Revelation 22:3-5 / We Will Worship and Reign

Revelation 22:3-5 / We Will Worship and Reign

3 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. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 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. Revelation 22:3-5

If you want to celebrate Jesus' coming at Christmas, it's good to draw out all the things His coming means. This could stir the heart to celebration! So, what exactly did Jesus provide for us in His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection? We get a couple clues from this text. We learn a little about the environment in the presence of God and a little about the activities in the presence of God.

The environment will be one that is free from "anything accursed," meaning the damning effects of sin that were ushered in by Adam and Eve, and carried along through you and I, will be over. Jesus provided a Kingdom where there's no hate, sickness, pain, sorrow, division, bitterness, slander, murder, death, or any evil of any kind. Jesus removed the curse that came because of human sin.

The environment will also be one that is centered around God. He will have a throne (verse 3), we will see His face (verse 4), and He will provide the light (verse 5). We will see Him exalted, we will know Him perfectly, and we will bask in His glory.

Now notice the two things we will do in the environment of God's presence: we will "worship him" (verse 3) and we will " reign forever and ever" (verse 5). The call to follow Jesus is a call to this ultimately.

If you've ever felt like you were meant for so much more, this is why. You were made to worship God as a priest and reign with God as a co-heir. He came to save you from something to something. But I think many of us have a small view of Jesus and therefore, a small view of ourselves. However, according to this text, He has big plans for every person who belongs to Him (or has His name on their forehead).

Everyone you see was created for this, but very few step into it. Very few people commit their lives to worshipping God in all they do. And very few people are cultivating the attributes we'd expect from someone destined to reign alongside Jesus.

Does your life show that your future will be worshipping Jesus and reigning with Him?

This is why we are called to develop character, morality, obedience, discernment, joy, patience, love, mercy, justice, and commitment to truth—because our lives are preparation for something greater!

The Christian author C.S. Lewis wrote,

“Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state of the other.” C.S. Lewis

Live as if you're preparing to worship Jesus and reign alongside Him. This is a great way to celebrate Jesus' coming this Christmas!

In Christ,
Pastor Kevin