Sermon details
- Scripture
- Revelation 7:9-10
- Speaker
- Various Speakers
- Date
- 9 October 2024
- Length
- 17 minutes
Read the sermon
Join the redeemed
Well, good evening. It's been a pleasure to sing and worship with you all here tonight. And seeing that we have a hymn sing, I thought it would be fitting to look at a greater, more glorious hymn sing of sorts, one that would lead us to rejoice all the more, not just tonight, but in the days to come. So if you could turn with me now to your Bibles in Revelation 7, which can be found on page 1032 of the Red Q Bibles. Oh, I'm so sorry. Yeah, children can be dismissed. I'm so sorry. So to set the scene of tonight's passage, we stand in the throne room of God. So John, the book's inspired author, hears praises to God echoing around the throne. He sees the slain lamb worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. And now in chapter seven, John sees God's wrath for sin being held back over the earth by four angels, waiting until the full number of God's people are sealed. And John hears the number of the sealed people. 144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel. And this brings us to our passage today in verses nine and 10. So let's read that now. God's word says,
After this, I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.
Let's go to the word, or go to the Lord in a word of prayer before we start. Father, we praise you knowing that salvation belongs to you. Help us now to know how to respond to that truth, Lord, and help me now to deliver your word faithfully and truthfully. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. So standing before the throne is not a literal 144,000. Standing before the throne of God is a great multitude that no one could number. The full number of God's people, redeemed, spotless, and in glory. So this picture that is before us tonight is one of victory. It's the finished Christian race. This picture is what we long for as we live our lives here on this earth. But tonight, I hope to do more than just explain the hope of the future that awaits us. I hope to urge you to see the blessings that we have in Christ and to join today in singing the victorious melody, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. So if you're looking for a one sentence summary of tonight's passage, it's this. Join the redeemed in praising the God of salvation. Join the redeemed in praising the God of salvation. So now as we take in this glorious scene in Revelation 7, we'll look at two things, the who and the what around the throne of God. So firstly we see the who, the redeemed choir. The redeemed choir stands before the throne of God. So again in verse nine,
Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
Before God's throne is a people of vast diversity, worshiping in perfect unity. Standing here is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham back in Genesis 12 to 17. Abraham was promised to be made a great nation, to have offspring numbered as many as the stars. And this great unnumbered multitude in Revelation 7 isn't just the physical descendants of Abraham. It's the offspring of faith. It's those who, like Abraham, believed God, and to them it was counted as righteousness. So as we consider why we praise God here tonight, Praise him because he is the God of all nations, tribes, and peoples. And he has brought this people from all over the earth to one place, before his throne. So the beauty of this picture isn't necessarily in the diversity itself. The beauty is in the fact that this great multitude of every nation is unified in one response, worshiping our Lord and Savior. And even now we can have a taste of that heavenly reality here in this church. JPBC is full of members from all walks of life, of all ages, from all different backgrounds. So I encourage you to make the most of this body of believers. Don't get me wrong, it is such a blessing to have friends in your same stage of life who share the same interests and hobbies as you. but at the same time, I urge you to rejoice in and take advantage of the fact that you're surrounded by a church family of people who aren't exactly like you. Young adults and college students get to know the older couples of the church. OG members and older folks make an effort to reach out to young couples and share your lives with them. and also there are many members in our midst who speak another language than us, so make an effort to greet them and welcome them, for we are all one body of believers. I know these things take a great deal of intentionality, and they aren't always the easiest to do. It may be hard to find commonalities, or you might not know exactly what to say to each other. But praise God that we have one all-important commonality, If you don't know what to say or what to talk about, talk of the very thing that you guys have in common, Jesus Christ, and rejoice and confess together, salvation belongs to our God and to the lamb. Now examining again the great multitude, this redeemed choir, we see that they aren't just unified in one location and in one response, but they're also unified in one dress. Going down the line of redeemed saints, you won't find certain saints fitted in their Sunday best, clean and proper with no hint of struggle or imperfection. At the same time, you won't find others in tattered mud-stained rugs, rags, who look like they fought for every inch of their spot in heaven. The people of God have a strict dress code. The only garments permitted among God's people are white robes. garments of righteousness. But how do you get these white robes, one might ask, and who are the ones who wear this uniform? The answer lies for us in verse 13. These, the ones standing before God's throne, are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation.
Read the full sermon
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
So notice here, this isn't the blood that drips from our tired hands after scrubbing sin-sane garments with good deeds. This cleansing talked about here requires the blood of the perfect lamb who was slain, the blood of sacrifice. This is the blood that defeated sin and death once for all, and the work here is not done by ourselves. It is the work of God alone, and it is finished. our God who sits on the throne and the Lamb have won. So that's why here we see saints pictured with palm branches in their hands. These were symbols of victory, symbols of royalty and kingship. Think of the triumphal entry in John 10. Except this time, the saints rejoice in the Lamb who already has, past tense, conquered. Now, although we don't currently stand in glory, Christ's victory over sin and death is no less sure for us today. So as you face a world full of trial, persecution, temptation, and suffering, look to Christ. Look back on his cross and to the open grave. to see sin rendered powerless and look forward to the day when sin and death will be destroyed once for all. This is the same day that is pictured before God's throne in Revelation 7. The redeemed choir, given white robes, waving branches of victory at the foot of their king. So this is who stands around the throne, but what is happening around the throne? We hear in this great picture the resounding chorus, the resounding chorus. This great multitude purchased from every nation and tribe and language cries out with one voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the land. Now this is the response of the one who has come out of the great tribulation, who has finished the race. What the saints are confessing here is that God is sovereign over all aspects of salvation. And this song is still as true for us today. God, in his grace, initiated our salvation. His son, through his blood, accomplished our salvation. And his spirit, by indwelling in us, applies our salvation to us. And the only thing that we contribute to this gospel message is our sin against God that deserves death. but praise God that Christ's perfect life, death on the cross, and glorious resurrection took our punishment of sin and made a way for us to live with him forever. This gospel calls us to turn from thinking that we can save ourselves. So if you haven't already, turn and believe in Christ today. Do not delay. Here, God has done it all. He is the one who acts, he's the one who saves, he's the one who protects, he's the one who provides. And then how should we respond to all that God does? I want us to see here, like the great multitude, we are to cry out to him. Now, this is unoriginal application for devotional at a hymn sing, I know, but this is really the only response that we have in light of all that God has done, worship. Join in singing the song of the redeemed. Sing in all circumstances and remind yourself of God's great grace and sovereignty. Sing in the midst of overwhelming temptation. Salvation belongs to our God. Sing in times of great rejoicing and happiness. Salvation belongs to our God. And even in seasons of sorrow and suffering that drive us to despair, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the land. Verses 16 and 17 remind us that there is hope of a day with no more sin, no more pain, no more tears. And if this day is in the hands of our God, then it will not fail to come. So look forward to this day, and at the same time, remind one another of these same truths. One easy way that we do this is in our corporate gatherings on Sunday morning. As we worship God together, we're also reminding each other of these gospel truths. So whether you think you sound good or not, sing loudly of God's salvation. This also isn't the only way that we remind one another. I've been so blessed by members opening up their homes solely for the purpose of singing with one another. What a great way to be encouraged and praise God in the midst of a busy and distracting week. Also, parents, sing of God's salvation regularly with your children. Set aside time during your week to sing gospel truths as a family and explain to your kids what these truths mean and why we sing of them. But also with so much talk of joyful praise and singing, I recognize that it's not always easy to join in the chorus. How can we sing joyfully in the midst of trials and sufferings that leave us hopeless? And this is why we have the church, each other. To be on the lookout for weary, broken saints. Stand by them. Help them to trust Christ more. And invite them and help them to once again sing praises to the Lamb. Now, a few weeks ago, Austin and I were driving in the car. Man of Sorrows was playing. over the stereo, and I turned to confess and to him. At that time, the last thing that I wanted to do was praise God. But unconventionally, when I finished talking, Austin didn't respond with words. Instead, he raised his voice and joined with the song.
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah. What a savior.
In the midst of the guilt that quieted my own song, Austin turned me to see my redemption in Christ and invited me to worship my God. So I encourage you all, help each other see Christ more clearly so that the chorus would ring all the more clearly. Hallelujah, what a Savior. Praise God that our standing before him rests on the merit of our Savior alone. For by his blood, he has ransomed a people for God and is worthy of all praise and worship and glory. Amen, let's pray. Father, we thank you for the blood of the lamb that takes away our own sin and shame and close us with righteousness. Help us to rejoice all the more greatly in your salvation and cause our souls to exult in you. In Jesus' name, amen.
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