Sermon – Revelation 22:6-21 Washing Laundry

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Revelation 22:6-21  Washing Laundry

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

May 15, 2016

            This is my sixth and final sermon in a series from the Book of Revelation.  In this book Jesus has revealed to us a hidden spiritual reality.  Jesus is with us in worship.  As we worship the Holy Spirit lifts us up to heaven where we see Jesus sitting on a throne as a lamb who has been sacrificed for our sin.  Joining  Jesus in heaven are the souls of believers who have died wearing white robes as signs of their forgiveness by Jesus’ blood shed on the cross.   Meanwhile, here on earth we are experiencing an extended period of time when the devil and his demons have been bound and limited but are still active.  The promise of Revelation is that evil will be ultimately be destroyed when Jesus returns.  Last week you heard from Sherry Snyder about the coming together of heaven and earth in a new creation preparing for Jesus’ return.  And today we will see that in order to enter into this new creation we must first wash our clothes.  That’s right!  We have to wash our laundry before we can live forever with Jesus.  We will get to this, but first let’s pray.

“Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Revelation 19:6-8)

            Let’s turn now to the last chapter of the last book of the Bible.

Revelation 22: 6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

            So the message of the angel is that we can trust what we read in the Bible.  That which is revealed to us in scripture is true.  The hidden truth in the book of  Revelation is now revealed as a spiritual reality.  And Jesus will return fulfilling this reality soon.  Listen to Jesus’ own words.

7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

            And so we see in the final chapter of Revelation that which was promised to us in the first chapter that all who read and obey the Bible will be surely blessed.  We are a people of the Bible.  We gather around it every Sunday to learn from it, pray over it, and let it shape our lives.  We read and meditate on it every day.  And so the promises in it belong to us.  And through it we are richly blessed. 

            So far we have heard from an angel messenger and from Jesus.  Let’s hear now from our brother John on Patmos.

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” 

            John has testified that he truly saw the hidden spiritual reality that Jesus had revealed to him.  His reaction was to bow down and worship.  This is our reaction too.  Whenever we are exposed to the word of God we are moved to worship that God.   That is why we are here.   As we hear the word of God proclaimed and are brought spiritually into the presence of God in Jesus Christ we bow our heads in worship pledging our total loyalty and obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Let’s go back to John.

10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near.

            This is Jesus’ commandment to the church.  We are not to seal the Bible and keep it a secret.  Rather we are to keep it open to read it and proclaim it as much as we can.  By sharing scripture with others we can bring people to faith where they too will enjoy the same promises that we enjoy.  But, sadly, not everyone will respond.  We are to stand firm in our faith and ethical practice, but others will fall away.  Jesus continued:

11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

            We are live our lives in a manner consistent with the teaching of the Bible.  Not everyone will do this.  But we are call to persevere.  With that let’s turn to the promise of scripture.  Listen to Jesus.

12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

            By washing your laundry you will enter the new creation and live eternally in the presence of God.   Washing laundry?  That’s what it says.  14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes.”  So get to it.  Put your dirty clothes in the washing machine, add the detergent, and set the cycle.  Then put the clothes in the dryer.  Do all this and you will enjoy eternal life…  Well, not exactly.   We will be washing laundry but it won’t be in a washing machine.  To understand this we have to go to the Old Testament and the Book of Zachariah.

Zachariah 3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”  Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”  5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.  6 The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: 7 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.

            Sometime around 500 years before Christ the people of God returned from exile in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem.  They brought with them many of the ancient artifacts from the destroyed temple.  Probably they brought along a trunk carrying priestly robes.  Joshua, the high priest, probably put on an old robe that hadn’t been washed in a generation.  God sent an angel to tell him to take off the dirty clothes and wear a clean robe as a symbol that God had washed away the sin of the people.  Clean clothes therefore are symbols of God’s forgiveness.  We saw this earlier in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

            So, we will wash our laundry, but not with detergent in a washing machine.  Rather we will wash our clothes in the blood of Jesus.  All this means is that if we believe in Jesus and follow him as our Lord our sin will be forgiven.  Do this and your robes will be white, and you will enter the new creation for eternal life. 

            But, sadly, many people will not wash their clothes in the blood of the lamb.  Many people will reject the word of God and refuse to worship God.  And they will be left outside.

Revelation 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

            All those who practice witchcraft and worship Satan will be left outside.  All those who engage in sexual activity outside of a covenant of marriage will be left outside.  All those who resort to violence and murder will be left outside.  All who worship other Gods, worship money, or worship power, will be left outside.  All who follow the lies of our culture instead of  the truth of scripture will be left outside.  All of this is true.  It is the word of Jesus delivered  by angel messengers.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

            And so what is our response to all of this?  What should we as the church wearing the clean clothes of forgiveness do?  Listen as Jesus gives us our commission.

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

            We are to go to  “those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” and tell them the good news.  We are to proclaim to them the gospel that has been revealed to us.  We are to make the offer to those outside to come into fellowship with Jesus Christ.  This is our responsibility.  Jesus has a final warning for us.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

            And so we are to proclaim to the world the whole counsel of God.  We are to preach and teach both the Old and New Testament.  And we not to add anything from a personal revelation.  Our only guide on faith and morals is the holy scripture.  For us who are faithful we receive this promise.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”  Amen.

Let us pray,

20b Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.