Would you turn back to Revelation 19? Paul said to the church at Corinth, I was with you in weakness and fear and in much trembling. And I hope that that's my attitude as I try to bring the message this morning. I've entitled this message, The Righteousness of the Saints. Look in verse eight of Revelation chapter 19.

And to her, the Lamb's wife, and to her was granted, graciously bestowed, given freely, that she should be arrayed, clothed, dressed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And in the original, the definite article is used, the fine linen, clean and white is the righteousness of the saints. The name in scripture that is overwhelmingly most often used to describe the believer is saint. It's used over 100 times. I think the word believer is used three times. The word Christian is used twice. Saint is used over 100 times.

Sanctified one. Holy one. Set apart one. The word means pure. morally blameless, other, not of this world. What a description of every believer without exception, saint, sanctified one, holy one, set apart by God. Hold your finger in Revelation and turn to Hebrews chapter two. Verse 11.

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified, this is the saints, the Lord Jesus is the one who sanctifies, sets apart. Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one. For the witch cause, he's not ashamed to call them, his sanctified ones, brethren. Now, I believe that the word sanctification is the most comprehensive word in all the Bible to describe God's salvation. sanctification.

It's unfortunate that human religion uses this word to describe behavior. Your justification is your legal standing before God. Your sanctification is your behavior. While it certainly affects our behavior, defining it like that is darkening counsel with words without knowledge. If I look at sanctification as my behavior, God giving me the grace to behave myself in a more honorable way than I did. Now, I want to behave myself well, but that has nothing to do with this word sanctification.

You know, the way the reformed circles use this word, and by reformed, I'm talking about people who identify themselves as Reformed. I believe in the Reformed view of Scripture. Some of you may have never heard of that, but many of you have. Reformed. It comes from the Protestant Reformation. We're Reformed. Now, that title That name, Designated Reform, is a bad name because the truth never needed to be reformed. I've reformed the truth. No, you have not. The truth never needed to be reformed.

Now, the reformed people use the word sanctification in the behavioral, by our works, cooperating with God's grace, we become progressively more sanctified, more holy, and progressively less sinful. That is what most people mean by sanctification, your behavior. By grace, you cooperating with God, you become more holy. more sanctified and less sinful. That is blasphemous. It's a denial of what holiness is. It's a denial of what sanctification is.

We were sanctified by the Father in eternal election, set apart to be holy. according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy. Sanctified by God the Father in election. Sanctified by God the Son in his redeeming work on Calvary's tree. Hebrews chapter 10. Verse 10, by the witch will we are sanctified once for all through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. Once for all means perfectly completed, never to be repeated. It can't be added to, it can't be taken from. sanctified once for all by the work of Christ on the cross, sanctified by the Spirit of God.

Second Thessalonians 2.13 says, we're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. What is the evidence of the sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit?

The belief of the truth. Actually made holy. Born of God. Given a new nature that was not there before. A holy nature that according to John cannot sin. The triune work of God is described in this work of sanctification. The sanctification of the Father in election, the sanctification of the Son in redemption, and the sanctification of the Spirit of God in regeneration. Saints, made so by the work of the triune God. saints. I remember one time I called myself Saint Todd, and somebody says, it always bothers me when you say that. Well, I'm going to say it again. I don't remember who said that. I was telling Lynn. I don't remember.

But I remember they said, it bothers me when you say Saint Todd. Saint Todd. Every believer is a saint of God, a holy one set apart by God. Look in Revelation 19, verse one. After these things. After what things? The destruction of Babylon. Human religion. Look in chapter 17, verse three.

So he carried me away in the spirit Into the wilderness I saw a woman set upon a scarlet-collared beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet collar and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand." Very impressive. What was in that golden cup? full of abominations, and the filthiness of her fornication, and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon, the great, the mother of harlots, and the abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." Now look in chapter 18, verse one. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven. having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, that you receive not of her plagues.

Let me hold on for just a second. This is why I hate reform. The message of reform says reform. The message of the gospel says come out and be ye separate. This is not about reformation. This is about the work of God calling on all of his people to come out of false Babylon religion, which is salvation by works. There are only two religions, the religion of works and the religion of grace. Babylon is the religion of works. Now let's go on reading. Verse five.

Her sins have reached into heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her, double according to her works. In the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double how much she hath glorified herself. and live deliciously, so much torment and sorrow. Give her, for she saith in her heart, I said a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord who judges her."

After these things, after the destruction of Babylon, works religion. If you believe your salvation is dependent upon something you do, you're in Babylon. Come out. That's the call of the gospel. Come out. After these things, verse chapter 19, I heard a great voice of much people in Now this is the language of heaven.

This is the place where there is no sin. Isn't that a glorious thought to think of? A place where there's no sin? And here's the voice he heard. I heard a great voice of much people in heaven. There can be a lot of people in heaven. I like thinking about that. There can be a lot of people there. And here there's hope. Hallelujah.

Salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. Four things are ascribed to God. Salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Glory. He gets all the glory and salvation. He deserves it. And we like it being that way, because if he doesn't get all the glory, then salvation is somehow dependent upon me. Salvation is by works. Thank God he gets all the glory. That means he did it all. Honor, oh, the honor that goes to him. Power, power belongeth unto the Lord. The strength to do. The Lord said, all power is given unto me in heaven. You see, saving faith is believing in his power and ability to do. Not our power, his power. Paul said, I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed to him against that day.

Verse two. For true and righteous are his judgments. There's no jarring and discordant words of disagreement with him like there is here. There's none there. True and righteous are his judgments. Now, I don't even know how to say this right, but I know it's so. Right now, I can't rejoice in anybody being sent to hell. Right now. I can't. But do you know on that day when I'm glorified and I see him judging the earth, if he would send my own child to hell, I would say true and righteous are my judgments. I can't say that now.

I'd be lying to say I could. but then I'll be in such agreement with God that all I can say is true and righteous are his judgments. For he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. The judgment a false religion that did corrupt the earth with her sinister doctrine, the great whore, John calls her.

Verse three, and again, they said, hallelujah. This is what's going on up there. Hallelujah. And her smoke rose up forever and ever. That speaks of the eternal nature of hell. Her smoke rose up forever and ever. Verse four, and the four and 20 elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne The Lord Jesus Christ, remember after he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the throne of the majesty on high. These are the same four and 20 elders that are spoken of in Revelation 4 and 5.

You'll remember when the lamb came and took the book. He was the only one worthy of taking it. He came and took the book. The four and 20 elders fell down on their faces, crying, worthy is the lamb that was slain. These four and 20 elders represent all the saints, the 12 patriarchs of the Old Testament, Old Testament saints, the 12 apostles of the New Testament, representing all of God's people. The four and 20 elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne saying, amen.

So be it. You know, that's the most recognized words in the world. People of other languages use this word, amen. So be it. Let it be so. This is the joy of our hearts. Verse five. And a voice came out of the throne. This is the divine directive. And a voice came out of the throne saying, praise our God, all ye his servants and ye that fear him. I love that description of a believer. They fear God. And this is not a slavish fear and dread of punishment. This is an awe and a reverence of Him who is so great. He's made the way to be just, and yet justify ungodly sinners. Let me tell you what the fear of God is, looking to Christ only. If you don't look to Christ only, you have no fear of God. You have no respect for God. Oh, but if you look to Christ only, as everything in your salvation That is the fear of God.

A voice came out of the throne saying, praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard, verse six, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings. Think of the loudness of this voice, the roaring of the sea, mighty thunders. I heard the voice, as it were, of a great multitude, as the voice of mighty, of many waters, as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, hallelujah, this is the fourth time this word is used. You know, I don't know of anything that is like fingernail scratch on a chalkboard than like people saying hallelujah flippantly. This is the language of heaven. Hallelujah.

Four, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Omnipotent. He has unlimited power. Don't miss that word unlimited. Is anything too hard for the Lord? No. He has unlimited power to do all that is consistent with His attributes and nature.

Now, He's not going to act in a way that's not consistent with his attributes. He doesn't have the power to lie. He doesn't have the power to be unjust. He'd no longer be God if that were the case. But all that's consistent with his attributes, he has the power to do. He has absolute power.

Every one of us have heard the phrase, power corrupts. And you know what? With me and you, if we had any power, you know what it'd do? It'd corrupt us. We would use it against other people and for ourselves. I'm glad that really nobody has any power at all.

He's a powerful man. No, he's not. Powerful woman. No, she's not. Power belongeth unto the Lord. And I'm so thankful no man has any power. Everybody is in God's hand. Power would corrupt me and you, but it doesn't corrupt Him. He has absolute power, omnipotence. That's why He's sovereign. He has the power to make sure His will comes to pass. Omnipotence, that's demonstrated. And remember, they're saying alleluia to this. They're praising God for this. Alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. His omnipotence is seen in creation.

When He spake the universe into existence, He brought something from nothing simply because He willed it. What mighty power! His power is displayed in providence where He is the first cause of everything. There's nothing that happens that He is not the first cause of.

What power? What power is displayed in salvation? God was made flesh. What power is seen in the actual putting away of sin? Where it's no more by what He did? What power is seen in His resurrection? When He was raised from the dead? What power is seen when He births a sinner into the Kingdom of Heaven? What power is seen in him preserving that sinner? What power will be seen when I stand before God perfect, complete, without sin, perfectly confirmed to the image of Christ? That's the mighty power of God, isn't it?

The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The necessary consequence of his omnipotence is he reigns. Here we have the sovereignty of God. The core meaning of God's sovereignty is He is the first cause of whatever is. Can you say amen to that? He is the first cause of whatever is. He exercises absolute sovereign control. And this statement begins with an hallelujah. Is this the song you love? Hallelujah. For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. And here is our response in verse seven. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him.

For the marriage of the Lamb is come. And his wife, made herself ready. Now this marriage of the Lamb is what Paul referred to in Ephesians chapter 5. If you'll turn there, hold your finger in Revelation and turn to Ephesians chapter 5. Verse 25. Husbands, love your wives, Even as Christ also loved the church. Who did he love? The church. And gave himself for it. The church. For this purpose that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself, a glorious church. not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as their own body. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. So close is the union between Christ and his church that when he loved his wife, he was loving himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth, even as the Lord the church.

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." The great marriage of the Lamb. The church is all of the elect. It's all that Christ died for. It's all that God the Holy Spirit made a new creature in Christ Jesus. It's every believer.

The church has made herself ready. Back to our text. Verse seven, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife, I've made herself ready. Now, how do you make yourself ready? Look back at Revelation 16, verse 15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked. and they see his shame, his bride made herself ready by the clothing she was arrayed to wear. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 22.

Verse 11, and when the king came in to see the guests, This was at the wedding of his son. He came in to see the guests. He saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. You know, when you went to a marriage, there was a wedding garment you were given to wear. Now, this man wasn't wearing it. He saw no need for it. I guess he thought, well, what I got's as good as that, I'll be accepted in this. He wasn't wearing the one singular wedding garment that all the guests had. He didn't have it.

Verse 12, this is the king speaking, and he saith unto him, friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless, perhaps for the first time in his life. He was speechless as he stood before the great king without the wedding garment. Then said the king to the servants, bind him, hand and foot, take him away, cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

How do you make yourself ready? By having the wedding garment. You know what that is? You look to Christ only as your only righteousness before God. That's having on the wedding garment. You know the only garment that'll make you acceptable before God is the wedding garment that he has provided. And you look to him only. You're not like the foolish virgins who had the lamps with no oil, but like the wise who had oil, the grace of God in their lamps. His bride has made herself ready.

Now, listen to me. If right now, presently, you're not looking to Christ only as your garment that makes you holy before God, you're not ready. If you died, you would eternally perish. May God give every one of us the grace to make ourselves ready by looking to Christ. Now look at verse 8. This is our text, and I'll be very brief.

And to her was granted, graciously bestowed that she should be arrayed. She was clothed. She didn't put this on herself. She was arrayed like, remember the prodigal? What the father said to him, bring forth the best robe and put it on him. She was arrayed. Arrayed by the father, like the Lord clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skin. He did the clothing. He didn't hand it to him and say, put it on. He did it all. This bride was arrayed. in fine linen, clean and white.

And this fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the righteousness of the saints. Many translations translate this, this is the righteous deeds or the righteous works of the saints. And righteousness is in the original, in the plural, righteousnesses of the saints. Well, let me say this. The Lord said in Matthew chapter three, verse 15, thus it becometh us. to fulfill all righteousness. The righteous deeds of Christ are the righteous deeds of the saints. But do you know the text does not have in it works or deeds. This is the righteousness of the saints. Now would you consider any of your deeds fine linen, clean and white?

What does Isaiah say? Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And I don't want to be crude, but in the original, that is minstress rags, all uncleanness. And Isaiah is not speaking as an unbeliever. He's speaking as a believer. All our righteousnesses are his filthy rags.

Is that the coat you want to be covered in? No, the fine linen, clean and white is the righteousness, the righteousnesses of Jesus Christ. It's his act of obedience. He kept God's law perfectly. All his deeds were righteous deeds. I think of that passage of Scripture in 2 Corinthians 5.9 or 5.10 where Paul said we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ and receive the things done in the body according to that he hath done, whether good or bad. Now, if you're a believer, all the stuff done in your body is good because you have the righteousness of Jesus Christ, his righteous deeds. If you're an unbeliever, all the deeds done in your body are bad, nothing but sin. Oh, I want to be clothed in this glorious garment, the righteousness and the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Him, I have a positive righteousness. I've always done that which is right. I've kept God's law perfectly. I have a negative righteousness. I've never done anything wrong. We have it all in this glorious garment. Not only am I not guilty, I am perfect. I positively love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength.

Now that is the wedding garment of the church. That is how she has made herself ready. Not only is sin not imputed to her, righteousness is imputed Jesus, thy blood and righteousness, my beauties are, my glorious dress. Misflaming worlds in these are raised, with joy shall I lift up my hand. Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who ought to my charge shall lay, fully absolved from these I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame.

Her righteousness. The righteousness of the saints is the righteousness and merits of Jesus Christ alone. Don't dare think that the righteousness of the saints is your good works here on earth. May you be enabled to say, our righteousnesses are, as God says, filthy rags, and I look to the righteousness of Christ alone. Verse nine, and he saith unto me, write, write this down eternally. Blessed are they which are called unto the married supper of the lamb. That's his wife. That's his bride that he purchased. They're all called to the married supper of the lamb. These are the true sayings of God. Are you clothed with the garment of his righteousness?

That's the only way you can get into this wedding. Oh, may the Lord deliver us from being like that fellow who came in without a wedding garment and was bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. Oh, may we all be enabled to make ourselves ready by looking to Christ only. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the wedding garment of the righteousness and merit of thy son, the righteousness of the saints. Bless this message according to your will for your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.