Three
Blessings
Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he
who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things
which are written in it; for the time is near.” Today I want us to notice
that there are three blessings associated with this book. The three blessings
are for those who read it, those who hear it, and for those who keep those things
which are written in it. We will discover that while the first two are quite simple,
the third is not.
Let’s look at the first blessing that
is for those who read this book. That sounds pretty simple, uh? Unfortunately,
because so many feel that the book is a closed book and can never be understood
by mere mortals, they do not even bother to read the book and therefore lose
this first blessing. I have a hunch that many who are reading this article
right now have never even read through this precious book. If you haven’t, do
it as soon as you finish reading this article!
Did you notice something else
about this first blessing? It doesn’t say, “Blessed is he who reads and understands
this book.” Many times when I take a group on a study through this book, they
do not quite understand everything that is in it. I know because I can see the
glazed look in their eyes! It’s because their knowledge base of the Bible is
limited. However, that’s no excuse for
not reading it. Lord knows, that when I was in school, I read a lot of things
that I didn’t understand! As a matter of fact, I was “glazed” most of the
time! My encouragement to you is that
you just read it and at the same time get into a church that teaches the Bible
in such a way that you can understand it a little more each time you go through
it. We’re all learning every day. It just takes time and study.
I’ve found in ministry that many times
the Lord doesn’t show us things because He knows that we are not ready for
them. We are all in a growing process. Some of us are further along than
others, but that’s okay; as long as we are all searching and trying to
understand what God has for us. The Bible says that we grow from faith to faith
and glory to glory. That means that we
grow a little bit at a time. It doesn’t happen overnight. God knows when and
how to reveal things to us as He knows that we are ready to receive them.
The second blessing is quite
simple in that it only requires that we “hear”
the words that are in this book. Of course, there is more to hearing than just
being in the same room as the person who is speaking. You wives know exactly
what I’m talking about!
Finally, the third blessing is
just a little different in that it is not quite as simple as the first two or
as easy to obtain as that it is only for those who “keep those things which are
written in this book.” Now that
implies more than reading and hearing. It implies obedience. The Bible
says in James 1:22 that we are to be “doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” As a matter of
fact, it is by doing what God says that we know that we love God. John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me…”
Sadly, I know many people, as I’m
sure you do, who say they love God with their mouths and yet there is no proof
of it in their lives. Unfortunately, they are only deceiving themselves. They
have convinced themselves that they are something they are not. That’s why
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not
everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he
who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'”
So, it’s not enough to just read
and hear the Bible, but we must also do those things that are commanded in the
Bible. God wants our life, not just our lip!
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