Come

Come

Revelation 22:17

“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.” — Revelation 22:17 (NIV)

The Book of Revelation gets a bad rap! We often think of it as a scary book... filled with mysteries and symbolism we don’t understand, and don’t know what to do with! So, we tend to avoid it altogether... and that’s a shame. Because Revelation’s place (it’s physical place) in the scripture, and its message of hope in the face of persecution, are of great benefit to us, as followers of Christ.

And by its place in the scripture, I mean: There’s something wonderfully gracious and comforting about the final invitation of God’s Word.

Of course, the Bible begins with the account of creation, which is quickly followed by the fall of Adam and Eve. “In Adam’s fall we sin all.” The narrative continues through judgment and redemption, Israel and the nations, the cross and the empty tomb, and after all the visions of Christ’s return and the coming kingdom - we’re left with a simple, yet grand invitation:

One word: “Come!”

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’”

It’s the Holy Spirit who offers the invitation; along with the Bride - which is the Church - and every person who hears the Gospel (hearing implying receiving the Gospel) is invited to repeat it: “Come!”

“Let the one who is thirsty come.”

That’s the proclamation of the Gospel! “Let the one who is thirsty come.” Christ does not call those who believe they have everything together. Because the self-righteous are so self-absorbed they don’t even hear the invitation!

1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (or foolishness) to him, and he is not able to understand [the things of the Spirit] because they are spiritually discerned.” Our thirst for the things of God, comes from God; from the Holy Spirit!

Jesus said of himself, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

Christ calls the thirsty. He calls the repentant, the humble, contrite of spirit, who recognize their need. The poor, the captive, the outcast, the oppressed. He calls people who have discovered that the pleasures, accomplishments, possessions, and promises of this world are momentary (at best), and they can never satisfy the deepest hunger of the soul.

And what is it exactly that Christ is offers? He offers “the free gift of the water of life.”

The word “free” is foundational to what Reformed, Biblical Christianity proclaims. Salvation is not something we purchase, earn, or deserve. We certainly work for Christ, but our works are in RESPONSE to our salvation, not to earn our salvation. We all know that - I’m certainly not saying anything new here! The problem is that we don’t act like we believe it very often!

So many people (maybe even some of us?), work and strive, and toil to please God... and to appease Him in the hope that we’ll do enough good to counteract all the bad things we’ve done. And when we do that, we’re rejecting one of the most basic principles of our redemption. We do not climb our way up to God through good works. We do not make ourselves worthy enough to receive His grace. Salvation is pure grace from beginning to end.

As God’s Word reminds us in Ephesians 2:8, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Of course, the “thirsty” are those who’ve become aware of their need. And sometimes that “awareness” is more obvious than other times! There are times when I’m parched and I know it! And other times, I’m so busy, so involved, so preoccupied, that I don’t even realize how thirsty I am. But when the realization of thirst hits you, only water will do! You can flavor it up, but it’s still water that quenches thirst!

And much the same, it’s only when we come to the realization (when we’re made aware of) our spiritual thirst, and we begin to “thirst after righteousness” (to thirst after the things of God) that we’re blessed to find our refreshment in Christ and His sufficiency.

The beauty of the Gospel is that the same Christ who relentlessly draws us to Himself also commands us to come to Him for our comfort and rest. Christ saves us, and refreshes us, as we come to Him.

Jesus is saying, in effect:

“Your thirst for God is your calling. So come to me.”

If you’re sinful. Come.

If you’re weary. Come.

If you’ve failed. Come.

If you’re blessed. Come.

If you’re young, or old, or any of a thousand other descriptors... Come!

You cannot redeem yourself. Come to Jesus.

There’s absolutely nothing in ANY of OUR hands with which to purchase salvation. We’re called to simply come to Christ in our thirst and receive the gift of “living water.”

It’s interesting; Jesus offered the same invitation to the woman at the well. He said, “Everyone who drinks of [well water] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

The “water of life” is Christ Himself! He is the One who satisfies the soul and reconciles us to God.

Like so many of the words we read and hear from the Bible; the invitation of Revelation 22:17 is both a gospel invitation and a promise. The day is coming when Christ will make all things new. Everything that separates us from God will be gone. Including all tears, all pain, and even death. And God’s people will bask in the presence, and refreshment, of God, forever.

And until that day, the church has one great message, and it’s not complicated:

It’s the simple invitation, to come. Come to Christ by grace. Come thirsty. Come empty-handed.

Come trusting in the finished work of Jesus.

And then, join the Spirit and the Bride in extending that same invitation to others.

“Come!”