May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this morning as we meditate in His Holy Word.
Let us turn to the book of the Revelation, chapter 7, and we'll
read verses 9 and 10. The book of the Revelation, chapter
7, and reading verses 9 and 10. After this I beheld and lo, a great multitude which no man
could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues,
stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God! which sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb. Well, the book of the Revelation
is called Revelation because it was a revelation to the Apostle
John when he was on the Isle of Patmos, when he was an old
man. And we should be thankful that we do have this revelation
of things to come. And yet there are so many, many
things which are spoken of in this book which are really very
difficult to understand. And many people have endeavoured
to interpret them and come to conclusions which have often
proved to be erroneous. So we do not intend to try and
produce any wonderful prophecy today. But there are some parts
of this book which are clear and which are very relevant and
which are important. And what it does do, it does
give us a little glimpse, in some places, of the condition
and situation which will exist in glory, in heaven, at last. And surely as we are journeying
on through time on this earth it's good to be able to look
beyond this earth and beyond our little life to those things
which are to come. Because we must all realise that
without any doubt all of us possess a soul which shall never die. And the truth is that all of
us will therefore spend eternity either in heaven or in hell and
really how little justification we give to considering these
great important facts how easy it is to live our life on this
earth as though our life on this earth was eternal whereas of
course in fact it is infinitesimally small in comparison with eternity. And whereas we know that our
life on this earth will end, our life in eternity will never
end. And so how very, very important,
how very, very relevant it is for us to consider the eternal
state and the eternal conditions that there will be indeed for
us. And we pray earnestly that it
may be well with our souls. That is really the vital thing. How keen we are about our bodies,
aren't we? We're also concerned about being
healthy in our bodies. There's nothing wrong with that.
But people go to great, great ends, don't they, to try and
make their bodies last a bit longer, to keep their body a
bit more healthy, so that a few more years will be added to them. And yet, you see, in reality,
if we compare that with eternity, it really has no relevance, because
it is so, so infinitesimally small. And yet, you see, The
devil doesn't want us to think about eternal realities. He wants us to concentrate on
the things of time. Those things which perish with
the using. And he is very successful. Because
if we analyse our lives, we'll find that a large proportion
is spent on time things. A large proportion. is spent
on things which do not really matter. And yet, you see, He
would have us again and again turn away from the things of
God to the things of time, rather than turn to the things of eternity. Well, we need to be reminded
constantly, constantly of the shortness of our life. and for eternity, which stretches
before us. And you see, none of us know
really, you know, how soon these things will come. We've had this
COVID virus upon us, haven't we? And it struck down very,
very many people, very, very many people throughout the world,
some slowly, but some really very suddenly. And they've never
been able to, therefore, formulate any plans as such. I'm sure some
of you are mindful of the florists that we had in Rygate, well,
and Redhill, who were struck down very, very suddenly. with
this virus and he carted off for hospital and of course he
was so ill and because of the situation he wasn't allowed to
see anybody apart from his wife who was called in on three occasions
to say goodbye to him and he had no time therefore to plan
anything. He was a worldly man and because
his office was quite near or his shop was quite near to our
office I often used to pass by, and he would often stop and say
a few words. And I remember asking him earlier
last year, when do you intend to retire? And he said, well,
I'm 67, and we're trying to sell the business, and then I shall
retire. Well, what I knew after that
was, well, they hadn't sold the business, but they did intend
to retire, and they bought a retirement house. And it was only just a
few weeks after that that he came into this situation and
literally collapsed with this virus no time to do anything
no time to say anything and there he was very soon in eternity
so none of us should try and think well I can plan my life
and I think I'll do this and I think I'll do that none of
us know how soon in our lives that statement shall come and
time shall be no more. Would it be a great blessing
if by the grace of God we are looking forward to our eternal
home, to our, we can say, our eternal inheritance, Because
it's not something that you and I can earn, as I often tell you. It's not something that we deserve. It's something that we receive
through the wonderful and gracious gift of God. And yet how important
it is that each one of us are the recipients. We have received
the evidence that we are amongst the children of God. Well, in
this verse, these two verses here, we read together, John
said he beheld a great multitude which no man could number. No man could number. in the chapter
that we read together there was that statement about the angels
there were 10 000 times 10 000 when a few youngsters are able
to do a little mathematical sum you will notice that that comes
to 10 million and more than that so there were 10 million angels
around the throne and then of course there was the the great
multitude then of the living Church of God, and that's why
it's specified like this, a great multitude which no man could
number. So many people saved by the grace
of God. So many people, a great multitude
which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and
people and tongues. Yes, from every part of the world,
all colours, all tongues. It's amazing, isn't it? Will
all be found before the throne and before the Lamb. Now this
is the blessing. Clothed with white robes. What does that mean? It means
they will be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Not anything that they've brought
upon themselves, but that which has been given to them. And every one of us here today
needs to have the evidence that we are clothed with that righteousness
of Christ. And it's not an irrelevant consideration,
because all of us will have to stand before that great white
throne on that great judgment day. None of us will be excused. No one will be too powerful.
No one will be too insignificant. But every one of us will have
to stand before that great white throne and therefore how important
it is that we know that we are clothed with the righteousness
of Christ. It's very easy to put these things
off and to say, well, of course, you know, I don't really know.
And, you know, people don't seem to be concerned about it. They kind of think, well, it'll
happen at last, but it may not happen at last. And all of us should be concerned
to know that we do possess this robe of Christ's righteousness,
a white robe, so that we then are numbered amongst this number
which no man can number. And it is not satisfactory to
just forget about these things. As I've said, we may be struck
down. We may not have any opportunity to be able to speak. We may not
have any opportunity to be able to pray. And let me tell you
this, when we are really ill, when
we are really ill, we won't really be able to pray. We won't really be able to read. I was like that a year or so
ago when I was in hospital. I wasn't really able. to think
very well and consecutively and not very able to read positively. So you should never think, well
I'll have time to do that. You may not have time. You should
never think, well tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. Today, the Word of God says,
If we shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts. That means to
turn away from God. But the vital and important thing
for all of us is to know that we are indeed saved. And that's why we have this wonderful
statement in this 10th verse which tells us this vast, vast
congregation which stood before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes and palms in their hands, and they cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb. Salvation to our God. You might remember the case of
Jonah. Jonah's a lovely little book.
It's a lot of instruction, a little book of Jonah. Jonah, of course,
disobeyed God. Well, all of us have disobeyed
God. Jonah ran away from God. By nature, we all run away from
God. Jonah said he wasn't going to
obey God. Well, by nature, we say we are
not going to obey God. No, we're going to continue with
our own life. And Jonah was successful in running
away to start with. And you may be successful in
running away to start with. And you know that may not be
physically, but it may be mentally. In your heart, you may run away
from the things of God. You may not want to listen. Perhaps
you come to chapel and you don't want to listen. What you're doing,
you're running away. You're running away from the
things of God. Well, Jonah thought he could
escape, but God knew where Jonah was. And God knows where we are
precisely, and he knows what we're thinking. And we can't
hide our thoughts from God. And Jonah, therefore, was so
confident that he succeeded in running away from God and he
went to sleep. And of course, there was, as
you remember, a great storm arose and the boat was tossed about,
but Jonah was fast asleep. It didn't worry him. You know,
we can become very sleepy. We can be unconcerned about the
things of God and we can be content to just go to sleep. something
we can just be content to go to sleeping chapel when I was
a boy I was quite happy to go to sleeping chapel and I thought
it was a good thing to pass the time well it didn't do me any
good and it won't do you any good to go to sleeping chapel
and to not think about the things which are being spoken because
we should realize God has blessed us with a wonderful position
to be found hearing the gospel. There are billions of people
today who never hear the gospel and you won't be able to stand
before that great white throne and say, well, of course, I never
knew I was never told. You have been told and you have
heard and you will have no excuse. Well, no one has any excuse anyway.
But, you know, those who have heard the gospel I'm sure we'll
be in a far worse condition who turn their back upon the truth
of God. And so may we cry mightily unto
God that he may hear us. Well, that's what Jonah did eventually. He was thrown overboard and a
whale swallowed him. And there he was in that whale's
belly for three days and three nights. Complete darkness. All the weeds were round about
his head. And you think, well, Jonah, surely
you're going to cry to God immediately. No, he didn't. Three days and
three nights. Eventually, blessed be God, the
Holy Spirit came to him and convinced him. And he said, I will look
again unto thy holy hill. He will look again unto the Lord. And then the Holy Spirit of God
brought him to that wonderful condition. So he was able to
declare. He did declare it. He did record
it. And the Church of God will also
be able to say and declare it. And I don't have any time for
people who say, well, that person never said anything, but I think
they were all right. No, they're not. The Word of
God is very clear that the Lord gives us words to speak. And
it's by our words that we are known. And Jonah came and said
those glorious words, salvation is of the Lord. And he had received
the blessing of that salvation. And it's a great favour when
you and I know that we have received salvation. That means the saving
of our souls. That means that we are saved
through what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us when he died
upon that cross at Calvary. That all our many, many sins
and you won't come and think, well, you're not a very big sinner. You may have done one or two
things wrong. You'll stand before God as a a truly great sinner
needing a great salvation and pleading for that and crying
for that. And what a mercy it is. And when
God comes and blesses us, that we're able to say with Jonah
and with the church of God that we have here, salvation is of
the Lord. Salvation to the Lord, says the
whole church of God here pictured in glory. Well, today, today,
can we say, can we say, yes, by the grace of God, and it is
the wonderful grace of God that we have received salvation, that
we have the evidence that our souls are eternally safe, that
we can say humbly before God, yes, To those who may inquire,
is it well? Yes, it is well. It is well with
my soul because God has revealed it to me, because God has shown
me that he has redeemed me, that he's paid the price for my salvation. This is the great need that we
all have. Without me you can do nothing.
We need the work of the Saviour in our hearts. We must have the
work of God in our souls. We cannot, we cannot get to glory
without it. We cannot get to heaven without
the evidence that we are born again of the Spirit of God. It is the wonderful favour that
God grants to his people. Those who are taught by his Spirit,
those who have come, have come. It's a wonderful little picture
we have at the end of the Song of Solomon, where the question
is asked, who is this that cometh out of the wilderness, leaning
upon her beloved? Well, the wilderness is the world
of sin and sorrow. And it's a blessing, it's an
eternal blessing when God enables us to come out leaning upon Christ. Nowhere else, no one else will
ever save our souls. My friends, may your hope and
my hope be on what Christ has done And may we be found then amongst
those leaning upon our beloved, you know, again to the church
of God then. Christ was her beloved. Christ wasn't just an historical
figure. And Christ is not just an historical
figure. My friends, Christ will mean
something to us. Oh, let us not pass it by. Let
us not be content with a religion that does not come and have the
blessing evidence that Christ is our Saviour, that Christ is
my salvation, that salvation is to me through what the Lord
Jesus Christ has done. Well, says this word here, And
cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth
upon the throne and unto the Lamb. And then we have the picture
here. And all the angels stood round about the throne and about
the elders and the four beasts and fell before the throne. on
their faces and worship God. And the picture there is bowing
down to God. And my friends, the picture on
this earth is the church of God, the living church of God. Bow
down to God. Have you bowed down to God? No one knows apart from you and
God. My friends, how vital it is.
that we bow down to Almighty God and what a blessing it is. And so here we have this wonderful
statement. They fell before the throne on
their faces and worshipped God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory
and wisdom and thanksgiving and power and might be unto our God
for ever and ever. That's the song of the redeemed. That's the song of the Church
of God. That's the song of those who are born again by the Spirit
of God. You and I will desire this blessing
and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might
be unto our God forever and ever because if the Holy Spirit has
come and touched our hearts you know when the Holy Spirit comes
and touches our heart you know what the effect is? I'll tell
you what the effect is by nature you and I have a heart of stone
unfeeling unfeeling but when the Holy Spirit comes that heart
of stone is changed into a heart of flesh and it's then a feeling
heart we are touched then by the work of the Holy Spirit we're
not then left unconcerned and we can bless God for it and what
a wonderful favour it is and how important it is let us not
just journey on satisfying with just a form of religion, just
a mere form. There are many people today satisfied
with just a mere outward profession, without any real possession of
the great and glorious gift of God, who touches hearts and grants
a heart of flesh. Because if it is so, then it
won't just be we might say weasel words which emanate from the
heart it'll be reality and you will acknowledge the greatness
of God and you will bow down before this great and merciful
and compassionate God who's looked upon you you're amazed at his
love you're amazed at his mercy you stand there and say surely
Has this come to me? Unworthy sinner. Unworthy sinner. Reminds me of the man who is
now in glory, Stephen was his name. And I remember he told
me, After he was converted, he wasn't a young man when he was
converted, and he was sat in the car park and the Lord came
and spoke to him very comforting words in accordance with the
Word of God that his name was engraved on the palms of his
hands. And his reaction was, what, me
Lord? He couldn't really believe it,
but it was true. And that was a wonderful deliverance. He knew then he was engraved
in the palms of the Lord's hands. And therefore he wasn't cast
out. He was indeed redeemed. And therefore he was able to
say, Blessing and honour and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour
and power and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. And then we read and one of the
elders answers saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed
in white robes? And whence came they? It's a
fair question. And he said unto me, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said, These are they which
came out of great tribulation. And that is true. All of God's
people come out of great tribulation as they pass through time, as
they pass through this wilderness, as they pass through this world.
We are on a journey. Bless God that we're passing
through it. And so we have, we will, if we
are those who are chosen of God, we shall be amongst those who
have come out of great tribulation, but there's more than that, and have washed their robes and
have made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That means they
have been looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. That means they have the wonderful
evidence that the Lord Jesus Christ died to take away their
sins. You see, it's so clear, isn't
it? And have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb, all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. But O, to
have the evidence that all our sins, which are the cause of
needing to be washed, are forever washed away, taken away, because
we are redeemed in the precious blood of Christ. And so here
we have. And have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb, every born again
sinner, every redeemed sinner, every child of God is washed
in the blood of the Lamb. Oh, my friends, what an amazing,
what a glorious truth. What a soul-strengthening truth. What an encouraging truth. What
a truth to rejoice in. Oh, I hope we do today. How easy it is to settle down,
satisfied with just a mere hope-so religion. But you see, those
who are blessed with this Have a good hope. It's not a false
hope. It's a good hope. And it's founded
upon the promises of God. And it's founded upon the revelation
of God. And it's founded upon that which
God has done for our souls. It's founded upon his work in
our hearts and the evidence of it. Oh, today. Oh, today, my friends, may we
have the evidence that God has indeed loved us with an everlasting
love and with loving kindness has drawn us, drawn us to Him. See, naturally, there's nothing
that would draw you and me to Christ. Nothing. It's His love toward us, totally
unworthy. Great love. Great love, greater
love has this. And the Lord Jesus laid down
His life to redeem our souls. And when we think of that, when
we ponder it and think, this great God, the almighty ruler
of the universe has come and died for me. Yes, my friends,
it's personal. It is. It must be because you
and I need to stand upon that ground, to stand upon that rock and be able to say, by the grace
of God, I am what I am. I'm redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ. These are they which came out
of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the lamb. Therefore, Because of this, therefore,
and not without it, therefore, are they before the throne of
God and serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth
on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more. Well, the evidence is that the
Church of God on this earth hunger for spiritual food and spiritual
food is to be found in Christ. Union with Christ. Spiritual
blessings, spiritual food. That's what the Apostle Paul
desired and wanted, didn't he? He was a good Christian man.
He knew Christ. He was blessed for revelation.
He needed more. He wanted more. He didn't want
to stagnate. He didn't want to sit still.
But I might know him. and the power of His resurrection.
Oh, my friends, and the union with Christ, you see, this is
the evidence of life within. They should hunger no more, neither
thirst any more, neither shall the sunlight on them nor any
heat for the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, or the
Lamb of God. that taketh away the sin of the
world. The Lamb of God that taketh away
your sin. The Lamb of God that taketh away
my sin. Oh what a unity there is in being
amongst the redeemed because we are all partakers of this
wonderful favour of being bought with the precious blood of Christ. We all have something to speak
about. We all have something to talk
about. Do we not? What a wonderful favour
and what a wonderful blessing it is to be united like that. It's a wonderful and a great
blessing indeed. It's a wonderful favour to realise
this and to praise God for it. My wife and I read together this
morning the 105th Psalm and it starts like this, O give thanks
unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among
the people. That's quite clear, isn't it?
It's not just sit in your little ivory palace and not say anything.
O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, and make
known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto
Him, talk ye of all His wondrous works, wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name. Let
the heart of them rejoice. that seek the Lord, seek the
Lord and His strength, seek His face evermore. Remember His marvellous
works that He has done, His wonders and the judgements of His mouth. Well, those are wonderful words
on it and it commenced the 105th Psalm. It's worthwhile thinking
about and it's worthwhile reading. For the lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. Well, we have here then set before
us just a little glimpse, as it were, into glory, a little
glimpse of the wonderful condition state of the people of God. And remember there, no sin, peace,
Perfect peace. Unity. Nothing to disrupt that
peace. What a mercy it is. And how glorious
it is. And so, we can surely then, if
we understand something of this, to appreciate these words What
they said and they cried with a loud voice saying Salvation
to our God, which sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb. So this morning, oh, how needful
it is, how necessary it is that all of us are able to come and
say Salvation to our God. He it is. Oh, praise him for
it. He it is that has redeemed my
soul. We've all got a soul. We've all
got a soul. From the youngest, from little
Poppy to the eldest one here. We've all got a soul. which needs to be redeemed and
needs to enter in to the blessing of salvation. And so may it be
the blessed lot of every one of us to be able to testify of
what God has done. And if as yet we can't testify,
to plead mercy unto God that he will reveal Himself unto us, as it is not
unto the world, that He will indeed wash us, indeed give us
the evidence that we are washed in His precious blood, that He
will show to us the value of that precious blood and the need
it is to be found under the blood just like Old Testament times,
so it is today. And may we know it, and may we
rejoice in it, and may we praise God for it, and bring honour
and glory to his great and holy name, and be able to say, in
accordance with that which we read this morning, worthy is
the Lamb.