The Seventh Sunday of Easter
With Rite of Christian Confirmation
To Repay Everyone for What He Has Done
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen. Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! Today’s Epistle is from
God’s book of Revelation. In today’s Epistle, our risen Christ speaks about the
ultimate goal, the final point, and greatest fruit of His resurrection.
“Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord, “and I am bringing My recompense
with Me, to repay everyone for what he has done.”
Dear Christian friends,
Sometimes it does not do us much good when we cut a Bible reading
short—especially when we cut a chunk out of the middle of the reading. As you
may have noticed in your bulletin, today’s Epistle starts with the first six
verses of Revelation 22, it throws away verses 7-11, and then continues again
with verses 12-20.
I do not know why verses 7-11 were cut out of today’s Epistle. It would have
been good for us at least to have kept verse 11. Verse 11 helps explain what
Jesus means in verse 12, where He says, “[I will] repay everyone for what he
has done.”
Here is the good and helpful thing Jesus says to you in verse 11:
Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy;
Let the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.
It is vitally important for you to know that, when Jesus says, “Let the
evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy,” He is NOT talking
about you!
1. Jesus does NOT use the Word “evildoer” to describe you because God
explains in Isaiah chapter 9 that the evildoers are those who do “not turn to
Him and who do not inquire of the Lord of Hosts” (v. 13). Stated another way,
the evildoer is the person who wants nothing to do with God His promises. But
that does not describe you. Has not the Lord your God called you and turned you
and created within you a desire to “inquire of the Lord”? Do you not attend to
the preaching of the Word? Do you not return again and again to God’s Word and
promise? Do you not petition the Lord your God with your prayers? Even though
you may be able to list many sins and regrets in your life, has not Jesus
Christ Himself bled and died for your forgiveness? No, dear saints, God is not
about YOU when He is speaks about “the evildoer” in Revelation 22 verse 11
because your Lord Jesus Christ has covered all your evil under His perfection
and sinlessness and
righteousness.
2. Nor is Jesus speaking about you when He says, “let the filthy still be
filthy.” Jesus is not speaking these Words about you because you have been
cleansed and purified in His own blood, which was poured out upon you (Hebrews
10:22). For the sake of His Son Jesus, God has declared you pure. In addition
to this, God also promises you in Romans 14:20 that everything around you is
now also pure for you. And yet again, God says to you in Titus chapter 1, “to
the pure, all things are pure” (Titus 1:15). These Words all mean that, since
you have now been cleansed by your Christ, nothing can ever make you filthy
again! I know the way you might regard yourself. I know that you may have
things in your past that make you feel filthy. Listen to what God has to say:
“You have washed your robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”
(Revelation 7:14). Both your conscience and your body have been washed with the
“pure water” of Baptism
(Hebrews 10:22). “To the pure, all things are pure” (Titus 1:15).
So, in this missing verse from today’s Epistle, you can be sure and certain
that your Lord Jesus is NOT talking about you when He says, “Let the evildoer
still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy.” These Words apply ONLY to the
unbelievers!
What are the Words of Jesus that DO apply to you in today’s Epistle? These
Words are YOUR Words: “Let the righteous still do right, and the holy still be
holy.” If it is important for you to know that Jesus does NOT call you
“evildoer” and “filthy,” is doubly important for you to know that Jesus IS
talking about you when He uses the Words “righteous” and “holy.”
1. You are righteous because Jesus Himself is righteous, and Jesus has
come to make you His own dear child and to be with you forever. You are
righteous because you possess the righteousness of Christ, and there is no
shred of unrighteousness anywhere to be found in Jesus! You are righteousness
because God has promised you in 1 John chapter 1, “He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (v. 9).
2. You are holy for the same reasons. You are holy because Jesus is holy.
You are holy because His holiness has been given eternally and permanently to
you.
So Jesus says concerning YOU in this missing verse from today’s Epistle, “Let
the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” Essentially, Jesus
is saying to you with these Words, “I have given you My righteousness. Remain
in My righteousness. I have also given you My holiness. Do not leave My
holiness or abandon it.”
Then Jesus adds this happy resurrection promise, which thankfully IS written in
today’s Epistle: “Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord, “and I am bringing
My recompense with Me, to repay everyone for what he has done.” Who will be
repaid for what they have done?
• The evildoer and the filthy will be paid for what they have done, and
their payment will not be enjoyable to them. The evildoer and the filthy will
be paid for what they have done, because God will give them no entry into their
eternal rest. The evildoer and the filthy will be paid for what they have done,
but you have nothing to fear from these Words! You are neither evil nor filthy,
on account of the living Christ who has come to be with you forever.
• The righteous and the holy will also be paid for what they have done,
and their payment is eternal life! The righteous and the holy will be paid for
what they have done, not because of what they have done, but because of Him who
makes them righteous and holy forever. The righteous and the holy will be paid
for what they have done, and Jesus has spoken these Words to you for your
comfort and joy. You are both righteous and holy—righteous and holy on account
of the risen Christ. And Christ IS risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia!
Hannah, today’s Epistle is a very good Bible passage for your confirmation day.
As you and I have discussed in class, confirmation is not about what you are
doing. Confirmation is about what God has done for you. Today is not the day
you decide to be righteous or try to act holy. Today is the day all Christians
rejoice with you that Jesus already gave you His righteousness and holiness
when He baptized you. Today is the day we thank God that the Words Jesus speaks
to all Christians are also the words He speaks personally to you, Hannah. Jesus
wants you and all Christians to know that “He is coming soon.” Jesus wants you
and all Christians to know that He is going to do goods for you when He return.
Christ indeed has risen and so also shall you. In that great day, when Jesus
gathers you in righteousness and holiness, the Words of today’s Epistle shall
become what you see with your own eyes, together with all God’s Saints:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street
of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its
twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will
worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord
God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. … These Words
are trustworthy and true.
_______________________________________________
Sermons mailing list
[email protected]
http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
