I want you to look with me this
morning at The Revelation, the book called The Revelation. It is not called Revelations,
plural, but The Revelation. It begins by saying this is the
revelation of Jesus Christ. This book is not just a book
of revelations, though there are many, yet it is the revelation
of the truth. The truth, the gospel, the same
story which God began in Genesis, the same theme is the salvation
of God's people by Jesus Christ. I hope this will be a revelation
to you. In Revelation 7 is a look into
the future, a look into heaven. Who will be there? Why they are
there? And what they are doing? Who
will be in heaven? Will you be there? Why? If you
are there, why will you be there? And what will you be doing? What do you look forward to doing?
Well, who is there? Who will be there? In verse 9
of Revelation 7 it reads, After this I beheld, and low, 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 hand,
and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God
which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb." Who will
be there? It says in verse 9, a great multitude
which no man could number, of all nations, kindreds, and people,
and tongue. A multitude which no man can
number, but God has them numbered. The scripture says, he telleth
the number of the stars. He has the number of the stars.
One time he said to Abraham, can you number the stars? No.
But God does. He said to His disciples one
time, the very hairs of your head are numbered. You would
think hairs, the number of your hairs, are insignificant. Well,
God has them numbered because He is God. Nothing left to chance. Nothing that has not been absolutely
ordered and predestined by God. That's who He is. That's what
He does. The foundation of God standeth sure, Scripture says,
that having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His. How does He know them? He chose
them. He numbered them. Isaiah 53 says,
He was numbered with them. So it says in verse 9 here, the
revelation, I beheld a great multitude which no man could
number, but God has them numbered. And they are of all nations,
it says. Kindred, people in tongues, a number which no man could number,
but God has a number. And they're out of the world,
the world, a world of people. Not every person in the world
or out of the world, but a people chosen by God out of the world
for God so loved the world. That is, in John chapter 3 verse
14, before verse 16, verse 14 says, As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted
up. That's speaking of Christ and
Him crucified. For God so loved the world, He
sent His only begotten Son, delivered Him up for His people. God delivered
up His Son to die as a substitute, as a sin offering, as a sacrifice,
as a burnt offering for His chosen people in the world, for those
who believe, for whosoever believe it. That is, they believe by
the gift of God. They've been given the gift of
repentance and faith. They all know this. Salvation
is by grace through faith, and that's not of yourselves, it's
a gift of God. It's according to the working
of His mighty power. All whom God chose, all who Christ
died for, He gives them this saving faith. It's life is what
it is. And He loves people that He numbers,
but there are so many, a vast multitude, which no man can number. Out of every nation, that is
the world, a world of people. What mercy, though no one deserves
to be saved. Not one single son of Adam deserves
to be saved. Preachers say this, every man
deserves a chance to be saved. No, no, salvation is not what
we deserve. Hell, damnation, condemnation,
judgment, wrath is what we deserve. It's what everyone deserves.
where all have sinned and rebelled against God. But God is rich
in mercy, and He chose a vast multitude to save them to the
praise of the glory of His sovereign, saving grace. Well, who are these
people? They are God's chosen people, His elect. In Revelation
17, the same book says in verse 14, They that are with Him, that
is, with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the Lamb, They
that are with Him are called and chosen and faithful. They know that. For whom He did
foreknow, He did predestinate. And whom He did predestinate,
He called. They're called. They're chosen.
And they're faithful. Faithful to His honor, His glory,
His cause. They're full of faith in His
Son. Yes, they that are with Him are
there because He called them. That's my next question. Why
are they there? In chapter 5 of the Revelation,
it says this, that God chose them, that the Lord Jesus Christ
died for them. He died for them. 9 of chapter
5, it says, They sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take
the book, and to open the seals thereof, for Thou wast slain,
Thou wast slain, singing to the Lamb, and hast redeemed us to
God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation. And Thou hast made us unto our
God kings and priests. So they all say that they were
redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ out of every
kindred, tongue, and people and nation. The Lord Jesus Christ
died for these people. That's why they're there. God
chose them. And the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is the Lamb of God, was slain. He shed His precious blood for
the remission of their sin. They all know this. They all
sing of it. They'll sing of it then. And
they sing of it now. Scripture says the wages of sin
is death. All have sinned. Scripture says
the soul that sinneth shall surely die. Well, it says the life of
the flesh is in the blood. If your blood is shed, you die.
Well, Christ died for His people. He said that. I lay down my life
for the sheep. Not every single person. laid
down his life for every person. If he shed his precious blood
for every single human being, then every single human being
will be saved, because it is the blood that maketh atonement
for the soul. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth from all sin. It's the blood. It's the blood. Now, he didn't die for all, else
all would be saved. Their sins would be paid for.
If Christ died for everyone, then their sins are paid for.
The law of God is satisfied. The justice of God has been served.
Hell has been satisfied. Christ went through hell on Calvary's
tree for His people. Whoever He did that for, they're
not going to hell. Jesus Christ didn't die to make
salvation possible. He died to save His people from
their sin. He didn't die to make salvation
possible. died to put away sin, to satisfy
justice, to make an atonement. He didn't make a down payment. He made the full payment. And it is not your acceptance
of the blood. He didn't offer the blood to
us. He offered it to God. And God
accepted it. It is not our acceptance of the
blood, but it is God's. Now, whoever Christ died for,
God accepts that sacrifice on their behalf and their sins are
blotted out under the blood. Listen to Romans 8. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies
it. Who is he that condemns it? It
is Christ that dies. This is the foundation of faith,
the fundamental of true saving faith. All in heaven know these
things, and all who are His people on earth know it too. Christ
died for their sin. Well, in Revelation 7, it says
in verse 4, I heard the number of them that were sealed. They're
sealed. All of God's chosen. Why are
they there? They're chosen of God, numbered
by God. Christ died for them, He atoned
for their sins, made the payment for their sins, paid the punishment
for their sins, which is death. He poured out His life blood,
yes, and He poured out His soul. God made His soul an offering
for sin. That's the payment. The soul
that sinneth shall surely die. Well, Scripture says Christ was
made sin for his people. He who knew no sin, that they
might be made the righteousness of God in him. And God sends
the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the word, the preaching of
this gospel I'm preaching. Christ crucified. Sovereign,
electing mercy and grace of God and choosing a people. The sovereign
particular redemption, effectual redemption of the blood of Jesus
Christ to pay for their sin. God sends His Holy Spirit through
the preaching of this gospel, this word, this truth. Christ
crucified. He is the wind that bloweth where
it listeth. That's what Christ said to Nicodemus
in John 3. He must be born again, born of
water and the Spirit. And the Spirit, the wind, bloweth
where it listeth. upon whom God hath chosen, whom
Christ died for. And the Spirit of God gives life,
quickened by the Spirit of God, born again by the Word of Life,
incorruptible seed, the Word of God, the Gospel. He gives
sight from the blind, ears for the deaf, a new heart, repentance,
faith. This is the seal. This is the
seal. Ephesians chapter 1, it says
these very same things. This is the gospel. Blessed be
God, he said, who has chosen his people before the foundation
of the world, predestinated them to the adoption of children.
And he goes on down to say that they trust in him. They hear
the word of truth, the gospel, and they're sealed with the Holy
Spirit. So who is there? God's chosen. Why are they there?
God chose them and gave them to Christ, and Christ died for
them, and He sends the Holy Spirit to quicken them, to give them
life. Well, what are they doing? What are they doing there? In
Revelation 7, it says they stand before the throne, singing, shouting,
crying with a loud voice. They're worshiping, just as they
did on earth. What they loved to do on earth,
they're doing now. Listen to their testimony. They
cried with a loud voice, salvation to our God. It's He that has
saved us, not we ourselves. To God who sitteth upon the throne,
the sovereign Lord, salvation is of the Lord, and unto the
Lamb. He's God. He's the Lord. And it says they
fell on their faces before God. They worshiped Him saying, Amen. They all agree. They all believe
the same thing. Blessing, all blessing, glory,
wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, All power, all authority,
might is unto our God forever and ever. Amen. They all know this. They all
know why they're there. And they're all doing one thing,
worshipping the Lamb. That's what they loved to do
when they were on earth and what they're loving to do now. What
about you? Will you be there? Will you be one of these? Why?
Why? What's your hope of eternal life? Is it the hope of these people?
The hope in Christ? Well, I pray that it may be so
until next Sunday. Amen.