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I am very thankful that God does not do to us as He did to Noah with His commandments. God gave Noah one word of instruction in his life and then didn't speak to him until decades later after Noah had completely fulfilled the first word. The first word was "build an ark" and then the next time that God spoke to Noah was "enter the ark." In between were decades of hard work and no words of encouragement and no preacher encouraging Noah along. In between those two "words from God" were days of discouragement and persecution and sore muscles and ups and downs. But we find that the Bible says of that time period in between the two commandments of God:

I'm afraid that if God treated us that way some of us would not make it in living for Him. I know that there have certainly been times in my life where the preacher had to preach on the same thing a few times and a few weeks or few months before I finally came to a point where I was willing to change and fully become what God wanted me to be. The Bible says that in the days of Samuel:

"The word of the Lord was rare in those days." People only heard clear direction every once in a while. God only spoke directly at times. They only had the first five books of the Old Testament to guide them and a prophet's word every few years or so giving direction for their life.

Today, I'm thankful that it isn't like Noah's or Samuel's times. Today, we have not only the entire Old Testament of God's written word, but the New Testament also! We have not only the prophecies but the fulfillment of those prophecies in the life of Jesus Christ. We do not have to go to the temple to hear a priest read aloud the Word of God once a year or so, but we can -- at any time -- pick up the Word of God and read it for ourselves. Not only that, but God sends preachers and evangelists who under the unction and direction of the Holy Spirit remind us of the parts of the Bible that we need most at that time to hear. We are a blessed generation that everyday can fulfill what the disciples did in our short text in the Gospel of Luke where it said:

Never before has it been easier to remember God's Words that have been spoken to us! We live in a blessed day of an open vision where the Word of God speaking to us is not rare but frequent, if we so put ourselves in a position to receive it! We are blessed to learn the Word of God and even more blessed to remember them when we need them. The answers to life's issues are all in the written Word of God, if we would just remember what He has spoken!

And let me say this: If Noah could hear the Word of God one time and then go a lifetime obeying everything that God had spoken despite the persecution and ridicule of those who thought it strange that he was building a boat in the middle of dry land, then surely you can make it through whatever life throws your way and serve God when you have frequent encouragements and further directions of God! How do you do it? You follow Noah's example and just do it. Noah just did all that God had commanded him! Noah would have welcomed a Wednesday night refuge where a preacher reminded him that God was still for him. Noah would have welcomed a day of rest where the preacher reminded him that God's word was not broken! Noah would have welcomed a church with other believers that were fighting the same fight that he was. But he didn't have any of that, and yet he made it! Because he just did what God had commanded!

I thank God that we don't have it quite as hard as Noah did, but yet he encourages me because it lets me know no matter what the critics say and no matter the ups and downs of life, if I will just make up in my mind to do everything God commands, that I can make it! Such is the power of a made up mind! Such is the power of determination to be saved! When some of us give our excuse as to why living for God is hard, we must remember that we will stand in judgment with Noah and Job and Samuel one day who had no frequent Word of God preached to them as we do! And many of our excuses seem very flimsy when placed alongside these great men of faith! Be like Noah and just do all that God has commanded! Even if you are by yourself, you can make it serving God! Such is the power in obeying God's Word.

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Perhaps in some ways, though, it was easier for Noah than it is for us because of the simple ness of his received command. Noah had a few verses of commandment to fulfill and yet we have 30,442 verses to fulfill (the last time I counted). Samuel had somewhere between five to seven books of the Bible to study and obey and we have 66 books to obey. I'm not trying to give you an excuse because Adam and Eve only had to obey one sentence: "don't eat the fruit (stupid)!" and they messed it up. But we must admit that sometimes in studying the commandments of God the Bible looks like a very large book and it would sometimes seem daunting where to start.

Tonight, I propose you should start with the ending. Despite seeming like an eternally long text, our text in the last chapter of the book of Revelation is only 16 verses long. And these are the last sixteen verses of the book and because Revelation was chronologically the last book of the Bible written, these verses of our text represent the last directly written message of God to us. Because of that fact, it follows that the last commandments of God to His people would be some of the most important things to know and remember -- God is not going to waste trivial space here in the closing remarks of His very Word. And so if we are to remember anything, it would be good to remember what God told us lastly in the Bible, right before the Holy Spirit's pen was pulled from the parchment. Tonight's lesson, then, is a study of the seven points of the last message God ever delivered to be directly had written down.

The first thing that God wanted you to remember in His closing statements of this grand Book was:

I know that in context, John was writing about the book of Revelation but God knew the place that these verses would have in the canon of scripture and I believe as the last written book of the Bible, these words and reminder applies to all of scripture!

It is important to remember that what God has written is trustworthy and true. It doesn't matter how much the scoffers scoff. It doesn't matter what the devil does. It doesn't matter whether you decide to turn to Christ or away from Him. In the end, things will turn out exactly as God has spoken. He cannot lie or make a mistake. And He has said that things will turn out a certain way and they shall! His Words are the sure laws of this universe which will never be broken. And so those who obey them will be blessed and those who do not will be cursed. It will happen because God has said it will! The same word that came exactly true in the prophecies of the time of Christ's first coming will still hold true in the time of Christ's second coming! We need to remember that!

There is perhaps a trend today to treat the Bible as just another life philosophy book. To look at it as a good moral code and nothing more. It is all those things but we must never forget that it is also the very Word of God written down. As such it demands more than just a casual treatment. It should be the most read book of our life. It should be something that is an everyday part of our life. It should be the principles that we govern our life by. We should treat it with respect and when someone reads from the Word of God, we should snap to attention and perk our ears up because what we are hearing is the very breathed word of Heaven! This is not some philosophy dreamed up by the wise thinkers that will soon be proven false, but this is the words of the One who created the wise thinkers and those who would hear them! The Bible is not just some other book. We would do well to remember that!

Bro. Nathan used to say "God's Word said it, I believe it, and that settles it." But I gently corrected him one day and he changed that saying. It doesn't matter whether you believe truth or not, it is still truth! Although at one time in history most of the world believed that the earth was flat did not change the fact that the truth is the earth is round! What the crowds believe or don't believe does not change truth. Therefore the maxim should be, "God's Word said it, and that settles it whether I believe it or not!" We would do well to remember that!

The second point of God's last message is that:

Overwhelmed by the wealth of revelations and visions that he has just seen, the Apostle John fell at the feet of the angel who delivered this last message and began to worship only to be sharply rebuked by the angel! The angels said "you must not do that!" "I am a servant under the law of God and in His service just as you and the prophets are" "Worship God and God alone!" It was an important enough principle to be included in God's last message to the church: be careful that in awe and reverence of the multitudes of revelations that you have been entrusted with that you do not turn to worshipping the creation and not the Creator!

The vast majority of people in the world worship something other than the Creator of the Universe. Some worship and pray to trees and earth and the sun and the moon. Some worship idols and angels and other saints and ministers. They would do well to remember God's last message: worship God and worship Him alone! We must not pray to anybody other than God, directly. We are to bow a knee to nobody except the true God of glory! Mother Theresa was a very charitable lady but she cannot answer prayer. Mary was a godly woman used mightily by God but she is dead awaiting the resurrection of the saints like any other believer. We must not confess or bow ourselves to anything besides God Almighty!

And furthermore, we must worship God and He alone. Our job cannot be priority over God and His principles. This world's ways of doing things cannot be priority over God's commandments. Our having fun and a good time cannot supersede our commitment to God's house and His Word. If ever a generation of people needed to remember God's words here, it is today: Worship God and God alone!

Moving on in God's last message we find the third important thing to remember:

The meaning of that middle verse of "let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy" is often missed by the causal reader of the Bible. God is in effect saying that by the time all of this final visions and things begin to take place that then it will be too late to get things right. If you think that you will wait until the final things begin to take place and then you will call on God and get your life right with Him, then you are sadly mistaken because once the final, final things begin to happen they will proceed swiftly that it will be true where God has said, "let the evildoer still do evil." In other words, if you cannot heed the voice of God now and obey His call now, you will not do so in the final days before the judgment.

What these verses of the final message of God is saying is that God holds time and that there is coming a day where everyone will receive the judgment that they deserve. But that we cannot afford to wait for that day to come to decide to change our life to match God's Word. Rather the time is now before the end comes! We must be zealous to take full advantage of today! Today is the day of salvation!

To the church, let me ask a simple question: what are you waiting for to start obeying all that you know to do? What is it that you are awaiting fulfillment of? The final message of God would have you remember that we must begin everything that God has asked today! It is not time to delay with excuses and false reasons, because tomorrow is not promised. It is time to just obey what God has said! Now, while there is still time!

Thundering as the fourth principle in God's last message is:

To enter into the New Jerusalem and its streets of gold that John had just seen, one must have been washed! We know from other scriptures that we are washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and that we know that:

Being born of the water and the Spirit and then keeping your spiritual garment clean is still necessary to be saved! And God will not allow a sinful lifestyle or unrepented sin to enter into eternal life. And that goes for any sin outlined by the Word of God as such, but it is interesting that of all the possible sins that God could have named, He chooses to name here six particular ones that apparently would be ones that the last generation would try to justify and say is not a big deal. Look back at verse 15 and you will see the sins that this generation would have you believe is no longer a big deal but that God was reminding us that will not enter into eternal life if these sins are left unrepented and unturned away from. These sins that would try to be justified by this evil generation are:

Dogs -- Not the fuzzy kind with ears and fur, but rather "dogs" was the Jewish slang term for homosexuality and I won't elaborate on why, but you can probably draw your own conclusions. This world can call it "acceptable" and an "alternative lifestyle" all they want but God will still not allow homosexuality to enter into eternal life. If you want heaven, then you must allow God to deliver you from this sexual perversion!

Sorcerers -- Never before has our mainstream society been so caught up with Wicca and sorcery and "white magic." It is not harmless. There is no such thing as "good magic" and God doesn't bargain with it. He says "get it out!"

Sexually Immoral -- We live in a sex-crazed society. Nudity and promiscuity is everywhere but that doesn't make it right! God created sex for a husband and wife in the vows of marriage, and everything else is destructive and immoral and sinful and will keep you from entering into eternal life if left unchecked and unrepented. It is no accident that our society has the highest divorce rate of history!

Murderers -- Most would agree that to take a life is morally wrong and a "bad thing," but don't forget that according to God, life begins at conception in the womb. Abortion has murdered more babies than all of the death-row inmates and gangs combined!

Idolaters -- Bowing and worshipping anything other than God directly. Putting everything else in front of God in priority. I think we've covered this already.

Everyone who loves and practices a lie -- God's Word is truth and what contradicts it is a lie. The Bible speaks of those would believe a lie and "be damned." A half truth is a full lie. Either you preach the truth or you don't. Those who don't preach all of it will not enter into the kingdom of God. To this world which preaches a message of "well we have part of the truth and we believe part of the Bible" the last message of God thunders "everyone who loves and practices a lie will not enter in to my eternal rest!" We would do good to remember that!

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Moving quickly on in God's last message, we find a fifth point that He makes as He begins to come to a close:

The invitation is "to come" and the point is this: the entire Bible is the message of God's having come in a grand plan to save His people, provide them a way of escape out of sin's clutches, and to understand how much He loves them. Throughout the scripture, we find that God reveals more and more of Himself to mankind until He actually comes to earth -- robed in flesh -- and dwells among us Himself. And then He pays the price of our sin by shedding His own blood on Calvary! And then He resurrects and ascends into glory only to come back to live in Spirit form to those who will receive Him. The point is this: God has come as far as He could. What more could He do than come to earth as a baby and grow up living among us? What more could He do than to die for us? What more could He have done that He has not already done. You are not waiting on God, but rather God is waiting on you! He has come all the way to glory and is not asking you to make the step and decision to come toward Him and follow His Word! We often quote the scripture:

And we talk about how we must make the first step and then God will take the second. Actually our "first step" is the second step because we are only able to turn toward God because He first stepped out of glory and came to earth to show us the way! This scripture is true, though, in that the ball is in our court. It's your turn. He has made the first step and wants to come even closer to you in your life, but He is waiting for you to take the next step.

And so the invitation is "to come." If you want to drink of the living water of the Holy Spirit, then God is waiting on you! If you want to be a part of the Bride of Christ, the church of the living God, then the Spirit of God is waiting on you! And this principle applies to all of God's promises: we cannot have the attitude that we are waiting on God to prove His promises are true to us; rather we should realize that God's promises are there and He is waiting on us to prove them right by stepping out in faith and meeting their conditions. God has said He will do it, if we will act upon them. It's our turn to respond! God has given us the promises and now the commandment is "come" and try them to see if God will not be all that He has said He will be!

We are studying God's last message to you and I! These are things that are very important to understand and remember and apply! And so as we get close to the end of God's last message we find the sixth principle and it is a very important one as it is the next to last that God brought up:

God ends His written Word with a solemn oath: if anybody adds to the words of God then they will also reap the judgments outlined within the book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book, God will take away his lot in eternal life. This is a serious and solemn proclamation and one that deserves the utmost importance in obeying in our everyday life.

We had better make sure that we are not adding our own theology or our own traditions to the Word of God. If we do not have scriptural basis for something then we must not do it or uphold it. God's last message warned against adding traditions of men to God's commandments and yet that is what many have done in religion today. How many people go through the motions of religiosity and yet never ask "where is the foundation of this in the Bible?" Sadly many people just go along with what men have added to the Bible and in doing so they are blindly setting themselves up to reap horrible things in the end of time.

Just as serious is "leaving something from the Word of God out." We should become very tenacious in searching the scriptures and making sure that we are not omitting anything that His Word has commanded us to do! Yet, people today often "take away" from the Word of God.

They "take away" from it by not preaching from particular verses or books. There are some churches where you will never hear a sermon from the first 19 chapters of the book of Acts because the doctrine of the original Apostolic church contradicts their doctrine. They have effectively "taken away" from God's Word. There are some verses that some people would rather ignore and rather have the preacher not apply to their lives. They have effectively "taken away" from God's Word. There are those who fail to realize that the Bible is book of principles and thus applies to all cultures in everyway. They have effectively "taken away" from God's Word. There are those who can quote John 3:16 but ignore John 3:5. They have "taken away from God's Word.

What of Christians who are Spirit-filled and going to church and yet when troubles hit they forget the commandment of God that He will be with us and they panic and become filled with fear? By their forgetting of the sure promises of God and panicking, they have effectively "taken away" from God's Word. What about those who allow doubt to overtake them until they believe the lie that God has not heard their prayer? They've taken away from the Word of God! We must be zealous to remember the need to remember all of what God has said and to stand on it, unwavering! We cannot add to or take away from God's Word!

And so finally we come to the last of God's last message. His glorious written Word closes with these words:

And so our last principle of God's Last Message is:

Jesus Christ is coming back! And He is coming for a people that anxiously await His return. But it is not enough that we should believe that He will one day soon split the eastern sky with the sound of a trumpet. Rather we must be able to say like John could, "Amen, Come, Lord Jesus!" You can tell much about your state of readiness by your response to the news that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. Does it strike fear in your heart, or does it excite you? Your response tells much about your state of readiness.

And so I ask you that are here today listening to God's last message: If you knew that Jesus Christ were to return in five minutes, what would your response be? Would you weep in an altar and beg for forgiveness for something? Or would you sing and dance excitedly awaiting His return? Would the seconds click off in that five minutes dreadfully fast as you tried to make sure that everything was ready in your life, or would they seem to drag on as you anxiously awaited His return!? Would your response be "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" or "Oh no, there's some things that I need to get right, first."

As you ponder that, let me remind you that when the actual day comes you will not have a five minute warning from the preacher that it is almost there. It is very likely that those of us who thought "Oh no" would not have made it and those who said "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" would have gone. That is a sobering thought. And that is how God's last message ends: you need to live daily so that the announcement of His return would be as John's was. "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" "Let it be today and not tomorrow!" "I'm ready for you to get here and take me away!"

Such is God's last message to you and I. He awaits our response. He has already preached it and delivered the message but He has chosen to use this service to remind us of it! The Spirit and the Bride say "come." Let us apply His Word to our lives. It would be good that we remember forever God's last message!