Great Bible Invitations – Sermon #9

 

Revelation 22:17

THE INVITATION OF CONVERSION

Intro: For many Sunday mornings I have been preaching from the great invitations of the Bible. Beginning in Genesis 7:1 with God’s invitation for Noah and his family to “come” in to the Ark, the Bible is literally filled with invitations for people to come to God. It would seem from this evidence that God is interested in calling people to come to Him.

      Even on the last page of the last chapter in the last book of the Bible, God is still inviting men, women, boys and girls to come to Him. In this verse the Spirit of God takes one last opportunity to swing open the door of salvation so that He might invite lost people to enter.

      You see, God is interested in your salvation. He cares about you and where you will spend eternity. How do we know God cares? We know God cares because of His Words – John 3:16. We also know God cares because of His Works – Rom. 5:8. God proved His love for you and me when He sent His Son Jesus into this world to die for us on the cross.

      But, God knows that just because He cares does not mean that you will be saved. He knows that you must respond to Him by repenting of your sins and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross to pay for man’s sin. He rose from the dead to guarantee us everlasting life. He even went back to Heaven to pray for you. But, if you refuse the Lord’s invitation to come to God, you will still not be saved.

      This invitation is vitally important. In the words of our text we have one of the clearest calls to salvation that can be found anywhere in the word of God. I would like to take the time today to look into the words of this text and point out a few details of The Invitation Of Conversion.

 

  I.                         THE CAUSE OF THIS INVITATION

“The Spirit and the Bride say Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.”

      A.  What we have in these two sentences is a two-fold invitation.

1.  The Holy Spirit and the Bride of Christ are inviting the Lord Jesus to return to this earth. Jesus has just made a promise in verses 12-13 that He is going to return. He is coming with His reward, v. 12. He is coming to bring about the consummation of all things, v. 13. He is coming to bring the light of His glory to a world trapped in darkness, v. 16.

            So, the Holy Spirit and the Bride of Christ extend and invitation to Jesus to hasten His return. The Spirit does so because He is longs for Jesus to be enthroned as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He desires the Lord’s glory! The Bride of Christ invited Him to hasten His return because she longs to be with the One Who loved her enough to die on the cross to save her from her sins.

            Every person who hears the good news that Jesus is coming again is to join the chorus and invite Him to return too. The word “heareth” means to “understand”. Not everyone who hears the message understands the message. But, those who do are to desire the Lord’s return.

2.  This is also an invitation for those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to come to Him and be saved. Each of the persons mentioned in this verse is involved in inviting people to Jesus. The Spirit of God invites people through His convicting ministry, John 16:7-11; 6:44. The Bride of Christ invites people through her witnessing ministry, Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20. Every one who grasps the message is to be a missionary, inviting others to come to Jesus.

            This is a great challenge to the church! We should ever be in the business of inviting people to come to our Savior. Everything we do should revolve around getting the Gospel out. We are living in a world that is growing darker by the day. We hold the light in our hands and in our hearts. We must take it to a world that needs to hear about One Who can save their souls!

B.  The reason this invitation is inserted here is because Jesus is coming again! When He left this world 2,000 years ago, He left here with the promise that He would return some day, Acts 1:8-11. This promise has been restated time and time again in the New Testament, 1 Thes. 4:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Rev. 1:7. The Spirit longs for this day because Jesus will be glorified. The Bride longs for this day because she will be reunited with her redeemer. The world longs for this day because it will be delivered from the curse it has endured for at least 6,000 years, Rom. 8:22. The return of Jesus is the blessed hope of all those who know Him as their Savior, Titus 2:13.

      There is, however, a sad side to His return. When Jesus comes, He is coming for His people. Only those who know Him as their personal Savior will be taken with Him. Only those who have been saved by His grace will be taken when He comes to gather His people. The rest will be left behind to endure the horrors of the Tribulation period.

C.  This invitation is given because Jesus is coming and only those who know Him are going to Heaven with Him. Are you in that number?

 II.                      THE CANDIDATES OF THIS INVITATION

“And let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will…”

A.  This invitation to come to Jesus is made available to two types of people.

1.  Him That Is Athirst – This refers to those who are sick of drinking from the stagnant pools of this world and long for something more.

2.  Whosoever Will – This speaks to anyone who is willing to come to Jesus.

B.  This world and its allurements promise satisfaction to those who pursue them. But, neither this world nor anything it can offer will ever be able to provide complete satisfaction. The pools of sin and self-satisfaction offered by the world offer the promise of unending pleasure and satisfaction, but they only deliver disappointment and death.

·         How many people have sought satisfaction in a bottle only to discover too late that it was a terrible trap designed to destroy hope, home and health?

·         How many have looked for satisfaction in drugs only to realize too late that they too were a snare for the mind, body and soul?

·         How many have given themselves to the pleasures of sexual excess in search of happiness, only to reap an unwanted pregnancy, some tragic disease or a heart and mind that are forever scarred?

·         How many have drunk deeply of the pools of self and sin only to come away disappointed and dissatisfied with what they found there?

      These are the people our Lord is addressing in this verse. He is addressing people who have looked everywhere for fulfillment, satisfaction and happiness. They are invited to come to Jesus to find the things they desire. Those who understand that there must be more to life are invited to come to Jesus. If there is a hunger in your soul for more than you have, you are invited to come. If you have tried everything else in this world and you are fed up with the lies and emptiness of sin and what it has to offer you, you are invited to come. If you are longing for more than you have now, you are invited to come.

 

(Ill. I stood this very week beside the bed of a man who has traveled the world performing before millions of people. He has made millions of dollars. He has been places, seen things and done things that you and I can only dream of. Yet, that man, who has enjoyed so much of this world’s pleasures, was brought to a place where he needed something his money, his fame, and his connections could not provide. He needed Jesus and I watched him pray to the God of Heaven for the help he needed. Praise the Lord, there is help for the thirsty!)

 

C.  According to this verse anyone who is willing to come to Jesus is a candidate for salvation. This invitation is extended to “whosoever will”. Any person from any place, any race, any class, or any level of sinfulness can be saved is they will come to Jesus. He will never turn anyone away, John 6:37.

            He isn’t interested in your money. He doesn’t care about the amount of education you possess. He isn’t concerned about your background. He does not care about the color of your skin. He doesn’t even care about the terrible things you may have done. He loves you like you are and His invitation is for you to come to Him if you have a desire to do so.

D.  Are you a candidate for this invitation? Are you thirsty? Are you willing to come to Jesus? If so, you can be saved, if you will come!

 

III.                             THE COST OF THIS INVITATION

“freely”

A.  The word “freely” means “a gift”. It refers to “a gift that is given to someone without reason. It speaks of something that is given just because the giver can give it.”

B.  The gift of salvation we have been talking about is offered to “his that is athirst” and to “whosoever will” without charge. God presents His gift of salvation to all those who will receive it without charge. Ill. Isa. 55:1. Salvation is given as a free gift because Jesus has already paid the entire bill. Salvation may be free for us, but God paid a high price to achieve it. When Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood, He forever satisfied God’s demands regarding sin, 1 John 2:2. He paid the price for sin, and now, there is nothing for the lost sinner to do but accept the invitation and come to Jesus. (Ill. I praise God that salvation is a free gift!)

C.  Salvation may be free, but it anything but cheap. When the gift of salvation is received, it offers the recipient more than he or she can ever imagine! A brief look at some of the benefits of salvation makes this truth crystal clear.

  1.  Ever sin is immediately forgiven – Psa. 103:12 1 John 1:7.

  2.  Adopted into the family of God – Rom. 8:15.

  3.  Becomes a child of God – 1 John 3:1-2.

  4.  Receives eternal life – John 6:47.

  5.  Given the promise of eternal salvation – John 10:28; 1 Pet. 1:5.

  6.  Made a citizen of Heaven – Phil. 3:20.

  7.  Promised a mansion in Heaven – John 14:1-3.

  8.  Indwelt by the Holy Spirit – 1 Cor. 12:13; John 14:23.

  9.  Promised His presence in this life – Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20.

10.  Promised His provision in this life – Matt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:19.

11.  Given peace with God – John 14:27.

12.  Made a new creature – 2 Cor. 5:17.

13.  Given a brand new life – 1 Cor. 6:9-11.

14.  Name written in the Lamb’s book of life – Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:3.

15.  Seated with Christ in heavenly places – Eph. 2:6.

16.  Receive the blessed hope of the Rapture – Titus 2:13.

D.  Those wonderful things there are all the possessions of every person who comes to Jesus for salvation. But, there is more! The things I mentioned are just the beginning. According to Eph. 1:3, when we are in Jesus, we possess “all spiritual blessings”. All of this becomes ours when we accept the invitation to come to Him!

E.  Have you received the free gift of grace that offers you everything God has?

 

IV.                          THE CATCH OF THIS INVITATION

“Let him take the water of life…”

A.  Have you ever noticed that any offer that seems too good to be true usually is? Have you noticed that most offers come with a catch? When someone make an offer that just seems too amazing to be believed there is usually a hook somewhere. This offer God makes is no different! There is a catch to His free offer of salvation.

B.  The catch is found in the word “take”. The word “take” means “to embrace, to lay hold on.” Remember, God is offering people a free gift. But, a gift is not a gift until it is received. It is merely the offer of a gift. The only catch to God’s free offer of salvation is that it must be received. The person who desires salvation must “take the water of life”.

            The phrase “water of life” refers to the Gospel message. The Gospel message is a clear, simple message. It is articulated in 1 Cor. 15:3-4. The Gospel message is this: God loved lost sinners so much that He sent His Son Jesus into this world. Jesus went to the cross and died in the place of sinners. He was innocent, but He died for the guilty, 2 Cor. 5:21. His death on the cross paid the price for sin and forever satisfied God. After He died He was buried. Three days later Jesus rose again from the dead. Then, He ascended back into Heaven, where He lives today to receive and save all those who receive the message of God.

            When this message is preached, the Spirit of God creates a desire within the hearts of lost people to come to Jesus. All those who will come to Jesus and receive the “water of life” will be saved. Here is what must happen for the lost sinner to come to Jesus, Rom. 10:9; 13. If that takes place, salvation will always be the result!

C.  Have you received the gift? Have you drunk deeply of the “water of life”? God gave everything He had to save your soul. Have you received His gift for your soul’s salvation?

 

Conc: This invitation is 2,000 years old, yet it still stands today. The Holy Spirit and the Bride of Christ are still looking for Jesus to come. The Spirit and the Bride, along with all those who have heard the truth, are still inviting lost sinners to come to Jesus for salvation.

      The question is, have you ever received the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ? Have you heard the Gospel message? Have you seen your need of Jesus? Have you reached out by faith and taken the free gift of salvation? God loved you enough to give His Son for you. Jesus gave His life on the cross to save you. The Spirit of God is inviting you to come to Jesus and be saved. All that remains is for you to take the gift God is offering to you.

      If you would like to receive the gift, you can come to Jesus today. If you would like to thank Him for the gift, you can come around this altar and thank Him for all that He has given you in Jesus today. If you have wasted the gift, and you would like to get some things settled with the Lord, you can do that today.

      In this season of giving and receiving, be sure that you do not miss out on the greatest gift of them all! Come to Jesus now, if He is calling you.