to faith. To God only was, be
glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Let's turn again to Revelation
22. Revelation 22. has heard the Spirit-filled church say, Come. You know, this morning, my heart,
I don't know exactly what to think. I've looked forward to
going through this book. I've looked forward to seeing
the completion of this book. But I can truthfully say, as
I've said before, it's like a dear and precious friend that we're
looking at the last few verses of. But this morning, I do. I believe I'm sincere here. I
think I am. You that hear, come to Christ. Don't look away. That's not inconsistent. That's just as consistent with
God's Word as anything else. And the brides say, Come, let
him that heareth come. Let him that is a thirst come,
whosoever will. Let him take the water of life
freely. Say it, let whosoever will. See, that can include me. It
can include you. If you desire to come, come. If you hear this morning, as I've said, if you've never
had a desire to come before, but this morning you have a hunger
in your heart, you think, I believe that. I believe that message.
The Lord has given you a heart to come. Don't blame your rebellion
on God. The Lord has commanded us to
come to Him. The Lord in these final verses
of this blessed book, 18, 19, 20, 21, has got a testimony. And you know, the last few verses
I remember seeing, reading in 2 Samuel, these be the last words
of David. Here's the last words of our
Lord speaking. Boy, if there's ever been a word
here, let's hear this. The Lord said in verse 18, For
I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy
of this book. If any man will add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book. And if any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city
and from the things which are written in this book. He which
testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all. Amen. The Lord in these last four verses
makes a solemn promise to every person that hears these scriptures. And not just these that we've
looked at in this book or this chapter, but all of them. The words of the prophecy of
this book. He set forth the perfection of
his Word And he said something in verse 18 and 19 that must
cause every person that's sitting and hearing this word to take
notice. He said, any man that dares to
add to or take away from this book is going to suffer the wrath
of his judgment. You know, I'd want to know what
that means. The Lord Jesus has declared that
he is the faithful and true witness. Being God's witness, any addition to the true witness,
any subtraction from the true witness, is actually to say in
my wicked heart that I know better, or I know how to say it better,
or I know more than God. That's what it's coming down
to. Any addition to, any subtraction from, is to say that I know more
than God knows. The faithful witness through
the inspiration of the Spirit of God. speaks to God's people. He's confirmed His Word through
the holy prophets, the apostles. He's confirmed it by signs and
wonders, miracles in the early church. And He has delivered
everything that Almighty God has said concerning His glory
and salvation of His people. God has said that through the
faithful and true witness. God said it. He has declared the truth of
who man is. What I am doing is I am just
summing up this book. This book right here is concerning
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said who He is. He said who man is. He has said
how he saves a sinner. He has declared the truth of
God. He has declared himself to be
the only mediator between God and fallen man, the man Christ
Jesus. Now, there are two specific warnings
that are given And both of them are dealing with the words of
the prophecy of this book. I testify unto every man that
hears the words of the prophecy of this book. There is a warning concerning
adding to. There is a warning concerning
taking away from. Now, the first thing that I want
to know is this. He said, I testify unto every
man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if
any man shall add to. 19. If any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away. The first thing I want to know is this. What are the
words of the prophecy of this book? Boy, you think, man, alive,
that's concerning. All of the stuff, anything, any
man that will add to, any man that will take away, what are,
or to what is referring the words of the prophecy of this book?
Turn to John. Chapter 5, John 5, verse 37. John 5. I'm going to show you
what the words of the prophecy of this book is concerning. John
5, verse 37. And the Father Himself hath sent
me, hath borne witness of me. ye have neither heard his voice
at any time, nor seen his shape, and ye have not his word abiding
in you, for whom he hath sent him ye believe not. Search the
scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they
are they which testify of me." The words of the prophecy of
this book is the final witness of the deity of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's what the words of the
prophecy of this book mean. The words of the prophecy of
this book set forth the Lord Jesus Christ to be, according
to John 14, 6, the way. the truth, the life, and no man
cometh to the Father but by me." That's the words of the prophecy
of this book. He told some Pharisees, he said,
you search the Scriptures and in them you think you have life. You know I've thought about that
Scripture. for a long time. He said, you search the Scriptures
and in them you think you have life. And they are they that
testify of Me. What does that mean? You search
the Scriptures and in them you think you have life. I'll tell
you what it is. It is to think that you have
life because you admit to a certain doctrine. You remember the conversation
that I told you that I had with my daughter, Becca. She made this statement to me.
She said, Dad, I grew up listening to you preach. And she said,
I knew that there was a difference between what we refer to as Calvinism,
election, predestination, total depravity, and Arminianism. free
will. And she said, I knew, I knew
that there was a difference. I could listen. You know, most
of you have sat and listened to Brother Scott preach for years
and years and years and years and years. And if anybody asked
you, do you believe in free will? You know, absolutely not. I don't
believe in that. Why? Because the Bible doesn't
teach that. That's what you'd say. What do
you believe? I believe that God has an elect
people. I believe in election. I believe in predestination. That's what I believe in. I believe
in. He told these Pharisees, he said,
you search the Scriptures, and in them you think you have life.
He said, they are they that testify of me. A man can find what he
thinks is security in believing a doctrine. and has no heart
for Christ, has no love for Him. He'll hold to a doctrine. Man,
I believe in Calvinism! But when it comes to loving the
Savior, that that truth sets forth, He has no heart for Him. He can take Him or leave Him.
And you know I'm saying that's so. And you know that's so. He
said, you search the Scriptures, and in them you think you have
life. They are they that testify of Me. A believer believes Christ. He doesn't trust in a doctrine.
He doesn't hold to a set of rules that he thinks is his life. The Lord says, I testify unto
every man that heareth the words of this prophecy. Any man shall
add unto these words to add to. these words. What does that mean? To add to
these words. It means to attempt to impose. That's what the word add. I've
looked up the word add. To impose, to lay upon, or to
set forth salvation to be by any other way than by God's salvation,
God's Christ. through the merit, through the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been made sin for His
people to add to. It is to add to. And this is
what is going to come right down to, the bottom line, and I've
said this and I mean it. All false religion is built on
free will, man's so-called free will. All false religion is built
on man's so-called free will. It is to add man's so-called
free will to the meritorious person, work of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It is to add to. Men say, I believe
in salvation by grace. Men stand up and say that. I
believe in salvation by grace. It is by the grace of God that
God offers salvation to men. It's by the grace of Almighty
God. And all you've got to do, the
next word that comes out of a man's mouth is going to be works. How does God save men? He saves
them apart from anything that they do or think. He saves them
by grace and then tells them. Then they react. And they react
in an honorable way. They believe God. They believe
God. What did you do? to merit God's
salvation? Nothing. What do you do to keep
it? Nothing. What do you do after God's saved
you? You believe Him and you have
a thankful heart. Salvation is by the grace of
God. To add anything to the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the salvation is salvation added
to by your baptism. Well, I tell you, I think the
only way that a man can truly know that he's saved is by speaking
in tongues. Really? Show me that in Scriptures. You show me in Scriptures where
baptism or speaking in tongues or being on church roll added
to your salvation or made it meritorious. Anything that a
man thinks to be necessary for salvation, save the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ adds to. I testify unto every man that
if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him
the plagues that are written in this book. Almighty God shall
stroke, wound, pass calamity upon that person. The regenerated saint places
no trust in any other but His Master. He has saved me by grace. He keeps me by grace. And whenever God's people hear
that salvation is by the grace of God, they bow to that. They are thankful. Turn to John
6, 63. Let me show you where a man will
leave, where a man will walk away. If he doesn't do it outwardly
at first, he will eventually. But he does it in his heart immediately. Let me show you where a man will
always walk away. Where he'll always part ways. This is it right here. John 6,
verse 63. It is the Spirit that quickeneth. The flesh profiteth nothing. Now let me tell you what the
Lord just said. The flesh, the ability, the will of the carnal
flesh has no profit in it. And I think to myself, a man
would read that and would sit there and argue with God. It
is the Spirit that makes alive. The flesh has no profit in it. The words that I speak unto you,
they are Spirit and they are life. Now listen to the Lord's
words. But there are some of you that
believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him. And
He said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto
Me, except it were given unto him of My Father." Now look at
the next words. From that time, many of His disciples,
those that were following Him that appeared as though that
they were faithful, went back and walked no more with Him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon
Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the
words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that Thou
art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Often we find men who add to
the words of the prophecy of this book. And the Lord says,
I will add unto you the plagues that are written therein. But
here's the next thing that our Lord said in His testimony. Verse
19, And if any man shall take away from the words of the prophecy
of this book, God shall take away his part out of the book
of life and out of the holy city and from the things which are
written in this book. Now, you're going to find that these
two things always go hand in hand. The adding to and the taking
away from the words of this prophecy of this book. A man can't do
one without doing the other. They ignore the very truth that
is set forth in God's Word. No greater fault can be found
than ignoring or taking away the glory and the sovereignty
of Almighty God in all things. And let me tell you what the
bottom line of taking away from the words of the prophecy of
this book It means to ignore what God said. That's what it
means. Bottom line. Men will not admit,
they will deny that God Almighty is sovereign in salvation. Now they will say, at least outwardly,
they don't believe it. They will say that God is sovereign
in creation. They will say that God maybe
is sovereign in providence. They don't believe it because
they don't believe God is sovereign at all. But they certainly will
not admit that God is sovereign in salvation. Men take away or
they deny or refuse to bow to the revealed Word of God. Now,
a man adds to by saying, it takes something that I do to merit
salvation. God's offered it, and all I have
to do is, that's adding two, taking away from means to ignore
what God has said concerning Himself. Let me ask you this. What does the Scripture say about
election? Election. Boy, there's a word
that'll make somebody, you know, angry. This is what God's Word
says about election, Ephesians 1, verse 4, "...of courting,
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." That's
what God's Word says about it. What does God's Word say about
predestination? Now, let me explain what the
word means. It means to determine the destination, the end, beforehand. That's what it means. Predestination
means to determine beforehand where Almighty God says His people
will end up. What does God say about predestination?
Ephesians 1.5, "...having predestinated us unto the adoption of children,"
how? "...by Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the good pleasure of His will." What does God say about man's
so-called free will. John 1.13, which we are born,
not of blood. That means just because your
mom and daddy are believers, that does not mean that you are
a believer. Not by blood, nor by the will
of the flesh, as I have said before, I can desire that Almighty
God save my children. I pray God will call every person
out of this, you know, be pleased to call out of darkness. But
just because I would desire that doesn't mean it's going to be
so. "...which were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh,
nor the will of man." What does that mean? That means that you
don't have a free will to come to God whenever you decide that
you're going to, apart from Almighty God giving you a new heart. That's
what it means. You know what men will do by nature? They'll
say, I don't believe in election. I don't believe in predestination.
I believe that man has a free will, and God says you don't.
What does God's Word teach about eternal security? That means,
what does God's Word teach concerning those that God has saved about
losing their salvation? Men say, oh, you can lose your
salvation. Look at 1 Peter 1.3. Turn back
a few pages. 1 Peter 1.3. 1 Peter 1, verse 3, Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
that is incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved
in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. What does God's
Word teach concerning eternal security? God's people are not
lost. What does God's Word teach of
the certainty of salvation to all that God has ordained to
eternal life? What does God's Word teach about
those that the Lord has everlastingly loved What is the possibility
that those that God has everlastingly loved are going to hear the gospel,
the power of God unto salvation? What does the Scriptures teach
about that? John 6, 37, All that the Father
giveth me shall come whosoever will. to me, and him that cometh
to me, I will in no wise cast him out." No wise cast him out.
What if he doesn't keep himself? He won't keep himself. God will
keep him. How is he kept? By the power
of God unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last day.
How do you know that God said that? Men say, I don't believe
that. One would ask, what about Scriptures,
though, that appear to contradict those Scriptures? Somebody would
be sitting here listening, and I'll say something like that. What about Scriptures that appear
to contradict what this Scripture says? Let me give you a rule of thumb,
and you write this down. You place a Scripture that emphatically
sets forth truth on a pole, and you take every Scripture
that you think contradicts that Scripture, and you try to throw
every Scripture that you think contradicts A truth that is emphatic. And you try to knock that emphatic
truth off that pole. And if you can't knock that truth
off, what it means is you just don't understand the Scripture
that you're trying to use against that Scripture. You just don't
understand it. That's what it means. Has God everlastingly
loved a people? Sure He has. You show me one
Scripture that can knock that truth down, and I'll tell you
then that that was not a truth. Show me one Scripture that will
emphatically knock down that Almighty God has chosen a people
to be holy and without blame before Him, love. Show me one
Scripture that can knock that one off, and then I'll tell you,
election is not election. If you cannot knock that truth
off, then you just don't understand the Scripture that you're trying
to use against God's Word, is what I'm saying. Adding to or
taking away from the words of the prophecy of this book brings
the certainty of God's judgment to light. You're already under
it. It just brings it to light. Adding to brings the plagues
of this judgment. Well, what does it mean to have
God take away His part out of the book of life and out of the
holy city and from the things which are written in this book?
Someone says, you see there? You were just trying to say that
man was eternally secure, and there's a Scripture right there
that shows you that he's not. You were just trying to say that
His inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, fadeth not away. I
told you that man was not eternally secure because the Scripture
says God shall take away his part out of the book of life.
You see there? Well, let's just find out what
that Scripture means. Let me tell you first of all
what I know it doesn't mean. I just read 1 Peter. Inheritance. incorruptible, undefiled, fades
not away. How can it fade away? How can
it be corruptible when God said it's incorruptible? How can it
be defiled when God says it's undefilable? You can't defile
it. How can it be then? Turn to Romans 8.35. Romans 8.35. Romans chapter 8, verse 35, who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation
or distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword? As it is written, for thy sake
we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, in all these things We are more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. But I am persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Someone might say, Oh, wait a
minute. That last verse said, "...nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature shall be able to separate us." You'd say, yeah,
I don't believe any creature will be able to separate us,
but what about God separating us? Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13.5. Hebrews 13, 5, let your conversation
be without covetousness, and be content with such things as
you have. For He has said, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, The
Lord is my Helper. And I will not fear what man
shall do to me." If Almighty God says, I will never, I will
never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Do you
know why He will never forsake His people? Because God Almighty,
the Father, forsook Him. being made sin for us, His elect. He put away our guilt and our
sin. He put it away. He cast it as
far as the east is from the west. He has imputed His righteousness
to His people, and He said, I will never forsake you. I said a while
ago, somebody would say, but what if I don't stay faithful?
He's faithful. He's faithful. And God Almighty
is dealing with me in Him. He's faithful. He'll never. So therefore, knowing that it
doesn't mean If God said, any man shall take away from the
words of the prophets of this book, God shall take away his
part out of the book of life, I know what it doesn't mean.
It doesn't mean that those that the Lord God Himself has chosen
before the foundation of the world, those for whom Christ
has died, those that Christ has redeemed, those that the Spirit
of God has truly and effectually called out of darkness, That
Scripture right there does not mean that those that God has
truly saved by His grace, that they'll be lost. I know it doesn't
mean that. I know it doesn't mean that. Now, you can throw
all the Scriptures you want to at that, and you're not going
to get around that truth. It doesn't mean, because God
said, I'll never leave you. He didn't say, I'll never leave
you, except He said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake
you. That's good enough. That's right.
That's good enough right there. Well, then what does it mean
then? If it doesn't mean that a man can lose his salvation,
what does it mean? Let me tell you what it means
and I'll show you a Scripture to prove it. It means that a
man never possessed Christ, never possessed God's salvation, and
the Lord in that day is going to reveal it to him. That's what
it means. You say, prove that. Okay, I
will. Turn to Luke. Turn to Luke 8. This is what
it means. It means that a man never possessed
Christ, and God in that day is going to reveal to that man what
that man thought he possessed, but never did. Luke 8, verse
16. No man, when he hath lighted
a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed, but
setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may
see the light. For nothing is secret that shall
not be made manifest, neither anything hid that shall not be
known, and come abroad take heed. Therefore, how you hear For whosoever
hath, that means whosoever hath salvation, to him shall be given,
and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that
which he seemeth to have." Now, if you have a marginal Bible,
look in the middle of what the word seemeth means. It means
to think or thinketh that he hath. What does it mean to have,
back in Revelation 22, 19, God shall take away His part out
of the book of life? This is what it means. Those
that think they possess eternal life, they've never believed
God's report concerning Christ. They add to His Word by saying,
My free will. My baptism, my church attendance,
my belief in the doctrine, though no heart for Christ, my ability
has assured me a place in heaven. And I'm as sure as heaven as
if I'm already there. Or they take away from, which
is really the second part of the same thing, that is to say
they deny what God says. They ignore what the Lord has
said. They take away. They turn their
back on. I'm not going to hear that. I
can prove that ain't true. I can show you Scripture that
proves that ain't true. Any man that adds to or takes away God
Almighty in that day is going to reveal to him, you never knew
me. I never knew you. That's what
it means. God will take away, the Scripture
says, what he thinks he has. Those that take away, those that
add to. They think. that their names
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life because they accepted
the Lord. An angel wrote it in. As I said
before, you show me where there's a recording angel. There's no
recording angel. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Book,
He's the Word. They think that they have possession
of the holy city. God shall take away or reveal
to them that they never possessed a part. in His covenant of grace
and mercy. So the words of this testimony,
God Almighty says, you add to, you take away from. I'll add
to you. The plagues of this book, you take away from. I'll reveal
to you. I'll take your name out of the
book. I'll show you it was never there.
And the words of this testimony are certain. Look at verse 20.
He which testifieth these things saith, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. You let men doubt what God Almighty
says concerning Himself, adding to or taking away from. Though
it is not revealed when the Lord shall come, let me tell you on
the authority of this book The Lord Jesus Christ, as He is revealed
in this scripture right here, is coming quickly. He shall come. The Lord's people anxiously anticipate
His coming. Amen. That's what they say. Even
so, come, Lord Jesus, Master and Savior. He is our only hope. We desire to be with Him by sight,
to be in possession with Him in our heavenly inheritance,
prepared by Almighty God from the foundation of the world.
And then the last words of benediction to the elect of God. The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The heart of His grace. His acceptance of His people
by Christ in grace. The favor of His grace. The only
grace that matters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ours. Ours by eternal covenant. He loved us first. First. And I'm telling you, His
people, revealed by the Spirit of God who He is, love Him. We love Him because He first
loved us. Our Lord Jesus Christ. He's our
Husband. He cares for us. What do you
think of husband? A husband that loves his wife.
What do you think He'll do for her? Everything in His power. What do you think our Lord is
going to do for His bride? Everything in His power. And
He's all-powerful. All power in heaven and earth
is given unto the Son, the Husband of the Bride. Do you think He's
going to let anything happen to His bride Do you think that
His bride that has been everlastingly loved, eternally loved, He shed
His blood for her? He laid down His life. His Father
turned His back on Him, forsook Him for her. You think He's going
to lose her? John says, under the inspiration
of the Spirit of God, the Lord speaking through these words
of this preacher, the grace of our Lord. The grace of our Lord. Grace of our Lord is only known
in the gospel. That's the only way we know anything
about it. The proclamation of God's power,
God's will, God's purpose in the salvation of His people.
Ephesians 2, verse 8 says, For by grace are you saved. through faith, and that not of
yourself. It's the gift of God. The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.