Several years ago a truck driver, by the name of Rupert Lewis, was making his regular, nightly run from Vickeling to Jackson, Mississippi. But it was no ordinary night. That night it was pouring down rain. The rain was so heavy that he could hardly see the road. But he knew the road well, and traffic was not too bad, so he kept driving. But the rain had flooded the Pearl River and washed the bridge out; and Rupert Lewis had no way of knowing it. Suddenly, without warning, his truck plunged into the Pearl River. Somehow he survived. Immediately, his heart began to race with fear, not for himself, but for others. He thought to himself, "I have got to get up on the road and warn the people that the bridge is out." And he did. Drenched, bruised, cut and muddy, he managed to crawl up to the road. Soon, he saw a car coming down the road. He waved his hands frantically and screamed, "Stop! The bridge is out!" But the driver ignored him and plunged into the river. Another came by. Rupert Lewis tried in vain to stop it. Before he could get anyone to stop, before he could get anyone to listen to him, ten cars and two trucks had plunged heedlessly into the Pearl River. Eight people were injured and sixteen were dead. He tried to warn them that the bridge was out. He had an urgent message. But nobody listened, nobody paid him any attention.
That is a tragic, but true, story. I hope it got your attention, because I have an urgent message to deliver, An Urgent Message To Perishing Sinners. You and I are eternity bound men and women. Whether you realize it or not, you and I must soon stand before a holy and just God. And God has sent me here tonight to warn you one more time that the bridge is out. If you are not in too big a hurry to go to hell, give me your attention for just a little while. I have a word from God for you. Push aside the cares of this world, pause for a moment, before you rush headlong into a Christless eternity, and give me your heart's attention.
In Revelation 14:6-13, John saw three angels with a message from God for men and women standing upon the brink of eternity. Those three angels represent all faithful gospel preachers, sent of God into the world to preach the everlasting gospel. The message is sent to all who dwell upon the earth. Will you hear the message of God? Oh, may God give you ears to hear!
Proposition:If you will hear and obey the everlasting gospel, you will live forever in the presence of God in heaven; but if you refuse to hear, you must forever perish from the presence of the Lord.
Divisions:God's messengers are sent into this world with a fourfold message to declare to all men.
1. God Sends His Messengers Into The World To Preach The Everlasting Gospel To All Men – (vv. 6-7).
2. God's Preachers Must Faithfully Expose False Religion And Warn Men Of Its Deadly Doctrine – (v. 8).
3. Gospel Preachers Must Declare To Men The Certainty And The Justice Of Divine Judgment – (vv. 9-11).
4. God's Servants Delight To Proclaim The Blessedness Awaiting His Saints – (vv. 12-13).
I. It is my privilege and my heart's delight to proclaim to you the gospel of the grace of God. The first thing John describes in our text is a messenger flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach. He is telling us, by that picture, that God Sends His Messengers Into The World To Preach The Everlasting Gospel To All Men – (9 vv. 6-7).
The angel flying in the midst of heaven represents all true preachers, sent of God into his churches scattered throughout the world to preach the glad tidings of righteousness, peace, pardon and salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa. 52:7-8); 62:6-7).
A. The Gospel We Preach Is The Everlasting Gospel Of God's Free And Sovereign Grace In Christ Jesus.
God's servants are sent to proclaim the glad tidings and good news of salvation by the grace of God, free justification by the righteousness of Christ, the pardon of sin through his blood, and eternal life in him. God's servant has but one message to preach. His message is "the everlasting gospel" of Jesus Christ and him crucified. Those who preach any other message are not God's messengers. Why is this name given to the gospel? Why is it called "the everlasting gospel"? This is the only place in the entire Bible where this term is used.
1. It is called "the everlasting gospel", because it was devised, settled and ordained from eternity – (II Tim. 1:9; I Pet. 1:20).
In the everlasting covenant of grace, the gospel was devised and proclaimed in heaven by God himself, before the worlds were made (Job 33:24; Heb. 13:20).
2. It is called "the everlasting gospel", because it reveals and proclaims everlasting things.
3. It is called "the everlasting gospel", because it will abide forever.
Though all hell is engaged against it, the gospel will stand forever. It will endure and overcome all opposition. And it will be the joy of saints and the song of their hearts' experience in heaven.
B. It Is The Responsibility Of Every Preacher To Preach This Everlasting Gospel To All Men.
Our object in preaching is the glory of God and the salvation of God's elect. But our responsibility in preaching is to declare the gospel to all men. We do not know who God's elect are. But we do know that they are fallen sinners among the sons of men, scattered to the four corners of the earth. Therefore we preach the gospel to all men without exception or qualification.
1. All without the gospel are lost – (Rom. 10:13-17).
2. The preaching of the gospel is the only means of salvation for perishing men – (I Cor. 1:23; James 1:18).
3. All who hear and believe the gospel shall be saved by the gospel – (Mark 16:15-16).
4. It is our responsibility to preach the gospel to all (I Cor. 9:16; Matt. 28:18-20).
5. In preaching the gospel of Christ, we proclaim to men the whole counsel of God (I Pet. 1:25; Acts 20:27; I Cor. 2:2).
C. In Preaching The Gospel Of Christ, The Gospel Preacher Commands All Men To Repent And Turn From Their Idols To The True And Living God (v. 7). (See Isa. 45:20-25).
The gospel of Christ is not an offer, or even an invitation. It is a command, issued in the name of Christ, by the authority of the triune God. As John describes it, the command of the gospel is threefold.
1. "Fear God" – That is, reverence him by believing him.
2. "Give glory to him" – That is, ascribe all greatness, glory, power, wisdom, praise and salvation to him.
3. "Worship him" – That is, trust him, submit to him, adore him, and serve him.
I am delighted to preach the everlasting gospel to you. And I call upon you now, in the name of God, to be reconciled to God by faith in Christ (II Cor. 5:18-21). But John also shows us that.
II. God's Preachers Must Faithfully Expose False Religion And Warn Men Of Its Deadly Doctrine (v. 8).
Babylon represents false religion. The name means, "Confusion." God will destroy all false religion. So certain is the destruction of Babylon that it is spoken of in the past tense. That which has been the ruin of men's souls shall at last be brought to ruin by God. The reason for Babylon's destruction is given. It is "because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."
A. Her "Fornication" Is Idolatry.It is the worship of false gods, another god, another Jesus and another spirit – (II Cor. 11:3-4). It is the preaching of another gospel (Gal. 1:6-8).
B. The "Wine" Of False Religion Is The Alluring Methods Used To Draw Men To Her Bed – (See Pro. 7).
Just as wine intoxicates and stupefies, men and women are intoxicated and stupefied by the allurements of religion.
C. The "Wrath" of Her Fornication Represents The Zealous Lust With Which False Religion Pursues The Souls of Men.
They will encompass land and sea to make one disciple. And when they have made a man a disciple to false religion he is twofold more the child of hell than he was before.
D. Babylon, The Great Whore of Fake Religion Must Be Exposed, Men And Women Must Be Warned That Her House Is The Way To Hell" – (Pro. 7:24-27).
It is not popular to speak against any form of religion these days. Today, nobody believes anything, but everybody believes everything is true and that everything is of God except that which is true and of God. Men say it is bigotry and sectarianism, which exposes false religion. Be that as it may, the man who is faithful to God and faithful to the souls of men will expose that which will ruin the souls of men.
III. Moreover, Gospel Preachers Must Declare To Men The Certainty And The Justice of Divine Judgment (vv. 9-11).
If you care for your soul, hear me now. I do not like to think about it, much less preach about it, therefore I will be brief upon this point. But I must tell you that the God of the Bible will and must punish sin, and it is right and just for him to do so.
A. All Who Are Deceived By The Religion of Antichrist, Will Perish With The Antichrist – (vv. 9-10).
B. Every Unbeliever Will Be Judged Before The Holy Angels At The Bar of Christ, The Lamb of God – (v. 10; II Cor. 5:10).
C. The Eternal Torments of The Damned In Hell Will Be An Everlasting Tribute To The Inflexible Justice of God (v. 11).
How can I persuade you to flee the wrath to come? Flee away into the arms of Jesus! Take refuge in his cross! God help you to flee to Christ now.
IV. But there is a brighter aspect of gospel truth revealed in our text. John shows us that God's Servants Delight To Proclaim The Blessedness Awaiting His Saints (vv. 12-13).
In the end, the patience of God's saints, those who have obeyed the commandments of God, believing on Christ and loving one another (I John 3:23), and have kept the faith of Jesus, holding fast the profession of their faith firm unto the end, shall be rewarded. John tells us three things about these saints.
A. It Is A Blessed Thing To Die In The Lord, And That Blessedness Is Everlasting.
B. The Saints of God In Heaven Rest From Their Labors. C. And Their Works Do Follow Them.
1. Their works do not precede them to win for them a place in heaven.
2. They do not carry their works with them as a basis of their acceptance and reward.
3. But their works follow them, to the everlasting praise, honor and glory of Christ, the Lamb.
I hold before you tonight the everlasting gospel of the grace of God, and bid you come to Christ.
1. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, everlasting glory and bliss await you.
2. If you refuse to believe, everlasting destruction awaits you.
*