The
Last Word: Amen
I once pastored
a church next to a grammar school. I can
still remember listening to some conversations on the playground during recess
and building, modifying and confirming much of my theology from the voices of
pre-puberty. One on my favorite expressions was: “He’s not being fair!” As I
watched and listened, I received not only confirmation that we are born with a
sinful nature and prone to do what is wrong, but I was also reminded that deep
in the heart of the human being is a craving for justice.
Listen to the words of Isaiah: “Every
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: {straight: or, a
straight place} {plain: or, a plain place} And the glory of the LORD shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath
spoken [it] (Isa. 40:4,5). There is something in us
that rejoices when villains get caught and cheaters fail to prosper. The human
heart aches for justice. There must be more than what we see. Too many inequities
and injustices happen in this trap of time for the heart to rest. We look for a
day when the crooked shall collapse and be replaced with the straight.
In our text today the apostle’s smoke
detector goes off. As the smoke rises in this scene from the future, we are
told that this is forever and ever. Joy breaks out as the entire world watches
as the uneven is corrected, and then beyond justice, grace provides rewards.
And as this all transpires, the shout of “amen” rings clearly throughout
creation. This is the ultimate contrast. All of the temporary and “slipping
away” is replaced with the permanent.
This is the seventh amen of the book of
Revelation; it is followed by two more in the last two verses of the Bible. The
book of the Revelation is the book of the final amen. Anyone who has ever
completed a difficult task knows the joy of “amen.” This “amen,” however, is
the ultimate one.
At this time, the distinction between the
small and the great is eliminated. For now, there is good and bad, better and
worse, before and after. Life is packed with ups and downs. Time presents us
with the great and the insignificant, but time is on its way out! In the
eternal realm, there are no VIPs. When the final smoke detector goes off, life
as we know it will be over. Faith will give way to sight, mystery will be
replaced with understanding, and we shall be home. All pain and sorrow will go
up in smoke, and we shall finally enjoy the great “amen.” The last word of the Bible,
and the last word of history are the same: Amen.
The Last Word: Amen
Revelation 19:4
INTRODUCTION
The Dangers of not staying home
INSTRUCTION
1.
The personification of Amen
A. Double minded man’s instability
B. Marriage harmony’s key
C. Warning to husband
D. Qualification of the “Amen”
2.
The message of Amen
A. Finality
B. Conclusion of grace
C. Revelation of justice
D. Absence of evil
3.
The joy of Amen
A. End of mystery
B. Fulfillment of hope
C.
D. Never missing Savior
4. The terror of Amen
A Separation
B. Intense pain
C. Loss of opportunity
D. Eternal remorse