confusion about who he is.

4:24I am the alpha and the omega. You know, the expression, alpha omega, it's what we would call a mirrorism. A mirrorism. It's everything from two extremes. Put the extreme one, extreme two out there, and everything in between. If we would say it in our language, we'd say everything from A to Z. And this last week, I finally figured out the Amazon logo. Amazon.com, everything from A to Z. You see that little arrow? It's not a smiley face with a half cut off. I always thought, what is that? That is what there's everything from A to Z. In case you don't miss it, in case you miss it, hear it. Amazon, everything from A to Z.

5:17That's what they're saying, right? You get it. Now I see some of you else. Okay, the lights are going off. That's what that little, that's what it's all. That's a mirrorism. So he's not just saying the extremes from A to Z, but everything is. What's Amazon saying? We sell it all. I mean, we're everything from anything you can imagine, you know? It's a good marketing tactic. I mean, it really impacted all of us in here, right?

5:43But it's the same concept. Jesus is saying, look, I am the alpha and the omega. I am the very beginning of creation. I am the very conclusion. I am everything in between. I am the one. I am the author. I am the finisher. Deep, profound scope of who he is saying he is. But look back. There's a second expression, the first and the last. And as we read already, this expression, the first and the last, is in the Hebrew scriptures exclusively refers to God alone. Isaiah 41:4 speaks about God being the first and the last over the generations of mankind. And in chapter 44, I am the first and the last that I can declare what is coming. He is the Omega. He is the last. He not only begins it, but he finishes it. And it is Isaiah 48: Surely my hand founded the earth and my right hand spread out the heavens. When I call to them, they stand together. He is Lord of everything in between, and the very one who holds it all together. Third parallel expression there is the beginning and the end. The very same word that John uses to open his gospel, in the beginning was the word. The original cause of creation is Christ, the Son of God.

7:23He was with God in the beginning. All things came into being through him. By him. Colossians 1, Paul says this, verse 16: all things were created, all things have been created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. That's who we want to honor this morning. By claiming to be the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus is asserting unequivocally His godness. But there may not be any leftover confusion about who He is.

8:06He is the one who began history, He is the one who will conclude history, and He has everything in control in between. Take this to a very personal level. God, this child in the manger, controls everyone's destiny in here. He's the one that gave you life, and He is the one who is going to conclude your life. That's the kind of weight you need to be assigning to this baby in the manger as you celebrate who He is.

8:53He is the beginning and the end. Now, as you look at this, that's who He declares He is. Now, there are several implications. Of Jesus being the alpha and the omega that are expressed in these verses. Specifically, five implications of Jesus being the alpha and the omega. And I want us to look at those so that we may go into this season with a little more gravitas as to who this, paying a little more attention and weight and honor to this one we celebrate being born this day.

9:32Five implications so that you will honor him. First of all, there are implications. The very fact that Jesus is the alpha and the omega has implication for Jesus' return, for his return. Look back at verse 12. Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done. Two aspects of his return are very important to note here. First of all, the certainty of it, the sureness of his return. When he says he is coming back, guess what? It will certainly happen. Why? Because he is the alpha. He's the one who started it. He is the omega. He is the one who will conclude history.

10:21Second thing to notice, our aspect is the purpose of his return. Why is he coming back? His reward, look back, his reward is. With him, and he's coming back to render to every man according to what he has done. He is coming back to reward, to have a meeting with every. See the word every person. Ladies, don't get off the hook. He says man, but that includes all of mankind. You are going to have a meeting. So, on a very personal level, you will meet him. Implications for his return. It is certain, certain, and he will compensate all for their deeds. That's what it says. So, there are implications. Jesus being the alpha and the omega has implications for his return, but it also has implications for the final judgment.

11:26Look back, verse 14. He is the one who began history. He is the one who's going to be the ultimate judge of history, and he breaks humanity down into two categories. He will judge, that is, he will forever separate humanity into two categories. And in verses 14 and 15, we see those two categories. Verse 14, the first category, the blessed. Verse 15, those outside of the blessing. And that is how humanity is. Divided. Look back at verse 14. We'll look at the blessed. Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city. So here we have, we have the final word on who the blessed are. You know, you open the first few pages of Genesis and you start looking at this theme of blessing. And the question that keeps coming up in Genesis: who is going to be blessed?

12:35Who are the blessed? It's a question throughout Scripture. And here we have the final word on it. Who are the blessed? Well, the blessed, if you look back, are those who wash their robes. The blessed wash. They're clean. I think about sometimes my job as a parent, you know, is to tell my kids, wash, right? Wash. Before you come to the table, wash, you know, cleaned up. I mean, but it's like, here we have the blessed are the ones who wash. And it's a present, those who are characteristically washing. See, idea. The washing, washing their robes. In Revelation 7, 14, it's already. Spoken about these coming out of the great tribulation, and they are the ones who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is how one washes their robes. Now, let me tell you something: blood doesn't make physical clothes white, does it? Now, there's a spiritual reality here, there is a spiritual cleansing that's in view here. Being washed, therefore, are those who are spiritually cleansed and continuing to be spiritually cleansed in the sacrificial death of Jesus. That's what is being connected. In fact, the life is in the blood, right? His life, his righteousness, his robe of righteousness is for those who will wash in his sacrificial death. That's what cleanses a person.

14:30John 3:18, Peter said to him, You know, Jesus, never are you going to wash my feet. What does Jesus say? If I do not wash you, you have no part with me. So, the blessed are those who are washed. And how does that blessing manifest? Look it back. The blessed have two things: they have authority and they have access. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that They may have the right, that is the authority, to eat, the authorization to eat from the tree of life, the authorization to the tree of life, and they may enter by the gates into the city. So they have authorization. That very first thing, that authorization to the tree of life was forbidden at the beginning of the Bible. At the end of the Bible, there is a category of blessed people, and those blessed people have authorization to the tree of life. But they also have access. They have access into the city that's been described already, the glorious holy city, and they may enter by the gates into that city. You know, when you go to an amusement park, and maybe six flags here in Texas or something, you can't get in to what's going on inside except through the main gates, right? And if you don't come through the main gates, you really, the idea is to keep everybody out. Well, you think about that here: that to have all the blessing and all the glory and everything that goes on inside the city, you have to enter the city, and there is no access except through the gates. And the blessed are those who have that access.

16:19But then there's a second category of people that he is going to divide. He divides humanity. I mean, he is the alpha and the omega. That means he has the beginning and the Last word on humanity. He's coming quickly. This gives him the authorization, the authority to be the judge. And then there are those who are blessed. He is the one who has the authority to declare who are blessed, and those who are forever outside of that blessing. Look at verse 15. It speaks of those outside the blessing. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying. Outside are the dogs. They're outside the blessing. The idea of the dogs is not a little cute little fluffy dog. It's a picture of a scavenger, a mangy scoundrel, scavenger, completely driven by appetite and doing whatever is necessary to fulfill it. It's the picture here. The idea of sorcerers. We get the word pharmaceuticals from. Those who are given to that mind-altering chemicals, mind-altering spiritual ventures, all of that would be involved in that idea of sorcery, immorality, or immoral persons. Outside are the immoral people. It's the word porno. We would actually translate as the pornos, outside the pornos. That is, those who are those, the sexual profane, the sexual. Profane, those who misuse sex or sexual relationships in any form.

18:10Then there's the murderers, outside are the murderers, those shedders of innocent blood, like Cain, who hated. Then there are the idolaterers, literally the image worshipers, those who worship the works and pursuits of man. And then there are those who love and practice pseudo, pseudos, the close truth. You know, pseudo is, we think of that as a close truth sometimes, but the lies, falsehood. They prefer close truths or half-truths or even complete lies to the truth. They are outside the blessing.

18:56So Jesus is the Jesus being the Alpha and the Omega has implications for his return, has implications for the final judgment, also has implications for the churches, for the churches. In light of Jesus being the Alpha and the Omega, his followers know how history ends and how a new era begins. Look at verse 16. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to test. To you, these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright and morning star.

19:40And notice that in this verse, the whole book of Revelation was given to John. Why? For the purpose of communicating its content to the churches. These things for the churches. And why? Well, if you look at the content of Revelation, it's so that they would know how history is going to end. And even watch it happen to some degree, as we even see now, the prophetic word and what's happening in the world. We see evidences of history moving towards its ultimate goal.

20:23But also notice the additional titles that Jesus uses to describe himself here. First of all, Jesus is the root and descendant of David. You know, what is the root? Metaphorically, a root is what gives rise to and supports the plant, right? Likewise, Jesus is the beginning of the Davidic house. He is the source that gave rise to David and the promise of his eternal house. He is the source. He is also described as the descendant. Descendant of David, the offspring of David. He is the root and offspring of David, to whom the promise was made. So the one receiving, he is the one receiving and fulfilling the Davidic promises. So he's the beginning of the Davidic blessing in line and the conclusion to the Davidic promises. He is Earth's king. Let Earth receive her king.

21:33And the churches needed to know this, right? Both Jew and Gentile right here are assured that there is no promise lingering out there that would exclude us from the kingdom under the greater David. We are not outside of the promises given in Scripture to David, the greater David. We are in him. There's a second title that Jesus gives to himself here: the bright morning star. Now, the morning star is the promise of what? A new day. Jesus is the promise of a new era for humanity, one in resurrection glory. He has been raised, he is risen.

22:29Amen. The morning star of a glorious future. So, Jesus being the Alpha and Omega has implications for Jesus' return, for the final judgment, for the churches, and also for the world. Look back at verse 17. The Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let the one who hears say, Come, and let the one who is thirsty come, and let the one who wishes take of the water of life without cost. You see, in light of Jesus being the Alpha and the Omega, the world has a genuine invitation to be under and to enjoy his eternal blessing. And it's an unlimited invitation.

23:20Strong language, wide in scope, genuine in its depth. There are two aspects in here of this verse I want you to see. First is prayer. Look at the prayer of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit says, Come. The bride says, Come. You know, this is the only articulated prayer of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. In light of Jesus' promise to come. The Holy Spirit says, come, Lord Jesus. It is his passion. It is his desire to see Christ reigning upon the earth. Come. But it's not just the Spirit that says, the bride says, come.

24:22May your kingdom come. May your will. Yes, there is room here. Come, come, come. We welcome your kingdom. We welcome your reign. We welcome it on a very individual level and we welcome it on a corporate level. Come. And then look at the prayer of those who truly hear. And let the one who hears say, come. We are hearing, and this gets down to the really individual part. When you look at the bride speaks of the corporate, you really see right here, let the one who hears, are you hearing who this individual is? Are you hearing what he has to give, what he offers?

25:05Then say, come. Let that be your heart's cry in accord with the Spirit of God and with His church. Say, come, Lord Jesus, come. In every sense of the word, come, reign in me. And I look forward. Come. Hasten the day when you physically reign upon this earth. Second aspect of this verse: look at the exhortation. And this exhortation is to those who are outside. Let the one who is thirsty come. This is not to those who are inside, but to those who are outside. Let the one who is thirsty come. Do you hear the heart cry of Christ Himself? Come. Don't remain thirsty. Don't remain in a state of spiritual dissatisfaction. Come.

26:14Come. The two criteria for coming are: first of all, you need to be thirsty. You need to be able to want what he has to give. And second, you need to be willing to come. And let the one who wishes, that is, the one who is desiring, let him come, take, let him take the water of life. Two commands here: come, take, come, if you're thirsty, take water without cost. In Texas, what we would say, come and come and take it, right?

26:52That's basically what he's saying here, and it's in a whole different context, right? Come, take. It's an unlimited invitation. And we have the He is the Alpha and the Omega. It is genuine. It is thorough. His eternal blessing is Himself. The eternal blessing is a relationship with Him. And the one thing you need to know here, and forever remember: Jesus is far more willing to receive than man is willing to come. Don't let that be you. He is far more willing to receive than you are willing to come.

27:45And this is going to be the final verdict of humanity. When all is said and done, we'll see. It was man who would not come. Therein is his condemnation, not in the unwillingness of Christ to receive. So there are implications for Jesus' return, implications for the final judgment, implications for the churches, implications for the world. And then there are, of course, implications for the words of Scripture. We're getting right to nearly the absolute final end of Jesus' words.

28:30And it's important to observe that some of the very last words of the Alpha and Omega deal directly with the words of Scripture. This again is a reminder of just how important Scripture is to the author and finisher of all things, and how it should be important to us. You know, at the beginning of this book, John stressed the relationship between reading, hearing, and obeying Scripture. And you really, I want you to turn there, and I want you to look at verse 3, chapter 1, verse 3. And I want you to circle three words: Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it. Circle the word reads, hear, and heed, or the equivalents in whatever translation you're reading.

29:30But reading is necessary for hearing. Christ envisioned that you would be reading scripture and that the truths out of scripture would be read, would be communicated, so that they would be heard and understood, so that they would be obeyed. So reading is necessary for hearing, which is in turn necessary for obeying. If you read a little bit. Further in chapter 1 and verse 19, Jesus commanded John to write. John, write this stuff down. And now, as he closes the book, his command is not to John, but to those who will read his words. And that includes us. And listen to what he says. Profound.

30:24Verse 18, I testify to everyone. That's pretty profound statement right there. Jesus is testifying to everyone. Testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone, if any one of you adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. Now that's a severe statement, right? Then he goes on, do not take away from the words of my scripture. Look at verse 19. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city which are written in this book.

31:11Again, the severity of those words is remarkable. The alpha and omega is testifying, publicly testifying to everyone. And he's saying, look, if any of you add or subtract, there are profound consequences. Now you I don't know why there wasn't a whole bunch of books that showed up in the early church. Didn't start adding a whole lot of other books to the Bible, right? But Jesus' exhortation is very simple: honor the meaning of the words of Scripture. He uses the word biblos here. Of course, he's speaking specifically here of the book of Revelation, but by implication, there is application to the rest. But this is what he's saying. You dishonor Scripture by introducing new thoughts that were never intended to be there. You dishonor Scripture by taking away thoughts that were never intended to be there. That's what it means to add to or subtract from Scripture. You know, one of the very first things that if you were growing up under the old covenant in ancient Israel, one of the very first things you would learn as a child is what? Honor your mother and your father, right? Give weight to what they say. If you have a conflict, defer to them. They sacrificially love you and they know a whole lot more about life than you do. So honor, defer to them, and it will go well with you in the land. Same is true today. It's the same principle. Honor your parents. That's why it's there. Honor, defer, treat their opinion with gravitas.

33:01I mean, some of you kids, I'm afraid, may treat your friends or your connection to friends or your public image with more gravitas than what your parents have to say. And what Jesus is saying as we approach and we celebrate the Christ of Scripture and we celebrate his birth and his coming into the world, we honor him by paying attention to who he is and what he says. And let that carry a lot of weight with us, right?

33:39Now, why is Jesus so concerned about the way we read scripture? Well, the answer is very simple. We are connected to the Christ of Scripture through the words of Scripture. That is the way he envisioned that we would be connected. In fact, John 17:14, Jesus is praying and he says to the Father, I have given them, speaking of his disciples, he's praying for his disciples, I have given them your word, and the world has hated them.

34:12Basically, the world. He gave the word, and it was his word that caused this hatred. And then in verse 17, he says, Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. The word, those who hear, the intent to understand. And obey, it categorically sets them on a different trajectory in life. And then he goes on to say in verse 20: I do not ask on behalf of these alone, speaking of his immediate disciples, but for those also who will believe in me through their word.

34:50Jesus envisions that the future generations are going to come to know him and to be able to believe in him through the words of his apostles. And when those words are corrupted or added to or taken away from, the whole picture of who Christ is is diminished or inflated, changed, and removed. You see, Jesus envisioned the whole enterprise of Bible study as a means for us to hear him, see him, and be conformed into his image. You see, a follower must know his master if he is going to be like him.

35:31He wants his people to honor him by honoring scripture, by reading the words, hearing the words, with the intention of obeying the words. That's what giving him honor is about. It's not about just coming and singing a song, it's about deferring to him in all matters that he speaks on. But now, now the question comes. Why does God, or why does Jesus, want us to see him like he is? He's very concerned about his words. He knows we're connected to him through the words of Scripture. So, why is he so interested in us seeing him?

36:14Why? That's the important question, right? Why does he really want us to see him? Well, I hope to answer that question to you by way of a little short story I came up with. It's called the Christmas Flower. It speaks about the contagious beauty of the Christmas flower. What is the most beautiful flower in the world? You know, many floral specialists have offered their opinions through the centuries. Some have suggested that it's the South African ghasania with its variety of unique patterns and brilliant colors: pinks, reds, yellows, oranges. And yet, others have asserted that it's the plumeria. That's the one that deserves the top spot. It's native to Brazil, the Caribbean, Central America, the islands.

37:19It produces medium-sized flowers, a bunch of different colors, and the fragrant is as beautiful or as stunning as it is. It is beautiful. It's what they make the necklaces out of. Others, probably from the deep south here, have said, no, there's nothing more beautiful than a magnolia tree in full bloom. Flowers can be pink, purple, white. They can be anywhere from 3 inches to 12 inches, and their scent is absolutely mesmerizing. This flower is a symbol of beauty and sweetness and grace in many parts of the world, the West Indies, East Asia, Central America, and the deep south of the United States. But some say no, no, it belongs to the iris. The iris. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean. It's known for its bright purple and violet flowers, and their beauty has inspired artists through the years, even Vincent Van Gogh, right? His famous painting series called Irises.

38:29Still some say no, no, really, it belongs, the top spot belongs to the lily family. Others say, no, it's the orchid family. Still others say, no, it's the rose, the rose. You see, the beautiful, sweet-smelling flower has what it takes to be the most glorious flower in the world. It's the one that deserves the title. It has been a source of inspiration for poets and artists through the centuries and many. See that the rose's beauty is the very emblem of beauty and love. Well, there's a lot more contenders. But whatever flower the floral specialists assign the lofty title of the most beautiful flower in the world, there is a flower that some say exists whose glory exceeds them all. In fact, if I were to even try to draw it or imagine it, it would completely profane its beauty. In fact, it cannot even be captured with a photograph. To do so would be to profane it because its beauty is so glorious. Well, people named this flower the Christmas flower, because it always bloomed around Christmas time. But its beauty was so overwhelming that it was actually contagious. Ever imagined a flower so beautiful that its beauty was actually contagious?

40:04Well, that's the Christmas flower I want to tell you about. All other flowers were limited in this one respect. They could only put their beauty on display. Only the Christmas flower could share its beauty. All other flowers could only make the beholder marvel at its beauty. However, the Christmas flower could make the beholder beautiful. Few ever saw the Christmas flower, for it only bloomed in less traveled areas and once every few years, and only for a few hours. It was a rare event in a remote place. Few ever saw it. Many of those who did happen by the flower in bloom quickly passed it by paying little attention. Some momentarily marveled at its beauty and then moved on. Very, very few actually stopped their journey to gaze upon the deep beauty of the Christmas flower.

41:09Nevertheless, for those who did, something truly amazing happened. As the observer gazed upon the flower, their countenance began to change. Their complexion became as bright and as beautiful as the flower itself. Every external flaw was completely restored to health. As the observer breathed in the flower's fragrance, every internal flaw of body and soul was completely renewed. Strength and wholeness would replace weakness and disease. An inner disposition of peace, innocence, kindness, and joy would take hold even in the most troubled souls.

41:57No person who stopped to gaze upon the Christmas flower. Was ever the same, and neither was the flower. You see, the flower did more than impart its beauty. It also received the ugliness of its observer. An incredible transaction took place. At the same time, the flower was giving its beauty, it received the blights of its observer. With each passing moment, the perfections of the flower disappeared and were replaced by the blights of the observer. And having given all of its beauty and life away, and having received all of the ugliness of its observers, the loveliest of flowers became the most horrid. The once beautiful petals blackened and shriveled. The delicate fragrance became the very stench of death, and the plant quickly died and fell to the ground, leaving behind a single seed. And in time, the seed germinated, the plant sprung up, flowered again, even more glorious than before.

43:13Such was the glory and beauty of the Christmas flower. And such is the glory and the beauty of the Christ of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, the Christ of Scripture is revealed not simply to turn heads of casual passerbys, but to transform those who will stop their journey in life and gaze upon his beauty. See, he is more than just a historical figure, he is a transforming glory. His beauty is so impressive, so overwhelming, that those who look upon it become beautiful.

44:11He communicates his beauty to all who will gaze upon him, and in turn they reflect his beauty. So, why does Jesus want us to see him as he is? He's not some egocentric maniac, as many have ascribed. His beauty is perfect, he is perfect, but it's more than that. Those who gaze upon his beauty become beautiful. Even in the call to worship him, he is serving. His glory is for us to share and to reflect. So, how shall we respond?

45:01Well, look at John's last words in Revelation 22. Jesus again says, I, he who testifies to these things, says, Yes, I am coming quickly. Amen. And here's John's response: Come, Lord Jesus, come, come into my life, come into my view, let me see you for who you are.